Movie, Bitch. Get out the way.

1) Taking Lives: I always get drawn into these thrillers that get poor reviews. For some reason I think that the critics are too high falutin' and stuff. Then I watch it, pick out the killer in the opening scene, and get pissed at myself for watching it. This was no exception. The twists are predictable, and frequently illogical. The acting is poor. The person who cast this shouldn't work again. Olivier Martinez should've been the love interest and Ethan Hawke should've been attending (and getting rejected from) casting calls for CSI-Cleveland. The only redeeming thing about this dreck is Angelina's looks, which are as good or better than anything else I've seen her in. You're fired.

2) Marty: A nice story. Well acted and cast. Maybe I don't know enough film history, but from what I've seen, this seems like a nice bridge between the classic romances where nice things (like, er, love) drive the love story and more modern scripts where dysfunction drives the story. I get a strange feeling that PT Anderson was channeling this when he did Punch Drunk Love. Borgnine is almost as good here as he was in Boy Scoutz N the Hood. There's no way in hell Herbie Stempel didn't know this was the answer to the question he missed. Steak knife.