Atonement

Words can't describe how good, how powerful, how amazing this film is, so I won't even try.

Rating: 8.5/10

Run, Fat Boy, Run

You hear it all the time that running isn't just a sport; running is a metaphor for life. Perhaps more than any other sport, running causes us to confront our weaknesses, overcome boundaries, and, when we cross that finish line - regardless of what the time is - we have bettered ourselves because of those challenges that running forces us to overcome.

That metaphor is exactly what Run, Fat Boy, Run is all about, and it's well executed by director (and former Friends star) David Schwimmer. I also liked Simon Pegg's performance, which was different from his usual satirical-type of role. And finally, I liked the prominence of running in the film, which is probably the real reason why I think it was better than the average romantic comedy.

Rating: 7/10

Juno

Most of the time, when I get around to watching a film that has as much hype surrounding it as Juno did, I'm disappointed. Not the case with Juno - which used witty humor, the chaos of a teenage pregnancy, and the journey we all face as we mature - to the utmost success.

Although it's not an everyday watch, it's rare for me when a film's coda is reached and I find myself still wanting more just because I want to remain a part of the character's lives for a little while longer. Good film, powerful message, good rating.

Rating: 8/10

The Count of Monte Cristo

Woe is me. I haven't read the book, but I'm pretty sure Jim Caviezel's acting was not what Alexander Dumas would have had in mind.

Rating: 5.5/10

Underworld

Bill Nighy was born on December 12, 1949 in Surrey, England, the son of Catherine Josephine and Alfred Martin Nighy. He honed his acting skills at the Guildford School of Acting and started his career in 1975 and after two seasons at The Everyman Theater in Liverpool, England, made his debut at the National Theater in the play "Illuminatus!"

Not one to stick with one performance medium, Nighy has also voiced the character Samwise Gamgee in the BBC Radio adaptation of the Lord of the Rings in 1981 - the same year he made his first on-screen appearance in the film Agony. Nighy has since kept busy in both theater and film, with his most well-known roles coming in such films as Billy Mack in Love Actually and Davey Jones in the second and third installments of the Pirates trilogy.

Nighy also portrayed the elder vampire Viktor in Underworld, which, in a roundabout way brings me to my actual and poignant review of the movie: I liked Underworld, I like hot chicks in tight leather outfits, and I like vampires, but not as much as I like Bill Nighy is that tender, not-gay sort of way.

Rating: 7/10