My month in movies

Running out of movie quotes, so I'll just jump right in -

Battlestar Galactica: The Plan (2009) - I never thought I'd say this about something from the BSG universe, but I found this very disappointing. It seemed disjointed and sloppy, like they didn't really figure out beforehand what story they wanted to tell. It did answer a few questions, like Leoban's weird obsession with Kara, but overall I felt it wasn't a great way to end the franchise.

Good Morning, Night (Buongiorno, notte) (2003) - selection from Italy for the OT Film challenge, this was an interesting movie about a terrorist action in 1970s Italy seen from the perspective of one of the terrorists.

Milk (2008) - excellent biopic of assassinated city supervisor Harvey Milk. Sean Penn is not my favorite actor, but I thought he did a very good job in this movie.

Spring Breakdown (2009) - what a great movie! I'd seen a bunch of bad reviews, but decided to give it a try because I really like Amy Poehler - I'm so glad I gave it a chance. Great cast, great message about learning to accept yourself at every age - I loved it, and laughed out loud! "Why would anyone want to wrestle in salsa? We're human beings - we're not tacos."

The Education of Charlie Banks (2007) - Well, I wasn't as in love with this one as the rest of the indie-movie world, but it was an interesting film, made more interesting by the fact that is was directed by Fred Durst - that's right, the Limp Bizkit guy! Jason Ritter as the bully was magnetic, but I think I might be suffering from college-angst-movie overkill, because while it was alright, it wasn't much more than that.

The Namesake (2006) - book-to-movie adaptation that actually mostly works, this is the story of one family's immigration from India to the US, and their struggle to adapt to the differences between the two cultures. I thought the lead actress was wonderful, and many of the relationships portrayed were excellent, but of course, the book is better.

Up (2009) - Hmmm. Well, perhaps because I SO loved Wall-E, this movie didn't quite live up to its hype for me. It was a good story, and I like it as a kid's movie, but it didn't have the emotional depth of Wall-E that connected with me.

Star Trek (2009) - Ever since I was VERY young and my parents took me to see the original Star Trek movie (I was very concerned about the "bald-headed lady"), I've been a fan. I was looking forward to this movie, and it lived up to my expectations. Chris Pine captured a young Kirk well - all that brash, arrogant confidence. Zachary Quinto was excellent as Spock, and I LOVED the actor who played Chekov - he might have been my favorite character! I was intrigued by the story, and of course the special effects were fun. I really enjoyed this installment, and hope to see more in the future.

Cautiva (2003) - Argentinian film about a young girl who finds out a terrible secret about her parents. This movie is intense and emotional, and very well done. Recommended if you can tolerate some violence and nudity.

Summer Palace (2006) - Chinese film that was interesting in idea, but failed in execution. I can't say I enjoyed this one very much, but it was the last film for the OT film challenge, so I plodded my way through it.