Quick Hits

The Lookout:
Joseph Gordon Levitt plays Chris Pratt, a popular teenager whose world is turned upside down after a tragic car accident. The acting is superb even when the movie is a little too deliberate as it swims its way upstream to the action.
Part drama, part crime caper it never lacks heart and never holds any punches in dealing with tough issues like head trauma, physical disabilities, and blindness.
Jeff Daniels plays Lewis, Chris' only real friend. He begins as mostly comic relief, but ultimately teaches the movie's most valuable lessons.

A-

Casino Royale:
I liked this movie better than the last three Bond flicks combined. But, I think critics and fans made a mistake here. Because Casino Royale was so much better than The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day the line became blurred between good movies and bad one. Casino Royale has its moments, but I didn't think for one second that this movie was great. Good, yes. Entertaining, yes. Ridiculous, yes.
The action scenes at the beginning are engaging and definitely get the adrenaline pumping. But once the movie settles in for the long haul is both tedious and at times dare I say boring. The poker scenes were about as exciting as watching your friends play at home. You can usually count on Bond having sexy moments with sexy ladies. Well, the ladies were sexy, their encounters...not so much.
At least Daniel Craig is a good Bond and that will keep me coming back the next time. I liked that this installment was much more gritty and not nearly as flashy.

C+