What I look for in a movie

Lately, I've been thinking a bit about what makes a movie really good for me. Here are some things that are important to me in a movie.

1. Character arcs. The characters need to change throughout the movie, and go through some kind of journey.
2. I especially like movies where the movie is held up purely by the acting. Movies such as Doubt or Frost/Nixon are good examples of this, where the plots are fairly slow moving, but are made interesting by the acting.
3. Special effects are not important to me.
4. A clever plot is a plus, but is wasted for me if there isn't an emotional core to it.

Those are some things that I look for in a movie. What do you look for in a movie?

Brisingr

Okay, so I finished reading Brisingr. If you are not familiar with it, this is the third book in the Inheritance Cycle, by Christopher Paolini. I have enjoyed reading the first two books, (Eragon and Eldest) and even liked the movie that came out last year. So I was anticipating reading the next installment. I absolutely loved it. It was one of those books that you just don't want to stop reading. It even has some (IMHO) classic material and brings up some good topics of revenge, justice, heroes (and what makes one) and other such things. It makes for a very interesting, entertaining read, and it made me think, which is what a good book should do. I can't wait for the fourth and last book!

King Lear

I finished reading King Lear for an online course that I'm taking. Its a pretty neat book, and its fascinating to see how a small thing that we do can trigger big things. A good reminder that all our actions have consequences and that we need to be responsible for all our actions. A very smart man that I know once told me and some others that you are an adult when you take responsibility for all your actions. Hmm...I know a couple "adults' who don't do that...