I always thought Spidey/Black Cat made more sense anyway . I kind of wished they had introduced her instead of Gwen Stacy in 3. Still, I've got something to look forward to in Spidey 4 or 5 now. And Booky is right that they blended some of the Ultimate Spidey storyline into the mix.

I agree with Shadow that Sandman was a little too sympathetic (at least to begin with). I think Sam Raimi wanted to give him more of a character arc, but had to economize due to the addition of Venom.

Glad to see I'm not the only one rolling on the floor at Emo Peter .

I love Elf, but Greatest Christmas Movie of All Time, NO! Though possibly in my top 10 (somewhere near 10th place ). It's A Wonderful Life is definitely somewhere up at the top of my list, as is Miracle on 34th St.

GB

And believe it or not, I actually liked the first one of the movies best (I know, I'm like the only person in the world who did)

Not the only person! I won't voluntarily sit through Spidey 2 or 3, but the first one I like.^^

Elf was...ok. I laughed a lot the first time, but the second time it was kind of boring and stupid. I especially didn't like the "Christmas spirit" in it is so undefined...in classics like A [Muppet's] Christmas Carol, it's a charitable heart.

Since I've been gone I've seen Harry Potter 6 (rather confusing as I've only seen 1 and 2)--it was ok but dark, and followed much the same plot line of the other films.

I also saw A Beautiful Mind with Russel Crowe...since I took a class on Game Theory that relied on Nash's research and in particular the equilibrium that won him the Nobel, I wanted to see this movie...it was excellent. Beautiful acting, settings, and portrayal of a genius's descent into paranoia and schizophrenia, and the loved ones who stick by him in despite of it all. I had to watch it a second time since the line between reality and hallucination is blurred even for the viewer, though I've heard Nash suffered from auditory hallucinations (voices, I guess) and not visual ones. A superb 9/10.

I saw the first of Kobayashi's mammoth 1960 trilogy, The Human Condition. This first part deals with Kaji, a young overseer who brings his new wife Michiko along to his post at a prison camp in Manchuria, China--the 1930s scene of strife where WWII began for the Japanese. Kaji finds his ideals of humanity constantly challenged by the brutal Japanese military; in the end he cannot himself live up to his own standards. Even though this film was heart-wrenching, a veritable Japanese Les Miserables, I can't wait to watch the next two installments. Sometimes a bit melodramatic, but finely filmed and acted (especially by Tatsuya Nakadai ), this film is a brilliant, controversial statement directed mostly at a Japanese audience, but not without a deep universal appeal. A 10/10.

Lysander, I preferred the The Phantom of the Opera musical to the book. The book doesn't have the rock opera acoustics! There were elements of the book that were better though.

I've seen Elf before. Didn't like it one bit (except Will Ferell's love interest was quite beautiful). The only movie I've enjoyed with Ferell was Stranger Than Fiction. Now that was a very good movie.

Several days ago I watched Let's Get Skase. It's an Aussie movie a fictionalised account of a real-life attempt (in the mid 90's) to kidnap Australia's worst scam-artist and return him to Australia to be tried and sent to jail for his crimes. It's a light comedy. In real life it was an American who was paid to kidnap him and return him (but it never eventuated). This movie (it seems) was an attempt at wish-fulfilment - to deal out justice through fiction to help Aussies deal with their loss in real life. . The movie was sub-par but there were some funny moments that parodied American action movies and some of the humour was distinctly Australian. The last 3rd was definitely the highlight. In the end, the premise was great but the execution was poor (the concept was high-end too but the budget was very low).

I unashamedly adore Elf. I normally can't stand Christmas films but I can't wait until Dec 1st so I can watch Elf without seeming a bit strange

my family and I always watch It's A Wonderful Life at this time of year and I love that movie!

and of course, LWW is a great movie for Christmas as well.....

Ly, I feel your pain about Elf. It has some funny lines/scenes, but overall is a very meh movie. I despise how certain stations (yes, you ABC Family) play it All. The. Time. during Christmas. Yet, I didn't catch It's a Wonderful Life on TV once this season.

I cannot believe that your classmates voted that as the second best Christmas movie! What about Miracle on 34th Street, Holiday Inn, White Christmas, Shop Around the Corner (not really Christmas-y, but it's got Jimmy Stewart and it's set at Christmas time ), or even A Charlie Brown Christmas?! *weeps for the lack of Christmas movie appreciation*

Agreed to your entire review of White Christmas. I'm on the fence as to whether I like it or Holiday Inn better, but White Christmas sneaks ahead just a tad methinks.

*avoids the Spiderman talk as she's only seen the first one once and thought it was good, but not a favorite*

I especially didn't like the "Christmas spirit" in it is so undefined

I thought singing was the "Christmas spirit" — it made Santa's sleigh fly!

On the other hand:

For Christmas, I received the 2004 Phantom of the Opera. Mom found it for two dollars and decided it would make a good stocking stuffer. I'm only faintly familiar with the plot line and have never read the book (it's near the middling-bottom of the list). Read it first or not? Is it a decent adaptation or no? (I seem to remember Ly dislikes it, but I can't recall why. . .)

I also got the 1998 Les Miserables (and the book too! ). I'm planning to read the book soon, but I had heard the FotF Radio Drama and been spoiled in general, so I went ahead and watched the movie. I thought it was well done, and I understand that they focused on Valjean and Javert, yet the ending left a bad taste in my mouth.

I saw Spiderman when I was thirteen and was extremely creeped out by it...not really sure why, but it's made a lasting impression since I have no desire to rewatch it or any of the sequels.

Just finished watching The Other Boleyn Girl. I picked it up on a whim at the library. It was...interesting. I'm not really sure if I'd reccomend it or not. Some more mature subject matter was to be expected dealing with that kind of topic and although I was pleasently surprised that the sexual content wasn't as offensive as I'd thought it might be...there were one or two scenes that were a bit disturbing. So, not really sure.
The acting by the two main actresses was excellent (Scarlette Johanson and Natalie Portman). Natalie was BRILLIANT. The main thing that bothered me was the historical accuracy. I'm not a history buff in any way but I couldn't help wondering how close it was to the real story, and I did some research and seems like they left out a whole slew of important people, events, and changed things (like the sister's ages), and added things. Isn't it kind of pointless if you're making a movie about such famous people and important events and then you completely change it? Everyone is going to have such a skewered idea of how it actually happened.
The costumes and scenery was lovely. I felt like the movie was a bit too fast-paced and often a new scene would jump several days, weeks, or years into the future but I would think I was still back where the last one had ended.
It was a mostly enjoyable 2 hours but I'm not sure if I'd watch it again.

That's because The Other Boleyn Girl is based on a Historical Fiction Novel . It was based on History but is kind of a "What If?" or a "Behind the Scenes" style fictionalization. Some reviewers think it's true to the "Spirit" of the period if not the "Letter".

And Portman elevates anything she's in .

GB

I was told by a few of my old history lecturers that The Other Boleyn Girl is, as GB said, true to the spirit of the period, but there's hardly anything factual in there. Because of this I still read the book and was incredibly unimpressed, which is why I've never seen the film despite being a fan of Natalie Portman. I think there was more adult content in the book, I'm glad to hear the film doesn't have too much because it was just...awfully done.

I might catch it one day if I come across a copy, but I'm not in any rush

Anyone ever seen shrek the halls. It's been on every xmas for the past 3 years, it's pretty good for what it is and is funny.

And Portman elevates anything she's in.

Explain Episode 1: The Phantom Menace.

I don't think any actor ever could have made that stinker of a movie good.

It was all the script's fault. A lot of bad movies have good stories and normally good actors, but the script is so wooden that no one can bring it to life.

Prompted by the recent DVD release of last year's Star Trek I watched another of my Trek favorites - First Contact - last night. I think it stands up well to re-watching, and I enjoyed it again. Like the newest movie, the music is very good. The DVD extras included a salute to composer Jerry Golsmith, who died in 2004 and left behind an impressive body of work.

This film is sometimes criticized for using 2 'tired' Trek plot points, the Borg and time travel. Interestingly the commentary notes that at the time the script was written, these things had been used relatively infrequently in the Trek canon. I think it was only later (especially in Voyager - whose series finale included both elements) that these things may have been overused.

has anyone seen "Saving Shiloh" (Ann Dowd, Jason Dolley)? I LOVE that movie! I have watched it just a little less than Narnia!