| 2008
Alphabetical List of All Films Watched |
|
| In 2008 I watched 500 feature
length films, mostly in theaters. |
|
| 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) *** |
| ACNÉ (d. Federico Veiroj)
*** |
| ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (d. Julie Taymore) + Even on 2nd view, this is my fave film of
decade so far. **** |
| ADORATION (d. Atom
Egoyan) *** 1/2 |
| AFTERSCHOOL
(d. Antonio Campos) *** 1/4 |
| AFTERWARDS (d.
Gilles Bourdos) ** 1/4 |
| AIMÉE, L'
(d. Arnaud Desplechin) ** 1/4 |
| 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 |
| ALONE
IN FOUR WALLS (Allein in vier wanden) (d. Alexandra Westmeier) *** 1/4 |
| AMERICAN SON (d.
Neil Abramson) *** 1/2 |
| AMERICAN
TEEN (d. Nanette Burstein) *** 1/4 |
| ANOTHER
LIFE (Ovunque Sei) (d. Michele Placido) *** |
| ANTARCTICA
(d. Yair Hochner) Multi-character Israeli gay story of hot men & their
sex lives. Well acted, somewhat involving. *** |
| APARTMENT, THE (d. Billy
Wilder) + Holds up remarkably, still Lemmon's and
MacLaine's triumph; but also a fine original script. *** 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 |
| 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. *** |
| ART OF NEGATIVE
THINKING, THE (Kunsten A Tenke Negativt) (d. Bard Breien) *** |
| ASTRONAUT FARMER, THE (d. Michael Polish)V. Subdued Thornton in gentle mode; pretty,
feel-good fantasy not typical of Polish Bros. ** 1/2 |
| 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 |
| AUGUST (d. Austin Chick)
*** 1/4 |
| AUSTRALIA (d.
Bazz Luhrmann) Reminiscent of Giant, a gigantic, yet intimate epic focusing on ranching & a
country's ethos. Ambitions almost fulfilled. *** |
| BAADER
MEINHOF COMPLEX, THE (d. Uli Edel; Germany) *** 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. **** |
| 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 |
| BETTER
THINGS (d. Duane Hopkins) ** 1/2 |
| BLACK BALLOON, THE (d. Elissa Down) Australian family with autistic son from pov
of younger brother. Well observed, tough, truthful. *** 1/4 |
| BLACK SNAKE MOAN (d. Craig Brewer)V. Ricci's perf is brave, Jackson is fine,
Timberlake less so. Film: clichéd mishmash. ** 3/4 |
| BLADES OF GLORY (d. Gordon & Speck)V. Heder is fine, Ferrell barely ok in
this surprisingly funny comedy. Dumb but trenchant. ** 3/4 |
| BLESSED IS THE MATCH: The
Life & Death of Hannah Senesh (d. Roberta Grossman)
Enormously moving docu re: Hungarian/Palistinian WWII heroine. *** 3/4 |
| BLIND
LOVES (d. Juraj Lehotsky; Slovakia) *** 1/4 |
| BLIND
SUNFLOWERS, THE (Los girasoles ciegos) (d. Joeé Luis Cuerda; Spain) *** |
| BLINDNESS
(d. Fernando Meirelles) Unrealistic, but strong catastrophe film (like 28 Days Later) about mystery
blindness illness & society throwing victims away. ** 1/2 |
| BLISS (d. Abdullah
Oguz) *** 1/4 |
| BLOOD
APPEARS (La Sangre Brota) (d. Pablo Fendik) ** 1/2 |
| BLOOD BROTHERS
(Tiantang Kou) (d. Alexi Tan) * 1/2 |
| BLOOD OF
THE LOSERS (Il sangue de vinti) (d. Michele Soavi) *** 1/2 |
| BLUETOOTH
VIRGIN, THE (d. Russell Brown) *** 1/2 |
| 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 |
| BOTTLE SHOCK (d. Randall Miller) Napa vintage 1976 & wine growing.
Looks good; but terrible on the palate. Terrible script. * 1/2 |
| BOY A (d. John Crowley)
*** 3/4 |
| BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS,
THE (d. Mark Herman) Emotionally affecting, well acted
(Farmiga and the two boys especially). Too pat. *** |
| BOYFRIEND
FOR MY WIFE, A (Un novio para mi mujer) (d. Juan Taratuto) ** 3/4 |
| BOYSTOWN (d. Juan
Flahn) ** 3/4 |
| BRICK LANE (d. Sarah
Gavron) *** |
| BRIDESHEAD REVISITED (d. Julian Jarrold) Over-amped but curiously passionless &
unnecessary redo of a definitive miniseries. ** 1/4 |
| BRITZ (d.
Peter Kominsky) V. Shattering, scary story of Pakistani/Brit brother &
sister caught up in modern terrorism on opposite sides. *** 1/2 |
| 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 |
| BUDDHA COLLAPSED OUT OF
SHAME (d. Hana Makmalbaf) *** 1/4 |
| BUM'S NAME,
THE (Civico 0) (d. Citto Maselli) *** |
| BURN AFTER READING (d. Joel & Ethan Coen) Silly, but quite entertaining farce
about CIA snafu involving a computer disk & some greedy
Washingtonians. *** |
| CADILLAC RECORDS (d. Darnell Martin) Interesting biopic of Chess recording
artists. Nice musical numbers, esp. Beyoncé's Etta James. ** 3/4 |
| CALIFORNIA
DREAMIN' (ENDLESS) (d. Cristian Nemescu) *** 1/4 |
| CALL ME TROY (d. Scott
Bloom) *** |
| CAMILLE (d. Gregory
Mackenzie) * 3/4 |
| CAPE NO. 7
(d. Te-Sheng Wei; Taiwan) ** |
| 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 |
| 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. *** |
| CHASER, THE
(d. Na Hong-jin) *** 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. *** |
| 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 |
| CHRISTMAS TALE,
A (Un conte de Noël) (d. Arnaud Desplechin) *** 1/4 |
| CIAO (d.
Yen Tan) Touching, arty (in a good way) American indie gay film...Italian man
meets friend on net. *** |
| CITY OF EMBER (d. Gil Kenan) Superb dystopian heroic fantasy, a live action Wall*E with the visual panache of Brazil. *** 1/2 |
| CITY OF MEN
(d. Paolo Morelli) Much better than City of God, imho. Emotionally affecting, driving narrative. *** 1/4 |
| CLAPHAM JUNCTION (d. Adrian Shergold) Terrific British TV movie about contrasts
in modern society (marriage & bashing). *** 1/2 |
| CLASS, THE
(d. Ilmar Raag; Estonia) *** 1/2 |
| CLASS, THE
(Entre les murs) (d. Laurent Cantet; France) *** 3/4 |
| COCHOCHI (d. Israel
Cárdenas & Laura Amelia Guzmán) *** 1/4 |
| COLOR
OF FAME, THE (d.Alesandro Bellame Palacios; Venezuela) *** |
| 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 |
| CONTROL ALT DELETE (d. Cameron Labine) ** 3/4 |
| CORRECTION
(Diorthosi) (d. Thanos Anastopoulos, Greece) ** 1/4 |
| CORTEX (d.
Nicolas Boukhrief) *** |
| COUNTRY
TEACHER, THE (d. Bohdan Sláma) *** 3/4 |
| CRANFORD
(d. Simon Curtis) V. Superb British early Victorian mini-series which just
got better & better. The final part blew me away. *** 1/2 |
| CREATIVE NATURE
(d. John Andres) ** 1/4 |
| 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 |
| CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN
BUTTON, THE (d. David Fincher) Moving, epic filmmaking
which works at all levels. Nearly a masterpiece. *** 1/2 |
| 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 |
| DARK KNIGHT, THE (d. Christopher Nolan) Surprisingly dark and dense, some
narrative glitches, but Ledger is as good as the hype. *** 1/4 |
| 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. ** |
| DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL,
THE (d. Scott Derrickson) Good f/x; but sappy,
incredulous script a million times inferior to original.* 1/2 |
| DAYS AND CLOUDS
(d. Silvio Soldini) *** |
| DEAD SILENCE (d. James Wan)V. Stylish horror flick with ridiculous
seen-before "dummy" plot. Looks great, less filling. ** 1/4 |
| DEAL (d.
Gil Cates, Jr.) Predictable, but the poker was realistic & Bret Harrison
is a winning actor. ** 3/4 |
| DEATH DEFYING ACTS (d. Gillian Armstrong) Excellent period piece; strong acting
by Guy Pierce & Zeta-Jones! *** 1/4 |
| DEFENDERS
OF RIGA (Rigas Sargi) (d. Algars Grauba; Latvia) ** 1/2 |
| DEFIANCE
(d. Edward Zwick) Involving, well directed...but somewhat clichéd and old
fashioned. *** |
| DEPARTURES
(Okuribito) (d. Yojiro Takita; Japan) *** 3/4 |
| DEVOTEE
(d. Rémi Lange) French drama about a thalidomide 40-ish gay man (no limbs)
used as a fetish object. ** 1/2 |
| DHAMMA BROTHERS, THE (d. Jenny Phillips) Hopeful, thoughtful docu of Alabaman
prisoners who find peace thru Buddhist meditation. *** |
| 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 |
| DREAM BOY (d. James
Bolton) ** 1/2 |
| DUCHESS, THE (d. Saul Dibb) Excellently made, authentic seeming, gorgeous
and even moving historical epic with great perfs by Keira and Ralph. *** 1/2 |
| DUNYA &
DESIE (d.Dana Nechushtan; Netherlands) ** 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 |
| EASY VIRTUE (d.
Stephan Elliott) *** |
| EDEN (d.
Declan Recks) Intimate, disturbing, well played drama of a marriage troubled
by the 10 year itch. *** |
| ELEGY (d.
Isabel Coixet) Superb acting by entire company, lovely, moving adult plot.
Cruz should win actress Oscar. *** 3/4 |
| 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)
*** |
| EMPTY NEST (El Nido
Vacio) (d. Daniel Burman) *** |
| 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 |
| ÉTÉ SANS POINT
NI COUP SUR, UN (A No-hit, No-run Summer) (d. Francis Leclerc) ** 3/4 |
| EVERLASTING
MOMENTS (d. Jan Troell; Sweden) *** |
| 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 |
| FASHION VICTIMS (d. Ingo Rasper) Intermittently funny & clever German
farce: two dress salesmen battle. ** 3/4 |
| FAST FOOD NATION (d. Richard Linklater) Exploited Mexicans, slaughtered cattle,
great cast, tough sell! *** |
| FAUBOURG 36 (d.
Christophe Barratier) ** 3/4 |
| 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 DEAD MEN
WALKING (d. Kari Skogland) *** |
| 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 |
| FLAME & CITRON
(Flammen & Citronen) (d. Ole Christian Madsen) *** |
| 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 |
| FORGOTTEN WOMAN, THE (d. Dilip Mehta) Docu based on plight of widows in India
(non-fiction version of Water). Intrinsically horrifying; but film meanders. *** |
| FORTRESS
(d.Shamil Nacafzada; Azerbaijan) * 1/2 |
| FOSTER CHILD (d.
Brilliante Mendoza) ** 3/4 |
| FREEDOM WRITERS (d. Richard LaGravenese)V. Surprisingly moving true story of
teacher vs. gangs. *** 1/4 |
| FRIEND, THE
(Der Freund) (d. Micha Lewinsky, Switzerland) *** 1/4 |
| FROST/NIXON
(d. Ron Howard) Surprisingly fascinating middlebrow film, with a career perf.
by Longella. *** 1/2 |
| FROZEN RIVER (d.
Courtney Hunt) *** 1/2 |
| GARDEN PARTY (d.
Jason Freeland) *** |
| GARDEN, THE
(d. Scott Hamilton Kennedy) Infuriating docu about a disputed S. Central L.A.
parcel of land which is political dynamite. *** 1/2 |
| GAY LIVES (short
program, various directors) (average: ** 1/2) |
| GENOVA (d. Michael
Winterbottom) *** |
| GIRL BY THE LAKE,
THE (La Ragazza del Lago) (d. Andrea Molaioli) ** 1/2 |
| GIRL FROM
MONACO, THE (La fille de Monaco) (d. Anne Fontaine) ** 1/4 |
| GLASS: A Portrait of Philip
in Twelve Parts (d. Scott Hicks) Inherently intersting if
overlong docu about composer. *** |
| 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. *** |
| GOMORRA
(d. Matteo Garrone; Italy) ** 3/4 |
| GONZO: THE LIFE AND
WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON (d. Alex Gibney) *** 1/2 |
| GOOD (d.
Vicente Amorim) A misguided but fairly involving Holocaust film about a
"good" German SS man & his Jewish buddy. ** 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 |
| GOODBYE
MOTHERS (d. Mohammed Ismail; Morocco) ** 3/4 |
| GRAN TORINO
(d. Clint Eastwood) The gran curmudgeon as sassy as ever. Neatly
plotted if a tad obvious. *** |
| 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) ** |
| HANCOCK
(d. Peter Berg) Ridiculous premise, reasonably good f/x. Superhero with a
human face; but I strongly disliked script. * 1/2 |
| HAPPENING, THE (d. M. Night Shyamalan) Good acting (Betty Buckley's classic
camp), ridiculous script (plot holes to spare). ** |
| 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 |
| HEARTBEAT
DETECTOR (d. Nicolas Klotz) ** 1/4 |
| HEAVENS
BLUE (Tengri) (d. Marie Jaoul de Poncheville; Kyrgyzstan) *** 1/4 |
| HENRY POOLE IS HERE (d. Mark Pellington) Luke Wilson in a film totally without
irony doesn't compute. * 1/4 |
| HIDDEN FACE (d.
Bernard Campan) * 1/4 |
| HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 (d. Kenny Ortega) Surprisingly good, fun and frothy. High
energy, ok score, great choriography make for a diverting experience.
*** |
| HIGHER FORCE, THE (d. Olaf de Fleur Johannesson) Silly Iceland comedy which went
nowhere for 45 minutes so I walked. W/O |
| HOME OF
DARK BUTTERFLYS, THE (d. Dome Karukoski; Finland) ** 3/4 |
| HOME
SONG STORIES, THE (d. Tony Ayres; Australia) *** 1/4 |
| HOPE
ETERNAL (d. Karl Francis; United Kingdom) ** 1/2 |
| 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. * |
| HOUSEBOY, THE (d. Spencer Schilly) Totally realistic & sexy portrayal of
20-ish gay boy's life & times. Watch for actor Nick May. *** 1/4 |
| HUDDERSFIELD
(Hadersfild) (d. Ivan Zivkovic) ** 1/2 |
| HURT LOCKER, THE
(d. Kathryn Bigelow) **** |
| I WAS
HERE (d. René Vilbre; Estonia) *** |
| 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 |
| ILLUSION
OF FEAR, THE (d. Aleksandr Kirienko; Ukraine) * 3/4 |
| 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. *** |
| 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 |
| INDIANA JONES & THE
KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (d. Steven Spielberg) Great
f/x can't mask stupid escapist fantasy story. ** 1/4 |
| INJU, LA BÊTE DANS
L'OMBRES (Inju, the Beast in the Shadow) (d. Barbet Schroeder) ** 3/4 |
| 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 |
| IS THERE
ANYBODY THERE? (d. John Crowley) *** 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 |
| I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (d. Philippe Claudel) Superb, original & unpredictable
family drama with towering perfs from Kristin Thomas & Elsa Zylberstein.
*** 1/2 |
| JAMES DEAN
(d. Mark Rydell)V. + Superior 2001 TV movie biopic with spectacular perf. by
James Franco. *** 3/4 |
| 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. ** |
| KARAMAZOVS,
THE (d. Petr Zelenka; Czech Republic) ** 1/2 |
| KARL ROVE I LOVE YOU (d. Butler & Leirness) Trenchant mocumentary, fun and just
real enough to fool me for a while. *** |
| KHAMSA (d. Karim Dridi)
** 3/4 |
| KICKING IT
(d. Susan Koch) Uplifting, if predictable docu about contestants at the 2006
Homeless World Cup soccer tournament in Capetown. *** |
| 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) ** |
| KISSES (d.
Lance Daly) *** 1/2 |
| KIT KITTREDGE: AN AMERICAN
GIRL (d. Patricia Rozema) Fine depiction of '30s
Depression, kid's film with adult resonance. ** 3/4 |
| KRABAT (d. Marco
Kreuzpaintner) *** 1/2 |
| LA
FRANCE (d. Serge Bozon) ** 1/2 |
| LADY JANE (d. Robert
Guédiguian) *** |
| LAKE
TAHOE (d. Fernando Eimbcke) ** 3/4 |
| LAKEVIEW TERRACE (d. Neil LaBute) Crash like dystopian view of L.A., Overwrought & unsettling, if
effective filmmaking. Hit too close to home. ** 3/4 |
| LAKSHMI AND ME (d.
Nishtha Jain) ** 1/4 |
| LAST CHANCE HARVEY (Joel Hopkins) Predictable, adult romantic comedy with fine
acting. London has rarely looked better. ** 3/4 |
| 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 |
| L'HEURE D'ÉTÉ (Summer
Hours) (d. Olivier Assayas) *** 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) *** |
| LINHA DE PASSE (d. Walter
Salles, Daniela Thomas) *** 1/2 |
| LION'S
DEN, THE (d. Pablo Trapero; Argentina) *** 1/2 |
| LIVE AND BECOME (d. Radu Mihaileanu) Epic story of Ethopian non-Jew kid
living & growing up in Israel. Quite moving. *** 1/2 |
| LORNA'S SILENCE
(Le silance de Lorna) (d. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne) *** 1/2 |
| LOSS (d.
Maris Martinsons; Lithuania) ** |
| LOST COAST, THE (d. Gabriel Fleming) Antoniesque, arty drama of 2 20ish guys
reliving hi-school affair in Castro Halloween night. ** 3/4 |
| 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 OF SIAM, THE (d. Chukiat Sakveerakul) Thai film about gay boy band singer
& his first love. Affecting, but inscrutable. ** 1/2 |
| 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) *** |
| MADE IN AMERICA (d. Stacy Peralta) Flashy docu of history of gangs in L.A.,
affecting, frightening & ultimately uplifting. *** 1/4 |
| MAGNUS (d. Kadri
Köusaar) ** 3/4 |
| 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. ** |
| 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. *** |
| MANSFIELD PARK
(d. Patricia Rozema)V. Not Austen's best story; but a fine "film
of quality". Jonny Lee Miller especially noteworth. *** 1/4 |
| 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 |
| MASQUERADES
(d. Lyes Salem; Algeria) *** 1/4 |
| MATAHARIS
(d. Isiar Bollain) *** |
| ME AND ORSON
WELLES (d. Richard Linklater) *** 1/4 |
| MELODY'S
SMILE (La chambre des morts) (d. Alfred Lot) *** |
| MERMAID,
THE (d. Anna Melikyan; Russia) *** |
| MICHOU D'AUBER (d.
Thomas Gilou) *** 1/4 |
| MILANO
PALERMO - IL RITORNO (d. Claudio Fragasso) *** 1/4 |
| MILK (d. Gus Van Sant) ***
3/4 |
| 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 |
| MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON
EMPEROR (d. Rob Cohen) Excessive use of every action
cliché in the book. Corny, stupid, but good f/x. * |
| MY BOY JACK
(d. Brian Kirk) V. Beautifully written (by the actor who plays Rudyard!)
teleplay. *** |
| MY
EFFORTLESS BRILLIANCE (d. Lynn Shelton) ** 1/2 |
| MY MAGIC
(d. Eric Khoo; Singapore) ** 1/2 |
| MYSTERIES OF
PITTSBURGH (d. Rawson Marshall Thurber) ** 3/4 |
| NANCY DREW
(d. Andrew Fleming) V. Poorly acted, silly, misjudged and failed attempt at a
film series for girls. * 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 |
| NARROWS, THE (d.
François A. Velle) *** |
| NECESSITIES
OF LIFE (Ce quíl faut pour vivre) (d. Benoit Pilon; Canada) *** 1/2 |
| NEVER BACK DOWN (d. Jeff Wadlow) Karate Kid on steroids. Way better than expected, esp. actingwise. *** |
| NEW MAN,
THE (d. Klaus Haro) *** 1/4 |
| NEW TWENTY, THE (d. Chris Mason Johnson) Involving story of 5 college friends
nearing 30 encountering NY business & sex life. *** |
| NEWCASTLE (d. Dan
Castle) *** |
| 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. *** |
| NIGHT
BUS (d. Davide Marengo) *** |
| NIGHTS IN RODANTHE (d. George C. Wolfe) Every romantic cliché. Nicely
acted, but unbelieveable, contemptuous script. * 3/4 |
| NIRVANA
(d. Igor Voloshin) *** |
| NO
ONE'S SON (Niciji sin) (d. Arsen Ostojic; Croatia) *** 1/4 |
| NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY:
LASZLO & VILMOS (d. James Chressanthis) Revelatory
docu about 2 Hungarian cinematographers. Fine visuals, well constructed. ***
1/4 |
| NOBEL SON
(d. Randall Miller) Absurd plot; but stylish enough to keep me
interested...but just falls apart in 3rd act. * 3/4 |
| NORTHANGER ABBEY (d. Jon Jones) V. Most minor of Austin stories despite Andrew
Davies script...but JJ Field was great. ** 1/2 |
| NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH (d. Rod Lurie) Clever, satisfying adaptation of Valerie Plame
affair. Superb acting ensemble. *** 1/4 |
| NUIT DE CHIEN
(Tonight) (d. Werner Schroeter) * |
| NUITS
D'ARABIE (d. Paul Kieffer; Luxembourg) *** 1/4 |
| OCULTO
(d. Antonio Hernández) V. Woman's revenge thriller. Leonardo Sbaraglia
& Angie Cepeda have real chemistry. *** |
| ODE, THE
(d. Nilanjan Neil Lahiri) Overwrought, heavy handed So. Asian/American gay
drama. Guilt, screwed up childhood. Ugh. * 1/4 |
| O'HORTEN
(d. Bent Hamer; Norway) *** |
| ON
THE WINGS OF DREAMS (d. Golem Rabbany Biplop; Bangladesh) ** |
| ONE WEEK (d. Michael
McGowan) *** |
| OPIUM - DIARY OF A
MADWOMAN (d. János Szász) *** |
| OPIUM
WAR (d. Siddiq Barmak; Afghanistan) * 3/4 |
| OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, THE (d. Justin Chadwick) Bad history, great jewelry. ** 1/4 |
| OTHER END OF THE LINE, THE (d. James Dodson) Every romantic cliché in the book; but Jesse
Metcalfe isn't half bad. ** |
| OTHER MAN, THE (d.
Richard Eyre) *** |
| OUR BELOVED
MONTH OF AUGUST (d. Miguel Gomes; Portugal) W/O |
| PAINTED
SKIN (d. Gordon Chan; Hong Kong) ** 1/4 |
| PA-RA-DA
(d. Marco Pontecorvo) *** 1/4 |
| PARANOID PARK (d. Gus Van Sant) Spare, non-acted skate board epic.
Gabe Nevins a natural. *** 1/2 |
| PARANOIDS, THE (Los
Paranoicos) (d. Gabriel Medina) ** 3/4 |
| PARC (d. Arnaud des
Pallières) * 1/2 |
| PARENTS
(d. Ragnar Bragason) *** 1/4 |
| PASSCHENDAELE (d.
Paul Gross) ** 1/2 |
| PAST IS A
FOREIGN LAND, THE (Il passato e'una terra straniera) (d. Daniele Vicari) ***
1/2 |
| PATRIK, AGE 1.5 (d. Ella
Lemhagen) *** 1/2 |
| PATRIK, AGE 1.5 (d. Ella
Lemhagen) + Second time around even better...this time I could appreciate
more the outstanding filmmaking. *** 1/2 |
| PEDRO (d. Nick Oceano)
*** 1/2 |
| PENELOPE
(d. Mark Palansky) Modern fairy tale with great production design, but what's
with the accents? ** 3/4 |
| PERFECT DAY, A (Un
Giorno perfetto) (d. Ferzan Ozpetek) *** 1/4 |
| 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 |
| PINEAPPLE EXPRESS (d. David Gordon Green) Genuinely funny stoner chase comedy
with brain, wit & originality. *** 1/4 |
| PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 3 (d. Gore Verbinski) Better than #2, not saying much. ** |
| PLONING
(d. Dante Nico Garcia; Philippines) ** |
| PLOY (d. Pen-ek
Ratanauang) ** 1/4 |
| PLUS TARD, TU
COMPREHENDRA (d. Amos Gitaï) ** 1/2 |
| PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL (d. Gini Reticker) Talky docu with important subject: women
getting together to stop bloodshed in Liberia. ** 3/4 |
| PRICELESS (Hors de prix) (d. Pierre Salvadori) Typical French romantic comedy, sumptuous
but uninspired. ** 1/2 |
| PRIDE AND GLORY (d. Gavin O'Connor) Good acting and produciton values don't
make up for plot clichés. ** 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 |
| 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 |
| RACHEL GETTING MARRIED (d. Jonathan Demme) Superbly acted and perfectly executed Dogme
95 filmmaking. *** 1/2 |
| RAGE, THE (La
Rabbia) (d. Louis Nero) * 1/4 |
| RAMCHAND PAKISTANI (d.
Mehreen Jabbar) *** |
| READER, THE
(d. Stephen Daldry) Exquisite film, tender, moving; with astounding central
perfs. David Kross fulfills promise of Krabat. *** 1/2 |
| REAL TIME (d. Randall
Cole) ** 3/4 |
| RED AWN, THE (d. Cai
Shangjun) ** 3/4 |
| REDBELT
(d. David Mamet) Typical venial and corrupt Mametworld, but even more so than
usual. ** |
| 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 |
| REST
IS SILENCE, THE (d. Nae Caranfil; Romania) *** 1/4 |
| REVANCHE (d. Götz
Spielmann) *** 1/2 |
| REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (d. Sam Mendes) Kate is pheomenal, Leo less so; but unpleasant
film is caustic, dramatic dynamite with ring of truth. *** 1/4 |
| RIVALS (Les
Liens du sang) (d. Jacques Maillot) *** |
| ROCKNROLLA
(d. Guy Ritchie) Some clever bits looking for a coherent narrative.
Typical Ritchie, not a good thing imo. ** 1/2 |
| ROLE MODELS
(d. David Wain) Sweet comedy with a perfect cast. *** |
| 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 |
| ROOSTER'S
BREAKFAST, THE (Petalinaji zajtrk) (d. Marco Nabersnik; Slovenia) *** |
| SALAWATI (d. Marc X.
Grigoroff) *** |
| SATURN IN OPPOSITION (d.
Ferzan Ozpetek) + *** 3/4 |
| 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) ** |
| SEA WALL, THE (Un
barrage contre le Pacifique) (d. Rithy Panh) *** 1/4 |
| SECRET BEYOND
THE DOOR (d. Fritz Lang) ** 3/4 |
| SECRET FESTIVAL #2 *** 1/2 |
| SECRET FESTIVAL #3 *** |
| SECRET FESTIVAL #4 *** 1/2 |
| 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. *** |
| 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 |
| SEVEN POUNDS (d. Gabriele Muccino) Terribly flawed script, obvious and
predictable. ** 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! **** |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| SITA SINGS THE BLUES (d.
Nina Paley) *** 1/4 |
| SIXTY SIX
(d. Paul Weiland) Nicely evoked coming of age about a nerdy English boy's Bar
Mitzvah in 1966. Builds to satisfying climax. *** |
| 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 |
| SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (d. Danny Boyle) Intense melodrama about boy from Mombai slums
competing in TV game show. *** |
| SMART PEOPLE (d. Noam Murro) 1st time I liked Ellen Page in a film! Fine
cast, involving indie film. *** |
| SNOW (Snijeg)
(d. Aida Begic; Bosnia and Herzegovina) *** |
| 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) *** |
| SOUNDS LIKE TEEN
SPIRIT: A POPUMENTARY (d. Jamie Jay Johnson) *** 1/2 |
| SPARROW (Man Jeuk) (d.
Johnnie To) ** 1/2 |
| SPECIAL
(d. Haberman and Passmore) Michael Rappaport as pathetically needy meter man
who goes psycho on an experimental drug. Minor stuff. ** 1/4 |
| 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. *** |
| 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 |
| STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE (d. Errol Morris) Docu of Abu Ghraib as you wished it
weren't. *** 1/4 |
| STEP BROTHERS (d. Adam McKay) 40ish guys playing kids is not funny. Still,
watchable silliness with many groaners. * 1/2 |
| 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 |
| SWING VOTE
(d. Joshua Michael Stern) Costner is ideal "everyman"; nicely acted
(esp. Kelsey Grammar), predictable, timely. *** |
| SYNECDOCHE, N.Y. (d. Charlie Kaufman) Excruciating exercise in self
indulgence...but funny in an in-joke kind of way. ** |
| TAARE ZAMEEN
PAR (d. Aamir Khan; India) ** 3/4 |
| TALK TO
ME ABOUT LOVE (Parlami d'amore) (d. Silvio Muccino) *** |
| TBS [NOTHING TO LOSE] (d.
Pieter Kuijpers) *** 1/4 |
| TEAR
THIS HEART OUT (Arráncame la vida) (d. Roberto Sneider, Mexico) *** 1/4 |
| TEDDY BEAR (d. Jan
Hrebejk) *** 1/4 |
| THE
SORROW OF MRS. SCHNEIDER (d. Piro & Eno Milkani; Albania) *** |
| THE WRESTLER (d. Darren Aronofsky) Despite cringeworthy wrestling action,
humanistic Aronofsky shines. Rourk is phenomenal, as are the women. *** 1/4 |
| THEATER OF WAR
(d. John Walter) ** 1/2 |
| THEN SHE FOUND ME (d. Helen Hunt) Enjoyable, if predictable, romantic
dramidy. ** 3/4 |
| THEY KILLED SISTER DOROTHY (d. Daniel Junge) Shocking docu about miscarried justice in
the Brazil rainforests. *** 1/4 |
| THOSE
WHO REMAIN (Ceux qui restent) (d. Anne Le Ny) ** 3/4 |
| THREE BLIND
MICE (d. Matthew Newton) *** |
| TIME TO DIE (Pora
Umierac) (d. Dorota Kedzierzawska) *** |
| TIMECRIMES (d. Nacho
Vigalondo) ** 1/2 |
| TIMES
AND WINDS (d. Riha Erdem) *** 1/4 |
| TOKYO! (d.
Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, Joon-ho Bong) ** 1/2, * 3/4, ** 1/2 |
| TONY MANERO (d.
Pablo Larrain) ** 1/2 |
| TRAITOR
(d. Jeffrey Nachmanoff) Superior, if predictable, terrorism thriller with
superb perfs by Cheadle and Guy Pearce. *** 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 |
| 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 |
| TROUBLE THE WATER (d. Deal & Lessin) Docu with amateur video work, but a
strong personalized message about Katrina lessons. *** |
| TULPAN (d.
Sergei Dvortsevoy; Kazakhstan) *** 1/4 |
| TWILIGHT
(d. Catherine Hardwicke) Paradigmic film with vampirism as metaphor for
teenage insecurities. Strangely beautiful & involving. *** 1/4 |
| TWO
LOVERS (d. James Gray) *** |
| UNCERTAINTY (d.
Scott McGehee, David Siegel) ** 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 |
| UNIVERSALOVE (d.
Thomas Woschitz) * 3/4 |
| UNKNOWN,
THE (d. Giuseppi Tornatore) + *** 1/4 |
| UNSPOKEN
PASSION (d. Roni Bertubin) ** 1/2 |
| UP THE YANGTZE
(d. Yung Chang) ** 3/4 |
| VALKYRIE
(d. Bryan Singer) Fine complex action flick with real tension despite
knowing the plot. *** |
| VANTAGE POINT (d. Pete Travis) Script doesn't compute; but really exciting
filmmaking wins the day. *** |
| 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 |
| VICE (Tiski) (d. Valery
Todorovsky) *** |
| VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA (d. Woody Allen) Talky, narration filled, often clever but
(for me) uninvolving dramedy about relationships. ** 3/4 |
| VIE
D'ARTISTE, LA (d. Marc Fitoussi) *** 1/4 |
| VIE
DES MORTS, LA (d. Arnaud Desplechin) *** |
| VISIONEERS (d. Jared
Drake) 1/2* |
| VISITOR, THE (d. Tom McCarthy) Heartfelt, distressing film about another
depressed prof. (cf. Smart People) *** |
| VOY A EXPLOTAR (I'm Going
to Explode) (d. Gerardo Naranjo) ** 3/4 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| WALTZ WITH
BASHIR (d. Ari Folman; Israel) *** 1/2 |
| WANTED
(d. Timur Bekmambetov) Totally amazing kick ass film, MATRIX².
McAvoy & Bekmambetov fulfill their destinies. *** 3/4 |
| 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.
*** |
| WATER
LILIES (d. Céline Sciamma) ** |
| WATERCOLORS
(d. David Oliveras) Touching, beautiful, evocative drama of gay teenage love.
One of the best ever. *** 1/2 |
| WAVE, THE (Die Welle)
(d. Dennis Gansel) *** 1/2 |
| WAY I SEE THINGS, THE (d. Brian Pera) New Agey, pretentious, arty gay film of about
recovering from depression. ** 1/4 |
| WELCOME TO THE
LAND OF CH'TIS (Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis) (d. Dany Boone) ** 1/2 |
| WELLNESS
(d. Jake Mahaffy) ** 1/2 |
| WENDY AND LUCY (d. Kelly Reichardt) Quietly effective character study which
mirrors bad economic times. Michelle Williams very fine here. *** 1/4 |
| WERE THE WORLD MINE (d. Tom Gustafson) Good try at a gay Midsummernight's
Dream prep school fantasy. But no cigar. ** |
| WHAT DOESN'T KILL
YOU (d. Brian Goodman) *** |
| WHAT IF...?
(Notre univers impitoyable) (d. Léa Fazer) ** 1/4 |
| 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 |
| WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR
FATHER (d. Anand Tucker) *** 1/4 |
| WHIRLWIND
(d. Richard LeMay) Multi-character NY gay friends story, mostly poorly acted
and only intermittently involving. ** |
| WHITE NIGHT WEDDING
(Brúdguminn) (d. Baltasar Kormákur) ** 3/4 |
| WHITE
SILK DRESS, THE (d. Huynh Luu; Vietnam) ** |
| WHORE & THE WHALE, THE (d. Luis Puenzo) V. Gorgeous Patagonian photography, naked
women & sexy Leo Sbaraglia. *** 1/4 |
| WICKER MAN, THE (d. Neil La Bute) V. Hokey, cult-as-bee-colony metaphor
film. Great northwest island homes! ** |
| WINDS OF
SEPTEMBER (Jiu Jiang Feng) (d. Tom Shu-Yu Lin) ** |
| WINE
AND KISSES (Come le Formiche) (d. Ilaria Borrelli) * 1/2 |
| WINTERLAND
(d. Hisham Zaman) ** 3/4 |
| WITNESSES,
THE (d. André Téchiné) *** 1/2 |
| WORLDS
APART (To verdener) (d. Niels Arden Oplev; Denmark) *** |
| 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 |
| 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 |
|
| Return to Ken Rudolph's Home page |
|