I've been meaning to do this for weeks so here we go. Okay so here's the upcoming reviews:

"Beowulf"
"Starting out in the Evening"
"I'm Not There"
"Enchanted"
"Atonement"


I saw "Beowulf" in the Digital 3D and it was AWESOME!!! Kept very close to the original story and communicated brilliantly. Being a Gaiman fan, I saw a lot of him in this movie. Crispin Glover was a great Grendel. It made him for lack of better words "human." He felt him to be very humble and hated his father Hrothgar for wanting to destroy him. I get the story. I understand why, but he got my empathy. I LOVED the fights. They made me laugh. My two favorites were ofcourse when Ray Winstone as Beowulf fought completely in the buff with Grendal and the other was when he told the tale of how he killed the sea monsters and next thing I remember seeing was Beowulf emerging triumphantly from the sea monsters eyeball. So silly. Angelina Jolie was fun to watch. I enjoyed her character. Of course. Overall a great flick. Lots of fun and you get to keep the 3D glasses!

"Starting out in the Evening" stars Frank Langella and Lauren Ambrose who were such a terrific combo. Frank always has this way of helping the audience get to the core of his character. He's so humble and generous. I saw him in "Match" when it came to Broadway a few years ago and his stage presence and commitment to character completely blew the other actors off-stage. Lauren Ambrose who I've enjoyed in Six Feet Under was very good but at times was borderline annoying. It was her character but some of the choices she made seemed a bit shallow. I didn't see her in the Park last summer in "Romeo and Juliet" but heard she was very good and played a very true to age Juliet. Some of that abrupt behavior I saw here. Lily Taylor whose lifetime series I so love and Adrian Lester who I enjoyed in Ken Brannagh's "As You Like It", had the sub storyline and the dual plot of the needs and intensions of those paired in relationships and how they can destroy you if you take them for granted. Michael Cumpsy who I recently saw off-broadway in Richard III, had a few scenes as Lily Taylor's fiance and I'm wondering if he ended up on the editing room floor because there seemed to be some chunks missing. Anywho, a beautiful film...highly recommended.

"I'm Not There" was one HUGE non-sequitor. I was so disappointed! The idea is fascinating...having 6 characters embody Bob Dylan's life and work. This is the 2nd writer/director piece (the first was "Margot at the Wedding") that I've seen in this past month and it has BOMBED! Cate Blanchett was fun to watch and Ben Whishaw seemed to plug in on any comic moment. I could not follow the story...if there was a story. These characters seemed all over the place and so did the storyboard. Would not even recommend to rent.

"Enchanted" was SO AWESOME!!!!!!!!! It's number 1 on the IMDB charts this week. So fabulous! I could not stop laughing most of the movie. Amy Adams was such an awesome disney princess but not in the gag kind of way. James Marsden was truly my favorite in the movie. A brilliant prince charming. What a shift from X-Men and Spiderman. Still fantasy, I suppose. Susan Sarandon was just scary. Idina Menzel and Patrick Dempsey were so much fun to see in this genre. Something for a whole family or a great pick me up on a really bad day.

Finally, "Atonement" which I just saw last night was very good and that was mainly due to the unbelievable truth James McAvoy generously gave in his performance. I only saw James recently in "Becoming Jane" as again the unattainable hot guy. You all may have seen him in "Chronicles of Narnia" and "The Last King of Scotland." Enough about James...I really wish I had read "Atonement" before seeing the movie because I think I would have really loved the book. Keira Knightley's only performance that was busting out was the dance her jaw was doing after she finishes a sentence. She's truly getting on my nerves. All of the women in the movie walked like her. It was a very Irish, no-movement type of march that seemed quite mechanical and not appropriate for some of the characters. Romola Garai played the adult version of the one to atone and she seemed to carry the guilt of her crime as a child to the point where it now was eating away at her. She always seems so "doe-eyed" to me. I loved her in "Vanity Fair" and "As you like it." Vanessa Redgrave made her appearance at the end and completely captivated the screen. She's just amazing. A great film. Read the book first. ;)

Speaking of books, I finally finished "The Kite Runner." It was one of the hardest, best things I've read in a while. Going to see the movie soon!