The rise and fall of porn star Dirk Diggler. It’s a funny, sad, and sympathetic look at the fragile lives and egos of an group of hopeful, sad, and ambitious characters. The plot might be on the predictable side, but it is well executed. The way the early 1980s setting is played for laughs softens the harsh emotional roller coaster the characters find themselves on, and the overall effect is one of amused compassion. A well-rounded, and interesting film.

Funny, clever, twisty, and touching story about a con man (“con artist“) who is reunited with a teenage daughter he has never met. Nicolas Cage’s tics and quirks skirt dangerously close to being annoying, but they turn out to be integral to the plot, and their presence (and absence) also act as background barometer for tension levels throughout the film. Sam Rockwell is amusingly glib, and Alison Lohman balances vulnerability and sullen edginess for a believable and lovable teenager. Snappy script, and some lovely cinematography, too. I apreciated this as a con film, but also as parent/child relationship movie. (I think I’m developing a weak spot for those. Must watch out for soppy tendencies.)

High-octane shakycam spy action. It doesn’t measure up to the studied intensity of the first film, mainly because Bourne has settled into his new-found identity, and the enemy he is battling is known (to an extent) and external, rather than the unknown internal demons he fought in the first film. Matt Damon is still highly watchable, and entirely lacking in Bond suaveness. The fight scenes are close-in, gritty, fast, and dirty. This is my idea of a spy film. (Now if only someone would take up the Quiller franchise…)

Thoughtful, emotional look at a man’s last day of freedom before he goes to jail. Ed Norton generates sympathy without overplaying the issue; Philip Seymour Hoffman reins in the creepy lecherousness of his teacher character; and Barry Pepper is very strong as the emotionally walled-off Wall Street asshole. (The world needs more Barry Pepper.) The closing sequence is particularly poignnant, containing the seeds of both hope and doubt, and leaving the final choice to the viewer.

Shrek used modern-day tropes and imagery to satirise fairytales. Shrek 2 does the opposite: it uses fairytale motifs to create a satire of modern life. It’s a very funny sequel. But with a more complex story line and a more diffuse band of characters, it’s not as focussed and essential as the original.

Simultaneously tense and funny “pre-heist” gangster movie. (There is a heist in there, but the bulk of the story plays out before the job, and the actual break-in is irrelevant to the plot.) Ray Winstone is fantastic as the soft-hearted mobster who wants nothing other than to live out his retirement in peace, but Ben Kingsley blows everyone else on screen away as the psycho hard case Don Logan who comes to get him for one more job. Lots of intense dialogue, thorough characterisation, dark humour, and the occasional surreal moment with an uzi-wielding rabbit. Wicked good.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this film. The first half is absolutely hilarious. It takes the chaos of a household with 12 kids, and channels all of that chaos into laughs. I roared out loud in places, and giggled madly in others. (“You soaked his underwear in meat. That is so wrong. Funny, but wrong.”) The second half of the film felt weaker and less focussed. It concentrates more on the stresses of the situation the family finds themselves in with an eye to resolving it neatly in the happy ending. It pops up a number of story lines I would like to have seen more of, but the film was just too short to look at the all. (Note to self: must watch more teen angst comedies. Also, must try to catch some Smallville.) Basically, it’s an excellent family comedy, in the same vein as Parenthood. Anyone who has survived having a toddler around the house will appreciate it.

Interesting character-based spy story. In his portrayal of MI6 agent Andy Osnard, Pierce Brosnan takes his James Bond character, stuffs him full of self-assured arrogance and strips him bare of sympathy. This reckless, slimy egoist is exiled to Panama for past indiscretions. There, he twists the arm of tailor Harry Pendel (Geoffrey Rush), a man with a tenuous link to Panama’s top politicians, a secret in his past, and mounting debts. Pendel is also an accomplished liar and fantasist, and just as Osnard perverts Pendel’s tales for his own ends, so does Pendel try to play Osnard for all he can get. It’s a game of intelligence chicken that goes wrong. Eventually the deceptions spiral out of control, and the stakes escalate beyond either of their control. This may sound a bit grim, but it’s a surprisingly humorous and at times very touching film.

Sumptuous medieval-Japanese sword opera…with tap-dancing. The often grim and brutal tone of the film is lightened with frequent touches of slapstick humour, scenic beauty, and Stomp-like rhythmic pieces. The swordplay is lightning fast, gracefully precise, and bloody. The characterisation is minimal, and relying heavily on archetypes and classic thematic building blocks to evoke empathy. It doesn’t always succeed, but the fundamental conflict of the film is really one between forces of nature than between human characters. Highly watchable and engrossing.

Alex and I saw the first Scooby-Doo film together just a few weeks ago. It was fun, and I actually found myself looking forward to seeing this sequel. I’m very happy to say that my anticipation was justified. SD2 is a more confident and accomplished film. The actors are much more comfortable with their characters: Matthew Lillard just is Shaggy, and Linda Cardellini, despite being better-looking than the cartoon Velma, hits the shy, geeky nail right on the head. Freddy Prinze Jr and Sarah Michelle Gellar as Fred and Daphne don’t do as much showboating this time round, which suits them much better. It’s a more coherent ensemble film, which is what Scooby Doo is about: the gang. The plot is a bit more twisty than the first film, and feels truer to the spirit of the original cartoon. The fart jokes are still there, and they’re still funny. The visual gags are good, too–including a classic poking-heads-around-corner moment, and some synchronized tip-toeing. It’s all just good. There are some scary moments, though, so a ready parental hand in front of a toddler’s eyes is definitely recommended.