Good
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Die Another Day

Signs

Intriguing
The Transporter

Harry Potter II

The Quiet American

Bad

I do not watch bad movies -- not for $7.50 anyway!!!

Looking Ahead
Star Wars: Episode III

Charlie's Angels II

Terminator III

Girls Gone Wild: The Movie
(seriously!)

It is often an adventure going to the movies: Will the movie of your choice be any good? Will it fit the mood you're in? Will ANY of the movies at the theatre be worthwhile? Can you go with your parents, or with children? What would make a good date movie? My friend almost convinced me to go see "Glitter" -- should I ever speak to her again?

I don't spend a whole lot of time or money going to see movies in the theatre partly because of all this uncertainty. I will, however, pass along Johnny Z's Take on any I do happen to catch.

I have not been to the movies in a long time. Uh, sorry.

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Second movie in the trilogy based on the epic J.R.R. Tolkien masterpiece. The first movie (The Fellowship of the Ring) was excellent, and the trailer for The Two Towers has been rated the coolest trailer for any movie ever. The Two Towers features Frodo & Sam's attempted journey into Mordor, Aragorn & Legolas & Gimli entering Rohan in pursuit of Saruman's Uruk-hai and the captive hobbits Merry & Pippin, some dynamic new characters and the reappearance of a few old ones. If you have no clue what I'm talking about, you need to see the first one again -- if you haven't seen the first one, it is imperative to see it before The Two Towers. Guaranteed to be Good -- A Must See I am convinced that director Peter Jackson basically knows what he's doing, and considering that 90% of the dialogue is straight from Tolkien they can't go too far wrong.

This movie is out in theatres now, but I'm waiting until Christmas to watch it with my family. In the meantime, here is an excellent review by John Miller at NRO and an awful one by clueless Roger Ebert. Ebert claims the movie does not stay true to the form or spirit of the book or to Tolkien's philosophy, but since it's pretty clear he hasn't read the book and isn't familiar with Tolkien's biography, much less philosophy, he just comes off as a complete idiot.

Die Another Day
See Bond. Highly Recommended

Signs
Has some frightening moments, but definitely NOT a horror movie. I hardly ever watch scary movies but found this highly enjoyable. Mel Gibson plays a minister (Episcopalian?) whose wife's death has challenged his faith. Crop circles start appearing in his fields, and then . . . well, then it gets interesting. He has two children and a 'kid' brother (Joaquin Phoenix), who provide essential and timely comic relief in an understated, wholesome way. Recommended Good acting, story is a little over-the-top but what the hey, this is Hollywood. Takes a positive view of religious faith.

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan of "The Sixth Sense" fame -- if you like the one, you'll probably like the other.

The Transporter
Qi Shu I plan to see this movie, if only for Qi Shu, who stole my heart in "Gorgeous" (see Martial Arts).

Harry Potter II: The Chamber of Secrets
I saw HPI and it was much better than I'd anticipated. I still think Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling doesn't entirely know what she's doing, especially dealing with issues of morality and mortality, but the movie was well done and interesting. It is likely the second movie will be entertaining as well. Uh, quick hint, this isn't a date movie unless you're under 15.