at the movies - d.i.y.

I finally had that quiet weekend I've been promising myself for the past few months, and it became a chance to catch up on some movie viewing.

I started Friday night by cracking open Doubt on blu ray. I loved that movie when I saw it at the cinema last January, and I could remember thinking at the time that I would definitely want to watch it again on dvd, so I dutifully picked up a copy during the week, and I wasn't disappointed with my second viewing. Despite knowing how the story ended, I was still captivated by the smart script and beautiful cinematography, but most of all, by the very fine performances of Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Viola Davis and Amy Adams. Sensational... 5 stars on the David & Margaret scale!

On Saturday arvo, I caught the Hangover at the George in St Kilda. Not the funniest film I've ever seen, but I enjoyed the twist on the old 'murder mystery' theme, with the three protagonists trying to piece together their lost night in Las Vegas. Ken Jeong, whom I'd recently seen in Role Models, almost stole the show. A 3 star effort.

It went downhill from there. I had procrastinated, and finally missed seeing He's Just Not That Into You when it was on at the cinema, so I decided to check it out on dvd. You'd think that after wasting good money to see The Women last year, I would have learnt that having a big all-star cast is no guarantee of a good (or funny) movie... but I hadn't. This film wasn't quite as bad, but it certainly wasn't good either. I love Scarlet Johanssen, but even her presence couldn't rescue this over-long turkey. 2 stars (for Scarlet!)

After that dud, I decided to dig out Zack and Miri Make a Porno for Sunday night's entertainment. OMG... it was just as funny the second time around! Rude and juvenile, yes. Crude and demeaning, yes. But fun-nee! Best comedy of the year so far, hands down! Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks were fantastic, and Justin Long and Brandon Routh had me in stitches. The deleted scenes are almost as entertaining (and long!) as the movie itself, so it's a terrific dvd package. 4 and 1/2 stars!