DVD Check In

Netflix is a wonderful thing. Even if I keep the same movie for weeks before I watch it. It's still a great service. In light of that, I am going to start watching the movies as soon as I get them and then putting up little reviews here so you, readers, can be informed when decided what to rent.

So here is a quick recap of three films I've just caught on DVD from best to worst:

Hot Fuzz

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost star in the Edgar Wright directed action comedy extravaganza. The guys behind Shaun of the Dead deliver this fantastic movie about hot shot London street cop Nicolas Angel who is forced to take a promotion that would station him in a seemingly peaceful small town. Simply because he is making the other cops look bad. Well, the town is plauged by some pretty insane "accidents" and it's not long before Angel suspects murder, much to the dismay of the entire town. Laughs throughout and some great over the top action scenes. Highly Highly Highly recommended. Certainly one of the best of 2007.


Driving Lessons

This little film stars Julia Walters, Laura Linney, and the criminally underrated Rupert Grint. It's typical coming of age story about a teenager, who is a bit weird, that lives with an overly religious mother and a reverend father. The mother uses the pretext of giving her son driving lessons to get up to some...none christian activities. The real heart of this movie comes from the incredible chemistry between Grint and Walters. Walters plays an aging actress whom Grint comes to work for and the two eventually head out on a road trip. If you like small coming of age stories I would really give this a look. It's Rupert Grint's first foray outside of the Harry Potter series and he does great. He's been my favorite part of the HP series so I'm glad to see him doing other things.

Notes on a Scandal

This may be the last on the list for today but that doesn't mean it is a poor movie. Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, and newcomer Andrew Simpson star in this tale of an illicit affair between a teacher and a student as well as the obsession another teacher develops on another. Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench again give us amazing performances. They continue to prove that they are among the best actresses working today. Bill Nighy does brilliantly as well. The movie is a bit melodramatic and you may find yourself annoyed by the constant voice over of Judi Dench but overall it's an entertaining watch. Dench and Blanchett really make these characters real. Give it a look if you like the actors or a good drama.