P.S. I Love You (2007)

P.S. I Love You is a story about loss and recovery that has it all. There's an intriguing story with a funny and touching script (that does have some minor issues), a stellar cast (Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler, Lisa Kudrow, Gina Gershon, Kathy Bates, Harry Connick Jr., Nellie McKay), phenomenal music (the CD is worth owning) and directorial pedigree (writer/director Richard LaGravenese of Living Out Loud). Don't pass this off as just some chick flick - although you should prepare yourself for a tear or two...or three.

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...The Reaping (2007)

The Reaping starts out religiously enough but with ten plagues to squeeze into the story it becomes overburdened by the sheer weight of the undertaking. I do like Hilary Swank best in her populous roles (of which this is one) as opposed to her Oscar-winning roles (of which this is not one) and she looks phenomenal throughout but there's not much else of note. Skip it.

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...Freedom Writers (2007)

Hilary Swank and a solid group of young actors relive the true story of the Freedom Writers in this film that plays dangerously close to the 60s classic To Sir With Love. That's not a bad thing - it's just a thing. Like the first film, this is a feel-gooder about teaching and education; unlike the first film, the teacher is white and there is no #1 hit single.

...The Reaping (2006)

The Reaping is X Files-lite with Hilary Swank as the non-believer and, Idris Elba and David Morrissey adding support as the believers. The story, centering on the ten plagues (yes, THOSE ten plagues) raining down on a bayou town is interesting and the actual plagues are not too transparent in their digital imagery but the script loses any good will it had earned by the film's surprising end with a cheesy denouement and a typical Hollywood coda. Not bad enough to laugh at and not good enough to really enjoy, it's ultimately (sorry, Hil, I love you but...) a small, insignificant movie.

...Insomnia (2002)

You don't need to be Hercule Poirot to solve the mystery in a movie when one of three Academy Award winning actors shows up for the first time halfway through it. Fortunately the transparency of the plot (and its outcome) doesn't detract from the atmosphere established by director Christopher Nolan in Insomnia, an intriguing story of two Los Angeles cops who travel to Nightmute, Alaska, where darkness never falls. Hilary Swank, Al Pacino, Maura Tierney, and a somewhat subdued (but still annoying) Robin Williams do admirable jobs that, coupled with the breathtaking Alaskan landscape and the allure of the titular ailment itself, make this one a worthwhile journey up north.