Greg-o-rama

Beautifully filmed, The House of Sand and Fog is a modern tragedy where each of the characters are ultimately swept away by their flawed choices. Like the lush shots of nature that are interspersed throughout, the characters' choices become a force that envelopes them, and from which they cannot escape. Ben Kingsley once again gives a singular performance that would be career-defining for a lesser actor -- his talents for heart-breaking subtlety are remarkable. All of the other performers rise to his level, especially Jennifer Connelly and Shohreh Aghdashloo. For my money, a finely-crafted film that surpasses Mystic River. Mention must also be made of James Horner's nuanced score, which transcends the tragedy at the same time that it too breaks our hearts. Haunting. You'll be thinking about this movie for days afterwards.

The pirate movie to end all pirate movies. This one has no pretentions to be anything other than what it is: ideal summer escapism. Get out of the heat, and set sail with Johnny Depp (the perfect pirate!) for this rollicking, funny, swashbuckling ride. Geoffrey Rush is splendidly creepy, the film looks great, and all the players are obviously having a ball. Who would've thought a Disney ride could have ever turned into such an entertaining movie??

"Drole de Felix" ends up being a road-trip fable that charms you with it's cast of delightful characters, a charismatic performance by Sami Bouajila as Felix, and the beautiful & striking scenery of France. The tale of a man in search of "family" (and finding that those relationships are a process, not a destination), it's a delightful movie, full of French sensibilities and moments of simple truths.