Movie Recap for June 2006: Superman Returns Flies and Al Gore Falls

Surprisingly good month. Nothing that I saw in June was outright awful, while nothing was an outright smash either. There were a couple of films that stood above the rest and a few others that failed to live up to expectations.

Best of the Month: Superman Returns
Worst of the Month: An Inconvenient Truth

Below is a list of all the films I saw in the month in the order in which I saw them:

1. The Break-Up. I like the attempt at something outside the typical rom-com, it is too bad that this one didn't quite work. It is a movie where the characters have to ignore the painfully logical step of communication to allow the situation to grow out of control. **.5
2. Cars. Despite the absolutely gorgeous animation, I was just not drawn into this film as I have in past Pixar releases. Still, a sub-par Pixar film is still much better than many other films of the genre. The voice casting was good, but I just didn't connect completely. **.5
3. The Omen. I liked the remake, of course I haven't seen the original yet. I though the lead actors were all good, and I liked the slow burn. ***
4. Nacho Libre. It won't cause you to bust your gut, but it will put a smile on your face. Jack Black's turn as a sweet Christian Brother with a desire to wrestle is a blast. All he wants to do is help the children of his orphanage. ***
5. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Zero story, but a lot of fun. The allure of this film, to me, were watching the funny cars and the Japanese setting, and on that level it worked perfectly well for me. ***
6. The Lake House. Simply amazing, this is an absolutely gorgeous film. The story telling is beautiful, you will find yourself caring about this couple and their future potential. There is no explanation of the magic mailbox, and there doesn't need to be. ***.5
7. A Prairie Home Companion. I felt disconnected while watching this, although there was definitely a sweetly happy aura to it. I liked it much more upon reflection after the fact. It is sublime and a lovely ode to live radio. ***
8. Click. Eh. There are equal moments of laugh out loud hilarity and tear jearking sentimentality, but I found the gimmick wore thin pretty quick and much of the humor too mean spirited. On the other hand, Kate Beckinsale is gorgeous. **.5
9. An Inconvenient Truth. It's not that I don't believe what the facts presented, but I just have a strong general distaste for Al Gore, and listening to him for 90+ minutes was a bit much. Not to mention the politcal jabs and purely self serving personal moments. **.5
10. Superman Returns. Wonderful movie. It is not an action movie, and it is not without its flaws, but it still has a magical appeal to it. Bryan Singer has delivered a fine reintroduction of Big Blue to the big screen. ***.5

What did you see this month?