Shooter (2007)

The saving grace, of course, was the presence of my boy, Marky Mark. He's quite a presence and fun to watch. Less speaking would have been good, though. Dialog was lacking, plot was…questionable, but at least there was plenty of it. Plot rich, anti-Bush action movie, it couldn't be all bad--and it wasn't. It just wasn't great.

Breach (2007)

Breach is a very subdued film. It deals with the worst case of espionage in US history, but there is no particular lack of urgency in the film. The acting, particularly Chris Cooper, is first class. Cooper is an understated wonder. A few review objected to the lack of exposition of his character, but I think that would be telling and Cooper shows you all anyone ever could know about Robert Hanssen, the real FBI agent he portrays. It would be nice to have an explanation for Hanssen's behavior, and the film provides clues, but I don't think it's a question that can be answered--and the film doesn't try. Ryan Phillippe ,who I generally find objectionable gives a quite credible performance. Maybe in another five to ten years, I'll actually start to look forward to seeing him in a picture. Sadly, I think Laura Linney was wasted--and the stereotyping of her as a bitter, lonely, cat-owner was completely egregious. Please! Could we see a little admiration for a woman who makes as a senior agent at the FBI, a notoriously patriarchal organization?

This was a well-crafted film, and not bad watching, but I didn't love it.

Music and Lyrics (2007)

I liked this movie. It's a somewhat unusual romantic comedy. It centers almost completely on the creative process of writing a song. I know nothing about song writing, so I don't know if it could happen as portrayed in the film, but I bought it. Also, the chemistry between the leads--Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore--is palpable. I loved the way Grant played this--his character could have been smarmy and smug, but (full credit to the writers) he's a charming, lovable, not-quite-past-his-prime, hack. Someone who is actually content being a has-been. Willing to coast along, living a comfortable life, drawing on past glories and not getting too cynical or bitter about it. It's refreshing. And Barrymore, well, these days she can really do no wrong. But is she doing enough? I like her in comedies, but why isn't she a stronger lead, why isn't she getting bigger parts? Does no one know how to write for women? Oh, right, never mind. This was a fun and satisfying watch; I recommend it.

A note on my pet peeve regarding the age gap between male and female leads: the one here is quite wide (15 years). However, it's integral to the plot, so no objections.