"I think that's the shit, man. Raw intelligence." –OR– "I don't fuckin' know either. I guess we learned not to do it again."

Burn After Reading, 2008. Three and a Half Stars.

Oh, Coen Brothers! Your joints are such a delight.

This movie was quite enjoyable! And Brad Pitt ruled in it. And I looooooove Frances McDormand. And I dug George Clooney's performance, too. It's usually a little hit-or-miss with him for me (but mostly hit. I just think I'm a little sick of seeing so much of him sometimes). Anyways, the characters that he and Tilda Swinton played opposite each other were perfect!

I grew up watching Gilad on TV, so I took particular delight in the boat work-out scene with John Malkovich.

"I'm bigger, than ever. I'm bigger, I'm back. I'm better —I'm back, than ever—I'm back. You fuckers, I'm back."

"It's almost a shame to smoke it. It's like killing a unicorn. It's like... a bomb."

Pineapple Express, 2008. Three Stars.

This movie was funny! And good!

I wasn't sure that I was going to like it; even as a non-stoner, I still enjoy stoner humor... most of the time. Sometimes it gets a little grating and unimaginative. So even though it has a good cast and writers that I like, I wasn't sure if this would be good, or just average.

Yeah, it definitely went where I didn't expect it to go. And it was so so funny.

Unsurprisingly, I had a crush on James Franco in "Freaks and Geeks". It was great to see him in something not serious, and also working with Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow again!

And My Guy's in it! If you didn't know that I've been a tremendous fan of his since seeing him in The Warriors, then now you know.

I could watch this movie several times in a row and not get sick of it.

"Time to go suck today's dick."

"It's a gift... and a curse."

"Monk", 2002–2009. Three and a Half Stars.

Speaking of excellent shows coming back from the brink of awfulness, there's also "Monk"!!

So, this show was great. But the last few seasons, however, got really stagnant; there wasn't much room for innovation until Monk was able to grow, and he couldn't grow until he started to solved Trudy's murder. (I always thought it was curious that a character so important to the main character in this show ended up being played by two different actresses, the first Trudy being Stellina Rusich.)

Well, because the series would end with the solving of Trudy's murder, this last season was phenomenal! Monk finally starts progressing and growing as a person, the characters around him also develop, and situations aren't dictated by his predictable reactions to everything. It was also cool to see how he finally got his badge back (which was something he always sought during the series), but since he (and the department) has changed and grown so much over the years, he realized he was happier just doing his Monk thang on his own. And, did anyone see the two-part series finale? It was so perfect! Everything I could have wanted and more.

Also, I'm a little bit of a sap, and I really like that Sharona and Disher got together, and that Disher is heading his own department in NJ. Mostly I'm very happy that Disher finally got so less annoying!! Unfortunately, Julie's character remained pretty flat. And I really think it's the character, not the actress (she was good in that episode "Mr. Monk and the Critic"!).

If you've never watched an episode of this show in your life, and you wanna get in to it, I suggest checking out the first few seasons, then a few of the first Natalie seasons, then the last season. Those will all give you a decent Monk experience. Then, if you like it, check out the rest of the seasons. It's easy to check out episodes of this show since, if it's anything like it is now, USA will be re-airing Monk marathons for ages to come.

Whenever I see Craig T. Nelson ("Coach")'s name in credits, for a split second I think it's actually Michael J. Nelson ("Mystery Science Theater 3000") and I get excited. I know that's weird. And don't get me wrong, I'm always happy to see the dad from Poltergeist!

"But Benny Said." "Fuck Benny."

Carlito's Way, 1993. Three Stars.

Good movie! I really liked opening sequence. It was fun to see Sean Penn! And Viggo! And I totally recognized Nathan Petrelli!

That Pacino can sure act! Cool seeing him play a somewhat similar character to Scarface, but, you know, making different life decisions.

"The trouble with a poet is how do you know it's deceased? Try the priest."

Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, 2007. Three and a Half Stars.

Surprisingly great!! Dark, twisted musical! Talented actors! Perfect visuals! And lovely, lovely gore!

Imagine seeing this on Broadway, must've been awesome!

"I can believe most anything; my problem is I just don't care."

We're No Angels, 1989. Three Stars.

I'd originally set a DVR recording to tape this movie because the TV guide said it was the one from 1955, so I was confused when Robert DeNiro and Sean Penn showed up! So, it ended up being the newer version, but I still watched it.

It was pretty enjoyable. Everyone was good in it. I actually like Demi Moore in this! And John C. Reilly plays a monk!!

I'll have to watch the old one now to compare.

"Let's make him a weenie wagger."

The Parallax View, 1974. Three Stars

You know, even though it feels pretty dated, and the story isn't as complex or sophisticated as it could have been, I still really enjoyed this!

I like the tag line: There is no conspiracy. Just twelve dead people.

"My God, do we really suck? Or is this guy really that GOOD??"

Shoot 'Em Up, 2007. Three Stars.

Ridiculous, but SO FUN!! I dig action movies, but action sequences generally bore me with clichés and uninteresting camera work. The action in this movie, however, is actually engaging! Right off the bat: a dude gets a carrot through his skull! Also, loved the fresh use of Nirvana.

I'm becoming such a fan Clive Owen, I love the mysterious characters he tends to portray.

Paul Giamatti is awesome! I'd just seen him in John Adams (no review for that, sorry! I did enjoy it though), so it was great to see him in such a completely different role.

Seriously, this movie's so fun to watch!!

"Make me a mah-tini, you fah-kin retah-d!"

Gone Baby Gone, 2007. Three and a Half Stars.

I'd heard that everyone loved this movie, and I'd been meaning to see it. So I finally rented it. Wasn't expecting much because of all the hype, but it actually turned out to be really good!

Yeah the actor's are great. And the characters are interesting. Coming from and still living in Boston and the surrounding area, I can say the shitty local characters were dead on. :D But the most impressive thing about this was the complex and heart-breaking story. Patrick does everything in his power to uphold the law that he holds so near and dear, but in the end, was is REALLY the right thing to do? Maybe I don't know how DSS works, but, couldn't they have rescued her from her neglectful, shitty mom and placed her in the loving care of Morgan Freeman? Was the kidnapping and fake murder really necessary? Perhaps I am naive.

"If you piss in your pants, you only stay warm for so long."

We Own the Night, 2007. Three and a Half Stars.

I didn't know what this was about at all until I saw it. Gotta say, I was indeed riveted!! The portrayal of the time period felt genuine, and the actors were very believable as these characters (At first I wasn't sure Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg could pull off being brothers. But it was cool!). And Eva Mendes was good.

That's all I can say. I dug this movie.

"Randy, I'm trying to sacrifice my life for our love. Stop being a dick."

Balls of Fury, 2007. Two and a Half Stars.

Totally funnier than I expected! But then again, I wasn't expecting much... some genuinely funny parts, sprinkled with some pretty messed up humor. Christopher Walken's character was enjoyable, though not that inspired. Probably enjoyable because, have you ever not enjoyed a Christopher Walken performance??

Catch this if you can view it for free and feel like a dumb movie to make you chuckle!

"Helena? Je vous aime."

Subway, 1985. Two and a Half Stars.

I borrowed from my sis Sara, because, heeheehee, it has Christopher Lambert in it. As a punk! I AM FOREVER!!

So this is totally a French 80's movie. The cops chase around a secret society of subway dwellers (the cop music is super funk-ay). Christopher Lambert, one of the new subway dwellers, keeps blackmailing this rich woman because he's in love with her. And then he creates a rock-n-roll band and gets them a gig in the subway (great scene!). Then he dies.

Catch this gem if you can!!

"How do you spell that?" "How do you... with an 'S' for shithead!"

Frantic, 1988. Two and a Half Stars.

Visually? Sooooooooooo late 80's. But not fun late 80's; more like boring-people-with-no-personality late 80's. Harrison Ford and his wife were so icky.

But the movie picked up after she got kidnapped. And watching Harrison Ford run around trying to find her was kind of fun. But I don't recommend watching this unless you're bored and it's the only movie on and you feel like watching a movie.

"I bet it was that mouth that got you that nose."

Lucky Number Slevin, 2006. Three and a Half Stars.

This was really fun to watch! It's fast-paced with great dialog, and has an amazing star-studded cast. And I have to say, I actually wasn't expecting the ending. I loved it. Revenge kicks butt!

Yeah, so Lucy Liu is capable of playing cutesy, quirky characters. Who knew?? Way to round out your cv, girl! And Josh Hartnett: talk about charming and just plain CUTE. Much like with Ryan Gosling, I can't believe I'm starting to like him in movies nowadays.

Well I guess there is nothing more I can say about this, except to emphasize that I just really really enjoyed this flick.

"Ever since I was a child, folks have thought they had me pegged, because of the way I am, the way I talk. And they're always wrong."

Capote, 2005. Three and a Half Stars.

I didn't know anything about Truman Capote when I saw this movie. I still don't really. So I'm not able to discuss whether the movie was true to his character, or history, or anything else.

This movie as a movie, however, was REALLY GOOD! Written well, excellent acting, just very interesting. And I thought the time period was well-captured too.

For being a man of a very particular physique, Philip Seymour Hoffman is an e-x-t-r-a-o-r-d-i-n-a-r-y character actor. I first really took notice of him as "Rusty" in Flawless, and I've been flabbergasted by him ever since. Whether playing a not-so-leading role to being a main character, he's always appropriate and spot-on.

So, like I said, I didn't know much about Truman Capote, but Philip Seymour Hoffman owned that character in this movie. I felt like I wasn't watching an actor. And his performance sparked my curiosity about the real man, and to learn about him and his work (which I kind of haven't done yet, BUT STILL).

And Catherine Keener, who I also love in movies, did a phenomenal job as well. I also don't know much about Nelle Harper Lee, but the way Keener played her actually helped the audience to better understand Capote's character: she was the antithesis of Capote, which completely complemented him.

BTW, I love the quote that I used for the title of this review. It would be so rad if this is something he actually said.

"What style would you say this is?" "Oh... I'd say homicidal modern."

Fracture, 2007. Three Stars.

This movie was pretty good! And, unlike some people's preconceptions, not at all like Silence of the Lambs! It was so engrossing to see the way that Anthony Hopkins's character kept dicking over Ryan Gosling's character's prosecution. But don't worry, Ryan Gosling got him in the end. Pretty smooth moves.

And here's something surprising: I'm starting to like Ryan Gosling in movies! Way to go, dude!

I'm a sucker for a good thriller, so if you are too, why not check out this movie?