Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

This is easily my favorite Pirates of the Caribbean film. Everything comes full circle here, and the waiting pays off.

The writing is excellent. There are plenty of surprises left to keep the audience on the edges of their seats. The journey to Davy Jones's Locker to rescue Jack Sparrow is fun and interesting, while the Locker itself is weird without being too surreal. The working albeit shaky truce between Davy Jones and Beckett is well-done, too. The climax is absolutely brilliant. The final battle between the Flying Dutchman and the Black Pearl will go down in history as being one of the greatest battle sequences in cinema history.

The only drawback to this movie is that you absolutely need to see the previous film to understand this one. Other than that, At World's End is a truly epic finale to the trilogy.

Coraline

I'm not ashamed to say I love a certain class of movies for younger audiences. Not just any kid's movie; many I can enjoy at a lower level, and some I consider surprisingly clever and even deep, but I rarely "love" them. But there are some very special films that aren't so much for kids, as for everyone; films that can be enjoyed on so many levels, and are sort of ageless and universal. One good example would be Spirited Away (and almost anything else by Miyazaki); another would be The Nightmare Before Christmas. And I include some of the better Pixar movies in this class...

Coraline is a new example of this kind of movie, and quickly on track to become one of my favorites. Written and directed by Henry Selick (Nightmare..., James and the Giant Peach) and based on a book by Neil Gaiman (Beowulf), this is a stop-motion wonder that shares some things with Nightmare, but isn't as dark, and as far as I'm concerned, is more nuanced and enjoyable. The story, characters, voice acting, animation, art production, etc. are all top notch, but what really gives Coraline a special spark is fantastic music by Bruno Coulais and how well it evokes different moods. I've already bought the soundtrack...

And the characters are really fleshed out well; they each have some depth to them. Coraline in particular is quite complex; sometimes she's sarcastic and moody, then she's innocent and playful, and when push comes to shove, she's determined and brave. She exhibits an enjoyable range of facial expressions and body language. It is almost impossible not to forget that she's "just" a "puppet" as the movie progresses.

The Fisher King

This is one of my all-time favorites, and as often happens with favorites, I tend to forget how good it is until I watch it again. I really like Terry Gilliam's work, but so many of his movies are flawed or out of balance in some ways, more quirky than enjoyable. But with Fisher King he somehow got it all working right...

This movie has so much going on; it is a redemption story, two love stories, a buddy movie, a modern-day fantasy, a love note to New York, and more. The acting by the ensemble cast is excellent, and mixes comedy, drama, romance, social commentary, and the absurd into a odd (and sometimes intense) but overall rich and satisfying whole.