by Ethan Johnson
November 29, 2007

More, more, more:

Enchanted: It is.

Oh, I guess I should say more about it. About how much I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this movie. About how pitch-perfect it was. About how the gang at Dreamworks got shown up by Disney at their own game (making fun of Disney movies). About how Amy Adams deserves a friggin' Oscar® for her spot-on performance. About how great James Marsden was. About how we're sooooo owning this on DVD. About how fortunate I feel that we saw two amazing movies at the theatre in one year (the other being Hairspray). About how you should have stopped reading this non-review ages ago and ohmygawd why are you still in front of the computer? About nownownow go see it NOWWWW.

Meh, I'm too wiped out from the movie to say all of that. Anyway, catch it on the big screen while you can.

Waiting...: Let's put it this way: I liked it. I never worked in the food services, but I saw parallels with the blue collar world of my origin. Yes, I had a female co-worker pull down her skirt and panties to show us her va-jay-jay (to prove, at my sleazy boss' urging, that her stretch marks weren't bad after giving birth to twins). Yes, I have worked with people who swore up a storm behind closed doors only to put on the sweetness and light act for the customers. And I totally empathize with Mitch the trainee, because the first day of nearly any job feels like his does. Be warned: You'll probably never want to eat in a restaurant EVER AGAIN. Feels like a student film, and probably is, only with decent character actors who probably helped smooth out the rough patches. Rent if you can handle it.

Hamlet (1995): I am a Hamlet junkie. Whatever it is, if it's Hamlet related, I want to experience it. Gimme the 15-minute version, the 1-minute, the Bazooka Joe version, whatever. So it was with great expectations that I ordered up the vaunted "Kenneth Branagh" version. 4 fun-lovin' hours. And...? Meh. For the life of me I don't understand some of the decisions that were made. Why is Osric the Page universally portrayed as "swishy"? Why on Earth is Robin Williams cast as Osric, when he's like 40 in this, yet referred to as "young Osric"? Why is the ending embellished like a Michael Bay movie? The sets and costuming were decidedly un-authentic, which was distracting. WTF is up with the trenchcoats? This movie made me want to research how many anachronisms were strewn about. This was a very ambitious production, but I'm wondering if the Mel Gibson version would have fared any better. Rent if you're crazy like me, otherwise seek out the 15-Minute Hamlet.

NASCAR: The IMAX Experience: WOW. I am so not a NASCAR guy, but this short and sweet introduction (from 2004) gave me a huge lump in my throat. Partly from the narrative, such as Dale Earnhardt dying, and partly from the amazing cinematography that brings you literally to the front bumpers to get a feel for what NASCAR is all about. I'll be honest, I'm not crazy about the confederate flags in the crowd, but I'm going to chalk that up to cultural differences for the sake of world peace and focus on the rest of it. I had no idea how many copies of each race car are in production at any given time. Really exciting introduction to NASCAR. I might give it another look on TV - especially in HD. Highly recommended.

Knocked Up: I think it's fair to say that Will Farrell and Judd Apatow take turns with the Keys to Hollywood. I think Apatow's next project is a steadicam pointed at a bare patch of sidewalk, and people will be lining up 10 deep to own the "uncut and unpaved" version on DVD. Not that I disliked the movie, mind you. I liked Katherine Heigl wayyy more than I was expecting, as I generally can't stand her character on Grey's Anatomy. Seth Rogen is like Jason Lee or Gene Hackman, in that he pretty much has one character, and either you like it or you don't, the end. I like it. I'm wondering, however, if this movie is passing for sex ed these days among the young 20s crowd that this was clearly geared toward. I can think of worse things to learn from a raunchy comedy. Worth a spin in the DVD player at least once. <EM>