Some movies

Watched some movies over the last week or so...

Star Trek (theater) - implausible (but perhaps perfect for the franchise) plot but still pretty great. Characters/actors are excellent with Karl Urban pretty much channeling Deforrest Kelley (I barely recognize him from his flaxen haired Eomer days). Pretty emotional almost from the first scene, something most of the previous movies have lacked. The reset/origin story is often the easiest (though perhaps not in this case). I look forward to future installments assuming they can keep the core together. Highly recommended even for Trek cognoscenti.

Prince Caspian (Netflix streaming) - having read the book series several times in my childhood, my only recollection of this one was that it took most of the book to bring the principle characters together and that it was frustrating to have Narnia be in such dire straights. The movie was ok, but nothing to go out of your way for. The characterization of the Telemarines as swarthy Spaniards was a little much, though they certainly came across as unique and homogenous. The main character was a bit of a dud.

Slumdog Millionaire (Netflix snail mail) - I was a little surprised by the grittiness of this movie given its characterization in trailers/commercials/etc. It was nicely woven together and generally feel good by the end, but the adversity along the way is pretty extreme (and realistic given the origins of the main characters). Highly recommended.

YPF (Netflix streaming) - a totally random selection among the 12000 streamable titles. YPF is shorthand for young people fucking, and while there's plenty of nudity and sexual situations, the dialogue wins the day. This is a very funny movie. Basically it tells the simultaneous tale of four 'couples' (one is a three way) in differing stages of their relationships on a night that centers around each couple's sexual encounter. Also recommended.

Tell No One (Netflix streaming) - a French adaptation of a novel by an American (originally set in NJ) about a guy whose wife is killed 8 years in the past. Current events begin to unravel the threads that bound the original explanation for the murder and the man's life is turned upside down. Pretty much an excellent thriller. You'll have to deal with subtitles, but that gets to be second nature pretty quickly. Highly recommended.