Oscar Bait II

My Winter Break is nearly over. I head back to work on Monday. Here is an update on the movies I was hoping to see during my two-week vacation:

Gran Torino - oops, it's not out yet - wide release on January 9

The Wrestler - still want to see it

Revolutionary Road - wide release January 15

Seven Pounds - this one's coming off my list due to really terrible reviews

Doubt - yup, hoping to see this one soon

Slumdog Millionaire - haven't gotten to it yet, but I swear, I will!

Milk - my goodness, what have I been doing for the past two weeks?!

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
I saw this movie on Wednesday, and I loved it. Beautifully filmed, cool makeup effects, enduring themes, romance, action, humor - Benjamin Button had it all. The story was original and interesting. Nearly a perfect movie, in my opinion. My only complaint was that it was too long - there were a few superfluous scenes that could have been eliminated without decreasing the quality of the narrative.

Yes Man
I caught this one while I was up in San Jose. It was similar in concept (man has a life-changing experience, hilarity ensues) to both Liar, Liar, and Bruce Almighty, two other Jim Carrey comedies that I enjoyed. Yes Man was very funny. The supporting actors were wonderful, especially Rhys Norman, who played Jim Carrey's boss, Norman. I laughed throughout the entire movie, but there was at least one scene where the humor really crossed the line into offensive. I'd recommend this movie, especially as a buffer if you're attempting, like me, to view all of the heavy, morose end-of-the-year Oscar contendors!