Friday, July 10th

Bruno - 3 stars

Don't go if you are offended easily. Even if you aren't offended easily, there is still a good chance you will be offended by this movie. But if you can handle it, go. It's very funny. But not as funny as Borat. Borat was such a great character that he was funny all by himself. The character of Bruno is only funny when he is in a funny situation. As a character, he is kind of boring. When I watch Da Ali G Show, I usually skip the Bruno segments.

But some of the things in this movie are so funny you will be laughing for several minutes at a time. I can't believe Sacha Baron Cohen didn't get killed making this movie.

The Hurt Locker - 3 1/2 stars

This movie is about a squad of soldiers who dismantle bombs in Iraq. There are sequences of such suspense that you may forget to breathe. It's exciting in a way Transformers can only dream of. That just made me think of something: imagine how good Transformers might have been if Kathryn Bigelow had directed it?

Jeremy Renner plays Staff Sergeant William James, the guy who actually goes in and disarms the bombs. While he is doing that, the two guys in his squad cover him and look for snipers. James is reckless. If he doesn't like what his Sergeant is telling him, he will just turn off his radio. If he is too uncomfortable in his protective suit, he will just take it off. It's fun to see a guy who knows his stuff and is so cocky about it. After one particularly scary operation, his sergeant punches him in the face. James just shrugs it off and lights up a cigarette. Very cool.

Moon - 2 1/2 stars

This is one of those sci-fi movies that just moves really, really slowly. Sam Rockwell plays Sam Bell, an astronaut who is working out a 3 year contract mining on the moon. One day, he has an accident and wakes up in the infirmary. When he has recuperated enough to go outside and do some work, he finds a clone of himself that seems to have been injured. Is it a clone, or is he going crazy? He has been alone for almost 3 years.

He is kept company by GERTY the computer, voiced by Kevin Spacey. GERTY is very reminiscent of HAL from 2001, but then every talking computer in space makes one think of HAL. GERTY seems to know something about the clone, but he won't tell Sam what is going on. The rest of the movie is a mystery as he tries to figure out what is going on. And why can't he communicate with anyone on Earth?

I almost liked the movie, but the pace keeps me from recommending it. If you go in with the right mindset and are patient, you may like it more than I did. But it's not too hard to figure out the mystery, and once you do, you are just sitting around waiting for Sam to figure it out too.

Tulpan - didn't see it
I Love You Beth Cooper - didn't see it