You should go there

Okay, I'll admit that I'm a bit too old to have played with transformers, so perhaps some of that nostalgia is lost on me. Still, I was in the mood, and wanted to like it. Who doesn't like special effects like these? Alas, my good mood didn't make up for a movie that lasted too long, and like Twister and too many others, was in desperate need of a plot.

Blood Diamond is a very good movie and worth your time. First of all, it's a movie where action actually feels like real violence, and that people wielding guns aren't the heros. It depicts things that people in the West don't want to know about or to think about, the blood diamond trade, child soliders, civil unrest caused by our greed. Blood Diamond lays it on your doorstep – not as the flaming turd like some kinds of social commentary. Rather, it's a gift. A story that is gripping and will move you, if not to action, to no longer turn a blind eye to the truth.

Leonardo DiCaprio is coming into his own. Having bulked up for this role and sporting a convincing South African accent, we see him as a man. I remember first seeing him in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and being genuinely unsure if he was mentally challanged. Titanic aside (actually, I liked that movie despite the hype), DiCaprio continues to be an actor worth watching. Djimon Hounsou continues to bring strength to roles that he plays, though I hope eventually he will grow out of a role that's becoming expected of him. Meantime, he's enjoyable and sincere.

I turned this movie on as background noise for email and found it surprisingly pleasant. Beside being the obvious romance clichés, The Lake House was relatively quiet and highlighted vaguely nostalgic music that was comforting. Or at least allowed me to follow along while checking email – sort of. The plot had some strange, unexplainable twists any time-bending fiction requires. Still, it was cute, and if you're in the mood for a quiet, romantic film with a 60s-esque soundtrack, give it a try.