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"A Whisper to a Roar" was inspired by one of my professors, Larry Diamond. The basic thesis of the movie was that power corrupts, so we don't need populist leaders, but rather populist political structures, to ensure that the state represents people's interests.

"The Queen of Versailles" is a riches to rags (well... super duper riches to mere super riches?) story of David Siegel, who made his money (hundreds of millions, I think) off of the biggest timeshare company in the world, and his family. Versailles is their attempt to make the biggest house in America. Due to decreased liquidity in the market after the financial crash, he started having financial troubles (still leaving him easily in the 1%).

"The Campaign" is about a fictional congress campaign. The incumbent is Cam, a stereotypical, corrupt politician. He sleeps around, exchanges political favors for campaign donations, and often changes his message. The challenger is Marty, a modest, honest guy. He wasn't planning on running, but the Koch Brothers want to change laws so that they can make a sweatshop in America, so they encourage Marty to run so that they can buy him off.

Bizarre.

I'll compare this movie to "I Heart Huckabees." "Huckabees" is also bizarre, but "Huckabees" pulls it off.

I haven't seen the previous Sherlock Holmes movie, and I haven't read any of the books, so I didn't know what to expect, but I enjoyed it.

It was very much an Adrian Monk feel with more focus on action and less on characters. There was good humor, a nice setting, and a quirky and enjoyable protagonist. All of that lets "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" pull off mixing plot, character, and action.

I didn't get it.

"Lost in Translation" presents a story where things are lost in translation (often, moderately funny) in the dialogue between Japanese and American cultures and languages. The protagonists are also unsure of their places in life emotionally and psychologically. The movie does a good job of presenting this uncertain malaise, and most of the reviews I read seem to acclaim this facet. I prefer movies that lead to greater understanding, and while the movie presented uncertainty well, I don't think that I understand it any better now.

"Sleepless in Seattle" is a love story between a widower and an engaged journalist.

I enjoyed it. It had a cute kid, good romance, hilarious jokes (I particularly liked the exchange about tiramisu), and good cinematography. It didn't seem to have much of a message aside from love at first sight, though.

A few years ago, I watched all of Avatar: The Last Airbender, a show on Nickelodeon. It is a kids show, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Some kids shows are boring to an adult audience because they are very heavy handed with moral themes. I remember watching an episode of the animated remake of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. I liked the original series, but the remake sacrificed plots and nuances for monologues on why you should listen to your parents or something. I read an excellent article in the LA Review of Books' blog