From the Movie Snob.

Intolerable Cruelty. (B) The Coen brothers' film O Brother, Where Art Thou? is one of my all-time favorite movies. I did not have such high expectations for this comedy about divorce, but I was pleasantly surprised. From the amusing opening credits, the film had no trouble keeping my interest. George Clooney is Miles Massey, a star divorce attorney in L.A. and creator of the "impenetrable" Massey pre-nuptial agreement. Near the beginning of the movie, he represents a philandering husband against his aggrieved wife Marilyn, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones, and he completely defeats her effort to take her husband for millions. But Massey is captivated by the incredibly beautiful Marilyn, and sparks fly when their paths cross a couple more times over the course of the film. There are plenty of humorous moments and a few typically Coenesque grotesqueries (like the living fossil of a lawyer who apparently lives in the basement of Massey's law firm). And did I mention how insanely beautiful Zeta-Jones is in this movie? Check it out.

Mamma Mia. As an anniversary present, I took my parents to see this traveling production of the musical based on the songs of the Swedish pop group ABBA. I think they enjoyed it, but I was disappointed. For one, the music was way too loud, painfully so, and it frequently drowned out the singers. The light and playful sound of ABBA was never in evidence. For another, the play was rather crass and vulgar in parts. For a third, the songs were not integrated into the storyline in any coherent or compelling way. The paper-thin plot is merely an excuse for overblown versions of 25-year-old songs that lots of people (including me) still like today. Personally, I'd rather see and hear a competent ABBA cover band than sit through this production again.