Wall-E: Easily one of the ten best films this year, only the third best genre film because everybody couldn't be number one. The most amazing thing about it was it had so many things that worked when they shouldn't have: live action sequences that didn't look out of place within the animated story; in one of many nods to 2001, it was essentially a silent movie; a love story and a "green" message that didn't bore or alienate, and voice performers who were largely in-house personnel rather than actors playing animated versions of themselves. Highly recommended.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Or, Indiana Jones and the X-Files Rip-Off. This story was supposed to be Indy's swan song, which may be a good thing: when I told people who hadn't seen the movie, "Indy survives a nuclear explosion," they'd give me this you gotta-be-kidding-look. I had that look myself while he was doing it. (And considering the "fine-tuning" Spielberg and Lucas did on ET and Star Wars, they should have flashed "Kids! Don't Try This At Home!" across the screen.) If you liked the others... you won't dislike this one, but I was a tad... disappointed. But Harrison Form looks great for a guy pushing 70.
Get Smart: A lot of smiles, a few chuckles, but (for me, anyway) not laugh-out-loud funny. A clever script pays homage to the source material and even offers a plausible explanation for the series’ major conceit, how CONTROL's top agent could also be its biggest screw-up. (The Sixties... We were so innocent then. Or maybe it was the drugs.) The casting was excellent, especially Steve Carrel and Alan Arkin as Max and the Chief, but, in a post-9/11 post-24 world, the movie's Cold War Spy verses Spy antics seem not just dated but naïve.
Iron Man: Any other year the best genre movie, but considering the competition, a very strong second. Great performances, an intelligent script, outstanding CGI, and a bad-ass suit.
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