Review Day

There are no spoilers in these reviews.

Couples Retreat:
This movie was probably just an excuse for Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn to run around together some more -- it's hit-or-miss with not quite enough ensuing hilarity. The movie also can't decide whether it's a comedy or a drama, and doesn't do a good job of switching between the two tracks. Overall, it's uneven but passable enough entertainment for a hurricane evening. The main downside to this movie was learning that Blockbuster has reimplemented real late fees for their movies ($1 a day after the five-day rental period) in addition to the fake "you bought it" late fee they already had.

Final Grade: C-

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest:
The finale of the Girl trilogy would have benefited greatly from additional editing, as the author seemed to be developing a Victor Hugo complex where he'd shoot off on a tangent about sewers for ten pages before returning to the story at hand. The feel of the book is also different -- there isn't really a central mystery that requires the reader to tie pieces together anymore. In spite of these issues, this book does provide a great sense of closure to the story, and the last couple hundred pages ARE polished and tightly paced.

Final Grade: B-

Namesake:
This movie stars Kal Penn as a young guy who smokes weed, but Neil Patrick Harris is nowhere in sight. It's based on a book that Rebecca liked a lot that tells the story of an Indian family in the US over two generations. It wasn't a bad movie, but I don't think it was as deep an experience as it thought it was.

Final Grade: C+