Sunshine *** : Makes me nostalgic for 2001: A Space Odyssey. Well filmed, but impossible physics and some ridiculous plot gyrations cost this movie a star.

Das Leben der Anderen ***** : Must-see movie about East Germany's secret police. I was originally turned on to this movie by an article in Wired, Piecing Together the Dark Legacy of East Germany's Secret Police.

King of Kong ***** : Donkey Kong documentary. Watch out for those barrels!

The Fountain **** : Awesomely inventive work with exquisite imagery. A bit hard to follow because of its three intertwined plot lines, but worth the hassle.

The Illusionist **** : Is there room in the world for two prestidigitation movies that were released almost simultaneously? It appears so. While not as good as the Prestige, this movie is beautifully filmed, has great acting from Edward Norton, and is worthy in its own right.

Anchorman ** : A little too zany for me.

The Mexican *** : Better than I expected!

Next *** : Great job by Nicholas Cage (as usual), fun action movie, strange ending.

Stranger Than Fiction *** : Great concept, but something didn't quite connect for me in this love story.

Ultraviolet ** : Nicely filmed scifi but cardboard plot. See Equilibrium instead.

The Quiet Earth * : Man wakes up, discovers he is the last human on earth. Starts out cool, bombs out pretty fast. I can't believe all of the people on IMDB who gave it a 7.1 average rating!

The Prestige ***** : Highly confusing but ultimately very rewarding film. Told in reverse, Memento-style. A second viewing is revealing and enjoyable.

A Scanner Darkly ***** : Awesomely crazy movie. Could it have been filmed as anything but a cartoon?

Boondock Saints **** : Willem Dafoe shines in this zany retribution movie.

Man on Fire *** : Denzel does a nice job in this kidnap-thriller-whodunit based in Mexico City.

Children of Men ** : Though-provoking and good filmography but slow, lacking too many details, and, ultimately, disappointing.

Collateral *** : Decent enough movie, but it's no "Leon". I just can't see an assassin even accepting a job like this.

911 In Plane Site * : Wish I could give it a lower score, but one star is the lowest in my system. What's most scary about this movie is its incredibly high IMDB rating.

Mimic ** : Not Guillermo del Toro's best work.

8-Mile **** : Eminem's early days.

Derailed *** : Ransom movie with a twist, watchable if you can cope with highly unrealistic behavior.

The Good Shepherd ***** : Early history of the CIA. Complex, intense, thought provoking.

Butterfly Effect **** : Crazy movie, Donny Darko meets Memento.

The Holiday *** : Lots of big names in this light romance.

Constant Gardener **** : Corruption strikes in Africa once again. Stars guy from the English Patient.

Fast Food Nation **** : Fictionalized adaptation of the book. Lots of cameos. Good.

Borat ** : Disappointing. The original HBO series was so good!

The Last Kiss **** : Garden State Part II.

Scoop **** : Quirky Woody Allen movie with Scarlett Johansson.

Pan's Labyrinth ***** : Muy bien! Best movie I've seen in a long time. A great metaphor for Spain under Franco.

Saw III **** : Still dark and twisted, still strangely entertaining.

Flags of Our Fathers *** : A little disjointed and hard to follow; not as good as its partner movie, "Letters From Iwo Jima".

Letters From Iwo Jima ***** : Beginning of the end of WWII from the Japanese point of view. An anti-war movie along the lines of "Das Boot"

Inside Man *** : Standard bank robbery flick.

Ginger Snaps *** : Teenage angst coming-of-age werewolf flick. Gritty.

Click *** : Adam Sandler does non-Christmas version of "A Christmas Carol".

My Super Ex-Girlfriend **** : This movie:Superman::Galaxy Quest:Star Trek.

Aeon Flux * : The original animated MTV series was delightful. This movie is an abomination.

Ginger Snaps 2 *** : Weird vampire/werewolf type movie!

Blood Diamond **** : Action packed, disturbing, and thought provoking. Great acting by DiCaprio. The implicit moral of the story: The Kimberly Process doesn't work and there's no way to prove that a diamond is conflict free. Better just not to buy diamonds at all!

Long Distance *** : Better than I expected. All the classic suspense tricks and an ending I didn't see coming!

Aladdin **** : Great voice acting and animation, solidly put together.

Adam and Eve * : Barely watchable, and even then only if you fast forward a lot.

Little Miss Sunshine *** : A road trip and beauty pageant heal a dysfunctional family. Crazy movie, fun, well acted.

United 93 **** : Tastefully filmed... and extremely sad.

Devil Wears Prada *** : Standard formula movie, but good acting and a nice soundtrack.

Trapped *** : Standard get-revenge-against-the-attackers-type plot.

Lake House *** : A fun movie, but don't get me started on all of the time travel paradox questions it raises!

Superman Returns **** : Surprisingly good remake/extension.

The Break-Up ** : Good for passing some time, that's about it.

Snakes on a Plane **** : Campy but good. Reminiscent of "Airplane!".

Thank You for Smoking ***** : A delightful satire and proof that creativity is not dead in Hollywood.

Day the Earth Stood Still ***** : One of the best scifi films ever made, over 55 years old and going strong! This is my third time watching it and I still love it.

Akeelah and the Bee **** : Aimee says it's predictable and trite (which is true), but it's still a great feel-good movie. Plus it stars Morpheus and Booger!

Da Vinci Code *** : Loved the book, but didn't like the movie as much. The two leads were not well cast at all. I wavered on two stars... if you've read the book, it's probably worth seeing, otherwise feel free to pass.

X-Men 3 ****: Another great X-Men movie, lots of surprises (old favorites killed off, new mutants introduced), but sadly a very unfulfilling ending.

Prime ***: Decent comedy with several levels of interpretation, great acting by Meryl Streep.

Alfie *: Starts ok but goes downhill fast. No climax, no denouement. Very unsatisfying film.

Broken Flowers ***: If you liked ''Lost in the Translation'', you'll like this one.

Shrek 2 ***: Doesn't quite have the magic of the first one.

Cowboy del Amor (***): Interesting documentary about a man who finds Mexican wives for his gringo clients. A little bid sad.

V for Vendetta (*****): Wonderful filmography and brilliant acting from Portman and "V" (who remains masked the entire movie).