I love fall weather and the first real rain of the season, but today I woke up with a cold. So it was a couch, blanket, water, Netflix kind of day. Here are the three films I’ve tackled this weekend…so far.

New York, I Love You

Independent/arthouse film featuring a somewhat confusing montage of love stories set in NYC with a ridiculously stellar cast: Eva Amurri, Justin Bartha, Rachel Bilson, Orlando Bloom, James Caan, Hayden Christensen, Julie Christie, Bradley Cooper, Chris Cooper, Drea de Matteo, Andy Garcia, Ethan Hawke, John Hurt, Shia LaBeouf, Cloris Leachman, Blake Lively, Natalie Portman, Maggie Q, Christina Ricci, Olivia Thirlby, Robin Wright, Anton Yelchin and Burt Young. 2009. Not highly recommended, even for a rainy day.

The International 

When I classify this film as a finance conspiracy thriller, it doesn’t sound very compelling…but it is, if you don’t mind a slower pace than usual for this type of movie. Stars Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl and Brian F. O’Byrne (Flashforward’s Aaron Stark). As I mentioned on Twitter last night, Owen is predictably Owen; serious, determined, rugged. Watts does nothing for me; I have yet to be impressed by any of her work but look forward to her turn as Valerie Plame in the upcoming film Fair Game. 2009. Recommended rainy day rental.

Paycheck

For some reason I’ve always wanted to see this John Woo film, but now I know why I waited for so many years; it is Minority Report’s ugly step-sister. Although both are based on short stories by Phillip K. Dick, Paycheck comes across as a cheap imposter. The performances are either flat or over the top, especially from lead actors Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman. Co-stars Aaron Eckhart, Paul Giamatti, Joe Morton and Michael C. Hall do the best that they can with the material, but this sci-fi thriller fails to actually thrill. Fun fact: Cold Case’s Kathryn Morris appears in both Minority Report and Paycheck. 2003. Recommended when there is nothing else on at the moment.