Ghost in the Shell

Style and substance, yet ironically little soul. The warning about a cybernetic future is well taken, though at this point it feels both derivative and a bit too late. One can’t help but mentally compare this movie in real time to the Matrix films, with their similar themes and at least congruent visuals, but the more widely known—and successful—iteration of this vision injected touches of humor and humanity into the technological spectacle, whereas this work is largely grim and almost as mechanical as the very thing that it wants to warn us about. Even the opportunity to ogle Scarlett Johansson, in various painted-on get-ups, only provides a thin layer of extra entertainment to these proceedings. I guess cyber dystopias only have so much appeal. Who would have thought that (besides anyone with a soul)?

Chocolat

Cute, mostly. It gets devalued some for indecision about what it wants to be (specifically, some awkward transitions from comedy to drama), but I don't want to fall into the trap of damning due to high expectations. This is, succinctly, a good movie, and that should be enough. But not worthy of a Best Picture nominee; it must have been a slow year. (NOTE: this is the Juliette Binoche/Johnny Depp/Judi Dench movie; there's another Chocolat out there, some movie about a chick returning to Africa. That other Chocolat is boring as hell. Don't be hoodwinked.)