[The_Return]

The Thin Man (1934)

Pure, unadulterated entertainment. A nice little mystery featuring the original husband and wife detectives, Nick and Nora Charles. Powell and Loy have wonderful chemistry together - with a lesser pair, this could have been just another forgettable "B" mystery. But with Powell and Loy's snappy banter lighting up the screen under the slick and tight direction of W.S. Van Dyke, it has to be one of the most entertaining mysteries of the 1930's.

District 9 (2009)

It's not too often these days that a huge-budget sci-fi flick can deliver not only on big entertainment, but also give you something to think about - District 9 succeeds on both counts. Though it wears it's allegory on it's sleeve and might be a bit heavy-handed in its message at first, it creates an all-to-believable world of "What If?" - as much as we would like to think we're be more civilized, the reaction to First Contact in the movie is almost disturbingly realistic. But outside of the social commentary, it gives us a glimpse of a fantastic mythology by leaving out many details but showing enough of the "Prawns" to leave the viewer with a million questions to ponder after the end of the film.

A great theatre experience - don't wait for DVD on this one. A smart, exciting sci-fi epic: I share _V_'s sentiment in hoping this becomes a franchise. They certainly left it open, and I feel like the world created here has many more stories to tell and secrets to reveal.

Five Easy Pieces (1970)

Jack Nicholson's first mainstream leading role, but you can already see the hallmarks of his persona - one of his more subdued performances, and without a doubt one of his best. A character study of a high-society dropout, the film focuses primarily on the Nicholson's returning home to visit his dying father. A powerful and emotional film about finding one's identity, with one of the greatest endings of all time.