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I’ve been watching a lot of movies in the past several days. The theaters, on DVD, on the computer, on HBO and Star Movies, it doesn’t matter. If it interests me, I’m all over it like paparazzi on Britney Spears. I’ve already talked about (well, sort of) one of these interesting movies, the 4th Rambo movie. It’s time for me to talk about 4 more. And no, I will NOT post spoilers. I’m nice like that.

JUNO

I heard all the hype, and it was deafening. I expected it, though. I think it’s the Arrested Development factor that initially attracted people, including me, to the movie. And I’m thinking none of us were disappointed with Jason Bateman and Michael Cera practically doing their AD acting bit. I call it the Owen Wilson School of Acting. It doesn’t change from one project to another, but it works.

The AD boys may have been the bait, but without a shadow of a doubt, Ellen Page was the hook. She’s simply brilliant. Of course, her character’s a little to weird for my taste, but Page played her magnificently. The plot was a little straightforward, but the execution is very satisfying. “Quirky” doesn’t begin to describe it, and that’s how I like my movies about 16-year old pregnant freaks. Love it. And the soundtrack too.

I AM LEGEND

I have to admit, I didn’t fall for the hype on this one. Between you and me? I hate Will Smith. Doesn’t matter if he’s a decent actor in half the number of his movies, and totally annoying in the other half. I only think he’s completely entertaining when he’s presenting an award at the MTV Movie Awards or something. But since this is a “vampire” apocalypse movie, I just couldn’t resist.

This is one of those times I talked about when Smith isn’t all that annoying. He did a pretty decent job at it, actually. I LOL’d at the Shrek scene, which is a pretty embarrassing thing to say. It’s a solid suspense movie, but not really up my Horror alley. The creatures gave me the creeps when they were hidden in the shadows. Once I saw them in all their glory, meh. Awesome set design, though.

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

This is every Beatles fan’s wet dream. Seriously. The numerous easter eggs were a joy to discover. I particularly loved how the names of the characters were taken from Beatles songs. And I was very proud of myself when I recognized the last scene on the rooftop as a nod to the Beatles playing a rooftop concert in London.

I’m not a big fan of movies with people bursting into song every now and then, but if they’re singing Beatles songs? I am so in. In fact, I propose that all musicals involve Beatles songs. What’s really awesome with the songs is they’re used in the most brilliant of ways. I bet if there are people out there who haven’t heard of the Beatles (freaks!), they’d still enjoy this musical treat.

And it’s not just the music that’s endearing. The visuals are whimsical, extremely lovely, and undeniably a pleasure to see. I have no qualms with the actors too. It’s as close to a perfect movie as it can get. But that’s the Beatles fan in me talking.

CLOVERFIELD

There are three things I love about this. First, the monster. It’s really a monster. Godzilla’s a giant lizard. King Kong’s a giant ape. The Cloverfield monster’s a giant MONSTER. It’s difficult to describe it. Its strange appearance coupled with the first person POV of the movie makes it more bizarre and creepy. I honestly had a couple of honest moments of fear.

Second, the whole Blair Witch thing it has going on. I don’t know if I just got a good seat or if I’m just immune to ridiculously shaky cameras, but I enjoyed the experience.

Third, all the mystery in the marketing of the movie and in the story itself. If the movie wasn’t marketed the way it was, I probably would have waited a few days before seeing it. But because of all the hype and the extreme secrecy, I just had to watch it on opening day. The mystery in the story is appealing too. If you try to make sense of the monster, you’d be distracting yourself from the real story, which is a bunch of friends just having a great time, just chillaxin’, when all hell breaks loose.

The movie is a refreshing piece of entertainment. The kind that doesn’t require you to overthink the plot. The characters are likeable, the actors are decent, the special effects and the CGI are OK, and the first person POV may not be something new, but it feels new thanks to its giant monster movie application. It’s more of an experience than a movie, really. And that, my friends, is why I love it.

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