Monsters Inc.

Official film of this blog due to the final 5 seconds, which comprise the most wonderfully moving moment in cinematic history.

Movie: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

The visual effects don’t hold up, but it doesn’t matter because it’s a musical and Gene Wilder became Willy Wonka.

Movie: “The Five-Year Engagement”

Would someone please tell Jason Segel that his rear end isn’t really all that funny?

The Movie: “Clue”

Proof positive that a quality film can be built around a board game theme. The actual game would be greatly improved with the addition of Tim Curry whisking the players from one room to another in the final act.

The Movie: The Lorax

There are many challenges to filming a 45 page picture book, but why didn’t the press report on the devastation outside of town or the corruption of the (new) villain? Dr. Seuss might have been writing about current social issues, but he set his stories well outside of any specific place or time.

Movie: “Watchmen”

For me, the climax of the film was the opening title sequence, which was a montage of alternate history scenes. So it’s odd that the message of the ending seems to be that this world is important because it happened one way and not another.

Movie: “Batman Begins”

Until I saw this, I had no idea of the deep connections between the Jedi and the Batman.

Movie: “The Blind Side”

When I read the book, I pictured a woman exactly like Sandra Bullock. I normally dislike her as an actress, but she nailed this role. The best part of the film is seeing the actual pictures of Michael Oher and his adopted family. And yes, I cried when I read the book too.

Movie: The Peacemaker

A big, dumb, Hollywood action flick that makes one good decision: giving the bad guy a sympathetic back story. But then it messes the whole thing up by focusing on George Clooney and Nicole Kidman’s surprisingly dull relationship.

Movie: “Brave”

King Fergus was not voiced by John Cleese, but by the guy from “Mrs. Brown” who looks (and apparently, sounds) just like him. Among Pixar movies, this rates just above “WALL-E”.