Movie Micro-Reviews: Edition 43

I have to issue a new edition of my micro-reviews, even though I'm on vacation, because the list will simply grow too large if I don't get some of them posted.

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan	78	This is a “movie” for people who have already seen Battlestar Galactica in its entirety. On that basis, it’s a great treat – see the early part of the saga from the point of view of the Cylons: what were they thinking? They were more human than they wanted to be. But, oooh, the “1” who was onboard the Galactica – he was one cold Cylon! [But if you’ve never seen Battlestar Galactica, don’t bother with this.]
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince	92	Oh, they did this well. Plenty of humor and teen angst, but not too much. Plenty of darkness, but not too much. The young actors are growing well. Harry on Felix – precious! Hermione crying – very believable. Ron lovedumb – so silly! The only problem was the way the ending was handled, which was not as dramatic as the story deserved. [Originally reviewed in Edition 35. Now on Blu-Ray!]
Real Women Have Curves	75	Ana (America Ferrera – Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Ungly Betty) is a talented student, wanting to become a modern young woman, but chained to the expectations of her controlling immigrant mother (Lupe Ontiveros). [I give the one-sentence summary because this is not a well-known film, and the title might confuse some people.] A simple story, but very real. What does society tell young women? What does a family expect? What does this particular young woman need? Surprising and well worth it.
Up	80	I liked this in so many ways. The initial exposition was essentially a silent movie! The images were colorful and reminiscent of the old-school “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” from Rankin & Bass. The fantasy was easy to accept. You knew what would happen between Mr. Fredrickson and Russell, but it was still fun to see it develop.
Batman Begins	91	Wow! This is such an excellent origin story. Particularly intriguing, to me, was the origin of all of Gotham’s super villains from the events of this story. And the Ra’s Al Ghul framework was a great touch. Originally reviewed in Edition 20
Avatar	95	Brilliant! Now that animation can do this, the possibilities for storytelling grow exponentially. Story: very good; Imagination: Off the Scale! Loved it! My longer review is here.
Julie & Julia	78	Julie – our first blogging movie hero. The stories of Julie & Julia intertwined, and we saw both women grow. Meryl Streep channeled Julia Child. And Leah saw a store she walks by All The Time!