Charade

It’s like a sophistication overdose: Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant, in Paris no less. Grant may have been showing his age a bit here in the early ‘60s—the very sly, witty script even jokes about it repeatedly—but he still brings plenty of suave to this offering, a charm offensive that perfectly complements Hepburn’s own considerable charisma in this ever-so-urbane yet never stuffy romantic whodunnit thriller. The City of Light setting helps pump up the cultivated atmosphere, providing a context that magnifies the stars’ natural qualities. The supporting cast of later well-known but then still-developing actors does excellent work in giving the top-billed characters strong but never overshadowing support. And that script really shines, with its steady peppering of snappy lines to go with its smart but not distractingly overdone story twists. Really enjoyable stuff that should receive any true movie buff’s stamp of approval. 

Affliction

Again, noble intentions go down for the count. The main storyline of this film, the ripple effects of an abusive family life, is (sadly) too routine to break new ground, and the presentation is too lethargic to hold the interest of the average viewer. There are hints of a more interesting movie in the subplot, about an apparent murder mystery--star Nick Nolte certainly seems more engaged by that storyline--but that subplot remains peripheral throughout. The idea was better than the execution.

Monsters Inc.

The nice part about watching this movie: listening to the terrified screams of children, of course. All cynical humor aside, this really is an entertaining and amusing bit of animated schtick. It's well-designed--naturally; Pixar has the template down pat by now--and witty, without trying too hard to be hip and "now"; i.e., no surfer- and/or jive-talking characters. Just funny stuff.