The Gift

Giovanni Ribisi is an amazing actor and his performance in this movie proves it. UGH! It was so frustrating, because the entire time, you are left thinking, "What the hell is wrong with this kid?" He could be in love with Blanchett, he's definitely bi-polar, maybe and little schizophrenic, and there are some definite anger issues.

This movie has stories all over the place. Ribisi has a hidden childhood past and is pissed at his father for some reason.

Holmes and Jeter are getting married, but can Holmes stay faithful long enough to make it to the wedding? Or is one of her lovers going to 86 her when she tries to end it? Most likely the latter will happen.

Blanchett, a single mom of 3 boys makes her money through... reading? No, she isn't a librarian, but a fortune teller. Can she what happened to Holmes while fighting off Reeves?

Reeves, a wife beater married to Swank with a temper. Also, he is a possible suspect to Holmes death. Did he do it or was he framed?

Anyway... Like I said, this movie has many angles, that leaves jumping around from thinking one person being a killer to the other person being a killer. If it wasn't for the whole reading peoples fortune/sci-fi aspect to the movie, I would have liked it a little more. It did, however, keep me up late to see the end.

Expert Says: 3 Stars; Sci-Fi; You'll never guess who did it

Elizabeth

I love old movies. No, I take that back. I love movies that are set in old times - movies like Elizabeth. There is just something that gets to me, a man courting a woman and the two falling in love so fast; it's dreamy.

Anyway, this movie is clearly about Queen Elizabeth; but before you roll your eyes, this is not about how she ruled or anything like that. No, you will have to watch Elizabeth: The Golden Age to view that. This is about HOW Elizabeth, the horrible bastard child, came to be Queen. We all saw The Other Boleyn Girl right? While the two are completely unrelated, The Other Boleyn Girl give the background of how Elizabeth was born to Anne Boleyn and how she became a bastard child.

Then, the rest of the movie is about Queen Elizabeth securing her thrown by marrying, and even more so by securing her safety by marrying someone from Spain and having a baby. Elizabeth of course refuses and thus ignites anger and confusion from many.

Now, Elizabeth did have a love in this movie, who ended up betraying her! This, I believe, is the reason why Elizabeth chose to never marry a man and instead married England.

The ending was a bit dramatic for my taste, but I guess it had to be she is THE QUEEN!

I loved the politics and the attempts at courting the Queen. Originally, this movie has you all over the place wondering what the heck; but it all comes together in the end.

Expert Says: 4 Stars, kid appropriate, good history