And... we're back.

Nothing like taking a couple of months off to move to a new house! But I'm back and have a bunch of ideas for entries, so hopefully I'll get back in the swing of things fairly quickly. For now, I've got three short-form movie reviews on the three big blockbusters of the summer (and no, I'm not going to be reviewing "Sex in the City" - its not "Star Wars for girls" as some reviewers claim. Star Wars was Star Wars for girls. And even that wasn't as Star Wars as it used to be, if you know what I mean.)

1. Iron Man - See it, see it, and if you've seen it see it again. I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this movie - brilliantly directed and acted, with spectacular visual effects (hey, that's what you get when you have practical effects for almost everything that are just ENHANCED with CG...) and all around great comic-book action. Special girly mention goes to the blue dress - I'd kill for a dress that color! Oh, and Gwenneth Paltrow's shoes at the end of the film. Niiiice. Oh, and the "control surfaces" sequence totally made me geek out - nice blend of science, sci-fi, and comic book coolness. Oh, and best of all, a beefed up Downey in just a wifebeater and pants... surprisingly enjoyable eye candy, there. Best movie so far this Oscar year. (As to rumors that they won't let Favreau direct the next one... are they friggin CRAZY?!? Pay the man what he wants!!!)

2. Indiana Jones - If you can avoid it, do. While not as soul-wrenchingly bad as the Star Wars prequels, George Lucas still shows that he should no longer have anything to do with the cinema. The directing is campy and boring at the same time, the plot has holes as big as the trucks they drive through the warehouse, and the CG is beyond laughable. Seriously, CG in an Indy film? Ewwwww. Oh, and Harrison gives some of the worst line readings this side of the Blade Runner voice-over. Don't get me wrong, the actors REALLY tried to make something out of this, but... *sigh* Any time you get into "King Kong" land of "things are happening because... they are..." its a bad sign.

3. Kung-fu Panda - VERY close runner up to Iron Man for best movie this Oscar year. A perfect blend of Kung-fu action and family friendly comedy - Pixar couldn't have done it better, and Dreamworks HASN'T done it better. The Tigress was sorta... boring... and a couple of characters were under-utilized, but still a GREAT film whether you have a family or not.