A 19 hour flight is a spectacular time to catch up on movie watching…

Shrek the Third: proves everything I say about third sequels. Out of ideas, rehash, etc. ★★, with difficulty.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery: Would you believe I’d never seen this until this flight? I’d caught bits of it, but I’d picked up most of the references from the all-pervasive cultural impact this movie had had. What can I say, I’m a little bit behind the times at times. Good fun. ★★★

Paris, je t’amie: 20 stories, each told by a different director, 2 minutes a story, each set in a different area of Paris, touching on life and love in some way. It’s an interesting concept, but I’m not sure that it works so well – the restriction does distil stories to their essence, but it also strips their ability to have an impact, and one after the other just adds to it, to the point where all the stories blur a little. Paris really is a gorgeous city.

Each short varies wildly. Anywhere from ★ (the Mime’s story) to ★★★★ (the first story), so call it an average of ★★☆.

The Last Kiss: Zach Braff is Michael, 29 years old, and on the cusp of the rest of his life with his girlfriend Jenna (Jacinta Barret) – they’re about to have a baby. The traditionally mid-life crisis appears as a third-of-life crisis with Kim (Rachel Bilson), a college student Michael meets at a wedding, and you can sorta tell where it goes from there.

Why am I giving you the plot synopsis? Because… that’s what sets this movie’s potential impact up. While the main story is Michael’s, there’s a range of characters to connect with in their varied situations, and the writing and acting are both excellent. Only problem for me is that I don’t connect with any of the situations, and so it’s a lot more abstract for me, which reduces the impact of the movie. ★★★ for technical merit, and a ☆ more for potential, because it’s definitely one to revisit. (plus Rachel Bilson is gorgeous)

Blades of Glory: I’m yet to see Will Farrel play a role that is (a) serious and (b) that he doesn’t totally own. ★★★☆, and only because it’s a little too camp.

Priceless (Hors de Prix): if all French women are like Audrey Tatou, sign me up for French lessons. ★★★★☆, and then some.

Children of Men: The year is 2027 – no child has been born since 2009, and society has steadily sunk into chaos. Theo (Clive Owen) is a man with a past, and the past comes a-knocking, as he is caught up in a desperate bid to get the first pregnant woman in 18 years to safety.

Clive Owen plays this to a tee – he’s just an ordinary man (well, relatively) caught up in things much bigger than he ever expected, and he’s scared. The tone of the film is bleak, with only a dim flicker of hope showing through, but it reflects the setting quite well. Probably a bit too post-apocalyptic for me to believe, the director none-the-less does well to carry the improbable premise. ★★★★

Garden State: Totally do not get what the fuss was about. I think I fell asleep halfway through. ★★☆

The Last King of Scotland: somewhat like Blood Daimond, a struggle to get through purely because of the visceral depth of human drama on display – Africa really is a place that gets to you. Excellently acted, but surprisingly left me with little emotional impact. ★★★☆

Domino: Slick and well-paced, if a tad predictable, and the cinematography is so over the top you just want the juttering camera work to slow down and be normal for a bit. Keira kicks ass but has her default expression set to “angst”.★★★