2008 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
An alphabetical list of
all 500 films wached in 2008 can be found here.
January, 2008
TRAP, THE
(d. Srdan Golubovic;
Serbia) *** 3/4
ON THE WINGS OF DREAMS (d. Golem Rabbany Biplop; Bangladesh) **
HOME
SONG STORIES, THE (d. Tony Ayres; Australia) *** 1/4
WHITE
SILK DRESS, THE (d. Huynh Luu; Vietnam) **
UNSPOKEN
PASSION (d. Roni Bertubin)
** 1/2
CALIFORNIA
DREAMIN' (ENDLESS) (d. Cristian Nemescu) *** 1/4
BEAUFORT
(d. Joseph Cedar; Isreal) *** 1/2
IN
THE HELIOPOLIS FLAT (d. Mohamed Khan; Egypt) ** 1/4
ISLAND
ETUDE (d. Huai-en Chen; Taiwan) W/O
WITNESSES,
THE (d. André Téchiné) *** 1/2
IN
THE ARMS OF MY ENEMY (d. Micha Wald) ***
HEARTBEAT
DETECTOR (d. Nicolas Klotz) ** 1/4
IRINA
PALM (d. Sam Garbarski) ***
YEAR
MY PARENTS WENT ON VACATION, THE (d. Cao Hamburger; Brazil) ***
JANI
GAL (d. Jamil Rostami;
Iraq) **
SHADOWS
(d. Milcho Manchevski;
Macedonia) ***
LA
FRANCE (d. Serge Bozon) ** 1/2
TIMES
AND WINDS (d. Riha Erdem)
*** 1/4
MATAHARIS
(d. Isiar Bollain) ***
SHELTER
(d. Jonah Markowitz) ***
CLASS,
THE (d. Ilmar Raag;
Estonia) *** 1/2
CAUCASIA
(d. Farid Gumbatov;
Azerbaijan) * 1/4
JIMMY OF THE HILL (d. Enrico
Pau) ** 1/2
INVESTIGATION (d. Iglika
Trifonova) ***
IN MEMORY OF MYSELF (d. Saverio Costanzo) ** 3/4
NIGHT BUS (d. Davide
Marengo) ***
PARENTS
(d. Ragnar Bragason) ***
1/4
LIFE
HITS (d. Christian Christiansen) ***
MIRUSH
(d. Marius Holst) ***
12
(d. Nikita Mikhalkov; Russia) ***
WINTERLAND
(d. Hisham Zaman) ** 3/4
YEAR
OF THE WOLF, THE (d. Olli Saarela) ***
NEW
MAN, THE (d. Klaus Haro) *** 1/4
UNKNOWN,
THE (d. Giuseppi Tornatore)
+ *** 1/4
PERSUASION (d. Adrian Shergold) V.
COMANCHE MOON (d. Simon Wincer) V. Nicely
played, if choppy, miniseries. Val Kilmer? weird.
** 3/4
NORTHANGER ABBEY (d. Jon Jones) V. Most minor of
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (d. Julie Taymore) + Even
on 2nd view, this is my fave film of decade so far.
****
February, 2008
PIRATES OF THE
FIFTY PILLS (d. Theo Avgerinos) V. Monumentally stupid film; but Lou Pucci is my type of leading man. * 1/4
FAST FOOD NATION (d. Richard Linklater)
Exploited Mexicans, slaughtered cattle, great cast, tough sell! ***
WHORE & THE WHALE, THE (d. Luis Puenzo) V.
Gorgeous Patagonian photography, naked women & sexy Leo Sbaraglia.
*** 1/4
BERNARD AND DORIS (d. Bob Balaban) V.
Exquisitely acted (Finnes & Sarandon) but sorta boring biopic. ** 3/4
JUMPER (d. Doug Liman) Curiously inert and
truncated action thriller. Only Jamie Bell has any life. **
STEP UP 2 THE STREET (d. Jon Chu) Predictable script; great
street dancing. Robert Hoffman a star? ** 1/2
OCULTO (d. Antonio Hernández) V. Woman's
revenge thriller. Leonardo Sbaraglia &
Angie Cepeda have real chemistry. ***
IN
SCUSA MA TI
CHIAMO AMORE (d. Federico Moccia) **
PUNTO ROSSO,
IL (d. Marco Carlucci) ** 1/4
LAST MINUTE
MOROCCO (d. Francesco Falaschi) ** 3/4
RAGE, THE (La Rabbia) (d. Louis Nero) * 1/4
WINE
AND KISSES (Come le Formiche) (d. Ilaria Borrelli) * 1/2
ANOTHER
LIFE (Ovunque Sei)
(d. Michele Placido) ***
BUM'S
NAME, THE (Civico 0) (d. Citto
Maselli) ***
MILANO
PALERMO - IL RITORNO (d. Claudio Fragasso)
*** 1/4
SWEET
AND THE BITTER, THE (Il dolce a l'amaro) (d.
Andrea Porporati) *** 1/4
FEVER, THE (La
Febbre) (d. Alessandro d'Alatri)
*** 1/4
ABBUFFATA
L' (d. Mimmo Colopresti)
***
VANTAGE POINT (d. Pete
Travis) Script doesn't compute; but really exciting filmmaking wins the day.
***
STRAWBERRY STATEMENT, THE (d. Stuart Haggman)
V. '69 student tumult in this non-dated cult film. ***
JOE LOUIS:
MARUJAS ASESINAS (d. Javier Rebollo) V. 2001
black comedy...murderous, crazy wife, and her loser friends. ** 1/2
WICKER MAN, THE (d. Neil La Bute) V. Hokey,
cult-as-bee-colony metaphor film. Great northwest island homes! **
March, 2008
BE KIND REWIND (d. Michel Gondrey) Gondrey's silly creativity works here. Mos
Def surprised me. ***
LAW OF DESIRE (Pedro Almodóvar) V. +7 The romantic gay melodrama that first defined the
genre. *** 1/2
SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES, THE (d. Mark Waters) Scary
stuff; better than expected. Fine f/x, nicely acted.
***
SNOW ANGELS (d. David Gordon Green) Another
remarkable, difficult drama by this artist. Great acting.
*** 1/2
BANK JOB, THE (d. Roger Donaldson) Surprisingly
predictable, I've seen this heist film several times before. ** 1/4
NEVER BACK DOWN (d. Jeff Wadlow) Karate Kid
on steroids. Way better than expected, esp. actingwise.
***
CUTTING EDGE, THE (d. Paul Michael Glaser) V. Moira Kelly & D.B. Sweeney have good chemistry. Otherwise clichéd. ** 1/2
PENELOPE (d. Mark Palansky) Modern fairy tale
with great production design, but what's with the accents? ** 3/4
OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, THE (d. Justin Chadwick) Bad history, great
jewelry. ** 1/4
CITY OF
LOVE SONGS
(d. Chtrisophe Honoré) +1;
I stand by my TIFF review, only 2nd time around liked it even more. *** 1/4
SECRET
OF THE GRAIN, THE (d. Abdellatif Kechiche) *** 1/4
WATER
LILIES (d. Céline Sciamma)
**
99 FRANCS
(d. Jan Kounen) ***
ELLE
S'APPELLE SABINE (d. Sandrine Bonnaire) ***
MELODY'S
SMILE (La chambre des morts)
(d. Alfred Lot) ***
SECRET,
UN (d. Claude Miller) *** 1/2
KILLER, THE
(Le Tueur) (d. Cédric
Anger) ** 3/4
CUTTING EDGE 3, THE (d. Stuart Gillard) V. Surprisingly
not bad, although predictable. Matt Lanter is
good! ** 1/2
MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY (d. Bharat Nalluri)
Academy audience loved it; but sort of insipid. ** 3/4
UNDER THE SAME MOON (d. Patricia Riggen)
Predictable, but the kid is great & the story just works. ** 1/2
MARRIED LIFE (d. Ira Sachs) Elegant adult dramedy
which copped out and wasted some fine actors. ** 1/4
April, 2008
CAPTURE OF THE GREEN RIVER KILLER, THE (d. Norma Bailey) V. Zodiac lite. Very well made & acted. ***
13 TZAMETI (d. Géla Babluani)
V. Fr./Georgian variation on Intacto.
Suspenseful +Giorgi Babluani
is a find! *** 1/4
FEELING
FACTORY, THE
(La Fabrique des sentiments) (d. Jean-Marc Moutout) V. ** 1/2
STOP-LOSS (d. Kimberly Peirce) Extraordinarily affecting, difficult
& appropos film; superb script & acting. ***
3/4
GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS, A (d. Dito Monteil) V.+ Great cast, life as
art. *** 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
SHINE A LIGHT (d. Martin Scorsese) Great, intimate concert film; an
historical flawless production! ****
SENSE & SENSIBILITY (d. John Alexander) V. Andrew Davis' superb
mini-series adaptation with a fine cast. *** 1/4
EVIL (Ondskan) (d. Mikael
Håfström) V. + One of the best depictions of boarding
school sadism ever filmed. *** 1/2
LEATHERHEADS (d. George Clooney) Clichéd failure proves screwball comedy
is harder than it looks. * 1/4
SMART PEOPLE (d. Noam Murro) 1st time I liked
Ellen Page in a film! Fine cast, involving indie film.
***
STREET KINGS (d. David Ayer) Too many unbelieveable loose ends. Why is Chris Evans not a
star? ** 1/2
ROOM WITH A VIEW, A (d. Nicholas
FEMALE
AGENTS (Les Femmes de l'ombre) (d. Jean-Paul
Salomé) ** 1/2
WHAT IF...?
(Notre univers impitoyable)
(d. Léa Fazer) ** 1/4
THOSE
WHO REMAIN (Ceux qui restent)
(d. Anne Le Ny) ** 3/4
MINUTE
OF SILENCE, A (Une Minute de silence)
(d. Florent Emilio Siri) **
1/2
GROCER'S
SON, THE (Le Fils de l'épicier)
(d. Eric Guirado) *** 1/4
SECRET
BEYOND THE DOOR (d. Fritz Lang) ** 3/4
CORTEX
(d. Nicolas Boukhrief) ***
ROMAN
DE GARE (d. Claude Lelouch) ***
RIVALS (Les
Liens du sang) (d. Jacques Maillot) ***
VIE
D'ARTISTE, LA (d. Marc Fitoussi) *** 1/4
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL (d. Nicholas Stollar)
Sweet & surprisingly smart comedy . *** 1/4
FORBIDDEN KINGDOM, THE (d. Rob Minkoff) Angarino is good, action direction ok; but too predictible. ** 1/2
WELCOME TO
THE LAND OF CH'TIS (Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis) (d. Dany Boone)
** 1/2
LIFE BEFORE HER EYES, THE (d. Vadim Perelman)
Difficult. I wanted to escape the theater throughout. ** 1/4
MY BOY JACK (d. Brian Kirk) V. Beautifully written (by the actor who
plays Rudyard!) teleplay. ***
ALL IN (d. Nick Vallelonga) V. I usually like
poker movies; but this barely watchable drama was terrible. *
REDBELT (d. David Mamet) Typical venial and corrupt Mametworld,
but even more so than usual. **
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE (d. Errol Morris) Docu
of Abu Ghraib as you wished it weren't. *** 1/4
MANSFIELD PARK (d. Iain MacDonald) V. Short & sweet. But Blake Ritson made a remarkably good
BEST OF YOUTH, THE (d. Marco Giordano) V.+++
Still the most emotionally resonant film I've ever watched. ****
VISITOR, THE (d. Tom McCarthy) Heartfelt, distressing film about another
depressed prof. (cf. Smart People) ***
GOOD YEAR, A (d. Ridley Scott) V.+ Minor Scott
film; but
MISS AUSTEN REGRETS (d. Jeremy Lovering)V. Fair if fictionalized biopic in the style of an Austen
novel. ** 1/2
FREEDOM WRITERS (d. Richard LaGravenese)V. Surprisingly moving true story of teacher vs. gangs. ***
1/4
May, June 2008
SPIDER-MAN 3 (d. Sam Raimi)V.
Much better than #2; but too many villains spoil the plot.
** 1/2
FAVOR, THE (d. Eva Eridjis) Fine lost indie
film with interesting perfs by Frank Woods & Ryan
Donowho ***
THEN SHE FOUND ME (d. Helen Hunt) Enjoyable, if predictable, romantic dramidy. ** 3/4
IRON MAN (d. Jon Favreau) Smart, with good
script & a great perf by
DEAL (d. Gil Cates, Jr.) Predictable, but the poker was realistic &
Bret Harrison is a winning actor. ** 3/4
SHADOWS IN
THE PALACE (Goong-Nyuh) (d. Kim Mee-jung) ** 3/4
SLAVE OF LOVE (Raba lyubvi) (d. Nikita Mikhalkov)V. Gorgeous, pastoral
love story set in Russian revolution. ***
PROMISED LAND, THE (Ziemia obiecana)
(d. Andrzej Wajda) V. Epic
masterpiece of 19th Century capitalism in
MAN
FROM LONDON, THE (d. Bela Tarr)
***
AMERICAN
TEEN (d. Nanette Burstein) *** 1/4
BEFORE THE
RAINS (d. Santosh Sivan) ** 3/4
BOY A (d.
John Crowley) *** 3/4
EVERYTHING
IS FINE (d. Yves Fournier) ***
CHRIS &
DON: A LOVE STORY (d. Guido Sante) ***
1/2
ELITE SQUAD
(d. José Padhila) *** 3/4
HALF-LIFE
(d. Jennifer Phang) **
SPEED RACER (d. Wachowski Bros.) Visually stunning and inventive. But script is so
predictable. Interesting cast, though. ** 1/2
PRICELESS (Hors de prix) (d. Pierre Salvadori)
Typical French romantic comedy, sumptuous but uninspired. ** 1/2
APARTMENT, THE (d. Billy Wilder) + Holds up remarkably, still Lemmon's
and MacLaine's triumph; but also a fine original
script. *** 1/4
MY
EFFORTLESS BRILLIANCE (d. Lynn Shelton) ** 1/2
UP THE
YANGTZE (d. Yung Chang) ** 3/4
EMMANUEL
JAL: WAR CHILD (d. C. Karim Chrobog) ***
CONTINENTAL, A
FILM WITHOUT GUNS (d. Stéphane Lafleur) ** 1/2
SITA SINGS THE BLUES
(d. Nina Paley) *** 1/4
GONZO: THE LIFE
AND WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON (d. Alex Gibney)
*** 1/2
RED AWN, THE
(d. Cai Shangjun) ** 3/4
WALT & EL GRUPO
(d. Theodore Thomas) ** 1/2
BALLAST (d.
Lance Hammer) ** 1/2
NARNIA 2: PRINCE CASPIAN (d. Andrew Adamson) Much better than the
1st; but still pallid & a little boring in the mid section. ** 3/4
MR. LONELY (d. Harmony Khorine) Inscrutible, occasionally visually interesting, mostly
boring...good actors wasted. * 3/4
SON OF A
LION (d. Benjamin Gilmour) ***
STRANGERS
(d. Erez Tadmor, Guy Nattiv) ** 1/2
LET THE RIGHT
ONE IN (d. Tomas Alfredson) ***
AIN'T SCARED
(d. Audrey Estrougo) **
CREATIVE
NATURE (d. John Andres) ** 1/4
GARDEN PARTY
(d. Jason Freeland) ***
FIELDS OF
FUEL (d. Josh Tickell) *** 3/4
DREAM BOY
(d. James Bolton) ** 1/2
SAVAGE GRACE
(d. Tom Kalin) *** 1/4
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
BATTLE IN
SEATTLE (d. Stuart Townsend) ** 1/2
FALL, THE (d. Tarsem Singh) ** 3/4
OPIUM - DIARY OF A
MADWOMAN (d. János Szász)
***
WRECKING
CREW, THE (d. Denny Tedesco) *** 1/4
ALL WILL
BE WELL (Wszystko Bedzie Dobrze) (d. Tomasz Wiszniewski)
*** 1/2
FOSTER CHILD
(d. Brilliante Mendoza) ** 3/4
SLINGSHOT (Tirador) (d. Brillante
Mendoza) * 1/2
CHILDREN
OF HUANG SHI, THE (d. Roger Spottswoode) **
3/4
LOVE AND
HONOR (Bushi No Ichibun)
(d. Yôji Yamada) ****
IT ALWAYS
RAINS ON SUNDAY (d. Robert Hamer, 1947) **
1/2
KING OF PING
PONG (Ping Pong Kingen) (d. Jens Jonsson) ** 1/2
CAMILLE (d.
Gregory Mackenzie) * 3/4
FANTASTIC
PARASUICIDES (Fantastic Ja-sal-so-dong) (d.
Kim, Park & Jo) ** 3/4
TRANSSIBERIAN
(d. Brad Anderson) ***
STILL LIFE (Sanxia Haoren) (d. Jia Zhang-ke) ** 1/2
COCHOCHI
(d. Israel Cárdenas & Laura Amelia Guzmán) ***
1/4
UNDER THE BOMBS
(d. Philippe Aractingi) ** 1/2
BLUETOOTH
VIRGIN, THE (d. Russell Brown) *** 1/2
SUMMER HEAT
(d. Monique van de Ven) ** 3/4
SONG OF
SPARROWS, THE (Avaze Gonjeshk-ha)
(d. Majid Majidi) ***
ART OF
NEGATIVE THINKING, THE (Kunsten A Tenke Negativt) (d. Bard Breien) ***
GOOD FOOD
(d. Melissa Young & Mark Dworkin) **
PERFECT MATCH
(d. Anne-Marie Étienne) ***
MICHOU D'AUBER
(d. Thomas Gilou) *** 1/4
PLOY (d. Pen-ek Ratanauang) ** 1/4
BUDDHA COLLAPSED OUT
OF SHAME (d. Hana Makmalbaf)
*** 1/4
27 CLUB, THE
(d. Erica Dunton) ** 1/4
HIDDEN FACE
(d. Bernard Campan) * 1/4
BLOOD
BROTHERS (Tiantang Kou) (d. Alexi Tan) * 1/2
AUGUST (d.
Austin Chick) *** 1/4
KISS THE
BRIDE (d. C. Jay Cox) **
CAPTAIN AHAB (Captaine Achab) (d.
Philippe Ramos) ** 1/4
TIME TO DIE (Pora Umierac) (d. Dorota Kedzierzawska) ***
32A (d. Marian
Quinn) ** 1/2
GAY LIVES
(short program, various directors) (average: ** 1/2)
TBS [NOTHING TO LOSE]
(d. Pieter Kuijpers) *** 1/4
SECRET FESTIVAL #2 *** 1/2
NEWCASTLE
(d. Dan Castle) ***
YOUNG PEOPLE
FUCKING (d. Martin Gero) *** 1/4
CAPTAIN ABU RAED
(d. Amin Matalqa) ***
SHALL WE
KISS? (Un baiser s'il vous plait)
(d. Emmanuel Mouret) *** 1/2
THEATER OF
WAR (d. John Walter) ** 1/2
DAYS AND
CLOUDS (d. Silvio Soldini)
***
ALEXANDRA
(d. Alexander Sokurov) ***
MAGNUS (d. Kadri Köusaar) ** 3/4
SPARROW (Man Jeuk) (d. Johnnie To) ** 1/2
LETTING GO OF
GOD (d. Julia Sweeney) *** 3/4
MAD DETECTIVE
(Shentan) (d. Johnnie To & Wai Ka-Fai) ***
LOST MAN, A (Un homme perdu)
(d. Danielle Artid) ** 1/2
CHOKE (d.
Clark Gregg) * 1/2
CHERRY
BLOSSOMS - HANAMI (d. Dorris Dorrie) *** 1/4
HUDDERSFIELD (Hadersfild) (d. Ivan Zivkovic)
** 1/2
IN SEACH OF KENNEDY
(d. Chuck Workman) * 1/2
VISIONEERS
(d. Jared Drake) 1/2*
CALL ME TROY
(d. Scott Bloom) ***
MAN ON WIRE
(d. James Marsh) *** 3/4
BOYSTOWN
(d. Juan Flahn) ** 3/4
BRICK LANE
(d. Sarah Gavron) ***
GREAT BUCK
HOWARD, THE (d. Sean McGinly) ** 3/4
SATURN IN OPPOSITION
(d. Ferzan Ozpetek) Building evacuation with 10 minutes to go! So a
provisional *** 3/4
RAMCHAND PAKISTANI
(d. Mehreen Jabbar) ***
WAVE, THE (Die Welle) (d. Dennis Gansel)
*** 1/2
MANCORA (d.
Recardo de Montreuil) ** 3/4
TIMECRIMES
(d. Nacho Vigalondo) ** 1/2
SECRET FESTIVAL #3 ***
BLISS (d.
Abdullah Oguz) *** 1/4
WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR
FATHER (d. Anand Tucker) *** 1/4
ENCARNATION
(d. Anahi Berneri)
** 1/4
STILL
ORANGUTANS (d. Gustavo Spoldoro) *** 1/2
LOVE AND
OTHER CRIMES (Liebe und Andere
Verbrechen) (d. Stefan Arsenijevic)
** 3/4
PIERRE
RISSIENT: MAN OF CINEMA (d. Todd McCarthy) ** 1/4
SALAWATI
(d. Marc X. Grigoroff) ***
EMPTIES (d.
Jan Sverak) ***
TEDDY BEAR
(d. Jan Hrebejk) *** 1/4
PRINCESS OF THE
SUN (La reine soleil)
(d. Philippe Leclerc) * 1/2
ISLAND OF LOST
SOULS, THE (De Fortabte Sjaeles
O) (d. Nikolaj Arcel)
** 3/4
STRANDED:
I'VE COME FROM A PLANE THAT CRASHED ON THE MOUNTAINS (d. Gonzalo Arijon) *** 1/2
LAKSHMI AND ME
(d. Nishtha Jain) ** 1/4
SONETAULA
(d. Salvatore Mereu) ***
EM (d.
Tony Barbieri) ** 3/4
MOMMA'S MAN
(d. Azazel Jacobs) ** 1/2
AMERICAN SON
(d. Neil Abramson) *** 1/2
VICE (Tiski) (d. Valery Todorovsky)
***
MYSTERIES OF
PITTSBURGH (d. Rawson Marshall Thurber) ** 3/4
LADY JANE
(d. Robert Guédiguian) ***
FROZEN RIVER
(d. Courtney Hunt) *** 1/2
FAIRY TALE OF
KATHMANDU (d. Neasa Ni Chianain) **
TRIANGLE (Tie Saam Gok) (d. Tsui Hark, Johnnie To, Ringo Lam)
** 1/4
WACKNESS, THE
(d. Jonathan Levine) *** 1/4
JOLENE (d.
Dan Ireland) ***
ALICE UPSIDE DOWN
(d. Sandy Tung) ** 3/4
LEROY (d.
Armin Volckers) ** 1/2
GIRL BY THE
LAKE, THE (La Ragazza del Lago)
(d. Andrea Molaioli) ** 1/2
SLEEP DEALER
(d. Alex Rivera) *** 1/2
SECRET FESTIVAL #4 *** 1/2
BEFORE I
FORGET (Avant que j'oublie) (d. Jacques Nolot)
** 3/4
PERFECT SPORT
(d. Anthony O'Brien) ***
INCREDIBLE HULK, THE (d. Louis Leterrier) King
Kong meets Godzilla except they're people. Good f/x, Norton fine, film
flawed. ** 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
ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD (d. Werner Herzog) Fascinating
footage of
HAPPENING, THE (d. M. Night Shyamalan) Good
acting (Betty Buckley's classic camp), ridiculous script (plot holes to spare).
**
FINDING AMANDA (d. Peter Tolan) Faintly
amusing dramady...witty about the tv game, but the rest not so good. ** 1/4
WANTED (d. Timur Bekmambetov)
Totally amazing kick ass film, MATRIX². McAvoy & Bekmambetov fulfill
their destinies. *** 3/4
WALL*E (d. Andrew Stanton) Technically fine, complex 3-D
animation. But for me lacked entertainment value.
** 3/4
LIVE AND BECOME (d. Radu Mihaileanu)
Epic story of Ethopian non-Jew kid living & growing up in
July, 2008
SATURN IN OPPOSITION
(d. Ferzan Ozpetek) + ***
3/4
KIT KITTREDGE: AN AMERICAN GIRL (d. Patricia Rozema) Fine
depiction of '30s Depression, kid's film with adult resonance. ** 3/4
WAY I SEE THINGS, THE (d. Brian Pera) New Agey, pretentious, arty gay film of about recovering from
depression. ** 1/4
CLAPHAM JUNCTION (d. Adrian Shergold) Terrific
British TV movie about contrasts in modern society (marriage & bashing).
*** 1/2
NEW TWENTY, THE (d. Chris Mason Johnson) Involving story of 5 college
friends nearing 30 encountering NY business & sex life. ***
WATERCOLORS (d. David Oliveras) Touching, beautiful, evocative drama of gay teenage love. One of the best ever. *** 1/2
FASHION VICTIMS (d. Ingo Rasper)
Intermittently funny & clever German farce: two dress salesmen
battle. ** 3/4
HANCOCK (d. Peter Berg) Ridiculous premise, reasonably good f/x.
Superhero with a human face; but I strongly disliked script. * 1/2
DEATH DEFYING ACTS (d. Gillian Armstrong) Excellent period piece; strong
acting by Guy Pierce & Zeta-Jones! *** 1/4
LOVE OF
HOUSEBOY, THE (d. Spencer Schilly) Totally
realistic & sexy portrayal of 20-ish gay boy's life & times. Watch for
actor Nick May. *** 1/4
WHIRLWIND (d. Richard LeMay)
Multi-character NY gay friends story, mostly poorly acted and only
intermittently involving. **
DEVOTEE (d. Rémi Lange) French drama about a
thalidomide 40-ish gay man (no limbs) used as a fetish object. ** 1/2
ODE, THE (d. Nilanjan Neil Lahiri)
Overwrought, heavy handed So. Asian/American gay drama.
Guilt, screwed up childhood. Ugh. * 1/4
CIAO (d. Yen Tan) Touching, arty (in a good
way) American indie gay film...Italian man meets friend on net. ***
DARK KNIGHT, THE (d. Christopher Nolan) Surprisingly
dark and dense, some narrative glitches, but Ledger is as good as the hype. ***
1/4
KARL ROVE I LOVE YOU (d. Butler & Leirness)
Trenchant mocumentary, fun and just real enough to
fool me for a while. ***
MAMMA MIA! (d. Phyllida
Lloyd) Silly plot, ABBA music which doesn't add to story...the cast gives all;
but the direction is so lame. **
LOST COAST, THE (d. Gabriel Fleming) Antoniesque,
arty drama of 2 20ish guys reliving hi-school affair in Castro Halloween
night. ** 3/4
ASTRONAUT FARMER, THE (d. Michael Polish)V.
Subdued Thornton in gentle mode; pretty, feel-good fantasy not typical of
Polish Bros. ** 1/2
BLACK SNAKE MOAN (d. Craig Brewer)V. Ricci's perf
is brave,
BRIDESHEAD REVISITED (d. Julian Jarrold)
Over-amped but curiously passionless & unnecessary redo of a definitive
miniseries. ** 1/4
NANCY DREW (d. Andrew Fleming) V. Poorly acted, silly, misjudged and
failed attempt at a film series for girls. * 1/2
DEAD SILENCE (d. James Wan)V. Stylish horror
flick with ridiculous seen-before "dummy" plot. Looks
great, less filling. ** 1/4
August, 2008
MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR (d. Rob Cohen) Excessive use of every
action cliché in the book. Corny, stupid, but good f/x.
*
STEP BROTHERS (d. Adam McKay) 40ish guys playing kids is not funny. Still, watchable silliness with many groaners. * 1/2
SWING VOTE (d. Joshua Michael Stern) Costner is ideal
"everyman"; nicely acted (esp. Kelsey Grammar), predictable,
timely. ***
BLADES OF GLORY (d. Gordon & Speck)V. Heder is fine, Ferrell barely ok in this surprisingly funny
comedy. Dumb but trenchant. ** 3/4
ELEGY (d. Isabel Coixet) Superb acting by
entire company, lovely, moving adult plot. Cruz should win actress Oscar. ***
3/4
SIXTY SIX (d. Paul Weiland) Nicely
evoked coming of age about a nerdy English boy's Bar Mitzvah in 1966. Builds to satisfying climax. ***
BOTTLE SHOCK (d. Randall Miller)
JAMES DEAN (d. Mark Rydell)V.
+ Superior 2001 TV movie biopic with spectacular perf.
by James Franco. *** 3/4
SHOOT 'EM UP (d. Michael Davis)V. Hyperviolent, imaginative, totally absurd film. Fine cast
wasted. Clive Owen's BMW ads taken
to extreme. ** 3/4
HENRY POOLE IS HERE (d. Mark Pellington) Luke Wilson in a film totally without irony
doesn't compute. * 1/4
PINEAPPLE EXPRESS (d. David Gordon
Green) Genuinely funny stoner chase comedy with brain, wit &
originality. *** 1/4
TROPIC THUNDER (d. Ben Stiller) One
of the funniest, most clever set ups of the movie biz ever. Often silly; but it
worked for me. *** 1/4
TRAITOR (d. Jeffrey Nachmanoff)
GOAL II: LIVING THE DREAM
(d. Jaume Collet-Serra) I'm not into soccer; but this is one sports
film which satisfies. Kuno Becker!, Nivola, Hauer, Dillane, great f/x.
***
September, 2008
PLUS TARD, TU COMPREHENDRA (d. Amos Gitaï) ** 1/2
ACNÉ (d. Federico Veiroj) ***
PASSCHENDAELE (d. Paul Gross) ** 1/2
KHAMSA (d. Karim Dridi) ** 3/4
LINHA DE PASSE (d. Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas) *** 1/2
ME AND ORSON WELLES (d. Richard Linklater) *** 1/4
UNIVERSALOVE (d. Thomas Woschitz) * 3/4
TONY MANERO (d. Pablo Larrain) ** 1/2
PARANOIDS, THE (Los Paranoicos) (d. Gabriel Medina) ** 3/4
ÉTÉ SANS POINT NI COUP SUR, UN (A No-hit, No-run Summer) (d. Francis Leclerc) ** 3/4
PATRIK, AGE 1.5 (d. Ella Lemhagen) *** 1/2
THREE BLIND MICE (d. Matthew Newton) ***
FAUBOURG 36 (d. Christophe Barratier) ** 3/4
GIRL FROM MONACO, THE (La fille de Monaco) (d. Anne Fontaine) ** 1/4
IS THERE ANYBODY THERE? (d. John Crowley) *** 1/4
LORNA'S SILENCE (Le silance de Lorna) (d. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne) *** 1/2
OTHER MAN, THE (d. Richard Eyre) ***
REAL TIME (d. Randall Cole) ** 3/4
COUNTRY TEACHER, THE (d. Bohdan Sláma) *** 3/4
HURT LOCKER, THE (d. Kathryn Bigelow) ****
CHRISTMAS TALE, A (Un conte de Noël) (d. Arnaud Desplechin) *** 1/4
VOY A EXPLOTAR (I'm Going to Explode) (d. Gerardo Naranjo) ** 3/4
GENOVA (d. Michael Winterbottom) ***
FLAME & CITRON (Flammen & Citronen) (d. Ole Christian Madsen) ***
NUIT DE CHIEN (Tonight) (d. Werner Schroeter) *
SOUNDS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT: A POPUMENTARY (d. Jamie Jay Johnson) *** 1/2
L'HEURE D'ÉTÉ (Summer Hours) (d. Olivier Assayas) *** 3/4
ADORATION (d. Atom Egoyan) *** 1/2
ONE WEEK (d. Michael McGowan) ***
UNCERTAINTY (d. Scott McGehee, David Siegel) ** 1/4
REVANCHE (d. Götz Spielmann) *** 1/2
FIFTY DEAD MEN WALKING (d. Kari Skogland) ***
WINDS OF SEPTEMBER (Jiu Jiang Feng) (d. Tom Shu-Yu Lin) **
PERFECT DAY, A (Un Giorno perfetto) (d. Ferzan Ozpetek) *** 1/4
PARC (d. Arnaud des Pallières) * 1/2
EMPTY NEST (El Nido Vacio) (d. Daniel Burman) ***
WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU (d. Brian Goodman) ***
WHITE NIGHT WEDDING (Brúdguminn) (d. Baltasar Kormákur) ** 3/4
CONTROL ALT DELETE (d. Cameron Labine) ** 3/4
KRABAT (d. Marco Kreuzpaintner) *** 1/2
EASY VIRTUE (d. Stephan Elliott) ***
SEA WALL, THE (Un barrage contre le Pacifique) (d. Rithy Panh) *** 1/4
PEDRO (d. Nick Oceano) *** 1/2
NARROWS, THE (d. François A. Velle) ***
INJU, LA BÊTE DANS L'OMBRES (Inju, the Beast in the Shadow) (d. Barbet Schroeder) ** 3/4
AFTERWARDS (d. Gilles Bourdos) ** 1/4
AT THE DEATH HOUSE DOOR (d.
Gilbert & James) Low key docu about former Texas death row
chaplin, esp. his remorse over past injustices & the penalty
itself. ** 3/4
EAGLE EYE (d. D.J. Caruso)
Absurd script well executed. Raises paranoia quotient and chase
sequence destruction derby games to new, ridiculous high. Shia is
fine. ** 1/2
BETRAYAL, THE (Nerakhoon) (d.
Kuras & Phrasavath) Docu of Laotian family uprooted to U.S. after
"secret" war. Moving, but confusingly cut with overdone music. ** 1/2
CROSSING BORDERS (d. Arnd
Wächter) Hopeful, moving docu feels like "Real World Morocco", 4
American & 4 Moroccan students live together for a week and keep it
real. *** 1/4
DHAMMA BROTHERS, THE (d. Jenny Phillips) Hopeful, thoughtful docu of Alabaman prisoners who find peace thru Buddhist meditation. ***
October, 2008
FORGOTTEN WOMAN, THE (d. Dilip Mehta) Docu based on plight of widows in India (non-fiction version of Water). Intrinsically horrifying; but film meanders. ***
KICKING IT (d. Susan Koch)
Uplifting, if predictable docu about contestants at the 2006 Homeless
World Cup soccer tournament in Capetown. ***
LAKEVIEW TERRACE (d. Neil LaBute) Crash like dystopian view of L.A., Overwrought & unsettling, if effective filmmaking. Hit too close to home. ** 3/4
NIGHTS IN RODANTHE (d. George C. Wolfe) Every romantic cliché. Nicely acted, but unbelieveable, contemptuous script. * 3/4
NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST (d. Peter Sollett) "Nice" NYC version of Superbad. Fun and funny, even smart wasted teens story. Cera's a true pomo hero. ***
ROCKNROLLA (d. Guy Ritchie) Some clever bits looking for a coherent narrative. Typical Ritchie, not a good thing imo. ** 1/2
WHAT JUST HAPPENED (d. Barry
Levinson) Funny, truthful look at Hollywood from pov of a fading
power-broker producer (DeNiro's best role in years.) *** 1/4
HOUSE OF ADAM, THE (d. Jorge
Ameer) Gay ghost story. A film of towering badness in every
aspect: acting, direction, script, all the technicals, yet somehow
watchable. *
I.O.U.S.A. (d. Patrick Creadon)
Very well made pov docu about the crushing future economic deficits
facing the U.S. Nobody wants to hear this, but everybody
should. *** 1/2
NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY: LASZLO & VILMOS (d. James Chressanthis) Revelatory docu about 2 Hungarian cinematographers. Fine visuals, well constructed. *** 1/4
BODY OF LIES (d. Ridley Scott)
Entertaining star driven CIA vs. terrorist contempo thriller.
Scott is a director in control of the medium. *** 1/4
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY (d. Mike Leigh)
Formless, well acted character study centered around a happy-go-lucky
young woman and her angst ridden driving teacher. ** 3/4
RELIGULOUS (d. Larry Charles) I
agree with everything in this film; but Maher's script depends too much
on editing cheats, unlike much superior Letting Go of God. . ** 3/4
I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (d.
Philippe Claudel) Superb, original & unpredictable family drama
with towering perfs from Kristin Thomas & Elsa Zylberstein. *** 1/2
SINGING REVOLUTION, THE (d.
James & Maureen Tusty) Moving, eloquent and vital docu of how
Estonian freedom is due to the culture of singing. *** 1/2
SPIRIT OF THE MARATHON, THE (d. Jon Dunham) Human interest docu about people who run Chicago marathon. Nicely shot, but of limited interest. ** 3/4
DUNYA & DESIE (d.Dana Nechushtan; Netherlands) ** 3/4
COLOR OF FAME, THE (d.Alesandro Bellame Palacios; Venezuela) ***
BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX, THE (d. Uli Edel; Germany) *** 1/4
SECRET LIFE OF BEES (d. Gina Bythewood) Color Purplish film with a fine cast. Dakota Fanning is great; but Paul Bettany surprises playing a Southern redneck. ***
W. (d. Oliver Stone) Well
made, if creepy biopic. Drags in the 2nd act. Brolin is fine; but I'd
rather forget that Bush ever existed if I could. ** 3/4
CITY OF EMBER (d. Gil Kenan) Superb dystopian heroic fantasy, a live action Wall*E with the visual panache of Brazil. *** 1/2
MASQUERADES (d. Lyes Salem; Algeria) *** 1/4
MERMAID, THE (d. Anna Melikyan; Russia) ***
BLINDNESS (d. Fernando Meirelles) Unrealistic, but strong catastrophe film (like 28 Days Later) about mystery blindness illness & society throwing victims away. ** 1/2
BURN AFTER READING (d. Joel
& Ethan Coen) Silly, but quite entertaining farce about CIA snafu
involving a computer disk & some greedy Washingtonians. ***
VERY YOUNG GIRLS (d. David
Schisgall) Well meaning, ernest docu about 13-16 year old sexually
exploited girls & an organization in N.Y. (GEMS) to help
them. ** 1/2
FRIEND, THE (Der Freund) (d. Micha Lewinsky, Switzerland) *** 1/4
DEPARTURES (Okuribito) (d. Yojiro Takita; Japan) *** 3/4
BLIND LOVES (d. Juraj Lehotsky; Slovakia) *** 1/4
GOMORRA (d. Matteo Garrone; Italy) ** 3/4
PRIDE AND GLORY (d. Gavin O'Connor) Good acting and produciton values don't make up for plot clichés. ** 1/2
CHANGELING, THE
(d. Clint Eastwood) Schocking true story resonates emotionally. Jolie's
over-the-top perf. is Oscar bait; but Eastwood's clear vision
holds. ***
BROTHERS BLOOM, THE (d. Rian
Johnson) Silly, slapsticky, anachronistic fantasy which wastes a good
cast. A strange comedown for the director of Brick. * 1/4
WORLDS APART (To verdener) (d. Niels Arden Oplev; Denmark) ***
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA (d. Woody Allen) Talky, narration filled, often clever but (for me) uninvolving dramedy about relationships. ** 3/4
DUCHESS, THE (d. Saul Dibb)
Excellently made, authentic seeming, gorgeous and even moving
historical epic with great perfs by Keira and Ralph. *** 1/2
WAR GAMES (d. Dariusz
Jablonski) Polish docu about the tragic life of cold war Pole who spied
for U.S. Quite creative filmmaking, fascinating but scattered. ***
NECESSITIES OF LIFE (Ce quíl faut pour vivre) (d. Benoit Pilon; Canada) *** 1/2
HOME OF DARK BUTTERFLYS, THE (d. Dome Karukoski; Finland) ** 3/4
November, 2008
O'HORTEN (d. Bent Hamer; Norway) ***
TOKYO! (d. Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, Joon-ho Bong) ** 1/2, * 3/4, ** 1/2
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 (d. Kenny
Ortega) Surprisingly good, fun and frothy. High energy, ok score,
great choriography make for a diverting experience. ***
AIMÉE, L' (d. Arnaud Desplechin) ** 1/4
VIE DES MORTS, LA (d. Arnaud Desplechin) ***
BLOOD APPEARS (La Sangre Brota) (d. Pablo Fendik) ** 1/2
ZACK AND MIRA MAKE A PORNO (d. Kevin Smith) Intermittantly funny and Rogan is the perfect pomo hero...still, Smith's script sucks. ** 1/2
BOYFRIEND FOR MY WIFE, A (Un novio para mi mujer) (d. Juan Taratuto) ** 3/4
PATRIK, AGE 1.5 (d. Ella Lemhagen) + Second time around even better...this time I could appreciate more the outstanding filmmaking. *** 1/2
OUR BELOVED MONTH OF AUGUST (d. Miguel Gomes; Portugal) W/O
LAKE TAHOE (d. Fernando Eimbcke) ** 3/4
CHASER, THE (d. Na Hong-jin) *** 1/2
TWO LOVERS (d. James Gray) ***
ALONE IN FOUR WALLS (Allein in vier wanden) (d. Alexandra Westmeier) *** 1/4
BETTER THINGS (d. Duane Hopkins) ** 1/2
GOODBYE MOTHERS (d. Mohammed Ismail; Morocco) ** 3/4
SNOW (Snijeg) (d. Aida Begic; Bosnia and Herzegovina) ***
WELLNESS (d. Jake Mahaffy) ** 1/2
BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS, THE (d. Mark Herman) Emotionally affecting, well acted (Farmiga and the two boys especially). Too pat. ***
NIRVANA (d. Igor Voloshin) ***
HIGHER FORCE, THE (d. Olaf de Fleur Johannesson) Silly Iceland comedy which went nowhere for 45 minutes so I walked. W/O
KISSES (d. Lance Daly) *** 1/2
AFTERSCHOOL (d. Antonio Campos) *** 1/4
TEAR THIS HEART OUT (Arráncame la vida) (d. Roberto Sneider, Mexico) *** 1/4
CORRECTION (Diorthosi) (d. Thanos Anastopoulos, Greece) ** 1/4
APPALOOSA (d. Ed Harris) I like westerns; but despite a fine cast this one seems derivative (e.g. 3:10 to Yuma) & lacking convincing motivations. ** 1/4
PA-RA-DA (d. Marco Pontecorvo) *** 1/4
PAST IS A FOREIGN LAND, THE (Il passato e'una terra straniera) (d. Daniele Vicari) *** 1/2
BLIND SUNFLOWERS, THE (Los girasoles ciegos) (d. Joeé Luis Cuerda; Spain) ***
DEFENDERS OF RIGA (Rigas Sargi) (d. Algars Grauba; Latvia) ** 1/2
ILLUSION OF FEAR, THE (d. Aleksandr Kirienko; Ukraine) * 3/4
ROOSTER'S BREAKFAST, THE (Petalinaji zajtrk) (d. Marco Nabersnik; Slovenia) ***
QUANTUM OF SOLACE (d. Mark
Forster) High production values & a fine Bond don't make up for
hyperactive cutting and horrendously confusing plot. * 1/2
ROLE MODELS (d. David Wain) Sweet comedy with a perfect cast. ***
OTHER END OF THE LINE, THE (d. James Dodson) Every romantic cliché in the book; but Jesse Metcalfe isn't half bad. **
TALK TO ME ABOUT LOVE (Parlami d'amore) (d. Silvio Muccino) ***
BLOOD OF THE LOSERS (Il sangue de vinti) (d. Michele Soavi) *** 1/2
TULPAN (d. Sergei Dvortsevoy; Kazakhstan) *** 1/4
TAARE ZAMEEN PAR (d. Aamir Khan; India) ** 3/4
REST IS SILENCE, THE (d. Nae Caranfil; Romania) *** 1/4
MY MAGIC (d. Eric Khoo; Singapore) ** 1/2
EDEN (d. Declan Recks) Intimate, disturbing, well played drama of a marriage troubled by the 10 year itch. ***
MILK (d. Gus Van Sant) *** 3/4
TWILIGHT (d. Catherine
Hardwicke) Paradigmic film with vampirism as metaphor for teenage
insecurities. Strangely beautiful & involving. *** 1/4
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (d. Danny Boyle) Intense melodrama about boy from Mombai slums competing in TV game show. ***
AUSTRALIA (d. Bazz Luhrmann) Reminiscent of Giant, a gigantic, yet intimate epic focusing on ranching & a country's ethos. Ambitions almost fulfilled. ***
December, 2008
PLONING (d. Dante Nico Garcia; Philippines) **
PAINTED SKIN (d. Gordon Chan; Hong Kong) ** 1/4
ARCHANGEL (d. Jon Jones)
V. TV thriller from Robert Harris book with a dead fish Daniel Craig
perf. pre-Bond, but quite authentic Soviet feeling. ***
SPECIAL (d. Haberman and
Passmore) Michael Rappaport as pathetically needy meter man who goes
psycho on an experimental drug. Minor stuff. ** 1/4
FROST/NIXON (d. Ron Howard) Surprisingly fascinating middlebrow film, with a career perf. by Longella. *** 1/2
BRITZ (d. Peter Kominsky) V.
Shattering, scary story of Pakistani/Brit brother & sister caught
up in modern terrorism on opposite sides. *** 1/2
BLACK BALLOON, THE (d. Elissa Down) Australian family with autistic son from pov of younger brother. Well observed, tough, truthful. *** 1/4
OPIUM WAR (d. Siddiq Barmak; Afghanistan) * 3/4
EVERLASTING MOMENTS (d. Jan Troell; Sweden) ***
WALTZ WITH BASHIR (d. Ari Folman; Israel) *** 1/2
CAPE NO. 7 (d. Te-Sheng Wei; Taiwan) **
DOUBT (d. John Patrick Shanley)
Major acting kudos (esp. Viola Davis), but film's ambiguity and murky
central thesis a problem for me. ** 3/4
THE WRESTLER (d. Darren
Aronofsky) Despite cringeworthy wrestling action, humanistic Aronofsky
shines. Rourk is phenomenal, as are the women. *** 1/4
GOOD (d. Vicente Amorim) A misguided but fairly involving Holocaust film about a "good" German SS man & his Jewish buddy. ** 1/2
NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH (d. Rod Lurie) Clever, satisfying adaptation of Valerie Plame affair. Superb acting ensemble. *** 1/4
NUITS D'ARABIE (d. Paul Kieffer; Luxembourg) *** 1/4
LOSS (d. Maris Martinsons; Lithuania) **
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED (d. Jonathan Demme) Superbly acted and perfectly executed Dogme 95 filmmaking. *** 1/2
NO ONE'S SON (Niciji sin) (d. Arsen Ostojic; Croatia) *** 1/4
KARAMAZOVS, THE (d. Petr Zelenka; Czech Republic) ** 1/2
HEAVENS BLUE (Tengri) (d. Marie Jaoul de Poncheville; Kyrgyzstan) *** 1/4
LION'S DEN, THE (d. Pablo Trapero; Argentina) *** 1/2
DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, THE (d. Scott Derrickson) Good f/x; but sappy, incredulous script a million times inferior to original.* 1/2
CHE Part 1 (d. Steven Soderbergh) Light on exposition, too many characters to keep straight, still interesting as docudrama. ** 3/4
CHE Part 2 (d. Steven
Soderbergh) Same problesm; but it just works better as futility and
defeat is just more interesting than victory. ***
NOBEL SON (d. Randall Miller) Absurd plot; but stylish enough to keep me interested...but just falls apart in 3rd act. * 3/4
MADE IN AMERICA (d. Stacy Peralta) Flashy docu of history of gangs in L.A., affecting, frightening & ultimately uplifting. *** 1/4
CLASS, THE (Entre les murs) (d. Laurent Cantet; France) *** 3/4
I WAS HERE (d. René Vilbre; Estonia) ***
IN A DREAM (d. Jeremiah Zagar)
Raw nerve of a docu about Phila mosaic artist Isiah Zagar & his
wife by the 2nd son. Fascinating but difficult. ***
WENDY AND LUCY (d. Kelly
Reichardt) Quietly effective character study which mirrors bad economic
times. Michelle Williams very fine here. *** 1/4
INDIANA JONES & THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (d. Steven Spielberg) Great f/x can't mask stupid escapist fantasy story. ** 1/4
WERE THE WORLD MINE (d. Tom Gustafson) Good try at a gay Midsummernight's Dream prep school fantasy. But no cigar. **
DARK STREETS (d. Rachel
Samuels) Rarely has so much stylishness been put in aid of such a lame
story. Only singers & prod. designers come out ok. **
READER, THE (d. Stephen Daldry) Exquisite film, tender, moving; with astounding central perfs. David Kross fulfills promise of Krabat. *** 1/2
CADILLAC RECORDS (d. Darnell
Martin) Interesting biopic of Chess recording artists. Nice musical
numbers, esp. Beyoncé's Etta James. ** 3/4
PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL (d. Gini Reticker) Talky docu with important subject: women getting together to stop bloodshed in Liberia. ** 3/4
FORTRESS (d.Shamil Nacafzada; Azerbaijan) * 1/2
HOPE ETERNAL (d. Karl Francis; United Kingdom) ** 1/2
THE SORROW OF MRS. SCHNEIDER (d. Piro & Eno Milkani; Albania) ***
SEVEN POUNDS (d. Gabriele Muccino) ** 1/4
CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, THE (d. David Fincher) Moving, epic filmmaking which works at all levels. Nearly a masterpiece. *** 1/2
DEFIANCE (d. Edward Zwick) Involving, well directed...but somewhat clichéd and old fashioned. ***
TROUBLE THE WATER (d. Deal & Lessin) Docu with amateur video work, but a strong personalized message about Katrina lessons. ***
SYNECDOCHE, N.Y. (d. Charlie Kaufman) Excruciating exercise in self indulgence...but funny in an in-joke kind of way. **
BLESSED IS THE MATCH: The Life & Death of Hannah Senesh (d. Roberta Grossman) Enormously moving docu re: Hungarian/Palistinian WWII heroine. *** 3/4
GLASS: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts (d. Scott Hicks) Inherently intersting if overlong docu about composer. ***
LAST CHANCE HARVEY (Joel Hopkins) Predictable, adult romantic comedy with fine acting. London has rarely looked better. ** 3/4
GRAN TORINO (d. Clint Eastwood) The gran curmudgeon as sassy as ever. Neatly plotted if a tad obvious. ***
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (d. Sam
Mendes) Kate is pheomenal, Leo less so; but unpleasant film is caustic,
dramatic dynamite with ring of truth. *** 1/4
VALKYRIE (d. Bryan Singer) Fine complex action flick with real tension despite knowing the plot. ***
GARDEN, THE (d. Scott Hamilton
Kennedy) Infuriating docu about a disputed S. Central L.A. parcel of
land which is political dynamite. *** 1/2
THEY KILLED SISTER DOROTHY (d. Daniel Junge) Shocking docu about miscarried justice in the Brazil rainforests. *** 1/4
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