Paris, je t'aime

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: June 21, 2006 (France) / May 4, 2007 (USA)

DVD Release Date: November 13, 2007

Plot 411: The city of love serves as the backdrop of 18 short films about love.

Review: This film was a vignette about love, in all of its forms. Each story covered a different type of love, featured different groups in society and was the vision of different directors. The shorts provided a brief glimpse into people's lives, and the last movie about an American tourist's first visit to Paris wraps up the entire film quite nicely (albeit in very bad American-accented French). I liked how so many different versions of love could be incorporated into this project: young love, old love, new love, mother-son, father-daughter, lost love, found love, etc. Some of my favorite shorts are about a mime family, a couple who resorts to prostitutes to liven up their marriage and a mother who sings a Spanish lullaby to a child that is not her own. In a way, it's similar to Love Actually, but the audience isn't given as much time with all the characters. Just when you start liking them, their story is over and we're moving on to the next short. Some of the topics are humorous while others are simply heartbreaking. However, all of the shorts depict real situations that we all may face in life, and this is what makes the film perfect. Some of the actors in these films are Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Nick Nolte, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elijah Wood, Emily Mortimer, Rufus Sewell, Natalie Portman, Gena Rowlands and Gerard Depardieu.

Watch It: If you're a fan of indie movies because each short film felt like an artistic endeavor.

Skip It: If you like to have a definite resolution at the end of your movies. Many of these will leave you hanging or make you want to see more.

Happy Feet

Rating: PG

Movie Release Date: November 17, 2006

DVD Release Date: March 27, 2007

Plot 411: A penguin goes on a journey of self-discovery when his differences are too much to ignore.

Review: In this animated film, Elijah Wood provides the voice for Mumble, a penguin without a singing voice. His lack of vocal talent makes him an oddity because all penguins must be able to sing in order to find their mate. Instead, Mumble is blessed with two tap dancing feet. When he becomes separated from his classmates, Mumble meets other penguins and for the first time he is accepted for who he is. This revelation encourages him to go home to reunite with his friend Gloria (Brittany Murphy). However, he also learns about aliens (humans) who are causing the fish to disappear and he's determined to remedy the problem for the sake of his family. This was a cute film with tons of singing. The music was definitely one of the highlights, allowing both adults and children to enjoy this film. The characters were also delightful to watch. I wouldn't necessarily say that this was a deep film, however, you could definitely tell that there were underlying themes in it. Still, I don't think the themes were successfully communicated because they were a bit obvious and clunky. I challenge the filmmakers to address their audience with a little more respect for their intellect. Also voice acting in this film are Hugh Jackman, Robin Williams, Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving and Anthony LaPaglia.

Watch It: For the singing and dancing.

Skip It: If you want a more fulfilling animated flick like Up or Wall-E.