Movie Reviews

The summer is nearly over. Hollywood has churned out its usual buffet of blockbusters and sequels, most ending with the number three. We know they got the money, but did they get respect? In a season that seems less devoted to garnering critical success than others, here are the top five films, blockbusters or not, that managed to get my personal approval:

5. Ocean's Thirteen: Particularly in light of the second "Ocean's" film, this was a surprisingly enjoyable outing. Like the successful series films of old Hollywood, this one sticks to a formula, and wisely chooses the first film as its blueprint.

Once again Danny Ocean and his friends (George Clooney, Brad Pitt … you know the rest) are out to rob an arrogant rich Las Vegas casino owner, played by Al Pacino. Complications, trickery, and witty banter ensue. This movie is meant to make you smile, to give you that moment of glorious recognition when everything works out exactly as it should, and still manages to surprise you.

4. Knocked Up: The title sets the tone: blunt and a little crude. Yet it's referring to the miracle of life. The film's characters sport dirty mouths but the film manages to be wonderfully poignant. Seth Rogen plays the accidental father to Katherine Heigl's child after a regrettable, at least for her, one-night stand. He must finally assume responsibility for his life, while she must deal with her skyrocketing career and his, well, lack of responsibility.

The film isn't so much about parenthood as it is about adulthood and what it means to have people rely on you. Here are two people forced into a relationship. The way they deal with this sudden crisis provides genuine emotional content that anchors the oftentimes vulgar humor.

3. Once: This independent Irish musical may have the lowest budget of our top five, but it carries the biggest emotional weight. The story of a guy and a girl, who are never named, who fall in love while making music in the streets of Dublin is deceptively elementary. However, the emotions are distinctly adult, and one of the film's best strengths is not giving in to the temptation of a neat and tidy ending.

It's a very brave film. Brave in its bare bones approach to the musical, which is not always known for subtlety. Brave in its visual style that reflects the independent scene presented in the story. It's a movie where the creators clearly know the strength of the film, and let that speak, or sing, for itself.

2. The Bourne Ultimatum: Out of all the action films this summer, it's very telling that the one with the least amount of special effects is the best of them all. Matt Damon's pacifist rogue agent finally gets to the root of the unethical government organization who made him into the killing machine he is. And of course, those upstanding fellows at the CIA are once again assigned to bring him down.

Director Paul Greengrass has proven himself an expert at handling multiple plotlines and dozens of characters, even more of a marvel considering his kinetic handheld camera style. When everything in the film is a mystery to the central character, you need someone who can bring it all together, and Greengrass does just that.

1. Ratatouille: It's not very often that a movie can inspire solely based on the beauty of what you see on screen. Add to that a great story and characters who elicit equal measures of laughter and sympathy, and you've got yourself a great film. The unusual story of a rat who becomes a gourmet chef manages to become the most mature Pixar film yet. It shows its pedigree in just about every way imaginable, making it the best film of the year so far.

dcoley@unews.com