Holy bad movie reviewer, Batman.

I just realized I am miserably behind on Netflix reviews. Deep breath... and away we go.

This Is England: A charming little story about a fatherless English lad who falls in with some skinheads, gets involved with a much older girl, and is taken under the wing of a militant psychotic. OK, perhaps not charming, but very well written, directed, and acted (by everyone, but particularly the lad) and apparently somewhat true to the writer/director's life. Not to make cliche comparisons, but if you appreciated American History X you would probably appreciate this one too.

December Boys: Finally, a Daniel Radcliffe movie not about a wizard. I was actually impressed with this little sleeper about four orphans trying to find a home. I may have actually shed a tear or two at one point. Fans of the Cider House Rules (or Annie) would probably like it.

Youth without Youth: One of those "seemed like a good idea when I queued it" flicks. It sat on my TV for about four weeks, until I finally gave in and sent it back without even giving it the 20-minute test. I bet it was awesome, because most things Tim Roth touches are awesome, but...

Evening: Other than the all-star cast, what was I thinking? Again, sat sat sat and got sent back.

PU-239: Guy gets blamed for a radioactive accident he didn't cause (or did he?!), guy tries to make a buck so his wife and kid are supported after he inevitably dies of radiation poisoning from the accident, guy hooks up with goofball mafia failure in his effort to make said buck. Quite better than I expected, and I already had high expectations given a friend's review. The story was moving but there was enough subtle (and not-so-subtle) humor to keep it entertaining without being too heavy, and the end was predictable but justified. Two more thumbs up. In keeping with the theme, fans of... let's see... I actually think fans of Six Feet Under would like this one. Or Breaking Bad, not that I've seen that (yet) but it seems to follow the vibe, from what I hear.

Eastern Promises: I didn't care for the first half hour, even after Viggo's sauna scene, but then it got GOOD. Then again, I am terrible at predicting plot twists so I was taken aback and pleasantly surprised. And then the end sucked. But the part in the middle of all that was worth my time and attention. Fans of mystery/mafia flicks would like this one. I'm generally not, so I don't have any good examples. The Conversation, maybe?

The Hoax: Put it on in the background at the suggestion of another friend. Too much drama going on. Didn't care about any of the characters. Turned off and sent back.

The Prophecy: OK - Christopher Walken, Eric Stoltz, Viggo Mortensen and Adam Goldberg in a movie about the second world war in heaven, where Goldberg plays Walken's sarcastic sidekick (hardly a stretch but still hilarious), Stoltz is uncharacteristically Mr. Moody yet still oh-so-charming, and Viggo eats someone's heart? Why did it take me almost 15 years to see this? I liked. I liked very much. Fans of any of the aforementioned actors, or of Dogma or religious yarns in general would probably enjoy this.

Stop-Loss: I *promise* that it was completely an accident that I watched this Memorial Day Eve. I know it seems like something I would plan, or something, but it was totally happenstance. I think I only rented it to see what all the fuss was about Phillippe and Cornish, and I just happened to take it along on my road trip along with the next movie in the list. But it was a very well-done story about a soldier finishing up his tour after leading several buddies to their death or demise, only to be told he had to go back for another, and his attempts to thwart this fate. Interesting, sad and predictable, but worth a viewing if you're remotely interested. Phillippe always impresses me when I least expect it. Which is kind of all the time. Maybe I should change my expectations of him. It's along the Born on the Fourth of July lines, without an annoying lead actor.

The Tracey Fragments: Ever since Juno, I've wanted to love everything that Ellen Page does. But Smart People bugged me, and this one was way too clever - or just too distracting - for me. I couldn't follow it so I turned it off. It probably didn't help that I put it on at 11pm three nights in a row when I was really tired, and I was watching it on my teeny portable DVD player, but still...

The French Connection: Yeah, yeah, I'm just now getting around to this. Only took me 38 years. We shall soon see...

That's all for now. Go forth and view.