Atonement

Wow. Patient, graceful, beautiful, abbrasive, and shocking. And each of those at multiple points thoughout.

We watch a long-time secret romance (secret even from the participants) finally come to realization, but we see it tragically misconstrued through the eyes of the woman's younger sister. Then WWII comes, and the consequences of this misconstrual are even more significant.

It's so well done, so beautiful and artfully paced, so well staged and set to music that the sharp pain of it is worth it.

Because of a few scenes of sexuality and violence, this one's for mature individuals only.

On a scale of Paris, IN, (1) to Paris, France, (6) (because it's set in Europe...), this one's a 5.3.

Transformers

Set expectations to action/adventure/comic book-type movie created specifically for adolescent boys (or those who recently were), and this film can be appreciated and enjoyed for what it is. Plus, there's the cultural study of the hyper-sexualized high school girl.

Anyway, the plot's improbable (is that strong enough?), the robot fight scenes are hard to follow, and the overall result (spoiler alert!) isn't terribly surprising (including the strong potential for (a) sequel(s)), but it's still pretty fun. Moderately not bad acting and strong special effects overcome.

On a scale of Optimus Prime: The Toy (1) to Optimus Prime: The Movie Character (6), this one's a 3.9.

Charlie Wilson's War

This is a very interesting, enjoyable movie (though not without some nudity and language, both of which are quite effective in painting the character of the movie's characters). Charlie is a morally reprehensible, selfish do-nothing US Congressman remarkably moved to assist the Afghans in resisting the Soviets. It was the frontline of the Cold War, and rather counter-factual scenarios are rather troubling. Yet, success was achieved...though we all too soon forgot about the fighters and moved on (quite likely to the detriment of our national security, long-term). Along with this interesting story, the acting was very strong.

On a scale of the Mountains of Afghanistan (1) to the Mountains of Colorado (6), this one's a 4.8.

This is Spinal Tap

50 First Dates

This is the standard, familar Sandler flick. There's plenty of crudeness (and maybe even more than normal), a few completely bizarre, odd-ball characters, and typical Sandler moments. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and there are definitely a few good laughs.

The plot centers around Sandler's shift from a self-centered one-night-stander to a one-woman man. Progress indeed. And notable is that this one woman begins each day with no short-term memory. So he must win her each and every day. Not a bad idea.

On a scale of Cocoa Beach, FL, (1) to Hawaii (the film's setting), it's a 3.35.

Bella

Chrissy and I really like this movie. The characters and their difficult stories unfold over the course of the film. Patient and dramatic, the emotion builds as Nina (the fired and over-whelmed waitress) deals with being alone and pregnant, and Jose (the former soccer star and current restuarant chef) deals with his past and the strong feelings that are arosed by Nina's situation. The importance of family and relationship climaxes effectively in a big moral decision.

On a (for no apparent reason) scale of K-State Mens' Basketball (especially post-Beasley) (1) to KU Mens' Basketball (6), this one's a 5.2.

Big Business

Mom's favorite, now on DVD.

It certainly has it's strong moments, even if it feels a bit dated. I wouldn't have thought that the style of comedy could change so much in a couple of decades. Anyway, Midler and Tomlin (the double-roled twin leads) play two sets of twins who were accidentally split at birth. Common family traits are mixed up and out of place for of each fam. It all comes to a head when the two from the country come to the big city to battle the other two over a troubling business deal. Laughs (generally) ensue.

On a scale of Carrot Top (1) to Will Ferrell (6), this one's a 3.9.