4 short movie reviews

I, Robot is a terrific summer movie. It is flashy and exciting, and the plot and characters are good enough not to get in the way. (I've no idea if it takes anything from Isaac Asimov's novel of the same name beyond the virtually ubiquitous three laws of robotics.)

Wicker Park is disappointing. It's a puzzling, non-linear story with potential, but the whole thing is undone by some glaring contrivances, eg, there's approximately one cell phone in the entire movie. (Actually, the contrivances are what make the whole thing possible; what they undo is the viewer's belief in the plot.) The story would have been perfect as a period piece in 19th-century England. Maybe you'd enjoy it more if you imagined Josh Hartnett in a high, starched collar.

Shaun of the Dead is a great send-up and reprise of zombie movies. The hero, Shaun, is an underachiever. Some of the best scenes in the movie are him being oblivious to the growing number of ghouls and chaos around him. It is a movie about fighting off hordes of the undead, so there's lots of blood and a disembowling scene that was more vivid than anything I'd prefer to see again. On the whole, though, it's well-done, crude fun.

A Man For All Seasons is wonderful. OK, not a bold call, as it won six Oscars in 1966, but it's true. Virtually all dialogue, it tells the story of Sir Thomas More's effort to be faithful to God, king, family, and friends. His integrity, even as he loses all but the first, is moving and inspiring. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I note that Kerry calls this one of my "snooty" movies. Take that for what it's worth.)