No Sudden Move

I have a sketchy history with Steven Soderbergh movies. I also have a sketchy history with crime caper movies, the kind that are convinced of how clever they are and think that you should be convinced of it, too. So what do you think happened when I watched this flick? Well, it wasn't all that bad, but you're not too far off. The bulk of the enjoyment here comes from watching veteran, professional actors like Don Cheadle and Benicio Del Toro playing off and against each other; they're fine, especially in the early segments of the film. But the plot eventually gets away from itself, becomes too convoluted, and then attempts a ham-handed effort at injecting a bit of socioeconomic commentary and muckracking into the tale, without that element really being part of the story from the start. It also doesn't help, either, that Soderbergh--despite or perhaps because of his reputation as an innovative filmmaker--seems unaware throughout the running time that his camera--possibly smartphone--created distortions of the image throughout the picture; a lot of the frames look like they were (unnecessarily) shot with a fish-eye lens. So despite some decent aspects of this movie, it mostly comes across as a muddle.

Identity

Well, that was a trip. A good one, for this type of movie, which is not really my thing. You could argue about certain implausibilities, but then again, the whole thing is implausible; why quibble about the talking bird when the whole sky is filled with pink elephants? The ending is a little weak, but the writing is sharp, the performances are excellent, and it's not too long (a common problem with movies of this ilk). All in all, a good time at the movies.

Heartbreakers

Utterly banal, except for Jason Lee. At least Jennifer Love Hewitt is easy on the eyes.

Cop Land

Yes, there really is such a thing as a good Sylvester Stallone movie (at least since the original Rocky).

Goodfellas

A qualified approval. The movie is entertaining enough, but it's not as good as everyone says it is. I personally don't find criminals all that appealing. I know, I know, I'm swimming so far up stream against the current with this. Everyone loves this movie, but I just have my own personal thing where gangster movies just don't do it for me. And I'm not as in love with Scorsese as everyone else is. You can make your own judgment here on this one, and you will, but I simply wish to stand my ground: it's not that great. Just OK.