[asin: B0007VZBCY] Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (3/5) Director: Brad Silberling
Writers: Robert Gordon (screenplay)
Key cast: Jim Carrey, Jude Law, Meryl Streep

Lemony Snicket’s is a faux-dark comedy based on the corporate-sponsered series of children’s books by Daniel Handler. It’s filled with intricately detailed backdrops, amazing art direction, and mediocre acting, which are unfortunately no match for the unsuspensful series of plot elements.

Okay, so the story was a bit lame, and the acting entirely hollywood. It is still a great movie, worth seeing for the animations in the closing credits (if nothing else). The visual style, sets, and backdrops are reminiscent of Tim Burton - detailed, strange, and compelling. With a bit more focus on the plot and acting, Lemony Snicket’s could have been a classic.

[asin: B0006U3SV2] Saw (4/5)
Best thriller since “[imdb: Se7en]“
Director: James Wan
Writers: James Wan, Leigh Whannell
Key cast: Leigh Whannell, Cary Elwes, Danny Glover

While a bit uneven at times, Saw is an aggressive, lasting horror/[wiki: thriller]. It follows a tale similar to Seven, of a demented killer absolving the world’s absurdities through painful murders of irony. The story is written as a series of backstories, with a pair of prisoners caught in one of the killer’s traps.

The movie looks a lot like Seven, with a little less polish. I uses dark, grainy footage to paint a dank backdrop, as well as weaving in many tight, handycam shots to make it all feel real. The casting and acting both have a few rough spots, which is especially suprising considering Glover’s and Elwes’s previous experiences. The story works well, though, with balanced, believable twists and turns through to the end.