May 2005 Movie Recap.

This is the month where the studios start to role out the big summer releases. The highlight this year is the final film of the Star Wars saga. Let's take a look at what I saw shall we?

Best of the Month: Crash
Worst of the Month: A Lot Like Love

1. Crash. Amazing movie. Not easy to describe or watch. Great ensemble cast sisplays the good and bad in each of us. ****
2. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. An informative documentary, I know have an idea of what these guys did. And what they did was not very nice. ***
3. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Laugh out loud funny and frustratingly obtuse. It is very reminiscent of Monty Python style humor. Lot's of randomness. I would have liked it to have been a bit more cohesive. **.5
4. House of Wax. Surprisingly entertaining. It takes awhile to get going, but when it does, it provides some good atmosphere, some decent blood, and a fantastic climactic set piece. Not a classic by any stretch but decent. **.5
5. Kingdom of Heaven. Excellent epic film about the Crusades. Bloom is still rather slight, but this film is excellent. ***.5
6. A Lot Like Love. Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet in a stillborn romantic comedy. A few funny moments, but nothing worth recommeding. *.5
7. Mindhunters. A rather dumb, but highly entertaining horror film wrapped in the trappings of an FBI procedural. ***
8. Unleashed. Highly entertaining action drama, features some of Li's best acting. The story could have gotten deeper, but the slice we get is great. ***
9. The Animation Show 2005. A collection of animated shorts from around the world in a variety of mediums and genres. Excellent if you get to see it. ***
10. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Wow! I loved it, of course it brings up as many questions as it answers. Action packed from start to finish. ***.5
11. Kicking & Screaming. This was a fun movie. The kids were good and Mike Ditka was hilarious. I still find Ferrell to be hit and miss. **.5
12. 3 Iron. An existential, methodically paced drama from Korea. It is almost hypnotic. I need to see it again before even beginning to explain it. ***.5
13. Layer Cake. British gangster import is very good. Inventively shot and nicely plotted. ***
14. The Longest Yard. Adam Sandler vehicle was a lot better than I had expected. Plays the line of comedy and drama in a rather unbelievable setup. ***
15. Mad Hot Ballroom. Delightful documentary about inner city kids in a dancing program/competition. This had me smiling the whole time. ***.5
16. Madagascar. Better than Robots and Shark Tale. Plays up th Looney Toon style aspect. Lots of physical comedy and some good voice performances, but it was still a bit thin. **.5

Also at Blogcritics.org.