Now You See Me

I think I might be a sucker for magic tricks. I usually enjoy those specials on TV where some magician gets a laugh or two from passers by with some elegantly clever trick, so it's no surprise that I found this flick to be entertaining. Much of the goings on rely on obvious movie hokum (there's no way live performers could pull off such elaborate stunts), and the ultimate resolution kind of stinks (somewhat preposterous, although perhaps sharp viewers could have seen it coming), but it's the splash and dash and elan that carries the day (not to mention a couple of very easy on the eyes ladies to brighten up the screen). The cynic wants to say no, but the pragmatist just says "to hell with it, just enjoy the show."

Rango

Yeah, OK, I can see it. I mean, there’s nothing super profound here, but you do get an entertaining animated movie that has some good laughs, fine visuals (including some nicely clever visual references), and a relatively standard though still compelling Western style story line. I’ve seen worse stuff tossed out there under the cynical, “you’ll watch anything animated” philosophy; this film rises above that. Worth a look.

Wedding Crashers

Just sit back, throw up your hands, and let go. Take that attitude and you'll be all right. There's no aim for any "statement" here--they're just going for the cheap laughs. Which is OK--we can't all be Ibsen. So judged by its own standard, this film largely succeeds. There's a bit of unwelcome sappiness at the end, but there are more than enough laugh out loud moments sprinkled throughout to make up for that misstep.