| 2008
(first half) Alphabetical List of All Films Watched |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Links are to longer reviews
on site. All ratings based on 4 stars best. A film defined as 70
min.+ visual event. |
|
(V) = TV, Video or DVD
( +) = repeat viewing (W/O)= walked out
|
|
| 12 (d. Nikita
Mikhalkov; Russia) *** |
|
| 13 TZAMETI
(d. Géla Babluani) V. Fr./Georgian variation on Intacto. Suspenseful +Giorgi Babluani is a find! *** 1/4 |
|
| 21 (d.
Robert Luketic) A slam dunk for me both in subject & Jim Sturgess; but so
logically flawed it's a shame. ** 3/4 |
|
| 27 CLUB, THE (d. Erica
Dunton) ** 1/4 |
|
| 32A (d. Marian Quinn) **
1/2 |
|
| 99 FRANCS (d.
Jan Kounen) *** |
|
| ABBUFFATA L'
(d. Mimmo Colopresti) *** |
|
| ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (d. Julie Taymore) + Even on 2nd view, this is my fave film of
decade so far. **** |
|
| AIN'T SCARED (d.
Audrey Estrougo) ** |
|
| ALEXANDRA (d.
Alexander Sokurov) *** |
|
| ALICE UPSIDE DOWN (d.
Sandy Tung) ** 3/4 |
|
| ALL IN
(d. Nick Vallelonga) V. I usually like poker movies; but this barely
watchable drama was terrible. * |
|
| ALL WILL BE
WELL (Wszystko Bedzie Dobrze) (d. Tomasz Wiszniewski) *** 1/2 |
|
| AMERICAN SON (d.
Neil Abramson) *** 1/2 |
|
| AMERICAN
TEEN (d. Nanette Burstein) *** 1/4 |
|
| ANOTHER
LIFE (Ovunque Sei) (d. Michele Placido) *** |
|
| APARTMENT, THE (d. Billy
Wilder) + Holds up remarkably, still Lemmon's and
MacLaine's triumph; but also a fine original script. *** 1/4 |
|
| ART OF NEGATIVE
THINKING, THE (Kunsten A Tenke Negativt) (d. Bard Breien) *** |
|
| AUGUST (d. Austin Chick)
*** 1/4 |
|
| BALLAST (d. Lance
Hammer) ** 1/2 |
|
| BANK JOB, THE (d. Roger Donaldson) Surprisingly predictable, I've seen this
heist film several times before. ** 1/4 |
|
| BATTLE IN
SEATTLE (d. Stuart Townsend) ** 1/2 |
|
| BE KIND REWIND (d. Michel Gondrey) Gondrey's silly creativity works here. Mos
Def surprised me. *** |
|
| BEAUFORT
(d. Joseph Cedar; Isreal) *** 1/2 |
|
| BEFORE I FORGET
(Avant que j'oublie) (d. Jacques Nolot) ** 3/4 |
|
| BEFORE THE
RAINS (d. Santosh Sivan) ** 3/4 |
|
| BERNARD AND DORIS (d. Bob Balaban) V. Exquisitely acted (Finnes & Sarandon)
but sorta boring biopic. ** 3/4 |
|
| BEST OF YOUTH, THE (d. Marco Giordano) V.+++ Still the most emotionally resonant
film I've ever watched. **** |
|
| BLISS (d. Abdullah
Oguz) *** 1/4 |
|
| BLOOD BROTHERS
(Tiantang Kou) (d. Alexi Tan) * 1/2 |
|
| BLUETOOTH
VIRGIN, THE (d. Russell Brown) *** 1/2 |
|
| BOY A (d. John Crowley)
*** 3/4 |
|
| BOYSTOWN (d. Juan
Flahn) ** 3/4 |
|
| BRICK LANE (d. Sarah
Gavron) *** |
|
| BUDDHA COLLAPSED OUT OF
SHAME (d. Hana Makmalbaf) *** 1/4 |
|
| BUM'S NAME,
THE (Civico 0) (d. Citto Maselli) *** |
|
| CALIFORNIA
DREAMIN' (ENDLESS) (d. Cristian Nemescu) *** 1/4 |
|
| CALL ME TROY (d. Scott
Bloom) *** |
|
| CAMILLE (d. Gregory
Mackenzie) * 3/4 |
|
| CAPTAIN ABU RAED
(d. Amin Matalqa) *** |
|
| CAPTAIN AHAB (Captaine Achab)
(d. Philippe Ramos) ** 1/4 |
|
| CAPTURE OF THE GREEN RIVER
KILLER, THE (d. Norma Bailey) V. Zodiac lite. Very well made &
acted. *** |
|
| CAUCASIA
(d. Farid Gumbatov; Azerbaijan) * 1/4 |
|
| CHERRY BLOSSOMS
- HANAMI (d. Dorris Dorrie) *** 1/4 |
|
| CHILDREN
OF HUANG SHI, THE (d. Roger Spottswoode) ** 3/4 |
|
| CHOKE (d. Clark Gregg) *
1/2 |
|
| CHRIS &
DON: A LOVE STORY (d. Guido Sante) *** 1/2 |
|
| CITY OF MEN
(d. Paolo Morelli) Much better than City of God, imho. Emotionally affecting, driving narrative. *** 1/4 |
|
| CLASS, THE
(d. Ilmar Raag; Estonia) *** 1/2 |
|
| COCHOCHI (d. Israel
Cárdenas & Laura Amelia Guzmán) *** 1/4 |
|
| COMANCHE MOON (d. Simon Wincer) V. Nicely played, if choppy,
miniseries. Val Kilmer? weird. ** 3/4 |
|
| CONTINENTAL, A FILM
WITHOUT GUNS (d. Stéphane Lafleur) ** 1/2 |
|
| CORTEX (d.
Nicolas Boukhrief) *** |
|
| CREATIVE NATURE
(d. John Andres) ** 1/4 |
|
| CUTTING EDGE 3, THE (d. Stuart Gillard) V. Surprisingly not bad, although
predictable. Matt Lanter is good! ** 1/2 |
|
| CUTTING EDGE, THE (d. Paul Michael Glaser) V. Moira Kelly & D.B. Sweeney
have good chemistry. Otherwise clichéd. ** 1/2 |
|
| DAYS AND CLOUDS
(d. Silvio Soldini) *** |
|
| DEAL (d.
Gil Cates, Jr.) Predictable, but the poker was realistic & Bret Harrison
is a winning actor. ** 3/4 |
|
| DREAM BOY (d. James
Bolton) ** 1/2 |
|
| ELITE SQUAD (d.
José Padhila) *** 3/4 |
|
| ELLE S'APPELLE
SABINE (d. Sandrine Bonnaire) *** |
|
| EM (d. Tony Barbieri) ** 3/4 |
|
| EMMANUEL
JAL: WAR CHILD (d. C. Karim Chrobog) *** |
|
| EMPTIES (d. Jan Sverak)
*** |
|
| ENCARNATION (d.
Anahi Berneri) ** 1/4 |
|
| ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE
WORLD (d. Werner Herzog) Fascinating footage of
Antarctica & modern scientific explorers. *** 1/2 |
|
| EVERYTHING
IS FINE (d. Yves Fournier) *** |
|
| EVIL (Ondskan) (d. Mikael Håfström) V. + One of the best depictions of
boarding school sadism ever filmed. *** 1/2 |
|
| FAIRY TALE OF
KATHMANDU (d. Neasa Ni Chianain) ** |
|
| FALL, THE (d. Tarsem
Singh) ** 3/4 |
|
| FANTASTIC
PARASUICIDES (Fantastic Ja-sal-so-dong) (d. Kim, Park & Jo) ** 3/4 |
|
| FAST FOOD NATION (d. Richard Linklater) Exploited Mexicans, slaughtered cattle,
great cast, tough sell! *** |
|
| FAVOR, THE
(d. Eva Eridjis) Fine lost indie film with interesting perfs by Frank Woods
& Ryan Donowho *** |
|
| FEELING FACTORY, THE
(La Fabrique des sentiments) (d. Jean-Marc Moutout)
V. ** 1/2 |
|
| FEMALE
AGENTS (Les Femmes de l'ombre) (d. Jean-Paul Salomé) ** 1/2 |
|
| FEVER, THE (La
Febbre) (d. Alessandro d'Alatri) *** 1/4 |
|
| FIELDS OF FUEL
(d. Josh Tickell) *** 3/4 |
|
| FIFTY PILLS
(d. Theo Avgerinos) V. Monumentally stupid film; but Lou Pucci is my type of
leading man. * 1/4 |
|
| FINDING AMANDA (d. Peter Tolan) Faintly amusing dramady...witty about the tv
game, but the rest not so good. ** 1/4 |
|
| FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, THE (d. Rob Minkoff) Angarino is good, action direction ok; but
too predictible. ** 1/2 |
|
| FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL (d. Nicholas Stollar) Sweet & surprisingly smart comedy .
*** 1/4 |
|
| FOSTER CHILD (d.
Brilliante Mendoza) ** 3/4 |
|
| FREEDOM WRITERS (d. Richard LaGravenese)V. Surprisingly moving true story of
teacher vs. gangs. *** 1/4 |
|
| FROZEN RIVER (d.
Courtney Hunt) *** 1/2 |
|
| GARDEN PARTY
(d. Jason Freeland) *** |
|
| GAY LIVES (short
program, various directors) (average: ** 1/2) |
|
| GIRL BY THE LAKE,
THE (La Ragazza del Lago) (d. Andrea Molaioli) ** 1/2 |
|
| GONZO: THE LIFE AND
WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON (d. Alex Gibney) *** 1/2 |
|
| GOOD FOOD (d. Melissa
Young & Mark Dworkin) ** |
|
| GOOD YEAR, A (d. Ridley Scott) V.+ Minor Scott film; but Provence and
Russell Crowe are lovely. ** 3/4 |
|
| GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (d. Sergio Leone) 195 min. extended version is *long*, but
visual feast; Eli Wallach steals the film. *** 1/2 |
|
| GREAT BUCK HOWARD,
THE (d. Sean McGinly) ** 3/4 |
|
| GROCER'S
SON, THE (Le Fils de l'épicier) (d. Eric Guirado) *** 1/4 |
|
| GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR
SAINTS, A (d. Dito Monteil) V.+ Great cast, life as
art. *** 1/4 |
|
| HALF-LIFE (d.
Jennifer Phang) ** |
|
| HAPPENING, THE (d. M. Night Shyamalan) Good acting (Betty Buckley's classic
camp), ridiculous script (plot holes to spare). ** |
|
| HEARTBEAT
DETECTOR (d. Nicolas Klotz) ** 1/4 |
|
| HIDDEN FACE (d.
Bernard Campan) * 1/4 |
|
| HOME SONG STORIES, THE (d. Tony Ayres; Australia) *** 1/4 |
|
| HUDDERSFIELD
(Hadersfild) (d. Ivan Zivkovic) ** 1/2 |
|
| IN BRUGES
(d. Martin Mcdonagh) Witty, terrific black comedy thriller with Colin
Farrell's best perf. *** 1/2 |
|
| IN
MEMORY OF MYSELF (d. Saverio Costanzo) ** 3/4 |
|
| IN SEACH OF KENNEDY (d.
Chuck Workman) * 1/2 |
|
| IN THE
ARMS OF MY ENEMY (d. Micha Wald) *** |
|
| IN
THE HELIOPOLIS FLAT (d. Mohamed Khan; Egypt) ** 1/4 |
|
| INCREDIBLE HULK, THE (d. Louis Leterrier) King Kong meets Godzilla except they're
people. Good f/x, Norton fine, film flawed. ** 1/4 |
|
| INVESTIGATION
(d. Iglika Trifonova) *** |
|
| IRINA
PALM (d. Sam Garbarski) *** |
|
| IRON MAN
(d. Jon Favreau) Smart, with good script & a great perf by Downey's
mature & sarcastic superhero. *** 1/4 |
|
| ISLAND
ETUDE (d. Huai-en Chen; Taiwan) W/O |
|
| ISLAND OF LOST SOULS,
THE (De Fortabte Sjaeles O) (d. Nikolaj Arcel) ** 3/4 |
|
| IT ALWAYS RAINS
ON SUNDAY (d. Robert Hamer, 1947) ** 1/2 |
|
| JANI GAL
(d. Jamil Rostami; Iraq) ** |
|
| JIMMY OF THE
HILL (d. Enrico Pau) ** 1/2 |
|
| JOE LOUIS: AMERICA'S HERO
BETRAYED (d. Joe Lavine) Excellent & moving docu with
a point of view. *** 1/2 |
|
| JOLENE (d. Dan Ireland)
*** |
|
| JUMPER
(d. Doug Liman) Curiously inert and truncated action thriller. Only
Jamie Bell has any life. ** |
|
| KILLER, THE (Le
Tueur) (d. Cédric Anger) ** 3/4 |
|
| KING OF PING PONG
(Ping Pong Kingen) (d. Jens Jonsson) ** 1/2 |
|
| KISS THE BRIDE
(d. C. Jay Cox) ** |
|
| LA
FRANCE (d. Serge Bozon) ** 1/2 |
|
| LADY JANE (d. Robert
Guédiguian) *** |
|
| LAKSHMI AND ME (d.
Nishtha Jain) ** 1/4 |
|
| LAST MINUTE
MOROCCO (d. Francesco Falaschi) ** 3/4 |
|
| LAW OF DESIRE (Pedro Almodóvar) V. +7 The romantic gay melodrama that first
defined the genre. *** 1/2 |
|
| LEATHERHEADS (d. George Clooney) Clichéd failure proves screwball comedy is
harder than it looks. * 1/4 |
|
| LEROY (d. Armin Volckers)
** 1/2 |
|
| LET THE RIGHT ONE
IN (d. Tomas Alfredson) *** |
|
| LETTING GO OF GOD
(d. Julia Sweeney) *** 3/4 |
|
| LIFE BEFORE HER EYES, THE (d. Vadim Perelman) Difficult. I wanted to escape the
theater throughout. ** 1/4 |
|
| LIFE
HITS (d. Christian Christiansen) *** |
|
| LIVE AND BECOME (d. Radu Mihaileanu) Epic story of Ethopian non-Jew kid
living & growing up in Israel. Quite moving. *** 1/2 |
|
| LOST MAN, A (Un homme
perdu) (d. Danielle Artid) ** 1/2 |
|
| LOVE AND HONOR
(Bushi No Ichibun) (d. Yôji Yamada) **** |
|
| LOVE AND OTHER
CRIMES (Liebe und Andere Verbrechen) (d. Stefan Arsenijevic) ** 3/4 |
|
| LOVE SONGS (d.
Chtrisophe Honoré) +1; I stand by my TIFF review, only 2nd time around liked
it even more. *** 1/4 |
|
| MAD DETECTIVE
(Shentan) (d. Johnnie To & Wai Ka-Fai) *** |
|
| MAGNUS (d. Kadri
Köusaar) ** 3/4 |
|
| MAN
FROM LONDON, THE (d. Bela Tarr) *** |
|
| MAN ON WIRE (d.
James Marsh) *** 3/4 |
|
| MANCORA (d. Recardo de
Montreuil) ** 3/4 |
|
| MANSFIELD PARK (d. Iain MacDonald) V. Short & sweet. But Blake Ritson
made a remarkably good Edmond. *** |
|
| MARRIED LIFE (d. Ira Sachs) Elegant adult dramedy which copped out and
wasted some fine actors. ** 1/4 |
|
| MARUJAS ASESINAS (d. Javier Rebollo) V. 2001 black comedy...murderous, crazy
wife, and her loser friends. ** 1/2 |
|
| MATAHARIS
(d. Isiar Bollain) *** |
|
| MELODY'S
SMILE (La chambre des morts) (d. Alfred Lot) *** |
|
| MICHOU D'AUBER (d.
Thomas Gilou) *** 1/4 |
|
| MILANO
PALERMO - IL RITORNO (d. Claudio Fragasso) *** 1/4 |
|
| MINUTE
OF SILENCE, A (Une Minute de silence) (d. Florent Emilio Siri) ** 1/2 |
|
| MIRUSH (d.
Marius Holst) *** |
|
| MISS AUSTEN REGRETS (d. Jeremy Lovering)V. Fair if fictionalized biopic in the
style of an Austen novel. ** 1/2 |
|
| MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A
DAY (d. Bharat Nalluri) Academy audience loved it; but
sort of insipid. ** 3/4 |
|
| MOMMA'S MAN (d.
Azazel Jacobs) ** 1/2 |
|
| MR. LONELY
(d. Harmony Khorine) Inscrutible, occasionally visually interesting, mostly
boring...good actors wasted. * 3/4 |
|
| MY BOY JACK
(d. Brian Kirk) V. Beautifully written (by the actor who plays Rudyard!)
teleplay. *** |
|
| MY
EFFORTLESS BRILLIANCE (d. Lynn Shelton) ** 1/2 |
|
| MYSTERIES OF
PITTSBURGH (d. Rawson Marshall Thurber) ** 3/4 |
|
| NARNIA 2: PRINCE
CASPIAN (d. Andrew Adamson) Much better than the 1st; but
still pallid & a little boring in the mid section. ** 3/4 |
|
| NEVER BACK DOWN (d. Jeff Wadlow) Karate Kid on steroids. Way better than expected, esp. actingwise. *** |
|
| NEW MAN,
THE (d. Klaus Haro) *** 1/4 |
|
| NEWCASTLE (d. Dan
Castle) *** |
|
| NIGHT
BUS (d. Davide Marengo) *** |
|
| NORTHANGER ABBEY (d. Jon Jones) V. Most minor of Austin stories despite Andrew
Davies script...but JJ Field was great. ** 1/2 |
|
| OCULTO
(d. Antonio Hernández) V. Woman's revenge thriller. Leonardo Sbaraglia
& Angie Cepeda have real chemistry. *** |
|
| ON
THE WINGS OF DREAMS (d. Golem Rabbany Biplop; Bangladesh) ** |
|
| OPIUM - DIARY OF A
MADWOMAN (d. János Szász) *** |
|
| OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, THE (d. Justin Chadwick) Bad history, great jewelry. ** 1/4 |
|
| PARANOID PARK (d. Gus Van Sant) Spare, non-acted skate board epic.
Gabe Nevins a natural. *** 1/2 |
|
| PARENTS
(d. Ragnar Bragason) *** 1/4 |
|
| PENELOPE
(d. Mark Palansky) Modern fairy tale with great production design, but what's
with the accents? ** 3/4 |
|
| PERFECT MATCH (d.
Anne-Marie Étienne) *** |
|
| PERFECT SPORT (d.
Anthony O'Brien) *** |
|
| PERSUASION
(d. Adrian Shergold) V. Austin is well served by this tv prod. cast,
esp. Sally Hawkins. *** |
|
| PIERRE
RISSIENT: MAN OF CINEMA (d. Todd McCarthy) ** 1/4 |
|
| PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 3 (d. Gore Verbinski) Better than #2, not saying much. ** |
|
| PLOY (d. Pen-ek
Ratanauang) ** 1/4 |
|
| PRICELESS (Hors de prix) (d. Pierre Salvadori) Typical French romantic comedy, sumptuous
but uninspired. ** 1/2 |
|
| PRINCESS OF THE SUN
(La reine soleil) (d. Philippe Leclerc) * 1/2 |
|
| PROMISED LAND, THE (Ziemia
obiecana) (d. Andrzej Wajda) V. Epic masterpiece of 19th
Century capitalism in Lodz, Poland. *** 3/4 |
|
| PUNTO ROSSO, IL
(d. Marco Carlucci) ** 1/4 |
|
| RAGE, THE (La
Rabbia) (d. Louis Nero) * 1/4 |
|
| RAMCHAND PAKISTANI (d.
Mehreen Jabbar) *** |
|
| RED AWN, THE (d. Cai
Shangjun) ** 3/4 |
|
| REDBELT
(d. David Mamet) Typical venial and corrupt Mametworld, but even more so than
usual. ** |
|
| RIVALS (Les
Liens du sang) (d. Jacques Maillot) *** |
|
| ROMAN DE
GARE (d. Claude Lelouch) *** |
|
| ROMULUS, MY FATHER (d. Richard Roxburgh) Superb acting, spare, slow, but
beautifully made weeper. *** 1/2 |
|
| ROOM WITH A VIEW, A (d. Nicholas Renton) V. Andrew Davis's unnecessary remake;
still, enjoyable. ** 1/2 |
|
| SALAWATI (d. Marc X.
Grigoroff) *** |
|
| SATURN IN OPPOSITION (d.
Ferzan Ozpetek) Building evacuation with 10 minutes to go! So a provisional
*** 3/4 |
|
| SAVAGE GRACE (d.
Tom Kalin) *** 1/4 |
|
| SCUSA MA TI
CHIAMO AMORE (d. Federico Moccia) ** |
|
| SECRET BEYOND
THE DOOR (d. Fritz Lang) ** 3/4 |
|
| SECRET FESTIVAL #2 ***
1/2 |
|
| SECRET FESTIVAL #3 *** |
|
| SECRET FESTIVAL #4 *** 1/2 |
|
| SECRET OF
THE GRAIN, THE (d. Abdellatif Kechiche) *** 1/4 |
|
| SECRET, UN
(d. Claude Miller) *** 1/2 |
|
| SENSE & SENSIBILITY (d. John Alexander) V. Andrew Davis' superb mini-series
adaptation with a fine cast. *** 1/4 |
|
| SEX AND THE CITY (d. Michael Patrick King) Great fashions, sappy,
predictable...but it kept getting better as it went on. ** 3/4 |
|
| SHADOWS
(d. Milcho Manchevski; Macedonia) *** |
|
| SHADOWS IN THE
PALACE (Goong-Nyuh) (d. Kim Mee-jung) ** 3/4 |
|
| SHALL WE KISS?
(Un baiser s'il vous plait) (d. Emmanuel Mouret) *** 1/2 |
|
| SHELTER (d. Jonah Markowitz)
*** |
|
| SHINE A LIGHT (d. Martin Scorsese) Great, intimate concert film; an
historical flawless production! **** |
|
| SITA SINGS THE BLUES (d.
Nina Paley) *** 1/4 |
|
| SLAVE OF LOVE (Raba lyubvi) (d. Nikita Mikhalkov)V. Gorgeous, pastoral love story set in
Russian revolution. *** |
|
| SLEEP DEALER (d.
Alex Rivera) *** 1/2 |
|
| SLINGSHOT (Tirador)
(d. Brillante Mendoza) * 1/2 |
|
| SMART PEOPLE (d. Noam Murro) 1st time I liked Ellen Page in a film! Fine
cast, involving indie film. *** |
|
| SNOW ANGELS
(d. David Gordon Green) Another remarkable, difficult drama by this artist.
Great acting. *** 1/2 |
|
| SON OF A LION
(d. Benjamin Gilmour) *** |
|
| SONETAULA (d.
Salvatore Mereu) *** |
|
| SONG OF
SPARROWS, THE (Avaze Gonjeshk-ha) (d. Majid Majidi) *** |
|
| SPARROW (Man Jeuk) (d.
Johnnie To) ** 1/2 |
|
| SPEED RACER (d. Wachowski
Bros.) Visually stunning and inventive. But script
is so predictable. Interesting cast, though. ** 1/2 |
|
| SPIDER-MAN 3 (d. Sam Raimi)V. Much better than #2; but too many
villains spoil the plot. ** 1/2 |
|
| SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES, THE (d. Mark Waters) Scary stuff; better than expected. Fine f/x,
nicely acted. *** |
|
| STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE (d. Errol Morris) Docu of Abu Ghraib as you wished it
weren't. *** 1/4 |
|
| STEP UP 2 THE STREET (d. Jon Chu) Predictable script; great street dancing.
Robert Hoffman a star? ** 1/2 |
|
| STILL LIFE (Sanxia
Haoren) (d. Jia Zhang-ke) ** 1/2 |
|
| STILL
ORANGUTANS (d. Gustavo Spoldoro) *** 1/2 |
|
| STOP-LOSS
(d. Kimberly Peirce) Extraordinarily affecting, difficult & appropos
film; superb script & acting. *** 3/4 |
|
| STRANDED: I'VE
COME FROM A PLANE THAT CRASHED ON THE MOUNTAINS (d. Gonzalo Arijon) *** 1/2 |
|
| STRANGERS (d. Erez
Tadmor, Guy Nattiv) ** 1/2 |
|
| STRAWBERRY STATEMENT, THE (d. Stuart Haggman) V. '69 student tumult in this non-dated
cult film. *** |
|
| STREET KINGS (d. David Ayer) Too many unbelieveable loose ends. Why is
Chris Evans not a star? ** 1/2 |
|
| SUMMER HEAT (d.
Monique van de Ven) ** 3/4 |
|
| SWEET
AND THE BITTER, THE (Il dolce a l'amaro) (d. Andrea Porporati) *** 1/4 |
|
| TBS [NOTHING TO LOSE] (d.
Pieter Kuijpers) *** 1/4 |
|
| TEDDY BEAR (d. Jan
Hrebejk) *** 1/4 |
|
| THE WHORE & THE WHALE (d. Luis Puenzo) V. Gorgeous Patagonian photography, naked
women & sexy Leo Sbaraglia. *** 1/4 |
|
| THEATER OF WAR
(d. John Walter) ** 1/2 |
|
| THEN SHE FOUND ME (d. Helen Hunt) Enjoyable, if predictable, romantic
dramidy. ** 3/4 |
|
| THOSE
WHO REMAIN (Ceux qui restent) (d. Anne Le Ny) ** 3/4 |
|
| TIME TO DIE (Pora
Umierac) (d. Dorota Kedzierzawska) *** |
|
| TIMECRIMES (d. Nacho
Vigalondo) ** 1/2 |
|
| TIMES
AND WINDS (d. Riha Erdem) *** 1/4 |
|
| TRANSSIBERIAN (d.
Brad Anderson) *** |
|
| TRAP, THE (d.
Srdan Golubovic; Serbia) *** 3/4 |
|
| TRIANGLE (Tie Saam
Gok) (d. Tsui Hark, Johnnie To, Ringo Lam) ** 1/4 |
|
| UNDER THE BOMBS (d.
Philippe Aractingi) ** 1/2 |
|
| UNDER THE SAME MOON (d. Patricia Riggen) Predictable, but the kid is great &
the story just works. ** 1/2 |
|
| UNKNOWN,
THE (d. Giuseppi Tornatore) + *** 1/4 |
|
| UNSPOKEN
PASSION (d. Roni Bertubin) ** 1/2 |
|
| UP THE YANGTZE
(d. Yung Chang) ** 3/4 |
|
| VANTAGE POINT
(d. Pete Travis) Script doesn't compute; but really exciting filmmaking wins
the day. *** |
|
| VICE (Tiski) (d. Valery
Todorovsky) *** |
|
| VIE
D'ARTISTE, LA (d. Marc Fitoussi) *** 1/4 |
|
| VISIONEERS (d. Jared
Drake) 1/2* |
|
| VISITOR, THE (d. Tom McCarthy) Heartfelt, distressing film about another
depressed prof. (cf. Smart People) *** |
|
| WACKNESS, THE (d.
Jonathan Levine) *** 1/4 |
|
| WALL*E
(d. Andrew Stanton) Technically fine, complex 3-D animation. But for me
lacked entertainment value. ** 3/4 |
|
| WALT & EL GRUPO (d.
Theodore Thomas) ** 1/2 |
|
| WANTED
(d. Timur Bekmambetov) Totally amazing kick ass film, MATRIX².
McAvoy & Bekmambetov fulfill their destinies. *** 3/4 |
|
| WATER
LILIES (d. Céline Sciamma) ** |
|
| WAVE, THE (Die Welle)
(d. Dennis Gansel) *** 1/2 |
|
| WELCOME TO THE
LAND OF CH'TIS (Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis) (d. Dany Boone) ** 1/2 |
|
| WHAT IF...?
(Notre univers impitoyable) (d. Léa Fazer) ** 1/4 |
|
| WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE
YOUR FATHER (d. Anand Tucker) *** 1/4 |
|
| WHITE
SILK DRESS, THE (d. Huynh Luu; Vietnam) ** |
|
| WICKER MAN, THE (d. Neil La Bute) V. Hokey, cult-as-bee-colony metaphor
film. Great northwest island homes! ** |
|
| WINE
AND KISSES (Come le Formiche) (d. Ilaria Borrelli) * 1/2 |
|
| WINTERLAND
(d. Hisham Zaman) ** 3/4 |
|
| WITNESSES,
THE (d. André Téchiné) *** 1/2 |
|
| WRECKING CREW,
THE (d. Denny Tedesco) *** 1/4 |
|
| YEAR
MY PARENTS WENT ON VACATION, THE (d. Cao Hamburger; Brazil) *** |
|
| YEAR
OF THE WOLF, THE (d. Olli Saarela) *** |
|
| YOUNG PEOPLE
FUCKING (d. Martin Gero) *** 1/4 |
|
|
| Return to Ken Rudolph's Home page |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|