MOVIE REVIEW - Batman: The Dark Knight (2008)

The first Batman is in my top 50. A couple of the others were decent, while some were awful. Christian Bale rejuvenated the franchise with Batman Begins; but with Dark Knight, they moved to a new level - high quality, high action, top-notch acting and directing. I doubt that it will top the first Batman on my favorites list - as much for nostalgia reasons as anything else. But this is a well-made movie. I stop shy of saying it is a great movie, mostly because of expectations. I had heard that, forget superheroes, this was an all-time great crime drama. Well, it's a really good superhero movie with a good criminal (Heath is almost as good as the hype - especially in that nurse's uniform dance - yikes!). But it's definitely just a Batman movie. Once again, Christian is an excellent choice for Batman/Bruce (though his mouth still looks wrong in that mask). The action sequences (and those insane shots of Hong Kong) were terrific. The story was good, and sharing villain-time between Heath/Joker and Aaron/Harvey/2Face was a good idea to keep the story alive for 2.5 hours.

MOVIE REVIEW - Mist, The (2007)

Stephen King scares, and this is no exception. Yikes, I was freakin scared as soon as the ominous mist began. What was killing those people in the mist? What begins in Hitchcockian fashion, where the suspense IS the terror, we soon learn what is in the mist, and turns out, it was even scarier than the suspense! And yes, a little cheesy, too, but it really hit my fear factor. Marcia Gay Hardin's religious lunatic was a bit much, but it did help move the story along (and provided the movie's best line - "That's why I said thanks"). And this movie can't be reviewed without at least mentioning that most unconceivable of endings. My word, I just have no words. I like movies that surprise me and take me out of the standard viewing experience - and this one certainly did.

MOVIE REVIEW - Hancock (2008)

The previews made this look sarcastic and fun. That was misleading, as this movie is not fun. It's not really even sarcastic. It's a plodding story with a blatantly obvious and boring twist that goes nowhere. Jason Bateman was mildly enjoyable as a regular guy who wants to help Will Smith's washed out superhero spruce up his image. Charlize Theron is usually a major draw for me, but not this time. Dud.

MOVIE REVIEW - Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)

This movie is really lame - made for kids (if them, even), with terrible dialogue, obvious plots, and mediocre action. It does get a bump, though, because I saw it in 3D, and that made it pretty fun. There were about 10 scenes where I literally jumped out of my seat. But while the effects made the experience mildly fun, it was a chore to make it through.

MOVIE REVIEW - Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)

I'm a bit bored with musician biopics, and this story of Loretta Lynn didn't wow me - but it was a nicely told and nicely acted story. Sissy did a good job, but I'm not sure it was as Oscar worthy as I've always heard. Yes, she went from 14 to about 40. And maybe it was just that I didn't think Loretta came across as very deep - just a girl who could sing a little and got pretty lucky (career-wise, anyway). I liked it, but it had flaws.

MOVIE REVIEW - Hitcher, The (2007)

Almost a B-movie thriller. And while it's fairly lame, it's kinda fun, too.

MOVIE REVIEW - Brave One, The (2007)

While I'm a sucker for a vigilante movie, this one is more brooding than most. A decent story about a woman who dives into revenge toward all bad guys after she is nearly killed. In the extras, Jodie emphasizes how strongly she thinks her character is wrong; but that she liked the character study. Not a great way to market your movie, Jodie - I think I liked it more than she did.