Another couple of weeks, and three more movies for the big list:
Mission Impossible 3 – 5.5/10 – Is there a more earnest actor in contemporary cinema than Tom Cruise? He’s so…so…heartfelt. Regardless, this is unquestionably the best of the three films. The scale is smaller, the stakes are more personal and most importantly, the plot is comprehensible. Philip Seymour Hoffman, as always, was a joy to watch. And you know what? Keri Russell can handle the pistols.
Poseidon – 6.5/10 – A huge, unabashed, straight-ahead, we’re-in-a-flipped-cruise-ship thriller. There’s nothing really wrong with it, and what you see is definitely what you get. It’s entertaining to play ‘which of the rag tag group dies next’. With the exception of the opening sequence, there’s a refreshing absence of CG effects.
Akeelah and the Bee – 7/10 – An engaging film with a good if predictable story and fantastic acting from the leads. Mind you, you’re better off spending two hours with the excellent Spellbound. Still, it’s a rare positive African American film that gets seen by a large audience.
DarrenBarefoot.com 
I wondered if you had seen the original “Poseidon Adventure” that “Poseidon” was based on? I believe it came out in 1972 (if I’m not mistaken). I loved the original. Shelly Winters’ scenes were the most memorable.
I’m actually getting tired of these remakes in the movies and on tv with the exception of the new Battlestar Galactica which is awesome!
Darren: Re: Mission Impossible 3, 5.5 out of 10 is a poor grade for a movie that you no doubt enjoyed.
I’m going to see it tonight. I’m a big fan of Hoffman also.
Bobby: I may have given you the wrong impression. When I say this is the best of the three films, the other two are pretty awful.
Also, these ratings don’t necessarily reflect how much I enjoy a given film, but rather how it compares to all the other films I see.