The Best So Far

I’m going to forgo the best movies of all time for now and get into the movies that were released so far this summer. Once I catch up, then I’ll take the time and narrow down the best of the best. Before I get to the summer ‘blockbusters’ maybe I should tell you about the best movies that were released so far this year (before the summer season) :
1. Thank You For Smoking
2. United 93
3. Lucky Number Slevin
4. V for Vendetta
5. Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
Want some justification?

Thank You for Smoking – Aaron Eckhart is one slick guy. I have never smoked a cigarette in my life, but this guy could sure convince me otherwise. This is the true definition of pitch black comedy. It is both intelligent and funny and even has a moralistic message. The cast works well together with some fun cameos by Rob Lowe and Adam Brody. At 1 hour and 32 minutes it is also shrewdly quick and doesn’t overstay its welcome like many comedies today. It was a limited release movie but definitely deserves a look on DVD.

United 93 – Going in I thought the film would be manipulative and accusatory but was pleasantly shocked to find it was anything but. The passengers are given no back story, the terrorists are real people and not the stereotypical movie bad guy, the cast is virtually unknown, the plot unravels in real time, and some of the military people play themselves to show the accuracy of the situation. I remember sitting at home watching the towers fall and not giving as much thought to this doomed flight that crashed in Pennsylvania. My one complaint is that all the passengers are nice to the flight attendants, not one jerk among them. C’mon there’s always a jerk on the plane. But I can see why they didn’t take this route. This is a respectful and important film, if you can stomach it, you should see it.

Lucky Number Slevin – Talk about slick. A fun story told from various perspectives and played by actors who are clearly having a fun time engaging in the punchy dialogue. If you don’t like the actors, the plot, the dialogue, the action, or the ending, you can at least take time to appreciate the set direction and its bizarre sense of style when it comes to wallpaper and floor design.

V for Vendetta – I’ll admit my expectations were high. It’s the Matrix guys for Pete’s sake. It also has Natalie Portman, who I’ve had a crush on since her amazing role in Zach Braff’s Garden State. V was very stylish and well done but I was hoping for a bit more humour and a better ending than the one ruined by advertisements for the movie. But it’s still some great fun and it’s nice to see Hugo Weaving again, even if it’s behind a mask.

Ice Age 2: The Meltdown – The first Ice Age is better but this one was surprisingly good. I went in with low expectations and came out enjoying my time. Scrat is even better in this movie because they were able to plan a bit more in advance. (Scrat was inserted into the movie last time due to the overwhelming response to the teaser trailer) Ray Romano is great again, as is John Leguizamo who gets a little too much screen time this time around and unfortunately, Dennis Leary’s Diego is stuck with a crappy storyline. At least there are some funny possums to pick up the slack.