Movies I actually liked

Ratatouille — No shocker there. I'm a Brad Bird nerd (I love The Iron Giant) and every day I wish I worked for Pixar. Ratatouille isn't a kid's movie, really (I dragged my nephews to it, along with my mom, sister, and grandmother), but it's got enough neat stuff to look and laugh at to keep kids entertained. It's really meant for an older, artier crowd, one that includes foodies and cork dorks. I love Patton Oswalt, so hearing him voice Remy was a treat. Paris illustrated was amazing; every time I see Paris in a movie, I am struck with an intense longing to visit. When a cartoon can make you want to visit a city, you know it's special.

Transformers — Why, yes, Michael Bay, I would like you to blow some shit up and show me giant cars and trucks and planes and tanks anthropomorphizing and beating the shit out of each other, thanks! And while you're at it, let that cute Shia LeBeouf kid wear a Strokes T-shirt, fall from skyscrapers, and make out with that cute Megan Fox kid (who was born in Memphis!) for my entertainment. It's Independence Day week and there is nothing more American than automobiles battling to the death in a city chock full of people itching to become collateral damage. Oh, and eBay jokes. Those are American, too. (Seriously, I know it sounds like I'm being sarcastic, but I did actually like this movie. I imagine my ignorance about Transformers as an institution grants me such freedom.)

Movie I saw this week that creeped me out something fierce: Happiness