Notable Actors: Shia LaBeouf, Michael Douglas, Carey Mulligan
Why?: Because I watched the original because I wanted to watch this one.
Three Thoughts: Better than you'd expect from a sequel, but certainly not the be-all-end-all of cinema. Enjoyable, although a bit tedious in spots (although that could likely be because of the fact that I don't know the first thing about investment banking). And I wasn't thrilled with the ending, despite the fact that it was supposed to be happy and tie up loose ends. (I could go into more detail about that, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone :-).
Title: Life As We Know It
Notable Actors: Josh Duhamel, Katherine Heigl in one of the rare roles where I don't want to punch her.
Why?: Because as romantic comedies go, this one didn't look too repulsive. And Greg Berlanti directed it. I like Greg Berlanti. (Seriously. Follow that second hyperlink. Find that show on DVD and watch it. Now.)
Three Thoughts: As formulaic as this was, I really enjoyed it. Funny moments, and the baby was cute but they avoided too many stupid gratuitious "look how cute the baby is!" shots. I'd recommend it, even if you're ambivalent about romantic comedies. (Oh, and apparently the babies are from Frederick. Here's hoping their parents decide that they need to take swim lessons sometime soon :-)
Title: Babies
Notable Actors: Four babies - one in San Francisco, one in Japan, one in Namibia, and one in Mongolia
Why?: Because it showed up on Netflix as having come out recently, and I remembered seeing the trailer.
Three Thoughts: Very well made, but kind of boring. The babies are cute, and it's a pretty simple idea - follow them throughout their first year or so of life - but cute only goes so far without more of a narrative. It was less than an hour and a half long, though, so it's worth seeing if you like babies.
Notable Actors: Well, it's a documentary about musicals. So, pretty much everyone cool.
Why?: Because I was home sick from work and I had added it to my instant Netflix queue, which I can stream through my Wii straight onto my TV.
Three Thoughts: This was actually pretty darn awesome. They summarized the genre since the 1920s, and since it was made recently, even included things like Hairspray and Dreamgirls. Of particular note is the fact that they talked about Singin' In the Rain, Cabaret, and Chicago, three of the greatest musicals ever. (And now I want to go to watch Cabaret.)
Author: Judy Blume
Why?: Because I've made it my mission to own all of her books, and I had never read this one when it arrived from Paperback Swap
Why?: Because I've made it my mission to own all of her books, and I had never read this one when it arrived from Paperback Swap
Three Thoughts: Judy Blume's awesome...and apparently, tons of kids write letters to her about their problems because of it. This book compiled excerpts from these letters, as well as her responses and/or added commentary, in order to give parents perspective on what their kids are thinking. I'd recommend it for any fan of hers, whether or not you have kids.
Title: The Social Network
Notable Actors: Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake (who is pretty much awesome in everything he does that involves acting)
Three Thoughts: Pretty darn fantastic...of course, I'm sure Sorkin took liberties with the story, but they made it that much better of a movie. Believable characters, but no one as self-righteous as some who Sorkin created (Studio 60, I'm looking at you); the only self-righteous ones came by it honestly, and were intended to be that way. I wouldn't be surprised if it wins an Oscar or two for itself.
