Bride Wars

While very predictable, this movie was still fairly good because of Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway. They both do great, even though the plot they were given ended up being a bit drawn out...and over-the-top. But nonetheless, it was still a fun girl movie that was especially fun to watch on a girls' night out. But boys will likely hate this movie.

Oh, and I liked Van Montgomery in this. I don't know his real name (I just looked it up and it is Steve Howie), but it was fun seeing him in something other than Reba. How funny. And Jake Jagielsky (Bryan Greenberg) from One Tree Hill was in this too. I knew he had more acting in him.

There is some language and suggestive content, but it is nice to find a chick flick that isn't PG-13. A rarity these days.

Valkyrie

I thought this movie was really well made. I'm not a Tom Cruise hater, nor am I a Tom Cruise lover, but I thought he did very well in this movie. The historical content is apparently very accurate, and I was fascinated with the whole plot--really I knew very little about assassination attempts on Hitler.

It isn't action-packed, but it keeps you riveted in your seat even though you know what's going to ultimately happen. It made me wonder what I would have done if I had been a German during that awful time.

I would say it is one of the few movies that is worth paying $5 to see. (Matinee, of course. Nothing really is worth the $9 evening price they charge you these days.)

Oh, and this is a spoiler right here, but I am SO glad they didn't kill the wife and kids too...that would've made it just way too sad.

Judgment at Nuremburg

This movie is based on the Judges' Trial that was part of the Nuremburg Tribunals in Germany shortly after WWII.

I have never seen another movie that treated in such depth questions of justice, morality, and law as this one does. The acting is superb; the line up includes an old Judy Garland in a relatively minor role, an old Spencer Tracy as the presiding judge, and a young, pre-Star Trek William Shatner. I liked the cinematography, especially the camera angles.

The movie is three hours long, but doesn't feel that long. It is in black and white.

It prompts reflection on aspects of WWII and its aftermath that don't usually come up in history texts or classes.

I highly reccommend this movie.

The Day the Earth Stood Still

1. There's nothing like environmentalist propaganda to ruin a movie for you (We must SAVE THE EARTH FROM THE HUMANS! They are planet-killers!).

2. There's nothing like Keanu Reeves to ruin a movie for you (okay, okay, I did like The Matrix, but there's only so much Keanu you can take).

3. There's nothing like aliens in the plot to ruin a movie for you (this, of course, is my personal bias, but alien movies I just don't really like. ever.).

THIS movie has ALL THREE!