The film delivers a satisfying movie watching experience. It is perhaps not as profound as it hoped to be, but is a well-conceived, well-made film. Plus, with both Natalie Portman and Uma Thurman gracing the cast, it’s even easier to watch.

Hayao Miyazaki is a creative genius. This is possibly the most enjoyable film I’ve seen in my entire life. Mononoke Hime was a great film, but dwelled more deeply in the realm of Japanese cultural legend. Sen to Chihiro draws from Japan’s rich and colorful history, but blends this with a raw humanity that makes the end result universally appealing. On top of the brilliant characters and story, the cinematography and artwork are on par with the best live action films ever produced. Do not fail to see this film and do not fail to see it on the big screen.

An amusing card game based on the premise that each player is CEO of a failing dotcom (almost a redundant statement, I know). If you were involved in a dotcom of any sort, definitely play this game. It will make those spent years of your life just a bit more worthwhile.

A laugh-out-loud book from another of those funny Brits. Given that the degree to which a book like this is funny probably scales linearly with the degree to which I identify with the protagonist, I should probably be disturbed by how much I was laughing. Perhaps I’ll console myself with the thought that others laughed harder.

Teen angst portrayed without excessive cliche. Subject matter that was novel, yet not contrived. A fine film made all the better by the welcome addition of hot girl on girl action.

Though Angela Gheorghiu has a stunning voice, and the orchestra was fantastic, the otherwise straightforward rendition of Tosca on film was less rather than more than the live performance I’d seen a year or so earlier. The lip syncing was tough not to notice and the simple sets left one feeling that the full power of a cinematic rendition was far from realized.