Latest movies

I haven't gotten to see all the movies I've wanted to in the theater the last couple of weeks, but I've seen a few on video.  These are sort of in order of how much I liked them, from least to best.

The Mummy (1999) - not quite what I had hoped; Brendan Fraser is always entertaining, and Rachel Weisz is always good, but this movie is a bit of a mess; I think National Treasure and even Sahara are better movies in this genre

The Mummy Returns (2001) - more sentimental than the first movie, because now Rick and Evy are married and have a young son who is an integral part of the story; watchable but not memorable

A Summer in Genoa (2008) - I actually never finished this video because it's not terribly interesting; Colin Firth is capable as a widow coping with his own grief and the very different reactions of his daughters, but the movie is too meandering really hold your interest, and kind of a waste of a great cast and potentially very moving situation

Nowhere Boy (2009) - well done biopic of John Lennon's teen years; excellent performances and of course an intriguing story - what formative experiences contribute to the development of a genius?  I was a bit surprised at what a jerk JL is - not much of his Give Peace A Chance persona is in evidence during his early life

Red Riding Hood (2010) - not bad, not amazing; they did a clever job of incorporating elements of the fairy tale into the movie (e.g., "what big eyes you have" was in a dream), and I was definitely kept guessing about who the wolf was (I was wrong!), but it wasn't as beautiful or meaningful or satifying as I had hoped

City Island (2009) - a bit of a gem; I watched this on cable after coming across it while flipping channels; a bit uneven, but offbeat fun, and charming, and lots of great people, including Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, and the always adorable Emily Mortimer; Ezra Miller, who plays the sardonic teenage son, is someone to watch

Horrible Bosses (2011) - Larry and I managed to dash out to see this; it's not a perfect movie, but we laughed a lot