Live Free or Die Hard

Date: July 15
Location: AMC Sunset Place

We used the free Harry Potter passes to see the latest John McClane adventure. It was as fun and as absurd as the rest of the Die Hard sequels. Willis' advancing age gave this installment a charming quality, especially as they played up the old vs. new fighting styles and his technological cluelessness. The early gunfights and car chases were the most effective; McClane leaping onto the wing of a jet fighter... less so. I really enjoyed Justin Long as the sidekick. Most of all, it made me want to rewatch the classic first film.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Date: June 11
Location: AMC Aventura

For the second year in a row, we joined Madison Gallup and her parents for dinner at Johnny Rockets followed by the new Potter film across the hall at AMC. A lovely tradition I hope to repeat for the next two films. I do hope the A/C works next time — we were forced to watch Phoenix in rain forest conditions. We did get free passes out of the deal after more complaining than should have been necessary. The film was quite good, though as such a fan of the books, I always find myself trying to fill in what was left out and wondering how they'll dramatize certain plot points. I'll never be able to experience these films as films first; they'll always be dramatizations of a familiar text (and somehow, this is even more the case with the Potter films than with other literary adaptations).

Black Snake Moan

Date: June 10
Location: Clifton Family Room

This is the first movie I've watched on the new TV (not counting Barbie's Princess and the Pauper) and damn, did it look good. I have a feeling we'll be going through our NetFlix films a lot quicker now. This was a great film, funky and sexy but also very sweet. Great acting from Samuel Jackson and Christina Ricci, not to mention Justin Timberlake. Writer/director Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow) is a wonderful new voice, creating this deep-south grown-up fairy-tale genre with plenty of style and heart.

Ratatouille

Date: June 30
Location: Muvico Boynton Beach

The success of Fiona's first moviegoing experience, Surf's Up, may have been an anomaly. She refused to sit still during this one, forcing Alex to spend most of the movie in the lobby or the aisles. And Sophia was a little tired and largely bored by the film. Well, at least I had a good time! Brad Bird once again proves he is working on an entirely different level than anybody else in animation (not to mention live-action). This film is really not made for kids (though kids should enjoy it), and it's not really a comedy (though it is funny). What it is: charming, provocative, rich in detail, absolutely gorgeous to look at and ultimately very touching. I rank it a bit below Bird's The Incredibles, which works so well on so many different levels. And I'd likely put the two Toy Story films ahead of it as well, though I think this is probably a better "film" than either of them (if that makes any sense). But if any further proof was needed that Pixar is the most consistently wonderful creative force in movies today, this is it.

Surf's Up

Date: June 26
Location: Muvico City Place

Continuing the tradition of Sophia seeing animated films in the theater with both Mom and Dad (separately), I brought my oldest daughter to see what seems like the 50th penguin movie released in the past 5 years. Fortunately, this is also the best. Wonderful voice work from Shia Lebouf and Jeff Bridges, a clever script and the first (as far as I know) stab at the mockumentary genre by an animated film all make this laid-back movie worthwhile.

Wild...

This is very cool.

It's the first image from Spike Jonze's adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are. An awfully short book to make a feature film of, granted, but if anybody can pull it off, it's Jonze. Catherine Keener plays the Mom.

Ocean's 13

Date: June 23
Location: AMC Sunset Place

Another South Miami date night. The movie was everything I expected and hoped it would be, no more or less. It's funny, breezy, clever and features some great, charismatic movie stars doing their movie star thing. It falls short of the first film because we've seen it all before, but it's a fun time nonetheless. And of course I'll forget the whole thing in a week.

Knocked Up

Date: June 2
Location: AMC Sunset Place

Ah, Sunset Place. Lining up early, securing the two best seats in the place. Huge screen, great sound. And no babysitter to pay. We did a repeat of last week, putting Fiona to bed at the abuelos and hitting the 8 o'clock show. As for the movie, the ranking at right says it all. One of the best comedies I've seen in years -- better than the Wedding Crashers/40-Year-Old Virgin duo of 2005. It's hilarious from every direction, in unexpected ways, with the leads firing on all cylinders and every bit player fighting over who gets to steal the movie. And on top of all that, it's incredibly sweet and real and honest about relationships and new parenthood. Can't recommend it enough.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Date: May 27
Location: AMC Sunset Place

First "date" movie in Miami in more than 6 months. We put Fiona to sleep in the portable crib at her abuelos' place and hit the road. Worked like a charm. The movie was a lot of fun -- I loved the bold direction they took the Will and Elizabeth storyline, and having Geoffrey Rush back was wonderful. Jack Sparrow was as entertaining as ever. The real star here, and I believe in the whole trilogy, is Keira Knightley. She has such a commanding presence for somebody so young and so beautiful, whether in these films or something like Pride & Prejudice. I am always impressed by her. The film was too long by a good half hour, but all in all a very fun ride.

Shrek the Third

Date: May 23
Location: Muvico Boynton Beach

Well, here's a movie that makes Spider-Man 3 look like, um, Spider-Man 2. As somebody who very much enjoyed the first two Shrek films, I have no idea how this garbage made it to the big screen. The plot was weak, the characters bland and the humor non-existent. I think I laughed twice. I saw it with Sophia on an otherwise lovely evening -- meaning this film puts to rest Dana's theory about the moviegoing experience. Meet the Robinsons was Citizen Kane compared to this dreck.