The Golden Compass (*/****)

This movie ended
A woman shouted “f*ck you!”
All of us agreed.

I Am Legend (**.5/****)

A terrible third act (and really, one of the few cases where I will argue that they should stick closer to the book, because vampire cults are sweet, and also, they changed what the friggin’ TITLE meant) doesn’t take away from what is really quite a solid blockbuster. Actually, everything in the first two acts not involving the “dark-seekers” is tremendous, and Will Smith is astonishing at times (the “please say hello to me” scene is among the finest acted scenes of the year). The allusions to 9-11 (and almost borderline plagiarism from “War of the Worlds”) don’t quite come off as strong as I’m sure they had originally hoped, but it doesn’t fall flat either. Overall, a mixed bag, but worth seeing for the first half and Will Smith’s performance alone.

Atonement (****/*****)

The fact that I loved this movie is a testament to it’s quality, because anyone that knows me will acknowledge how surprising this is. It’s just immaculately made and near pitch-perfect. The only complaints I have are book complaints. And that tracking shot is completely mindblowing.