I really wanted to like Australia, but after watching almost three hours of film I still came out feeling shortchanged. Baz Luhrmann did include visual elements from Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge which vivified the landscape of his home country (at least for the first part of the movie), but the wonderful visuals soon became eclipsed by the cheesy storytelling.

Australia was filled with too many genres: history, drama, romance, comedy (mostly at the beginning), and even fantasy. Perhaps this was done to show the many sides of Australia itself, but one just ends up feeling lost in the shuffle. The romance between Hugh Jackman’s and Nicole Kidman’s characters felt all too contrived and, while Jackman was damn hot in the movie, Kidman’s face looked like it had been botoxed one too many times. I just didn’t feel the chemistry, not enough to care for the big kiss moment, anyway.

I heard the ending was modified from Luhrmann’s original script, which audiences felt was “too sad.” And I agree with the change, because after sitting through three hours of cliché dialogue and an awkwardly put-together plot, things better end well.

I really, really liked this movie! Even though Brad Pitt is a huge mega-movie superstar and filthy philanderer, I can’t seem to stopping loving him. I recently watched Burn After Reading before this, and thoroughly enjoyed him in that film as well. He’s an overrated celebrity, but truly an underrated actor.

Benjamin Button reminded me of Forrest Gump in many ways: the unlikely hero with a strange condition; the various unique characters woven into the story; the strong, stalwart mother figure; and the persistent love interest that can only blossom at just the right time for both characters. Even with these similarities, Benjamin Button is its own movie. Brad Pitt does an amazing job as a diminutive elderly man who is literally young at heart and Cate Blanchett is great as the southern Daisy. The chemistry between them is wonderful, if you aren’t thrown off by their fluctuating age differences throughout the film, which can feel quite pervy when a wrinky old man falls in love with a playful child. But when Brad hits about twenty or thirty, get ready to start drooling—damn, he’s hot.

The one thing that I thought could have be done better with the film was right at the end, where there is a summary of all the characters that Benjamin has met, explaining each one’s life lesson. It seemed a little too simplistic. Also, it was very, very long—but I don’t know what parts I would have cut out. Other than that, I thought Benjamin Button was awesome. At parts quite sad, it was overall a feel-good movie, which is nice every now and then.

I don’t usually enjoy Clint Eastwood movies because I feel like Hollywood always talks them up and they usually let me down in most ways. Mystic River was saved by good acting and Million Dollar Baby just didn’t do it for me. Changeling, however, kept my attention from beginning to end with its unique story, great performances (mostly Jolie), and social commentary.

From the trailers, I didn’t really understand the point of the movie. So some woman loses her son and they bring her back the wrong one? That’s insane! And no one would notice this? How is this possible? Clint Eastwood is a crazy mummy-man! Once in the theatre, though, I started to understand the social dimensions of the storyline and recognize the historical gender stereotypes played on throughout the film: women are flighty, women are irresponsible, women are literal lunatics. Of course a lot of these assumptions remain today, but a single woman who loses her son in the 1920s would suffer the palpable consequences of this gender bias.

Coupled with the theme of discrimination in Changeling is the corruption that plagued the Los Angeles Police Department. It is a common idea that those in authority will be tempted to abuse their powers. This extends from police officers, to the doctors and psychologists who are on the police payroll. All together, these themes made the movie engaging to watch. Angelina Jolie is receiving Oscar buzz for her performance, and rightly so.