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 films wached through July 1, 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! ***
THE WHORE & THE WHALE (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) ***
THE INCREDIBLE HULK (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)
ACNÉ (d. Federico Veiroj)
PASSCHENDAELE (d. Paul Gross)
KHAMSA (d. Karim Dridi)
LINHA DE PASSE (d. Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas)
ME AND ORSON WELLES (d. Richard Linklater)
UNIVERSALOVE (d. Thomas Woschitz)
TONY MANERO (d. Pablo Larrain)
THE PARANOIDS (Los Paranoicos) (d. Gabriel Medina)
UN ÉTÉ SANS POINT NI COUP SUR (A No-hit, No-run Summer) (d. Francis Leclerc)
PATRIK, AGE 1.5 (d. Ella Lemhagen)
THREE BLIND MICE (d. Matthew Newton)
FAUBOURG 36 (d. Christophe Barratier)
LA FILLE DE MONACO (d. Anne Fontaine)
IS THERE ANYBODY THERE? (d. John Crowley)
LE SILENCE DE LORNA (d. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)
GOMORRAH (d. Matteo Garrone)
THE OTHER MAN (d. Richard Eyre)
REAL TIME (d. Randall Cole)
THE COUNTRY TEACHER (d. Bohdan Sláma)
THE HURT LOCKER (d. Kathryn Bigelow)
UN CONTE DE NOËL (A CHRISTMAS TALE) (d. Arnaud Desplechin)
VOY A EXPLOTAR (d. Gerardo Naranjo)
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)
L'HEURE D'ÉTÉ (Summer Hours) (d. Olivier Assayas)
ADORATION (d. Atom Egoyan)
ONE WEEK (d. Michael McGowan)
UNCERTAINTY (d. Scott McGehee, David Siegel)
GOOD (d. Vicente Amorim)
FIFTY DEAD MEN WALKING (d. Kari Skogland)
WINDS OF SEPTEMBER (Jiu Jiang Feng) (d. Tom Shu-Yu Lin)
A PERFECT DAY (Un Giorno perfetto) (d. Ferzan Ozpetek)
PARC (d. Arnaud des Pallières)
IL DIVO (d. Paolo Sorrentino)
EMPTY NEST (El Nido Vacio) (d. Daniel Burman)
WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU (d. Brian Goodman)
WHITE NIGHT WEDDING (Brúdguminn) (d. Baltasar Kormákur)
CONTROL ALT DELETE (d. Cameron Labine)
KRABAT (d. Marco Kreuzpaintner)
EASY VIRTUE (d. Stephan Elliott)
UN BARRAGE CONTRE LE PACIFIQUE (The Sea Wall) (d. Rithy Panh)
PEDRO (d. Nick Oceano)
THE NARROWS (d. François A. Velle)
INJU, LA BÊTE DANS L'OMBRES (Inju, the Beast in the Shadow) (d. Barbet Schroeder)
AFTERWARDS (d. Gilles Bourdos)
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