Movie Micro-Reviews: Edition 58

More movies we saw with Leah before she went back to NYU, and a couple of movies Sherry and I saw before classes began.

Revolutionary Road	75	Believable, but draining. Great performances. I always expect Winslet and DiCaprio to be good, and they really were. The unexpected performance was by Michael Shannon, who electrified the scenes in which he appeared, and gave the story its sharp edge.
Serenity	80	Now that I have seen “Firefly” I liked it even more. Lots of actors we like. The story kept me interested. The bad guy was intriguing. [Initially reviewed in Edition 14, after seeing it in Mike & Tracy’s theater room.]
Knowing	68	What if you were a scientist who found prophecies that were completely accurate? What if they were authentic? A very intriguing ride, with an explanation I didn’t really expect when the story began.
Grey Gardens	65	I knew nothing about Big & Little Edie Beale before this movie. Both lead actresses did well covering a huge age range – I’ve never been as impressed with Drew Barrymore as I was in this. Jessica Lange was quite good, but I expect that. Strange lives some people have.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone	93	A delight! Had I not read the book, I would still have followed the story perfectly. Since I had read it, I was amazed at how perfectly they hit the characters and setting.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets	88	Harry still discovers the wonders of the magical world, along with us. But he begins to take ownership of his life, and the story provides plenty of chance for him to grow.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban	93	An excellent story, and they told the best parts of it, and did it well! These young actors are growing into their roles, and the fantasy continues to grow. The dementors were scary! Lupin was wonderful. And Gary Oldman as Sirius? Perfect!
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.
Coco Chanel	45	OK, so Coco Chanel had some rough parts to her life, and a couple of love interests. Meh.
Meet Joe Black	78	Well, I don’t think it needed to be 3 hours long. Other than that, an excellent concept, with outstanding performances. We all know Anthony Hopkins is one of the best, but in this movie, we get an early hint of how versatile and subtle Brad Pitt can be.
Fracture	69	A very unusual mystery. We know who did it from the beginning. So does everyone else. Anthony Hopkins plays another brilliant character. Ryan Gosling was a great foil. It kept me wondering.

[751]