Here’s a bunch of mini reviews since I’m a little behind the binge of rentals and lenders we borrowed this week.

• Taken – Really Cool – Liam Neeson plays an ex-covert-ops guy who’s daughter is kidnapped. So he basically flies to France and beats -everyone- up. He’s got a great technique, too – mostly walking up to guys with machine guns and smashing them in the face with his fists, pretty great action sequences and interesting plot. Interesting to note that he runs into like 200 kidnapped girls through the film and only stops to rescue one that isn’t his daughter. It bore a weird kind of resemblance to Commando from the 80’s.
• I Love You Man – Pretty Funny - I was kindof worried that this film was going to be intensely akward – they really play up the guys kissing thing in the trailer, but it was actually a pretty funny and cool buddy film that Natasha and I both really enjoyed. Features an extended Rush music montage – awesome.
• Across the Universe – Weird but cool – I was looking forward to this for a long time. Big shoutout to my Frantic buddies who occupied an entire page of effects credits. I think I was expecting more literal eggmen and walruses (koo-koo-ka-choo) in the film, but Bono will have to do. I have an uncle (Hi Uncle Jim!) who was horrified that the director would take Beatles music that’s already layered in meaning and apply his own. I think I agree with him – there were a couple of oddball uses of songs that I thought were misplaced. Overall, though, it was a pretty interesting film. Could have been a lot tighter and straightforward though.
• Bruno – Meh – We watched the first 20 minutes or so, and they were funny, but they were so akward and weird… we ended up passing on it. I like Sascha Baron Cohen and everything, and I get what he’s doing, but it took too much effort to watch. Glad I didn’t go to the theatre for that one.
• Made of Honor – Ugh – Shallow handsome rich guy who seduces an entire magazine full of supermodels on a weekly basis falls in love with his best friend, then flies to Scotland to break up her wedding to an actually awesome guy like a big greedy jerk. Dumb movie that everyone’s supposed to feel all sappy over – I was pretty happy when he got decked.