A Single Man

— Colin Firth is fantastic and “A Single Man” is a gorgeous film to look at—kind of a series of perfectly thought out still images that reminds you Tom Ford is one heck of a designer. Both Ford and Firth deserve high praise for their roles in this story of a 1960’s gay, British professor in California after his lover dies. Oh, and Julianne Moore is perfect too.

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[2009. 99 min. Directed Tom Ford. Starring Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, and Matthew Goode.]

It's Complicated

— Back from "It's Complicated". Meryl's wonderful, of course. Even pulled off the obligatory, humorous mention of vaginas by women at lunch! Men are largely sad creatures while more evolved women lead full and meaningful lives.

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[2009. 120 min. Directed Nancy Meyers. Starring Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, John Krasinski, Lake Bell, Mary Kay Place, and Rita Wilson.]

The Young Victoria

— Emily Blunt is very good in "The Young Victoria". I’m always a sucker for historical dramas about the monarchy. Not sure why we're fascinated by the royals, but I'm reminded to watch "Mrs. Brown" again sometime. Then maybe "The Queen", "Mary Queen of Scots", "Elizabeth" and "Elizabeth, The Golden Age" and "Elizabeth R" and "Elizabeth I"...

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[2009. 105 min. Directed Jean-Marc Vallee. Starring Emily blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent, and Thomas Kretschmann.]

(500) Days of Summer

— I watched “(500) Days of Summer” last night and was impressed. Kind of like reading a diary after someone ripped out the pages and threw them in the air. Nice to see believable people navigating a perilous and believable romance, but there are a few too many gimmicks from music video and the narrator could tone it down a notch. Even with its flaws, it is a really worthwhile film.

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[2009. 95 min. Directed Marc Webb. Starring Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Geoffrey Arend, and Chloe Grace Moretz.]

Nine

— It’s hard to imagine anyone who grew up watching Fellini movies not being intrigued by “Nine”. Rob Marshall knows how to ooze pizzaz, but I wonder about the women in his life. The music doesn’t hold a candle to “Chicago” but the cast does & the “look” is wonderful. Probably more scenes with lingerie than you’ll find in any other mainstream film. More interesting than expected, but not sure it achieved what was intended.

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[2009. 119 min. Directed Rob Marshall. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penolope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, and Sophia Loren.]

The Blind Side

— Went to see "The Blind Side". Perfect for a cold, end-of-a-three-day-weekend afternoon with slightly slick roads. Nice to feel good sometimes!

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[2009. 129 min. Directed John Lee Hancock. Starring Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, an Jae Head.]

Sherlock Holmes

— saw "Sherlock Holmes" today. Robert Downey, Jr. & Jude Law are both really good (they almost always are), but there are a lot of other films out there worth seeing first.

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[2009. 128 min. Directed Guy Ritchie. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, and Rachel McAdams.]

Avitar

— Back from "Avitar". Cameron sure knows how to tell a story. Can't believe how involved I was. And how entertained.

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[2009. 162 min. Directed James Cameron. Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang.]