Many Mini-Reviews

Since I'm going to be gone for a few weeks, I thought I'd better throw in a few quick reviews of some of the movies that I've caught lately. They'll be short and hopefully sweet, but at least you'll stop wondering what Justin thinks of such relevant and "current" movies as "Red Eye" and "Scream 3."

• "Red Eye": This was a harmless little airplane thriller with an always entertaining Rachel McAdams and the creepy Cillian Murphy. True, it will find a happy home alongside the women-in-peril classics on Lifetime, but it's fast-paced (and short) enough to deserve a Sat. night viewing if you're in the mood for something fun. (**1/2 out of four)
• "Scream 3": Don't ask me why I watched this on TV the other day: my only answer will be that I saw the first two "Scream" movies years ago on TV and wanted to know how it would all end. Let me save you the trouble: lots of people die--most of them you can basically write off as dead as soon as they show up onscreen. What was originally a semi-clever concept (a horror movie mocking horror movies) just feels tired here. A couple of funny lines don't save it from becoming the very movie it is trying to mock. (*1/2 out of four)
• "The Lake House": This was another harmless way to spend a couple of hours. It was clean, the concept was semi-unique (if you've never seen "Frequency"), and the actors (Sandra Bullock and Keanu "Whoa" Reeves) were sufficient. (I have to say, though, that for a romance, it really didn't feel all that romantic.) Could have used a bit more levity, but overall was entertaining enough to be worth the rental. (**1/2)
• "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants": Light, breezy, and semi-soapy for the teeny-bopper audience, this movie was cute enough to not completely bore me. Some of the storylines weren't as good as others, but the chubby America Ferrera was fantastic in her pre-Ugly Betty role. Definitely a chick flick, but mostly worth the time if that's what your wife wants to watch (she picked this over "Sleepy Hollow"...). (**1/2)

Needless to say, I get to pick the next movie. I think it will be either "The Prestige" in the theater or "Constantine" on DVD--something that will get all that estrogen out of my system.