| 10.5 (d. John Lafia) V. The most epically ridiculous, scientifically
absurd, horribly written & acted mini-series in tv history. But the
f/x were pretty awesome. * |
| 13 GOING ON 30 (d. Gary Winick) Another ridiculous kid in a grownup's body
fantasy, though Mark Ruffalo is always worth watching. * 1/2 |
| 20 FINGERS
(d. Mania Akbari) Tight close-ups of a couple in motion, arguing shrilly,
incessantly, boringly. Like recent Kiarostami, only feminist. * 3/4 |
| 20:30:40 (d. Sylvia Chang) Interwoven, soapy comedy about 3 varied aged
women neighbors in modern Taipei. Somewhat superficial and overly
long. * 3/4 |
| 24TH
DAY, THE (d. Tony Piccirillo) Excellent 2-person
gay-themed drama with incredibly good acting by Scott Speedman & James
Marsden. *** 1/2 |
| 25
DEGREES IN WINTER (d. Stéphane Vuillet) Fun comedy about a
Spanish family who has an adventure helping a Ukranian illegal immigrée in
Brussels. ** 3/4 |
| 4400, THE
(d. various)V. "Limited" tv sf series about returned alien
abductees with strange powers. Compelling serial tv and I hope it
continues. *** |
| 9
SOULS (d.Toshiaki Toyota) A comedy about escaped convicts
rampaging. I was bored and unamused and walked after an hour. W/O |
| A FATHER, A SON, ONCE UPON A
TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (d. Lee Grant) V. Insider docu about Kirk
and Michael Douglas, interesting but not great. ** 3/4 |
| AFTERMATH (d. Paprika Steen) Emotionally shattering, beautifully acted
chamber drama about the affects of grief on a couple & the people around
them. *** 1/2 |
| AGENT CODY BANKS 2 (d. Kevin Allen) Silly, but coherent kids film. At least
miles better than Inspector Gadget, which is saying something. ** 1/4 |
| AGRONOMIST, THE (d. Jonathan Demme) V. Doc. about Haitian radio radical good guy
Jean Dominique. Interesting, but slow mid-section disappoints. ** 3/4 |
| AKA (d.
Duncan Roy)V.+ Complete re-edit from multi-screen festival version 2 years
ago. Well done British lower class gay imposter story. ** 3/4 |
| ALAMO, THE
(d. John Lee Hancock) Mediocre script with too many levels of flashbacks; but
otherwise fairly well made historical pic. ** 1/2 |
| ALEGRE MA NON TROPPO (d. Fernando Colomo) Slick, high gloss '94 Spanish sex farce on
confused sexuality with clever plot and some fine acting. *** |
| ALEXANDER
(d. Oliver Stone) Epic with a confusingly constructed script but some great
battle scenes. Jolie's accent inexplicable; but Farrell is pretty good.
** 3/4 |
| ALFIE (d.
Charles Shyer) Jude Law is an attractive star playing a cad in this somewhat
boring, mediocre comedy. Shyer is a hack director; but his casting
works. ** 1/4 |
| ALL OR NOTHING (d. Mike Leigh)V. Finally caught Leigh's miserabilist version
of Life is Sour. As
usual, fine filmmaking; but depressing. *** |
| ALONG CAME POLLY (d. John Hamburg) Big stars, but a terribly tasteless
script...even Philip Hoffman overdid his slob schtick. * 1/2 |
| AMERICAN JOBS (d. Greg Spotts) V. Informative, reasoned docu about the effect
of NAFTA etc. on the American worker. Good polemics and filmmaking. *** |
| AMERICAN WEDDING (d. Jesse Dylan) V. A new scatological nadir for this series;
but I have to admit that I laughed at some situations despite myself. *
1/4 |
| AMNESIA (d.
Nicholas Laughland) V. BBC mystery-thriller about an amnesiac cop on the
trail of a possible wife murderer. Nice script, but too pat. ** 3/4 |
| ANATOMY
OF HELL (d. Catherine Breillat) Opaque narrative
about a girl who hires a "gay" man to ravage her. Squickily
sexually explicit. ** |
| ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON
BURGUNDY (d. Adam McKay) Totally unfunny (for me) silly,
even stupid comedy take on '70s newscasters. * |
| ANNIVERSARY PARTY, THE (d. Leigh & Cumming) V. An almost perfect video film of
today's Hollywood creative types & their screwed-up fabulous lives.
*** 1/2 |
| ANONYMOUS
(d. Todd Verow) Verow tries arty French porn (a la Porn
Theater). He's not up to it as director or actor.
Degrading, despicable disaster. 1/2* |
| APRÈS
VOUS (d. Pierre Salvadore) Annoying and contrived French
farce. * 3/4 |
| AROUND THE BEND (d. Jordan Roberts) 4 generation of a family's secrets made into
a road picture, similar to Last Orders, but rather pedestrian. ** 1/4 |
| AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (d. Frank Coraci) A ridiculously overblown remake of a movie
which didn't need to be remade. * 1/4 |
| ARYAN COUPLE, THE (d. John Daly) Sometimes cheesy melodramas just work, as this
well-cast, politically incorrect Holocaust story does for me. Judy Parfitt is
wonderful. ***ful. *** |
| AS
IT IS IN HEAVEN (d. Kay Pollak) Uplifting &
emotionally satisfying drama about an artist who brings enlightenment to his
backwater Swedish home town. *** 1/2 |
| ASSASSINATION
OF RICHARD NIXON, THE (d. Niels Mueller) Sean Penn is
remarkable as a '70s loser who becomes a plane hi-jacker. *** |
| ASTRONAUTS (d. Santi Amodeo) Slight, wry romantic comedy about an ex-junky
and a 16 yr girl. Not as cute as it tries to be. ** |
| AVIATOR, THE
(d. Martin Scorsese) Powerful biopic, visually splendid with great perfs by
Di Caprio and Blanchett. Too sprawling, but it worked magic for me. ***
1/2 |
| BAD EDUCATION (d. Pedro Almodovar) Pedro's gayest film since Law of Desire. Silly noirish plot; but
total fun with an extraordinary Gaël Bernal. *** |
| BAJARSE AL MORO (d. Fernando Colomo) A low-budget '88 comedy about Madrid
druggies. Even a young Antonio Bandares couldn't elevate it. ** |
| BALSEROS (d.
Bosch and Doménech) V. Absorbing doc. which explores the lives of several
Cuban raft people who eventually come to the U.S. over 9 years. *** 1/4 |
| BEAR CUB (d.
Luis Miguel Albaladejo) An honest, moving, straightforward Spanish film about
a gay man thrust into caring for his 9 yr old nephew. *** |
| BEFORE
SUNSET (d.Richard Linklater) Talky sequel to one of my
all-time fave films. Satisfying in context; but not as good a film. *** |
| BEING JULIA
(d. Istvan Szabo) Overwrought, entertaining period melodrama about a monster
actress in 1938 London. Benning's performance: Oscar bait tour de
force. *** *** |
| BELIEVER, THE (d. Henry Bean) V.+ I appreciated the quality of the filmmaking
more the 2nd time around. One hell of a script, well executed. *** 1/2 |
| BENEATH
HER WINDOW (d. Metod Pevec) Screwball Slovenian comedy
about a 30ish woman's romantic entanglements whose evident charms escaped
me. ** 1/4 |
| BEREFT (d. Tim Daly, Clark Mathis) Overwrought drama about a young
woman driven crazy with grief by the auto accident death of her husband. **
1/2 |
| BEREFT (d. Tim Daly, Clark Mathis)+ Oops! I forgot I'd seen this grief
drama at SIFF and was unimpressed. Here the beauty of the images made up
somewhat. ** 3/4 |
| BEST DAY OF MY LIFE (d. Cristina Comencini) Splendid and moving, complex Italian
disfunctional family saga, 2 sisters and gay son & their lives and
loves. *** 1/4 |
| BEST
OF YOUTH #1 (Marco Giordana) Part one of this
sprawling family saga propulsively sets up the drama & characters.
*** |
| BEST
OF YOUTH #2 (Marco Giordana) In part two the
emotional rewards so carefully plotted are huge. A totally satisfying 6
hour epic of late 20th Century Italy. **** |
| BEYOND THE SEA (d. Kevin Spacey) The most off the wall musical biopic since Delovely. Spacey makes a better lounge
singer than director! ** 1/4 |
| B-HAPPY (d. Gonzalo Justiniano) Another periled latina teen girl film,
this time a poor girl whose father is in prison. Simple, effective
filmmaking. *** |
| BIRTH (d.
Jonathan Glazer) Heavy duty, eerie psychological drama. Nicole Kiddman fine
here, script has a nicely satisfying ambiguity & interesting
direction. *** 1/4 |
| BLACK ROBE
(d. Bruce Beresford) V. Gut-wrenching '91 film with Lothar Bluteau playing a
jesuit priest in New France pre-revolution. *** |
| BLACKWATER LIGHTSHIP (d. John Erman) V. An Early Frost, updated...but still a little out of date. I'm too emotionally
fragile for AIDS stories like this. *** 1/2 |
| BLOOM (d. Sean Walsh) Earnest adaptation of the unadaptable Ulysses,
using lots of voiceovers for interior monologue. Well made; but not my
cuppa. ** 1/2 |
| BLUEBERRY (d. Jan Kounen ) A psychedelic westen which, though overlong
and undiciplined, delivers the goods with fabulous f/x & a superb Vincent
Cassell. *** |
| BODYSONG (d.
Simon Pummell) V. Hypno-docu, sort of a Family of
Man of found film clips to music (cf Koyaanisqatsi). Fascinating and a little
boring. ** 1/2 |
| BONJOUR
M. SHLOMI (d. Shemi Zarhin) A superbly observed film about
a 16 year old boy whose specialness has been hidden in his disfunctional
family. *** 3/4 |
| BORED
IN BRNO (d. Vladimir Moravek) An earthy Czech
multi-character sex comedy which got better as it went along. Too bread for
my tastes. ** 1/4 |
| BOURNE SUPREMACY, THE (d. Paul Greengrass) Superior thriller, greatest auto chase
scene since Ronin. Some
plot holes; but editing pace hides them. *** 1/4 |
| BOYS (d.
Stacy Cochran)V. A TiVo loser. Mysterious Winona Ryder ends up in a boys
boarding school dorm tempting rebellious Lucas Haas. No chemistry. *
1/2 |
| BOYS
FROM COUNTY CLARE (d. John Irvin) Predictable, clichéd
Irish trifle about dueling traditional Irish bands. * 3/4 |
| BRIDE
AND PREJUDICE (d. Gurinder Chadha) Hollywood meets
Bollywood, and I suspect becomes a surprising hit. It works after a
fashion. *** |
| BRIDGET JONES: EDGE OF REASON (d. Beeban Kidron) Dreadful film. Poor Renée Zellweger wasted
all that weighty effort. Horrendous script, no romantic chemistry. * * |
| BRIGHT
FUTURE (d. Kiyoshi Kurosawa) A straightforward (for this
director) slacker story about disaffected youths in Japan. ** 1/4 |
| BRIGHT LEAVES (d. Ross McElwee) V. Personal docu about McElwee's family
connection to tobacco. Slowly paced, but interesting & beautifully
shot. *** |
| BRIGHT
YOUNG THINGS (d. Stephen Fry) Fast paced story of the mad
upperclass in England just pre-WWII. Gorgeous period stuff, well
played. *** |
| BUKOWSKI: BORN INTO THIS (d. John Dullighan) V. I've never much been into Bukowski; but
this compelling docu presents him well. ** 3/4 |
| BUS 174 (d.
José Padilha) V. Brazilian doc which examines thoroughly the background of a
publically televised bus hijacking and relives the tragic events. *** |
| CALENDAR GIRLS (d. Nigel Cole) Mediocre female version of The Full Monty. ** |
| CAMPFIRE (d. Joseph Cedar) Involving family drama about a woman with 2
daughters coping with social and relational problems. Nicely acted. *** |
| CAPONE (d. Jean Marc Brandolo) Buddy road trip film...two lost souls
taking a race horse from Paris to Finland. Good film, but I dozed. **
3/4 |
| CAPTIVE (d. Gastón Biraben) Moving & beautifully acted film about
an Argentine teenage girl who discovers her parents are not her real
parents. *** 1/4 |
| CARANDIRU (d. Hector Babenco) A Brazilian prison worse than Oz, from
doctor's pov. Involving, occasionally wrenching, well acted, nicely put
together. *** 1/4 |
| CARD
PLAYER, THE (d. Dario Argento) Ludicrous, but well
directed Italian policier about a maniac serial woman killer using the
internet to play games with police. * 1/2 |
| CARNAGE (d.
Delphine Gleize) V. Visually stunning film about, well, bull. And how
all is connected in the world. Or something. *** |
| CASH
TRUCK (d. Nicolas Boukhrief) Effective, beautifully
shot film noir, violent and unpredictable. *** |
| CAVEDWELLER (d. Lisa Cholodenko) Sometimes annoying but satisfying drama
about woman who ran away with a rock band returning home to Georgia. **
3/4 |
| CELESTE IN THE CITY (d. Larry Shaw) V. Queer Eye for
Straight Girl makeover ABC Family film abounding
with simplistic stereotypes. Another great Ethan Embry role. ** ** |
| CELLULAR (d.
David Ellis) More plot holes than Swiss cheese in this silly variant on Phone Booth; but Chris Evans is going to
be a star. * 3/4 |
| CHARLIE: THE LIFE & ART OF
CHARLES CHAPLIN (d. Richard Schickel) V. Fascinating, if
facile doc about the great film artist. *** 1/4 |
| CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN (d. Shawn Levy) I expected to hate it; but instead I was
enchanted by the story & actors. Funny and emotionally satisfying.
*** |
| CHORISTES,
LES (d. Christophe Barratier) Franch AFF: moving drama of
a teacher who tames the boys in a reform school through music. *** 1/2 |
| CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS (d. Joe Roth) Horrendous, embarrassing, utterly offensive (to
this Jewish observer), silly, unfunny. Did I love it? 1/2* |
| CHRONICALS (d. Sebastian Cordero) Equador's Acad. entry is a superb
psychological thriller about a child serial killer's manipulation of tv pop
news. *** 1/4 |
| CHRYSTAL (d. Ray McKinnon) Southern gothic story of the effects of an
auto accident on a couple after 20 years of the husband in prison. **
3/4 |
| CLEARING, THE (d. Pieter Jan Brugge) Hi-gloss kidnap film, Redford victim,
Mirren the suffering wife. "Without a Trace" does it better.
** |
| CLOSER (d.
Mike Nichols) Four loathsome characters well acted and beautifully
photographed (cf similar Carnal Knowledge!) Portman & Owen never better. ** 3/4 |
| COAST TO COAST (d. Paul Mazursky) V. Judy Davis & Richard Dreyfuss are
excellent in this moving, adult drama about a couple devastated by their
son's death. *** 1/2 |
| CODE 46 (d.
Michael Winterbottom) One, of the greatest examples of cyberpunk ever
put on film. Winterbottom's future imagery is amazing. *** 3/4 |
| COLD
LIGHT (d. Hilmar Oddsson) Iceland's AFF is a dour tragedy
about a 40ish man finally facing a tragedy of his youth. *** |
| COLDEST
DAY, THE (d. Xie Dong) A somewhat boring film about mutual
infidelity in a modern Chinese marriage. ** |
| COLLATERAL
(d. Michael Mann) L.A. is the star here; and Mann doesn't cheat the
geography. Mann's best film in a while. *** |
| CONNIE AND CARLA (d. Michael Lembeck) Silly, if intermittantly funny, script. I
liked the music; but the film is excessivly clichéd. * 3/4 |
| CONTROL
ROOM (d. Jehane Noujaim) Doc. about Al-Jezeera's coverage
of the current Iraq War. Good footage, though repetitive. ** 3/4 |
| CORPORATION,
THE (d. Achbar & Abbott) Overlong but fascinating
Canadian documentary about "corporations" as psychotic
people. *** 1/2 |
| COST
OF LIVING (d. Phillippe Le Guay) Vivid, beautifully
realized multi-character story connected by the theme money for love.
*** 1/4 |
| COWBOYS AND ANGELS (d. David Gleeson) Beautifully written & acted Irish
coming-of-age gay/straight romantic comedy. Michael Legge is wonderful.
*** 1/4 |
| CRIMINAL (d. Gregory Jacobs) A faithful remake of Nine Queens, which
means a good, if familiar script. A sympathetic cast, still this one doesn't
quite jell. ** 1/2 |
| CUBA
LIBRA (d. Juan Gerard) Nostalgic, but too pat,
reminiscence of an 11 yr. old boy coming of age in '58 small town Cuba prior
to revolution. ** |
| DANDELION (d. Mark Milgard) Well acted, somewhat pointless coming of age
story of boy who sacrifices much for his dysfunctional family. ** 3/4 |
| DAY AFTER TOMORROW, THE (d. Roland Emmerich) Cliché story (though involving & well
done), fantastically realistic special f/x. ** 3/4 |
| DAYBREAK (d. Bjorn Runge) Three cleverly interwoven stories of strange
relationship angst in Sweden. I couldn't relate to the stories. ** 3/4 |
| DAYS OF BEING WILD (d. Wong Kar-wei) I was carried away by the plot, actors &
especially the cinematography. Now I must reassess In
The Mood For Love. *** 1/2 |
| DEAL,
THE (d. Harvey Kahn) Wall Street shenanigans in the oil
patch in the near future. Slickly made, good cast, but probably straight to
video. ** 1/2 |
| DEAR
FRANKIE (d. Shona Aurbach) Tender and moving drama of deaf
boy's bonding with a surrogate father. *** 1/4 |
| DEATH
AND TEXAS (d. Kevin DiNovis) Satiric, pointed but
understated mockumentary about a famed football player on death row in Texas.
*** 1/4 |
| DEBUTANTES,
LOS (d. Andres Waissbluth) Strong, multi-POV, sexy drama
about 2 naive brothers who become involved with a porn boss and his mistress.
*** |
| DEEP
BREATH (d. Parviz Shahbazi) Iran's AFF is a road picture
about disaffected college students, amazingly secular for an official
submission. ** 1/2 |
| DEKADA
'70 (d. Chito Rono) Melodramatic saga of 15 years of a
Philippine family, 5 boys & Ozzie & Harriet parents. Too long
and overamped. ** |
| DE-LOVELY
(d. Irwin Winkler) Massively over-written Cole Porter biopic. Good music and
singer cameos; but otherwise bloated and pretentious. ** 1/4 |
| DIG! (d. Ondi Timoner) Extraordinary video documentary about
two current retro 60's underground bands. Fabulous footage well edited.
*** 1/4 |
| DIRTY DANCING: HAVANA NIGHTS (d. Guy Ferland) Pretty much cookie cutter plot, but fun.
Diego Luna: Latin lover for the 2000's. ** 1/4 |
| DIRTY SHAME, A (d. John Waters) Utterly transgressive sex farce which takes
Waters' anarchic style to its untoppable culmination. Still, never
boring. ** 3/4 |
| DISTURBING BEHAVIOR (d. David Nutter) V. Mind control '98 horror flick, a teenage Stepford High, good cast, well directed,
but way over the top. ** |
| DODGEBALL
(d. Rawson M. Thurber) Silly, amiable entertainment. I didn't find it
funny; but it sure tries hard enough. Stiller still has "it".
** 1/2 |
| DOGVILLE (d.
Lars von Trier) A malevolent Our Town, more tv throwback than film, Kidman and Bettany are really
good. *** |
| DONAU,
DUNA, DUNAJ, DUNAV, DUNAREA (d. Goren Rebic) Beautiful;y
done story of a "ship of fools" and romantics heading down the
Danube. *** |
| DONKEY
SKIN (d. Jacques Demy) A gentle fairy tale. Demy has
style to spare; but other than the costumes I wasn't blown away. ** 1/2 |
| DONNIE
DARKO: DIRECTOR'S CUT (d. Richard Kelly) Improved
comprehensibility; but I really missed some scenes. Still a fantastic
film. *** 1/2 |
| DOOR IN THE FLOOR, THE (d. Tod Williams) Superbly acted drama of a family's corrosive
grief & a boy's (the promising Jon Foster) coming of age. *** 1/2 |
| DORIAN BLUES
(d. Tennyson Bardwell) A genuinely funny coming out comedy, a crowd pleaser
with a brilliant script and assured acting & direction. *** 1/4 |
| DOS
TIPOS DUROS (d. Juan Moreno) A Guy Richie type bloody,
gang-who-couldn't-shoot-straight comedy, only totally diverting. Jordi
Vilches wonderful. *** |
| DOWN
TO THE BONE (d. Debra Granik) Bare bones video verité of a
woman drug addict that spares nothing. Some incredible acting here. *** |
| DREAMERS, THE (d. Bernardo Bertolucci) I just about lived this movie 5 years
earlier...and this excellent film couldn't be more true to life. ***
3/4 |
| DRIFTERS (d. Wang Xiaoshuai) Slow drama about
a Chinese guy who had a kid as an illegal in the U.S. and then is kept from
his son when he's deported. ** |
| DUCK
SEASON (d. Fernando Eimbcke) Two 14 year old boys left
alone in an apartment on a Sunday get into trouble. Wonderfully observent and
affecting. *** 1/4 |
| EAGER
BODIES (d. Xavier Giannoli) Love Story with a
particularly French twist. Great acting. *** 1/2 |
| EARTHSEA (d.
Robert Lieberman) V. Surprisingly together, if hokey, sf miniseries, mediocre
acting...but the f/x are fine and the project works. ** 1/2 |
| EAT THIS NEW YORK (d. Novack and Rossi) V. Pre-The
Restaurant docu about building a neighborhood bistro
in Brooklyn & the viscissitudes of the big NYC chefs. *** |
| EATING OUT
(d. Q. Allan Brocka) Sparkling, well cast lo-budget gay/straight sex farce.
Emily Stiles' clever faghag steals the movie from some good looking guys. **
3/4 |
| EFECTO
IGUAZÚ, EL (d. Pere Joan
Ventura) Doc. about 1800 striking Spaniards who camped out in a Madrid shanty
town for 6 months in 2001. *** 1/4 |
| EL
ALAMEIN (d. Enzo Monteleone) Spare and powerful
story of Italian platoon on the losing side at the battle of El Alamein. *** |
| ELINA (d. Klaus Haro) Like Evil, a story of schooling in Sweden in
the '50's, only this time a stubborn little girl vs. a stubborn teacher.
Academy bait left me cold. ** 3/4 |
| EMPEROR'S
WIFE, THE (d. Julian Vrebos) Stylized modern dress story
of court intrigue. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers charismatic as chancellor to Max
Beesley's emperor. ** 1/2 1/2 |
| END OF THE CENTURY (d. Fields & Gramaglia) V. The Ramone's were never my cuppa
musicwise; but this informative, of uninspired docu about group digs
deep. *** |
| ENDURING LOVE (d. Roger Michell) Dynamite, kinetic opening leads to a story of
divinely inspired romantic obsession. Daniel Craig is wonderful. *** 1/4 |
| ENVY (d.
Barry Levinson) It started ok, clever with some good yuks. Black &
Stiller are a great comedy team & Walken rules; but the film totally
falls apart in 3rd act. ** |
| ERES
MI HEROE (d. Antonio Cuadri) Excellent coming of age story
of 13 year old boy during the death of Franco era. Manuel Lozano is
great as the kid. *** 1/2 |
| ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE
SPOTLESS MIND (d. Michel Gondry) Writing, acting,
directing, f/x tour de force; also an affecting love story. **** |
| ETHAN
MAO (d. Quentin Lee) Involving drama in the Araki mode of
a Gay Asian boy kicked out of home into life of street hustler. ** 3/4 |
| EULOGY (d.
Michael Clancy) A screwball family comedy with an outstanding cast,
entertaining, but a ridiculous script and only intermittently funny. **
1/4 |
| EVERGREEN (d. Edid Zentelis) A low-budget Seattle HD video/film about a
lower class girl who is ahamed of her family. Good acting. ** 1/4 |
| EVERYDAY
PEOPLE (d. Jim McKay) Pleasant enought HBO tv movie
about a Brooklyn deli and the consequences of its closing. ** 3/4 |
| EVIL (d. Maiael Hafström) A 50's Swedish boarding school's sadistic
system and its affect on a rebellious kid. A cross of If and Rebel Without a
Cause. *** 1/2 |
| EXTREME OPS
(d. Christian Duguay)V. Silly, unlikely action film: extreme sports
vs.Serbian terrorists. Good cast (Devon Sawa, Rupert Graves, Rufus Sewell)
wasted. ** 1/4* 1/4 |
| FACING
WINDOWS (d. Ferzan Ozpetek) Resonant, multilevel story of
a modern day couple who become involved with a Holocaust survivor. ***
1/4 |
| FAHRENHEIT 9/11 (d. Michael Moore) Slam dunk politically; but doc could be
structured better for my taste. *** 1/4 |
| FATHER
& SONS (d. Michael Boujenah) A feel good, amusing
French comedy road picture about a father and his squabbling sons.
Beautifully acted. *** |
| FEAR
AND TREMBLING (d. Alain Corneau) A fascinating French
office film set in a Japanese office. Sylvie Testud is wonderful. ***
1/4 |
| FEATHERS
IN MY HEAD (d. Thomas de Thier) Compelling, beautifully
shot film about a family torn by the consequences of a missing child.
*** |
| FEELING MINNESOTA (d. Steven Baigelman)V. '96 Keanu Reeves/Cameron Diaz
screwball dumb guy/bad girl comedy. Watchable, but ridiculous plot. ** |
| FERPECT
CRIME (d. Alex de la Iglesia) Another zany film by
Iglesia, high gloss comedy about a Lothario salesman's comeuppence. Good fun,
but a trifle obvious. ** 3/4 |
| FESTIVAL
EXPRESS (d. Bob Smeaton) Wonderful footage of 1970 rock
festival train across Canada. Great The Band & Janis performances. ***
1/2 |
| FIDEL (d.
David Attwood)V. TV mini-series biopic of the Cuban
revolution...diffuse script, but good performances by Victor Martin and, of
course, Gael Bernal as Che. ** 1/4* 1/4 |
| FINAL CUT, THE (d. Omar Nïam) Unsatisfying, psychological sci-fi melodrama
about saving memories. Poor Robin Williams comes a cropper again.
** |
| FINDING NEVERLAND (d. Marc Forster) Emotionally powerful, unlikely romantic film
based on J.M. Barrie's life. Depp is outstanding in a muted perf. *** |
| FIRST DAUGHTER (d. Forest Whitaker) Utterly predictable, slick romantic comedy.
I like Marc Blucas; but Katie Holms is awfully plastic. * 1/2 |
| FIRST
NIGHT, THE (d. Luis Restrepo) Columbian AFF about the
uprooting effects of a local rebellion on a rural family. Somewhat overamped,
but moving. ** 1/2 |
| FIVE
OBSTRUCTIONS, THE (d. Lars von Trier, Jorgen Leth) Von
Trier as tyrant making Leth redo his seminal short 5 times. Both boring &
interesting. ** 1/2 |
| FLAQUEZA
DEL BOLCHEVIQUE, LA (d. Manuel Cuenca) Luis Tosar shines
again as conflicted man who gets involved with teenage girl. ** 3/4 |
| FOG OF WAR, THE (d. Errol Moris) More than a talking head doc, the film is a
valuable primer on the responsibilities of leadership and frailty of human
nature. *** 1/2 |
| FORGOTTEN, THE (d. Joseph Rubin) Eerie, scary psychological sci-fi melodrama
about losing memories, very effectively filmmaking. Julianne Morre simply
great. *** 1/4 |
| FORMULA
17 (d. D.J. & Yin-Jung Cheng) V. Silly gay Taiwanese
comedy with lavish photography, but dreadful acting and line readings.
* 3/4 |
| FORSYTE SAGA, THE: TO LET (d. Andy Wilson) V. Incredibly involving 5 hour followup to
original. Glorious production, superb acting. **** |
| FRANCE
BOUTIQUE (d. Tonie Marshall) Fast paced but empty comedy
about the people doing a French cable tv shopping channel. ** |
| FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (d. Peter Berg) One of the all-time great sports films,
wonderfully directed and edited (great music, too). Thornton & Lucas
Black shine. *** 1/2 |
| FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (d. Peter Berg) V.+ Even more impressive on video, certainly the
best sports film I've ever seen and the best edited film of the year.
*** 3/4 |
| FUSE (d. Pjer Zalica) A confusing, but effective satire about
post-war reconciliation in Bosnia. ** 3/4 |
| GARDEN
STATE (d. Zach Braff) Likable young man comes home to N.J.
when his mother dies and finds himself. Inventive details, I just like this
film. *** |
| GIRL NEXT DOOR, THE (d. Luke Greenfield) I expect to like it; but instead I was
offended by the ridiculous plot, though Olyphant and Hirsch were good. * 3/4 |
| GO
FURTHER (d. Ron Mann) Entertaining doc. about Woody
Harrelson emulating Kesey's Prankster bus in a trip & bike ride for the
environment. ** 3/4 |
| GODSEND (d.
Nick Hamm) Almost a good film, sort of a secular Omen, effectively and darkly shot, directed & acted. But
can't surmount its ridiculous premise. ** |
| GOOD
BYE, LENIN! (d. Wolfgang Becker) A political satire about
the Wall and German unification which is amusing and affecting. *** 1/4 |
| GOOD
LAWYER’S WIFE, A (Im Sang-soo) Very sexy drama about the
corrosive effects of marital infidelity by a lawyer & his wife. *** |
| GRAFFITI
ARTIST, THE (d. James Bolton) Slow, hypnotic digital
video about a young, gay graffiti artist who befriends another boy & tags
the NW. *** |
| GRAN
GATO, EL (d. Ventura Pons) Doc. about songwriter in vein
of Shadow of Motown & Buena Vista Club. Good music. *** |
| GREEN BUTCHERS, THE (d. Anders Jensen) Dutch black comedy about a couple of
losers who make a macabre go of a new butcher shop. ** 3/4 |
| GRID, THE
(d. Mikael Salomon)V. Mini-series about a multi-national war on terrorism
involving the CIA, NSC, FBI, MI-5 & MI-6. Gripping, with some fine
performances. *** |
| GUILTY, THE
(d. Anthony Waller)V. Totally contrived murder mystery thriller with a good
cast, Bill Pullman and Devon Sawa especially. ** 1/2 |
| GUYS, THE
(d. Jim Simpson) An emotional, talky film about FDNY coping with 9/11.
Anthony LaPaglia great, Sigorney Weaver also pretty good. ** 1/2 |
| HANGING
OFFENSE (d. Guillame Nicloux)
Atmospheric, puzzling thriller about possible murders and the woman
Colombo-like detective on the case. *** |
| HAROLD & KUMAR GO TO WHITE
CASTLE (d. Danny Leiner) Silly teen farce with too many
stupid bathroom & fag bashing jokes...but fun anyway. ** 1/4 |
| HARRY
AND MAX (d. Chris Munch) Brutally honest, well written
story of 2 boy-band brothers with incest overtones. Bryce Johnson is a major
find! *** 1/4 |
| HARRY
AND MAX (d. Christopher Munch) + Still one of the most
truthful & insightful films about boybands and gay life in general.
Better the 2nd time. *** 1/2 |
| HARRY POTTER #3 (d. Alfonso Cuarón) Darker, better directed; but still
relatively uninvolving. Maybe I should read the books. ** 1/2 |
| HAWAII,
OSLO (d. Erik Poppe) Norway AFF: slick, complex
multi-strand drama of a group of Oslo residents as they play out one
character's portentious dream. *** |
| HEAD IN THE CLOUDS (d. John Duigan) Old fashioned big WWII romance, a tear jerker
that didn't jerk but never bored. Theron fine; but Townsend too callow for
role. ** 3/4* 3/4 |
| HEAD-ON (d. Fatih Akin) Off center love story about troubled German
Turkish couple. Good film, but not as
good as rep. *** 1/4 |
| HEART
IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS, THE (d. Asia Argento) Mind
blowing adaptation from life of a young boy being raised by his disaster of a
mother. *** 1/2 |
| HENRY VIII
(d. Pete Travis) V. Abridged PBS version of British series with an
interesting Ray Winstone perf. Pop history, but too short to be
meaningful. ** 1/4 |
| HIDALGO (d.
Joe Johnston) Entertaining western variant, true (if transparently enhanced)
story of a mustang competing with thoroughbred Arabians. ** 3/4 |
| HIDING AND SEEKING (d. Menachem Daum) V. Enormously moving docu about a family of
Holocaust survivors and their reconciliation with the past. *** 3/4 |
| HIGH
TENSION (d. Alexandre Aja) Vividly graphic and gory
mass-murder horror thriller, well made, but based on a cheat which
compromises it. *** |
| HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD,
A (d. Michael Mayer) Extraordinarily well made, literate
gay film which nails its '60s-'80s eras. Great acting. *** 3/4 |
| HOME OF THE BRAVE (d. Paola di Florio) V. Well made docu, informative &
emotionally powerful about civil rights martyr Viola Liuzzo & her
surviving family. *** 1/2 |
| HOMEGROWN
(d. Stephen Gyllenhaal) V. Authentic '98 pot growing paranoia movie
thriller/comedy with good cast (Ryan Phillippe is fine). ** 3/4 |
| HORAS
DEL DIA, LAS (d. Jaime Rosales) Boring (cf. Bruno Dumont)
film about the boring quotidien life of a boring shopowner with one little
quirk. ** |
| HOTEL RWANDA
(d. Terry George) Epic, shocking and sad. Don Cheadle towers as a
strong man in a crumbling society. Maybe too much on target. *** 1/4 |
| HOUSE
OF FLYING DAGGERS (d. Zhang Yimou) Visually stunning,
emotionally resonant, remarkable f/x; but too much of a good thing is too
much. *** 1/4 |
| HUDSON RIVER BLUES (d. Nell Cox)V. '95 film chick flick about a large family. Some
good actors, and a script with possibilities; but mostly mediocre
filmmaking. ** |
| HUNTING OF THE PRESIDENT, THE (d. Perry & Thomason) V. Docu which nails slimy Ken Starr
and his corrupt attack dogs as they tried to get Clinton. *** 1/4 |
| I
LOVE CINEMA (d. Osamma Fawzy) Egypt AFF. Annoying comedy
about a kid raised in a raucus Coptic Christian family in 1966. * 3/4 |
| I ♥ HUCKABEES (d. David O. Russell)
Who green lighted this script? Russell's style and his fine cast can't
overcome the silly, pseudo profound script. ** |
| I, ROBOT (d.
Alex Proyas) Surprisingly good adaptation of Asimov, though also filled with
cheesy movie clichés and some ragged CGI f/x. ** 1/2 |
| I'LL SLEEP WHEN I'M DEAD (d. Mike Hodges) Atmospheric Brit revenge thriller. Works
despite disappointingly abrupt ending. *** |
| IMAGINARY HEROES (d. Dan Harris) Fabulous script, an enthralling & moving
disfunctional family black comedy with an awesome ensemble cast.
*** 3/4 |
| IMAGINARY HEROES (d. Dan Harris) V.+ 2nd time around some of the acting &
direction came off stilted. Still, great script and a moving very realistic
drama. *** 1/2 |
| IN GOOD COMPANY (d. Paul Weitz) Clever office comedy with Dennis Quaid's best
performance in years & a charming Topher Grace. It really worked
for me. *** 1/4 |
| IN GOOD COMPANY (d. Paul Weitz) V.+ Watched this well written & acted comedy
again, and appreciated Scarlett Johanson more this time. Good ensemble. ***
1/4 |
| IN THE REALM OF THE UNREAL (d. Jessica Yu) Docu with weird, unsavory subject matter but
interesting art and fine animation. I just didn't enjoy the experience.
** |
| INCIDENT
AT LOCH NESS (d. Zak Penn) Amusing, slick mockumentary in
the Charlie Kaufmanesque mode. *** |
| INFERNAL
AFFAIRS #1 (d. Andrew Lau) + Thriller that is only
slightly clearer watching it a 2nd time. Still rivitingly fascinating.
*** 1/4 |
| INFERNAL
AFFAIRS #2 (d. Andrew Lau) A prequel to the initial
film which does explain some of the backstory. Still confusing, but
entertaining. ** 3/4 |
| INFERNAL
AFFAIRS #3 (d. Andrew Lau) An expansion of the first
film, fleshing out some of the events and going a little haywire
psychologically. ** 1/2 |
| INTERMISSION
(d. John Crowley) Unsparing Irish film which might be called Hate Actually. Good acting, inventive
script. *** |
| INTIMATE
STRANGERS (d. Patrice Leconte) Talky, if nicely written
2-character unconventional love story. Too one-note and buttoned-up for my
taste. ** 3.4 |
| IRISH EYES
(d. Daniel McCarthy) Daniel Baldwin vehicle...he's a Boston Irish gangster.
But it wasn't holding my interest, though it wasn't all that bad. W/O |
| IRON JAWED ANGELS (d. Katja von Garnier) V. Sufferagette biopic about fight for
19th Amendment. Good cast, clichéd filmmaking. ** 1/4 |
| IT'S ALL ABOUT LOVE (d. Thomas Vinterberg) Pretentious, opaque melodrama about a
near future world catastrophy. Nobody comes out a winner here. * |
| JACK (d. Lee
Rose)V. Beautifully written coming of age story of 15 year old boy coming to
terms with his father's gayness in 1982. Anton Yelchin is perfect. ***
1/4 |
| JAGGED
HARMONIES (d. Dominique de Rivaz) Nicely done
historical drama: J.S. Bach meets Frederick II. *** |
| JERSEY GIRL
(d. Kevin Smith) So kill me, I loved this film. Sure it's sappy &
Affleck is supposed to be washed up. But it worked for me. *** |
| JOURNEY
TO JERUSALEM (d. Ivan Nichev) Bulgaria AFF. Strong
narrative about a gypsy troupe which adopts 2 Jewish refugee kids in 1940. **
3/4 |
| JUST MARRIED (d. Shawn Levy) V. Cookiecutter, predictable plot. Kutcher is an
amiable comedian/romantic lead. ** |
| KEYS
TO THE HOUSE, THE (d. Gianni Amelio) Quietly moving,
beautifully made film of a father getting to know his 15 yr. old disabled son
for the first time. *** 1/2 |
| KILL BILL - VOL. 2 (d. Quentin Tarantino) Unlike Vol. 1, this one has a real story
to go with Terantino's obvious filmmaking genius. *** |
| KING ARTHUR
(d. Antoine Fuqua) Stirring mideval action film which takes the legend and
gives reality to it. Great sequence on ice; but the rest is ordinary.
** 3/4 |
| KINSEY (d.
Bill Condon) Another groundbreaking biopic, this time about the polarizing
sex researcher. Fine script, acting & direction (I love Peter Sarsgaard
here). *** 1/4/4 |
| KITE,
THE (d. Randa Chahal Sabbag) Lebanese AFF, bettersweet
comedy about girl coming of age on Israel-Lebanon border. ** 3/4 |
| KOPS (d.
Josef Fares) Genuinely funny farce about a small town police force trying to
avoid getting shut down for lack of crime. A big step up from Jalla Jalla. *** |
| L.A. PLAYS ITSELF (d. Thom Anderson) V. Fascinating docu of clips from movies
about L.A. Anderson's droning, but brilliant narration is key. *** 1/2 |
| LADDER 49
(d. Jay Russell) Straightforward feelgood drama about firefighters with a
fine perf by Joaquim Phoenix and some great fire f/x. *** |
| LADY EVE, THE (d. Preston Sturges)V. Romantic comedy old style. The abrupt
ending breaks the spell of a good Stanwyck-Fonda pairing. ** 3/4 |
| LAST KING, THE (d. Joe Wright) Excellent tv mini-series about Charles II and
his court. Rufus Sewel was splendid, as was the production. *** |
| LAST SHOT, THE (d. Jeff Nathanson) Occasionally funny comedy about FBI mob
sting creating a fake movie. Alec Baldwin especially good. ** 3/4 |
| LAST
TRAIN, THE (d. Alexei A German) B&W bleak, brutal,
boring Russian WWII film about a German doctor stuck in the winter
retreat. ** |
| LATTER
DAYS (d. C.J. Cox) The perfect festival gay film, sexy,
sweet, sentimental and realistic with some star-making performances.
*** 1/4 |
| LAWS OF ATTRACTION (d. Peter Howitt) Hideously bad, predictable screwball romantic
comedy. Cast chemistry can't save flat direction. Ugh. * 1/4 |
| LEARNING
TO LIE (d. Hendrik Handloegten) Well constructed romantic
comedy about a guy who is unable to forget his first love or commit to any
others. *** 1/4 |
| LEGALLY BLONDE 2 (d. Charles Herman-Wurmfeld)V. A script of such colossal
stupidity that even Reese Witherspoon can't save the film. * 1/4 |
| LEGEND OF 1900, THE (d. Giuseppi Tornatore) V. Sumptuous, sentimental 1998 film
about a musical progedy who never left the ship he was born in. ** 3/4 |
| LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF
UNFORTUNATE EVENTS (d. Brad Silberling) I was *not* charmed
by Carrey's overacting; but the film worked anyway. ** 3/4 |
| LET THE CHURCH SAY AMEN (d. David Petersen) V. Boring docu about a neighborhood church
in D.C. and its troubled, but positive, parishoners. * 3/4 |
| LIFE & DEATH OF PETER
SELLERS, THE (d. Stephen Hopkins) V. PoMo and meta biopic.
Rush is amazing; but Sellers was an asshole, if this to be believed.
*** |
| LIFE AQUATIC, THE (d. Wes Anderson) As his budgets go up his films become more
hipster, ironic & detached. Cousteau deserves a better satire. ** |
| LIFE ON LIBERTY STREET (d. David Cass) V. Well acted if predictable Hallmark tv movie.
Ethan Embry is having a great 2004 and nobody's watching. ** 1/2 |
| LITTLE BLACK BOOK (d. Nick Hurran) Good acting can't save this stupid film, though
it briefly works during the climactic live tv show. * 3/4 |
| LITTLE
GIRL BLUE (d. Anna Luif) Unexceptional, though well acted
drama about teenage love thwarted by an affair by the kid's parents. **
1/2 |
| LITTLE
MEN (d. Nariman Turebayev) Interesting & likable
character study of two salesmen in Kazakhstan, one aggressive, one passive.
*** |
| LONG
DARK NIGHT (d. Anton Vrdoljak) Croatia AFF. Moving and
well made WWII epic of the fight between pro-Germans and
pro-Communists. *** |
| LONG
EMBRACE, A (d. Daniel Burman) Warm, franetic Argentine
comedy about a Jewish family and their shopping mall denizen friends.
*** 1/4 |
| LOVE
ME IF YOU DARE (d. Yann Samuell) A wildly inventive,
super-romantic trip of a film about 2 kids growing up playing an obnoxious
game full tilt. *** |
| LOVER'S PRAYER (d. Reverge Anselmo)V. Boringly made pastiche of Turganev &
Chekhov. Nick Stahl was good, Kirsten Dunst beautiful, but film sucked.
* 3/4 |
| MACHINIST, THE (d. Brad Anderson) This director makes creepy films, and this is
one of the most. Christian Bale is phenomenal, but viscerally hard to
watch. *** |
| MAMAY (d. Oles Sanin) Gorgeous to look at; but fatally pretentious
and opaque Cossack legend, or something like that. * 1/4 |
| MAN
OF THE YEAR (d. José Henrique Fonseca) Fine Brazilian film
about a guy who bleaches his hair and turns into a cold killer anti-hero. ***
1/4 |
| MAN ON FIRE
(d. Tony Scott) Another rage/revenge story, stylishly made with another great
Denzel performance, though ending a cop out. ** 3/4 |
| MAN WITHOUT A FACE, THE (d. Mel Gibson) V. Well intended film about a troubled boy &
the troubled tutor who helps him. Nick Stahl was wonderful at 13. *** |
| MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE, THE (d. Jonathan Demme) OK thriller, except
for the incoherent narrative lapses and utter
inferiority to the original. ** |
| MANOS VACIAS, LAS (d. Marc Recha) Silly "lost dead body" farce (in
French) with a plot I found impossible to follow. * 1/4 |
| MANSION
BY THE SEA (d. Lester James Peries) Sloooooow, well shot
but overdrawn Sri Lankan AFF about the economic upheavals in that
country. * 1/2 |
| MARIA
FULL OF GRACE (d. Joshua Marston) Straightforward audience
pleaser about a Columbian girl who becoms a drug mule. *** |
| MAX
RULES (d. Robert Burke) Silly kids movie, sort of a cheezy
Spy Kids without the special effects budget. The audience ate it up,
though. * 1/4 |
| MEAN CREEK (d. Jacob Estes) Involving indie, sort of Rivers Edge
mixed with Deliverance. Scott Mechlowicz is a find!
*** |
| MEAN GIRLS
(d. Mark Waters) Well written, trenchant high school satire reminiscent of Heathers. Silly fun, but smart.
*** |
| MEMORIES
OF MURDER (d. Bong Joon-ho) Diverting, comic Korean
policier about a serial killer and the Keystone Kops who hunt him. **
1/2 |
| METALLICA:
SOME KIND OF MONSTER (d. Berlinger & Sinofsky) A
fascinating documentary that really examines the angsts of aging rock
idols. *** 3/4 |
| MIDDLE
OF THE WORLD, THE (d. Vicente Amorim) V. A family bicycles
through Brazil in this beautifully shot road film. ** 3/4 |
| MILLION DOLLAR BABY (d. Clint Eastwood) Beautifully realized drama about a female
boxer who is all heart. Stunning cinematography & great acting. ***
1/2 |
| MINOR
MISHAPS (d. Annette Olesen) An eccentric family comedy
which put me to sleep. I couldn't follow it when I awoke so I
walked. W/O |
| MISTERIO
GALÍNDEZ, EL (d. Gerardo Herrero) Competent, if turgid,
political thriller based on true disappearance of Basque nationalist in the
Dominican Republic. ** 1/4 |
| MIX (d. Steven Lovy) A sex and music comedy about an American boy
who returns to his roots in Hungary and has quite an adventure. Great
music! *** 1/4 |
| MOI
CÉSAR (d. Richard Berry) A kid flick about a 10 year
old chubby boy's adventures. Nothing great; but a lark. ** 1/4 |
| MONSIEUR
N (d. Antoine de Caunes) Intimate, well made, wide screen
epic about Napoleon's last days on St. Helena. *** |
| MOTHER,
THE (d. Roger Michell) A simply extraordinary, wonderfully
done drama about an older woman's adjustment when her husband dies. *** 3/4 |
| MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (d. Walter Salles) Moving, beautiful, insightful road pic about
young Che Guivara with a career perf. by Gael Bernal. Oscar calibre.
*** 3/4 |
| MUNA
MADAN (d. Gyanendra Bahadur Deuja) Honestly, one of the
worst films I've ever seen, every aspect an embarrassment. WO |
| MY
STEP BROTHER FRANKENSTEIN (d. Valery Todorovsky) Quirky,
entertaining film about a psychologically damaged returning soldier & his
family. *** |
| MY
TINY UNIVERSE (d. Scantlebury & Phillips) American
indie, a wryly clever farce, nicely written and acted, especially by newcomer
lead Andy Comeau. *** |
| NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (d. Jared Hess) Weirdly episodic, but very funny geek chic teen
flick. We laugh at the hick characters; but it works. ** 3/4 |
| NATHALIE (d. Anne Fontaine) Very French adult drama about a wife's
strategy for a finagling husband. Overlong and left me cold. ** 1/2 |
| NATIONAL TREASURE (d. Jon Turtletaub) Totally implausable pastiche of Indiana Jones & Da Vinci Code. But I loved it anyway,
esp. Justin Bartha, quite a find. ** 3/4 |
| NED KELLY
(d. Gregor Jorday) True, though suspiciously sympathetic story of Australian
version of Jesse James gang. A downer despite attractive leads. ** 1/2 |
| NEMESIS GAME
(d. Jesse Warn) V. Silly, poorly acted thriller about a group obsessed with a
game of riddles which turn fatal. Jay Baruchel is creepy, nerdy here.
** 1/2 |
| NO NIGHT IS TOO LONG (d. Tom Shankland) V. Canadian TV movie: a gay psychological
thriller from Ruth Rendell novel. Extraordinary acting. *** 1/4 |
| NOBODY
KNOWS (d. Hirokazu Kore-Eda) Japanese AFF about 3 kids
deserted by their mother to fend. Overlong, but powerful critique of
neglectful society. ** 3/4 |
| NOBODY
KNOWS HOW TO TALK TO CHILDREN (d. George Roca) The White
Stripes playing a NYC club. Poor sound & picture; but the music is great.
** 1/2 |
| NOI
THE ALBINO (d. Kagar Kari) Bleak, but affecting, Icelandic
AFF. Coming-of-age story about an underachiever small town boy. *** |
| NOTEBOOK, THE (d. Nick Cassavetes) + Emotionally cathartic melodrama, even
better the 2nd time around. Rachel McAdams a major find. *** 1/2 |
| NOTEBOOK,
THE (d. Nick Cassevetes) 3-hankey weeper, beautifully
acted & directed old fashioned romantic drama. *** |
| NOTRE
MUSIQUE (d. Jean-Luc Godard) Overly intellectualized
snoozer about Bosnia...but nicer to look at and better than most recent
Godard oeuvre. ** 1/4 |
| NOVIEMBRE (d. Achero Mañas) Mockumentary about a revolutionary street
theater troup in late '90s Madrid. Gorgeous wide screen & fine job all
around. *** 1/2 |
| OCEANS 12
(d. Steven Soderbergh) A ridiculous plot, off-hand acting and sloppy
direction made for an overblown disaster, IMHO * 1/4 |
| OFF
THE MAP (d. Campbell Scott) Wonderfully atmospheric coming
of age story of young girl in a close rural New Mexico family. *** 1/2 |
| OLGA (d. Jayme Monjardim) Interesting, if overblown production based
on true events about a Jewish Communist woman revolutionary caught in a Nazi
net. ** 1/2 |
| OLIVE HARVEST, THE (d. Hanna Elias) Overwrought triangle romantic drama about 2
Palestinian brothers & the woman they both covet. * 3/4 |
| OMAGH (d. Pete Travis) Muted dramatic re-enactment of '98 N. Ireland
bombing & aftermath with quietly great performance by Gerard McSorley.
*** |
| ON THE DOWNLOW (d. Tadeo Garcia) Latino gangs do an ugly gay West Side Story. Utterly talentless cast
& crew. Why are we subjected to these terrible films? 1/2* |
| ON THE WATERFRONT (d. Elia Kazan) Missed this when I was 13. For my tastes overly
melodramatic with an annoyingly heavy Bernstein score. I do get Brando, tho.
** 1/2 1/2 |
| ONCE
UPON A TIME IN HIGH SCHOOL: SPIRIT OF JEET KUNE DO (d. Ha
Yu) Sang woo Kwong great as shy high school student beset by bullies.
*** 1/4 |
| OPEN
WATER (d. Chris Kentis) Viscerally disturbing, small film
about a scuba diving couple lost at sea. ** 3/4 |
| OSAMA (d. Siddiq Barmak) Highly politicized, simplistic indictment of
Taliban as anti-women to extreme. Involving story of girl masquerading
as boy. ** 1/4 |
| OTHER
SIDE OF THE STREET, THE (d. Marcos Bernstein) Fine film
romance about an elderly lady who gets involved in witnessing a possible
crime. *** 1/4 |
| OUTRAGE AT GLEN RIDGE (d. Guy Ferland)V. Earnest, effective TV message movie with
outstanding Heather Matarazzo as retarded girl raped by footall team.
** 3/4 |
| OVERTURE,
THE (d. I Vichailak) Well made, if overwrought, Thai film
about a traditional musician's life from child prodigy to regime threatening
elder master. ** 3/4 |
| p.s. (d.
Dylan Kidd) Kidd makes movies smack dab in my wheelhouse. I loved the film
(and Grace and Linney) more than its problematic script deserved. *** |
| PARTICLES OF TRUTH (d. Jennifer Elster) V. Insufferably pretentious film with
amateurish direction, though the actors are interesting. W/O |
| PASSION OF THE CHRIST, THE (d. Mel Gibson) Effective filmmaking, if long on sadism. But too
many repetitive images, and left me cold. ** 1/2 |
| PATER
FAMILIAS (d. Francisco Patierno) Complex multi-threaded
drama about a group of doomed Neapolitan ragazzi. *** |
| PATERNAL
INSTINCT (d. Murray Nossei) Wonderful, emotionally
satisfying doc. about a gay couple who employ a surrogate mother to have
children. *** 1/2 |
| PEAS
AT 5:30 (d. Lars Buechel) Richly rewarding, intensely
moving romantic road pic about a newly blind stage director & the blind
woman that fate brings him. *** 3/4 |
| PERFECT SCORE, THE (d. Brian Robbins) Unoriginal, but enjoyable Hughesish
teener flick. Chris Evans shines and Leonardo Nam is very funny as an Asian
stoner. ** 3/4 3/4 |
| PERFECT
STRANGERS (d. Gaylene Preston) Romantic thriller about a
woman kidnapped to a desert island. Unlikely, but well made. ** 1/2 |
| PETITE
LILI, LA (d. Claude Miller) Amiable trifle about a
group of film people cavorting in a French chateau whose story is then made
as a film within a film. ** 3/4 |
| PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (d. Joel Schumacher) Maybe I'm just not into Lloyd Weber; a
visual treat, great sets, costumes etc...but I was bored. ** 1/2 |
| PHARMICIST,
THE (d. Jean Veber) Entertaining claptrap,
thriller/buddy comedy/policier. Guillaume Depardieu and Vincent Perez |