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Burn After Reading (5 out of 5 stars)
Alliance/ September 12, 2008

In short: Brad Pitt and George Clooney get themselves into quite a predicament and are accompanied by an amazing cast and some hilarious moments.
Why you’ll like it: Did I mention Brad Pitt and George Clooney? Well, so they’re not exactly hot in this movie but that’s really part of the fun. This also has some of the best writing and acting I’ve seen in a long time.
On the other hand: My husband thought it was a bit slow. But it’s not really his kind of movie.
Synopsis:
At the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency in Arlington, Va., analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) arrives for a top-secret meeting. Unfortunately for Cox, the secret is soon out: he is being ousted. Cox does not take the news particularly well and returns to his Georgetown home to work on his memoirs and his drinking, not necessarily in that order. His wife Katie (Tilda Swinton) is dismayed, though not particularly surprised; she is already well into an illicit affair with Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney), a married federal marshal, and sets about making plans to leave Cox for Harry.
Elsewhere in the Washington, D.C. suburbs, and seemingly worlds apart, Hardbodies Fitness Centers employee Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) can barely concentrate on her work. She is consumed with her life plan for extensive cosmetic surgery, and confides her mission to can-do colleague Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt). Linda is all but oblivious to the fact that the gym's manager Ted Treffon (Richard Jenkins) pines for her even as she arranges dates via the Internet with other men.
When a computer disc containing material for the CIA analyst's memoirs accidentally falls into the hands of Linda and Chad, the duo are intent on exploiting their find. As Ted frets, "No good can come of this," events spiral out of everyone's and anyone's control, in a cascading series of darkly hilarious encounters.

 

Mamma Mia! (4 out of 5 stars)
Universal/ July 18, 2008

In short: A movie version of the hit musical about a girl who invites her three potential father to her wedding in Greece without her mother knowing!
Why you’ll like it: If you liked the musical or you like musicals in general, you’ll love it. It’s silly, fun and highly entertaining. And Meryl Streep looks and sounds amazing!!
On the Other Hand: Pierce Brosnan can’t sing. And the faces he makes when he tries to sing….oy.
Synopsis: An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna (Meryl Streep) is about to let go of Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), the spirited daughter she's raised alone. For Sophie's wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends—practical and no-nonsense Rosie (Julie Walters) and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya (Christine Baranski)—from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos. But Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own.
On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna's past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled on this lush island full of possibilities.
Inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA's songs from "Dancing Queen" and "S.O.S." to "Money, Money, Money" and "Take a Chance on Me," Mamma Mia! is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends and new family found.

 

The Dark Night (5 out of 5 stars)
Warner Bros/ July 18, 2008

In short: Batman is at it again. This time he has to figure out how to battle that insane and not very funny Joker.
Why you’ll like it: Well, you don’t really need my opinion. Everybody’s talking about it and saying how awesome it is. And it is. Heath Ledger is amazing and the movie itself is quite brilliant and entertaining.
On the Other Hand: It’s very violent. People, this movie is NOT FOR KIDS!!!!
Synopsis: The follow-up to the action hit Batman Begins, The Dark Knight reunites director Christopher Nolan and star Christian Bale, who reprises the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.
With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and the committed new District Attorney, Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham City for good. The triumvirate initially proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as The Joker, who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces The Dark Knight ever closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante.
Academy Award nominee Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain) portrays arch-villain The Joker, and Aaron Eckhart plays District Attorney Harvey Dent. Maggie Gyllenhaal joins the cast in the role of Rachel Dawes. Returning from Batman Begins are Gary Oldman as Lieutenant Jim Gordon; Oscar winner Michael Caine (The Cider House Rules) as Alfred; and Oscar winner Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby) as Lucius Fox.

 

Hancock (3 out of 5 stars)
Sony Pictures/ July 2, 2008

In short: Will Smith is a superhero with a serious PR problem—people hate him.
Why you’ll like it: Will Smith is hugely entertaining and the funny is full of action and a lot of laughs.
On the Other Hand: There is a twist about a third of the way through that just doesn’t work.
Synopsis: There are heroes, there are superheroes, and then there’s Hancock (Will Smith). With great power comes great responsibility - everyone knows that - everyone, that is, but Hancock. Edgy, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood, Hancock’s well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake. The public has finally had enough - as grateful as they are to have their local hero, the good citizens of Los Angeles are wondering what they ever did to deserve this guy. Hancock isn’t the kind of man who cares what other people think - until the day that he saves the life of PR executive Ray Embrey and the sardonic superhero begins to realize that he may have a vulnerable side after all. Facing that will be Hancock’s greatest challenge yet - and a task that may prove impossible as Ray’s wife, Mary insists that he’s a lost cause.

 

Wanted (2 out of 5 stars)
Universal/ June 27, 2008

In short: A loser discovers he’s related to the greatest assassin of all time and decides to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Why you’ll like it: You can look at Angelina Jolie being ridiculously beautiful and James McAvoy being a little hot.
On the Other Hand: The entire movie tries too hard and is just absurd. I spent most of it rolling my eyes.
Synopsis: 25-year-old Wes is a slacker who hates his life--with good reason, because it sucks. At work, his ballbuster of a boss lives to torment him in front of his fellow cubedwelling drones. Back home, his skeezy girlfriend is a sexual magnet for everyone except him, including Wes’ supposed best friend. No wonder this loser is on his tenth prescription for panic attack pills, which he downs like candy between cardboard meals of vegan tofu wraps. Wes’ pathetic excuse for an existence might just as well come to an end and save him a lifetime of prolonged misery. Fortunately for Wes, his life is over--his old one, anyway--and all because of a girl. Enter hot Fox, who crashes into Wes on the business end of a smoking gun. Seems Wes’s long-lost and mostly forgotten dad was killed while working for the Fraternity--a centuries-old league of supersensory trained assassins pledged to carry out the unbreakable orders of fate. Their motto: Kill one, save a thousand. Now it’s Wes’ turn to follow in his father’s footsteps and release the caged wolf that’s always lurked inside of him. Killing is in Wes’ blood, and he trains under Fox and a motley-but-lethal crew that includes the Fraternity’s enigmatic leader, Sloan. The neophyte is forcefully pummeled into developing lightning-quick reflexes and superhuman agility. No one said becoming an assassin would be easy. The former slacker is reborn as the golden boy of the Fraternity and Wes starts to relish his new life, even exacting some best-served-cold revenge on tormentors past. But soon, the sweet taste of power sours when he realizes that the intentions of his deadly associates aren’t as noble as first presented. As he wavers between newfound heroism and soul-killing vengeance, Wes will come to learn what no one--neither cold-blooded father nor steaming-hot assassin--could ever teach him: He alone controls his destiny.