Mean Girls

Wow. Thought this quite often while watching this movie. It's incredibly witty. Mean, in not so predictable ways, which was very refreshing. Funny. SNL-funny (thanks to the brilliance of Tina Fey, who wrote the screenplay and costars), and just, normal in an amusing way-funny. Healing, which in the context of this movie, funny even in thought. Imagine a whole gymnasium full of pissed off teenage girls, doing forgiveness/trust exercises? Total riot! Imaginative. (see this and you'll understand). Enlightening. (bringing down someone else doesn't actually change our own situation, does it? a movie with a moral that doesn't preach. nice.) I definitely thought this was a fun movie. Usually teen-scene movies are nauseatingly predictable, but this one was anything but. (well, except for the ending, but you expect a nice tying up of loose ends at the end of a movie)

White Oleander

Some movies inspire me to want to read the book, some books make me long to see the characters and story on the big screen. This was one case where I read the book, and really couldn't wait to see the on screen version. I think it was all the pre-release hype that the movie had that caused the frenzy. It's unfortunate that very few movies maintain the full (emotional and otherwise) impact as their written counterparts. (some do; the Harry Potter movies, and The Color Purple come to mind immediately) There was so much going on in White Oleander though that it would've made for an extremely long (but probably still good) movie. The book is always better, but in this case, the movie was pretty good too. You get some of the visual aspects with just a touch of the emotional anguish that's better detailed (and felt) in the book. For me, a keeper, both the book and the movie.

Big Fish

Big Fish was truly bizarre. And surprisingly romantic. This was a very strange and very tall tale that incorporates a sweet and subtle reminder to cherish the one(s) you love. Good for some laughs, and some very unique story-within-a-story-within-a-story recall. A rather entertaining way to spend a couple of hours. Not every tall tale is a complete fabrication, and through the most elaborate webs, a lifetime of memories can be woven (and remembered, and passed on). This is a gem worth seeing. Lose yourself in someone else's fantasy for a while.