Okay, I lied.

Well, not really. I wanted to review White Christmas and some other films, but... sheesh, what a hectic season. Suffice to say that White Christmas is one of my favorite Christmas films, and I really don't know why. It has a silly story and formulaic plot (let's put on a show!), but it also is just fun, has singing, dancing, comedy... I don't know. I like it.

However, I didn't get to this before Christmas, so... Maybe next year.

However, I have gone to see a few films in theaters this week.

Meet the Fockers... wow, I havn't laughed so hard in a while. Now, granted, we went to an evening showing, and really had no idea what to expect, but... wow. It is uneven, not as good as the last one, but Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Striesand do a great job, as do the rest of the cast. Some scenes are just die laughing funny. Some are stupid and don't work as well. Most have some kind of innapropriate humor. I feel guilty laughing, but it is funny... cross between an anteater and a German helmet...HA!

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events... I really liked this one. I thought it was much better than the Harry Potter films, especially than the first two. It was about on par with the third. Good acting by all, great moral, and a good story. It was a bit uneven in pacing, which i think is because they are figuring out what the audience wants from the story, but they hit the tone perfectly.

It is funny (Jim Carrey is great, plays a few different roles, is crazy and wierd) and it is scary at points, but never to scary. Kind of like The Princess Bride. The moral is basically that bad things happen and there are bad people in the world, but the bad things have a purpose and will often result in something good, and there are also good people in the world, and what is important is being with them, with those who are important to you. Family.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou... this is a strange, funny, facinating film, that doesn't always work, but is always interesting. Bill Murray is great as a Jaques Coustou type who is on the wane. He loses is partner to a large shark, and goes on a revenge kick. Basically. There is a huge plot devoted to his possible son, a love triangle, a rivalry with another explorer and pirates. If you liked The Royal Tennebaums and other Wes Anderson stuff, you will probably like it. Murray is doing his Lost in Translation type thing here, but I think this is better than that one was (I wasn't a fan). It is never really laugh out loud funny, but it is pretty consistently chuckle funny. Or maybe it was just the group I saw it with in New York:)

The House of Flying Daggers... I went to see this because I liked Hero and Crouching Tiger. Hero had an interesting story, good action and effects, but I did think it got a bit bogged down in the love story. I thought the same about Crouching Tiger. And I think the same about Flying Daggers. Of course, that is most of what the story is! The action is great, and very well done. I LOVE the fact that the director shows mostly full body shots on the action. You can actually SEE what they are doing. Taking the Fred Astaire advice on shooting a dance sequence, and using it in martial arts. But, the love story side is... I don't know. I am just not a big fan of the Asian love story thing. The movie is well paced, but it is a slow pace, like an M. Night Shaymalan movie. I don't mind slow pacing if it is interesting. This was mostly interesting, but there were a few spots. I think if I saw it again I would like it more. Basically, if you like the Asian art movie/high action type thing, you will probably love this movie.

Tip to men with wives or girlfriends... great film for a date night. She will love the romance, and you will enjoy the martial arts, and score BIG points. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had a girlfriend...

BTW, Hero is really good. Neat mystery/action thing going, and it has Jet Li. Also, if you like Jet Li type action, my fav is Kiss of the Dragon. He doesn't use nearly as much wire stuff in it, which is awesome, it is just him. It is a serious actions film, not a funny one, and it is pretty brutal in it's violence. Just so you know.

So, there is a bit of a look at what I have seen over the last week or two. I hope to see Phantom of the Opera soon, and National Treasure (I know, I should have seen it already) and The Aviator, and maybe even Beyond the Sea... wow, so much to see. I love Award season!