Brief reviews of two films recently seen:


John Crowley's decidedly Irish Intermission provided a welcome counterpoint to the sloshy Love Actually, being an intertwining-story drama/comedy far rougher and nastier than its English counterpart. A strong Irish ensemble (including Cillian Murphy, who is operatively the lead, Kelly Macdonald, Colin Farrell, Colm Meany and Shirley Henderson) help animate what is a fairly shoddy screenplay, and it all links together well enough but ends up no more than an entertaining watch. It's not particularly good-looking, dramatic, romantic or funny, but it has its moments and it's nice to see a film made about Irish life today.
***


I usually enjoy the Stiller/Owen movies, and Starsky & Hutch was no exception to the rule. Nice, breezy, at times very funny, and the two leads are great at what they do. Lots of 70s throwbacks, a cool car, Snoop Dogg--fun to be had by all.
***