Movies movies movies - 7-27-09

Hello -

As you all know, movies are my hobby...and I have a few that I have seen recently that I wanted to review. These are my 20-second reviews:

Resurrecting the Champ - too bad Josh Hartnett is so cute, because he's kind of a crappy actor. He really lacks much depth. Interesting story, but I really expected more from Samuel L. Jackson. And I think you'd probably get a better angle on things if you just read about the true story it was based on. Don't watch unless you're a huge boxing or Josh Hartnett fan (and if you're a huge Josh Hartnett fan, please tell me it's because he's cute)....

Traffic - very slow, makes you think, Benicio del Toro is really great, but overall, it didn't live up to my expectations at all. Only watch if you are interested in seeing the drug trade from all sides.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - I loved it, but I would guess if you don't read the books that you might have a lot of questions. They had to cover a whole lot of ground with this one and some things were left out unless you're an avid book fan. I missed some of the characters that we've grown to enjoy - Neville Longbottom barely gets any face time, the Order of the Phoenix are practically non-existent, the Ministry of Magic is completely non-existent, Ralph Fiennes was not in it at all because it deals more with Voldemort growing up, not in his current state....Of course I loved it, but again, you'd like it more if you've been following the movies or reading the books. And it's long - so don't get a huge pop like I did and have to pee for the whole last hour...

Reign Over Me - Definitely one of Adam Sandler's truly great roles. And this is Adam Sandler as a real actor, not just a funny guy. It's a sobering story - a man who loses his family in the 9/11 attacks and Don Cheadle is the friend who tries to bring him back from severe PTSD. It's remarkable and absolutely worthwhile....I don't know why I didn't see this one sooner...

I think that's all right for right now...