Idiocracy is a Mike Judge (Office Space, Beavis and Butthead) film that was released to a very limited number of screens, and so was destined to relative obscurity from the start. It's too bad, because the film definitely has some entertaining...
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Idiocracy is a Mike Judge (Office Space, Beavis and Butthead) film that was released to a very limited number of screens, and so was destined to relative obscurity from the start. It's too bad, because the film definitely has some entertaining moments, and is far better than a lot of movies that achieve a wide release.

Luke Wilson stars a Joe Bauers, the most average man in the army. Because every single trait about him is so average, he is selected to participate in a top-secret project in which he is to be cryogenically frozen for a year. In addition to Joe, the army also selects Rita (Maya Rudolph), a prostitute to be frozen as well.

However, the project falls into obscurity, and Joe and Rita are forgotten about until five hundred years later. The world as they discover it has fallen into disarray. The cause? Humanity has bred itself into stupidity.

It is a world where dimwits watch shows like "Ow, my balls!" and receive sexual services like the "Full Body Latte" from Starbucks, Joe is by default, the smartest man there.

To receive the Presidential pardon (from an ex-pro-wrestler, no less), Joe must help solve some of the problems plaguing society, like its inability to grow crops. Otherwise, he faces jail for the rest of his life, or worse, a night of "Rehabilitation."

The movie has some pretty humorous moments, and is no doubt a satire on the current state of affairs in the US. It makes for a pretty good popcorn movie. I recommend it.

Although the story is perhaps a little preachy and heavy-handed at times, Happy Feet is an overall wonderfully written story, with excellent visuals and incredibly catchy music to boot.

It tells the story of Mumble, the lone penguin...
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Although the story is perhaps a little preachy and heavy-handed at times, Happy Feet is an overall wonderfully written story, with excellent visuals and incredibly catchy music to boot.

It tells the story of Mumble, the lone penguin in colony who cannot sing. Instead, he has the unusual talent of expressing his "heart song" through dance -- through tap dancing, more specifically. Thought by the elders to be an aberration responsible for the dearth of fish, he is cast out from the colony.

His long journey to find the real source of the diminishing food supply begins, and he is joined by friend Ramon (brilliantly voice acted by Robin Williams, who can steal the show at times.)

More complex than your typical fairy-tale story, there are some surprisingly complex lessons to be taught by this movie, and at times, yes, the writers' intent on hammering these themes home can distract from the movie as a whole. Still, these moments are few and far between, and forgivable when you consider the movie as a whole.

This is an easy movie to recommend, especially for families: there will be plenty for adults to be entertained by as well.

This movie was gory.

"The Matrix" was released in 1999 without much prior fanfare. Despite its initially slow start, word of mouth and later, DVD sales propelled it very much into the limelight.

By now, probably most people know the story of...
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"The Matrix" was released in 1999 without much prior fanfare. Despite its initially slow start, word of mouth and later, DVD sales propelled it very much into the limelight.

By now, probably most people know the story of Neo, a computer hacker who discovers that the world as he knows is nothing like it seems Therefore, I won't really go into that here.

I'll just say that the profound impact of the special effects, especially the slow-motion bullet time, fundamentally changed the landscape of digital effects and helped to usher them into the new millenium.

Even nearly eight years later, "The Matrix" still offers breathtaking visuals and action sequences. It was the first DVD to sell more than one million copies, and deservedly so.

Despite the rather lackluster sequels, the first movie was a hallmark in the sci-fi and action genres, and is worth watching to this very day.