"In the Valley of Elah"

Go out and rent this movie. Now! I re-watched "In the Valley of Elah" again and I think I could watch it over and over, always a sign of a good movie. I didn't hear much about this 2007 flick until Tommy Lee Jones was nominated for an Oscar for this instead of "No Country for Old Men." I made a note to rent it later and happened to rent it with "No Country." While both deal with journeys, investigations and changing society, I think "Elah" will hold up better on repeated viewing and in the future. If you thought "No Country" was OK, then you'll probably really like "Elah." The plot involves mystery, family drama, military vs. townies and actually has some good humor, too. Tommy Lee Jones' character takes it upon himself to investigate his Army son's disappearance after returning from Iraq, with the help of Charlize Theron's character, a cop trying to prove herself. It was written and directed by Paul Haggis of "Crash" fame. *****

"X-Files"

If I'm being honest, this should have been a special TV movie, but I paid my 10 bucks to see this in the movie theater and wasn't too disappointed. If you're a fan, you'll definitely enjoy the latest movie (probably better than the first one). It just makes me miss the show and knowing I'd be seeing something good every week :( *****

"In the Shadow of the Moon"

A documentary about the Apollo program, "In the Shadow of the Moon" doesn't go through all the facts and figures, but instead tells the story through the astronaut's own words. Even if Tom Hanks in "Apollo 13" is the closest thing you know about NASA, this is still a very entertaining and moving hour and a half. *****

"Flight of the Conchords" (TV)

This is the funniest freakin show I have seen in forever! Go rent it, or better yet, just go buy it because you'll watch it over and over. Season 1 of the HBO series is on DVD now, and I'll have to wait until January 09 for Season 2 to air. I'm not even going to try to explain the show except to say it's about two guys from New Zealand in New York trying to make a living as a band. The "music videos" in each episode are hilarious; my favorite is the "Lord of the Rings" music video. If you like "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Arrested Development" or "The Office" you'll probably like this. *****

"Play Misty For Me"

Before "Fatal Attraction" or "Swimfan," there was Clint Eastwood's directorial debut, 1971's "Play Misty For Me." He's a Carmel jazz DJ with a scary stalker! Very entertaining and it still holds up today. *****

"Romance and Cigarettes"

I'm interested in romance. I'm interested in cigarettes. I'm interested in a cast including James Gandolfini, Kate Winslet, Susan Sarandon and Christopher Walken. What I'm NOT interested in is ever seeing this movie again. AVOID it at all costs. Yes, I know the cast and the thought of John Turturro directing will tempt you as it did me, but this is not "quirky," just bad. I think I'll give it no stars, because giving it one star would be an insult to the other movies I gave two stars.

"Batman: The Dark Knight"

Woo-hoo! I loved it even better than the first one. Great action, great plot. (I am not a comics-turned-into-movies fan either.) With all the hype around Heath Ledger as the Joker, I was ready to NOT like him just because of the fuss. But I have to admit, he is one of the best things about the movie. He didn't play it too over the top; I mean he's playing a joker, so it's gonna be a little wacky, but it wasn't too cartoonish. And he had some of the best lines. Christian Bale was good as always. *****

"Broken English"

Zoe Cassavetes of the Cassavetes family makes her writing and directing debut with "Broken English" (2007). Parker Posey plays a New Yorker of a certain age looking for love (and she's not all oddball and frantic like in many of her other movies for a change, which is good). Women will probably really dig this movie. Cassavetes matriarch, Gena Rowlands, also appears. I'm a big fan of all the Cassavetes, so I'm giving it three stars. :-) If you want to sample some work from Zoe's dad, John Cassavetes, try "Gloria" or "A Woman Under the Influence." And Zoe's brother Nick directed 2004's "The Notebook." *****

"Death at a Funeral"

I kept seeing this trailer so I finally got it, expecting a predictable British comedy but it was surprisingly good. All sorts of hijinks at a funeral, a great cast and even a dwarf. Frank Oz of "Muppets" fame directed the 2007 flick. *****

"American Gangster"

I took forever to see this 2007 movie with Denzel Washington, whom I normally love. But I was actually disappointed in his one-note performance. Russell Crowe, who I can usually take or leave, livened up the whole movie for me. Maybe I just had really high expectations for this movie, but I'm gonna have to give it only two stars, and that's being generous. *****

"Outlaw"

A group of men act as vigilantes in this 2007 movie from director Nick Love. I usually like vigilante movies. But unfortunately, not this one. It's got a plot with a million holes and the action, which should be its selling point, is pretty lame. *****

"Wedding Daze"

I kept seeing this in the Blockbuster store, I had a coupon for a free rental, and I couldn't find any movie I wanted, so I finally picked this. Not a great start for a recommendation, but "Wedding Daze" was actually pretty good. I was expecting the usual romantic comedy but it's just the right amount of quirky and original to make this likeable. Michael Ian Black of "Ed" and "The State" wrote and directed. (He also wrote a British movie "Run, Fatboy, Run" that I want to see.) *****

"Fool's Gold"

I found this 2008 Matthew McConaughey-Kate Hudson pairing entertaining, and it made me realize how hard it is to find a decent romantic comedy today. They are all usually so cookie cutter that I dread even watching them. "Fool's Gold" had some of the expected formulas but it was done a bit more original than others. I also liked the same actors in "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," so if you liked that you'll like this. Plus, since "Fool's Gold" is set on boats in Key West, McConaughey has his shirt off most of the movie. Nice! Some classic romantic comedy recommendations: "Palm Beach Story," "Roman Holiday" or "The More the Merrier" (the last is in my top 10 favorite movies of all time). *****