Okay, perhaps I was a bit premature in announcing the closing of this blog, but this is a review I had to write. It doesn't use my usual Good/Bad/Ugly standard, but I beg your indulgence on that. So last night my wife Julie was working late and I decided to go to the movies by myself, which I do on occasion - I rather enjoy the experience. I went to see Cloud Atlas , and I absolutely had to write something about it. Cloud Atlas was written and directed by Lana and Andy Wachowski and Tom Tykwer. It was adapted from the 2004 novel of the same name by David Mitchell and stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, James D'Arcy, Jim Broadbent, Susan Sarandon, and a veritable who's who of other character actors in a stellar ensemble cast. It is, at a budget of over 100 million dollars, one of the most expensive independent films ever made. I am not exaggerating when I say I think this was one of the greatest films I've ever seen. Certainly some of the ...