Notting Hill

Not exactly earth-shattering, but mostly harmless fun. Julia Roberts keeps herself relatively unannoying, Hugh Grant does what Hugh Grant does, and London--specifically the titular neighborhood--does a fabulous job of playing itself. Enjoy for a little escapist romantic pleasure.

Cloud Atlas

What the hell was that? If you can coherently answer that question, I guess you’re more intelligent than me. I’m a long way away from figuring out the point of this exercise, and that ‘MEOW’ rating is perilously close to the damning HISS! And yet...I must say, though I didn’t understand it, I didn’t ever really want to stop watching it, either. There was enough weird interest woven within this mess to keep it, in at least some respects, compelling. Perhaps the generosity comes from a number of good actors making the best of what they had, or maybe it comes from a desire to recognize the risk-taking that this film represents; at least someone tried to do something different. But for most folks, the "story salad" will be too difficult to follow, as the interconnections (apart from the actors) are too opaque to strike any real sparks of recognition and synthesis. All in all, a noble failure.

Restoration

An excellent screenplay, lavishly reproduced late-Stuart settings, and a rich cast (even in supporting roles) makes this film worth a look. And just in case you needed the reminder, here's the proof that Robert Downey Jr. is more than just a punch line; in his controlled moments, the man can really act.

Two Weeks Notice

It's tough to say anything truly negative about this movie, beyond the fact that it's not really trying--for anything. Everything here is standard issue, off the assembly line romantic comedy. But that doesn't mean it's awful--just not very ambitious. As it is, it's competently done, the actors are appealing, and everything ends up exactly as you'd expect. It's good for Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant fans; they won't be disappointed. The rest of us? You'll forget it almost as soon as the credits roll, but it won't haunt your dreams, either. I guess that's a push.

About A Boy

Kind of a disappointment. Technically, it's good, and a lot of the humor hits the mark in a "below the radar" sort of way. But parts of the story--particularly the ending--rang false for me. And the dual first-person narrations were just plain annoying.

Four Weddings and a Funeral

The film that launched a thousand sheepish grins, a.k.a. star Hugh Grant's career. Not always a good thing, but it works to perfection here.