(Updated 2001 Feb 23)

Ratings key:

0 out of 3 -- I should have been paid to watch it
1 out of 3 -- I should have waited until it was on television
2 out of 3 -- I was entertained
3 out of 3 -- I would watch it again

Best in Show -- 1 out of 3
It was made by the same people as This is Spinal Tap. It was basically the same movie, but not as funny. I was quite pleased with myself that I was able to recognize the Christopher Guest from Spinal Tap (the one who wasn't Lenny) in Best in Show, with short red hair & mustache and a Southern accent in the latter instead of long brown hair and a British accent in the former.

Billy Elliot -- 1.5 out of 3
It was one of those feel-good-type movies. It was mildly entertaining. The main character was pretty likable. I'm curious, though, whether it should make any difference whether the kid is any good or not at his craft. If you want something similar but more depressing, I recommend Shine.

Castaway -- 1 out of 3
It was okay, but it wasn't really entertaining either. Actually, it was flat-out boring. I don't understand what the hype was all about. It was like Gilligan's Island without the humor. I have a feeling people are suckered into three-hour movies starring Tom Hanks.

Charlie's Angels -- 2 out of 3
It wasn't as entertaining as I thought it would be. They didn't try to make it good, understandably. They did try to be cheesy, but they missed and made those scenes bad altogether (the nightclub scene). There was only one fighting scene that I liked, the first one where all three good guys are fighting George McFly. Since I was figuring the action scenes would be the strong suit, this didn't bode well.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon -- 2 out of 3
It was pretty good, although I won't make any effort to watch it again. I was disappointed by the ending. I didn't like the main girl character. She got everyone else into trouble (Chow-Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh, and the Jade Fox and bandit characters) without having any redeeming quality, and was snooty on top of it.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? -- 2.5 out of 3
It was quite good. I had multiple good laughs. It was random. I have a feeling that the main cast was chosen on their ability to look clueless (not George Clooney, but Turturro and that other guy), and I can't say it reminded me of the Odessy very much, but I'm not the most literary person in the world. I avoid the pink squares in Trivial Pursuit. I recognized the siren scene, and yeah, there was a non-related scene with a cyclops, but that adds up to a very loose interpretation. The use of color filters made the setting look cool and surreal. I've never been to Mississippi, but I assume it isn't all bronze-colored. I kept expecting Holly Hunter to say, "Don't come back here without a toddler."

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