All Films Watched in 2010


All films are rated on a scale of **** (A+), *** 3/4 (A), *** 1/2 (A-), *** 1/4 (B+), *** (B), ** 3/4 (B-), ** 1/2 (C+), ** 1/4 ( C), ** (C-) , * 3/4 (D+), * 1/2 (D), * 1/4 (D-), * (F)


Links are to longer reviews on site.  A film defined as 70 min.+  visual event. 
The year included with the film is the year I watched each film.
 (V) =  TV, Video or DVD    ( +) = repeat viewing      (W/O)= walked out

   January, 2010
FERMAT'S ROOM
(d. Piedrahita & Sopeña) V. Overly intellectualized Spanish thriller like Intacto: 4 people trapped in a room forced to solve enigmas or die. ** 3/4
RUINS, THE  (d. Carter Smith) V. Even I know better than to wander to a lost Mayan pyramid. The actors, all attractive, pretty good horror flick. ** 3/4
THAT EVENING SUN (d. Scott Teems) Fine film, if a downer.  Holbrook is wonderful; but I felt for McKinnon's villain, too, surely not intended.  *** 1/4
FACING ALI (d. Pete McKormack) Quite interesting docu featuring interviews with fighters who fought Muhammad Ali plus great boxing footage.  *** 1/2
BEST OF TIMES (d. Yongyoot Thongkongtoon; Thailand) **
WINTER IN WARTIME (d. Martin Koolhoven; The Netherlands) *** 1/2
DRAFT DODGERS  (Réfractaire) (d. Nicolas Steil; Luxembourg) ** 3/4
DON'T BURN IT (d. Dang Nhat Minh; Vietnam) ** 1/2
FANTASTIC MR. FOX, THE (d. Wes Anderson) It must just be me; but the whimsey escaped me, the characters annoyed, it all seemed a little silly.  ** 1/4
VORTEX (Duburys) (d. Gytis Luksas; Lithuania) *** 1/4
KELIN: THE DAUGHTER-IN-LAW  (d. Yermek Zursunov; Kazakhstan) ****
REYKJAVIK-ROTTERDAM (d. Oskar Jonasson; Iceland) *** 1/4
PAULISTA (d. Roberto Moreira) ** 3/4
INSIDE HANNA'S SUITCASE (d. Larry Weinstein) *** 1/2
BRAND NEW LIFE, A (d. Ounie Lecomte) ***
BALIBO CONSPIRACY, THE (d. Robert Connolly) *** 1/4
BIG GAY MUSICAL (d. Andreas & Caruso) ***
FOR A MOMENT FREEDOM (d. Arash T. Riahi; Austria) *** 1/2
SOUTHERN ZONE (Zona Sur) (d. Juan Carlos Valdivia; Bolivia) *** 1/4
NIGHTGUARDS (d. Namik Kabil; Bosnia-Herzegovina) * 1/4
EYES WIDE OPEN (d. Hair Tabakman)  *** 1/4
MIRACLE SELLER (d. Pawica & Szoda)  ** 3/4
1981 (d. Ricardo Trogi)  ** 1/4
EAMON (d. Margaret Corkery )  *** 1/4
DIFFERENT FROM WHOM (d. Umberto Carteni)  ***
PLAN B (d. Marco Berger) *** 1/4
MEDITERRANEAN FOOD (d. Joaquin Oristrell) *** 1/2
BIG DREAM, THE (d. Michele Placido)  ** 1/2
FORTAPASC (d. Marco Risi)  ** 3/4
PROPHET, A (Un prophète)  (d. Jacques Audiard; France) *** 3/4
ECLIPSE, THE (d. Conor McPherson) ** 1/2
IS IT JUST ME?  (d. J. C. Calciano) *** 1/4
BROTHERHOOD (d. Nicolo Donato)  ** 3/4
SICILIAN GIRL, THE (d. Marco Amenta)  *** 3/4
GLORIOUS 39 (d. Stephen Poliakoff) ***
QUEEN TO PLAY (d. Caroline Bottaro)  ** 1/2
OVER THE HILL BAND (d. Geoffrey Enthoven)  ** 1/2
ANGEL AT SEA (d. Frédéric Dumont) *** 1/4
BRIDE FLIGHT  (d. Ben Sombogaart) *** 3/4
HIPSTERS  (d. Valery Todorovsky) *** 1/2
GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, THE (d. Niels Arden Oplev) *** 1/2
BOOK OF ELI, THE (d. Hughes Brothers) Another dystopian future post-war road pic. Denzell is really fine; but Bible thumping message a little much.  ** 3/4
   February, 2010
FISH TANK
(d. Andrea Arnold) 15 yr.old girl's coming of age in lower class Brit family. Michael Fassbender impressive as mom's boyfriend who crosses line. *** 1/4
DEAR JOHN (d. Lasse Hallström) A little sappy; but Hallström does a good job with Tatum, nice chemistry between leads & good enough romance, if barely. ***
AVATAR (d. James Cameron) + Still amazing 2nd time around. No other film in memory provided me with such a pleasurable immersive experience. ****
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN (d. Michael Bay) Nobody ever accused Bay of subtlety & nuance. So glad Cameron kicked his ass.  1/4*
DISTRICT 13: ULTIMATUM (d. Patrick Alessandrin) Boy, does Philippe Torreton class up an action flick? This is a more than worthy sequel with *great* parkour. *** 1/4
PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF (d. Chris Columbus) More fun than Harry Potter 1; but some plot holes detract. ** 3/4
UP (3D) (d. Pete Docter, Bob Peterson) Nice concept, great vocal acting (Jordan Nagai is phenomenal), really fine 3D animation. But mid-section dragged.  *** 1/4
HURT LOCKER, THE (d. Kathryn Bigelow) + Still amazing, definitive war film 1 1/2 years later; but now I notice episodic structure & middle drags a little. *** 3/4
AWAKE (d. Joby Harold) V. Thriller with a truly absurd claptrap plot, but involving, gotta give it that. I like Hayden Christensen, even if he's remarkably wooden. **
STAR TREK (d. J.J. Abrams) + 2nd viewing gives more narrative clarity, but f/x look cheap in new Avatar world. But casting is *outstanding*! By far best Trek film. ***
GEORGIA O'KEEFFE (d. Bob Balaban) V. Despite convincing perfs by Joan Allen & Jeremy Irons, sappy Lifetime tv movie is unwatchable.    W/O
ORDER OF CHAOS (d. Vince Vieluf) Strong, snarky, atmospheric thriller. Fine perfs (Coiro and Ventimiglia). Vieluf is writer/director/composer to watch!  *** 1/2
ENDGAME (d. Pete Travis) V. Fine, if very low key, historical semi-thriller about negotiations leading to end of Apartheid. Miller & Hurt are especially good. ***
GOOD GUY, THE (d. Julio DePietro) Corruption & sexual hi-jinks among young Wall Street traders? Here well done & creepy. Bryan Greenberg rules. *** 1/4
SECRET OF KELLS, THE (d. Tomm Moore) Pretty watercolor animation; but legendary story of monks, Vikings & enchanted forest bored me.  ** 1/2
PRINCESS AND THE FROG, THE (d. Clements & Musker) Nicely imagined 2D Disney animation & a reasonably amusing musical comedy. ** 3/4
PLACE OF EXECUTION  (d. Daniel Percival) V. 1964 murder investigation revisited by present day docu crew in gripping & surprising policier thriller. *** 1/2
COLLISION (d. Marc Evans) V. Intriguing, fairly predictable Brit tv serial of a police investigation into a multi-car hiway accident with twists & turns. ** 3/4
2009 ACADEMY SHORT FILMS (d. various)  4 serious message films and one comedy in an average year for this category.  ** 3/4
2009 ACADEMY SHORT ANIMATIONS (d. various) Some clever stuff (esp. Logorama), but a long Wallace & Gromit shows series is played out. ** 3/4
BLIND SIDE, THE (d. John Lee Hancock) Not a bad film, but Oscar calibre?  Polar opposite of Precious, in any case, and quite classist.  ** 1/2
SHUTTER ISLAND (d. Martin Scorsese) I got the twist about 5 minutes into the film...well made, of course, & Leo is fine; but ridiculously overwrought plot. ** 1/2
CRAZIES, THE (d. Breck Eisner) Convincing bio-eco-disaster flick with one wonderful perf by Joe Anderson and some effectively directed horror tropes. ***
ANGEL (d. François Ozon)V. Ozon's English lang. bodice ripper: great cast; despite Romola Garai's technique in despicable title role film is eye rollingly ridiculous. ** 1/4
RETURN TO CRANFORD (d. Simon Curtis) V. Treakly sequel, ows much to Dickens. Pretty & authentic but too sentimental compared to original. ** 1/2
ENRICO MATTEI: THE MAN WHO LOOKED AT THE FUTURE (d. Giorgio Capitani) ***
MEMORIES OF ANNE FRANK  (d. Alberto Negrin) * 1/4
INGLORIOUS BASTARDS (d. Enzo Castellari; 1978)  ** 3/4
   March, 2010
YOUNGEST SON, THE  (Il figlio più) (d. Pupi Avanti) ** 1/2
VICEROYS, THE (I Vicerè) (d. Roberto Faenza) *** 1/2
EIGHTEEN YEARS LATER (18 anni dopo)  (d. Edoardo Leo)  W/O
AS GOD COMMANDS (Come Dio comanda)  (d. Gabriele Salvatores)  *** 1/2
QUO VADIS, BABY  (d. Gabriele Salvatores) ***
RAISE YOUR HEAD (Alza la testa)  (d. Alessandro Angelini) *** 1/4
TEN WINTERS (Dieci inverni)  (d. Valerio Mieli) ***
CÉZANNE AFFAIR, THE (L'uomo nero)  (d. Sergio Rubini)  ** 1/4
HAPPY FAMILY  (d. Gabriele Salvatores) *** 1/4
WE ALL GET OUR SHARE (Ce n'è per tutti) (d. Luciano Melchionna)  *
I'M NOT SCARED (Io non ho paura)  (d. Gabriele Salvatores) + *** 1/4
TRICK IN THE SHEET, THE (L'imbroglio nel lenzuolo) (d. Alfonso Arau) ** 1/2
JUST MARRIED (Oggi sposi)  (d. Luca Lucini) ***
I AM LOVE (Io sono l'amore)  (d. Luca Guadagnino) *** 1/4
DOPAMINE (d. Mark Decena) V. + I knew immediately that I'd already seen this quietly touching, romantic, truthful 2003 film; but got hooked again. *** 1/4
SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE (d. Jim Field Smith) 1st hour: fun stuff with perfectly cast Jay Baruchel. But film has nowhere to go but predictable. Still enjoyable. ***
GREEN ZONE (d. Paul Greengrass) Offensively political, overwrought and never believeable. Makes one appreciate The Hurt Locker all the more.  **
ACCOMPLICES (Complices) (d. Frédéric Mermoud) . *** 1/2
LITTLE TRIP TO HEAVEN, A (d. Baltasar Kormákur) V. Atmospheric insurance con thriller with good cast; but plot had enough holes to drive through!  * 3/4
GIGANTIC (d. Matt Aselton) V. Strange mumblecore romantic comedy. Dano is stolid & Zooey D. wacky.  Sort of annoying, but likable.  ** 1/2
TEMPLE GRANDIN (d. Mick Jackson) V. Superb perf by Claire Danes sets this one apart.  Moving, fascinating true study of autism.  *** 1/2
12 ROUNDS (d. Renny Harlin) V.An action flick of desperate unlikliness with a hero of utter stolidity. But it moves fast enough to be almost tolerable. **
EMMA (d. Jim O'Hanlon) V. Nicely done...yet another Austen adaptation; but ideal casting & gorgeous production got me involved.  *** 1/4
39 STEPS, THE (d. James Hawes) V. One of the worst BBC Masterpiece's ever. No chemistry, plot holes.  Why remake perfection?  * 1/2
66/67 - FAIRPLAY WAR GESTERN (d. Ludwig & Glaser) **
RED MACHINE, THE (d. Stephanie Argy, Alec Boehm) ** 1/2
MERCY (d. Patrick Hoelck) ***
PARKOUR (d. Marc Rensing) *** 1/2
FATHER OF MY CHILDREN, THE (Le Père de mes enfants) (d. Mia Hansen-Løve) ** 3/4
ROUND DA WAY (Lascars) (d. Albert Pereira Lazaro, Emmanuel Klotz)  *
FAREWELL (L'Affaire Farewell)  (d. Christian Carion) *** 1/4
HEDGEHOG (Le hérisson)  (d. Mona Ashashe)  *** 3/4
MADEMOISELLE CHAMBON (d. Stéphane Brizé)  ** 1/2
IN THE BEGINNING (À l'origine)  (d. Xavier Giannoli)  *** 1/4
SILENT VOICES (Qu'un seul tienne et les autres suivront)  (d. Léa Fehner) ***
FRENCH KISSERS, THE (Les beaux gosses)  (d. Riad Sattour) ** 1/4
HIDDEN DIARY  (Mères et filles)  (d. Julie Lopes-Curval) *** 1/4
    April, 2010
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID
(d. Thor Freudenthal) Zach Gordon is fine, if not very wimpy. Amusing enough, good animation, just not very original. ** 3/4
GHOST WRITER, THE (d. Roman Polanski) Since I'd read the book, few surprises; but Polanski knows how to construct an effective thriller. *** 1/4
ALICE IN WONDERLAND (d. Tim Burton) Visually inventive, story deficient.  ** 1/2
HOT TUB TIME MACHINE (d. Steve Pink) I have no nostalgia for the '80s and this The Hangover wannabe was raucus, homophobic & ugly.  * 3/4
SHARPE'S PERIL (d. Tom Clegg) V.  Nicely produced tv film about a Brit soldier in India in 1820. Suddenly Luke Ward-Wilkinson (Beautiful People)  is a fave.  ***
LOVE AND OTHER DISASTERS (d. Alek Keshishian) My fave film of 2006 & maybe the best straight to video film ever made!  *** 1/2
CLASH OF THE TITANS (d. Louis Leterrier) Post-prod. 3D better than expected. Film even worse: repetitive turgid battle scenes, wooden acting. Ugh.  * 1/2
REPO MEN (d. Michael Sapochnik) Absurd plot, terribly wrenching surprise ending. Yet production values quite high & all in all a diverting sci-fi dystopia. ** 3/4
WAKING SLEEPIING BEAUTY (d. Don Hahn) Informative, moving docu of the Eisner-Welles-Katzenberg years at Disney animation with home movie feel. *** 1/4.
GREENBERG  (d. Noel Baumbach) Stiller's character is so unsympathetic that it skews an otherwise interesting, familiar & authentic L.A. story.  ** 3/4
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (d. Sanders & DeBlois) At times thrilling 3D amusement park ride & Baruchel is fine. But story is sketchy & silly.  ** 1/2
LEWIS - "THE QUALITY OF MERCY" (d. Billie Eltringham) V. Murder in Oxford student theatricals; smart, fairly gripping & better than average.  ***
RESTREPO  (d. Tim Hetheringon & Sebastian Junger)  *** 1/4
PIERREPOINT - THE LAST HANGMAN (d. Adrian Shergold) V. Somber, well acted (Timothy Spahl!) story of man who hung 608 criminals. ***
RUNAWAYS, THE (d. Fiona Sigismondi) Loved the music. Dakota was great, Kristen less so; script too typical of biopic genre.  ** 1/2
DATE NIGHT (d. Shawn Levy) Sporadically funny couple-in-jeopardy farce, but just too ridiculous & unlikely for my tastes, Marky Mark's pecs excepted.   ** 1/4
KICK-ASS (d. Matthew Vaughn) 
Haven't had more fun in a movie in ages. Impressive script (fresh, unjaded),spot-on direction.  *** 1/2
CITY OF YOUR FINAL DESTINATION, THE (d. James Ivory)  Well made & acted, if old fashioned romantic melodrama; but plot just meanders & doesn't resolve.  ** 3/4
CHLOE (d. Atom Egoyan) Julianne Moore better than ever in.remake of Nathalie with more psychologically sound script. Lesbionics not my thing; but Max Thieriot is! ***
ORDINARY EXECUTION, AN (Une exécution ordinaire)  (d. Marc Dugain)  ***
TÊTE DE TURC  (d. Pascal Elbé)  ** 3/4
LOVE IS IN THE AIR (Ma vie en l'air)  (d. Rémi Bezançon) ***
VILLAIN, THE (Le Vilain)  (d. Albert Dupontel)  **
PLEASE, PLEASE ME  (Fais-moi plaisir!)  (d. Emmanuel Mouret)  *** 1/4
LITTLE THIEF, THE  (La petite voleuse)  (d. Claude Miller)  ***
IRÈNE  (d. Alain Cavalier) * 1/4
I AM GLAD MY MOTHER'S ALIVE  (Je suis heureux que ma mère soit vivante)  (d. Claude Miller & Nathan Miller)  *** 1/4
HIGH LANE (Vertige)  (d. Abel Feray) ***
PIERROT LE FOU  (d. Jean-Luc Goddard)  **
SPHINX  (Gardiens de l'ordre)  (d. Nicolas Bookhrief) *** 1/4
IMMACULATE  (Sans laisser de traces)  (d. Grégoire Vigneron) ***
IN THEIR SLEEP  (Dans ton sommeil)  (d. Caroline & Éric Du Potet) * 3/4
OCEANS (d. Perrin & Cluzaud) Great nature footage of ocean & shore life, a little too obvious narration...all in all a big screen experience to treasure.  *** 1/4
PAULINE AT THE BEACH  (Pauline à la plage)  (d. Eric Rohmer)  *** 1/2
HEARTBREAKER (L'Arnacoeur)  (d. Pascal Chaumeil)  ** 1/2
RAPT  (d. Lucas Belvaux)  *** 1/2
MAKING PLANS FOR LENA  (Non, ma fille tu n'iras pas danser)  (d. Christophe Honoré)  ** 1/4

PLEASE GIVE  (d. Nicole Holofcener)  Holofcener & her avatar Catherine Keener + Oliver Platt in fine fettle in this NY tale.  *** 1/4
MOTHER & CHILD  (d. Rodrigo Garcia) Emotionally satisfying complex story of 3 women/mothers/daughters. Garcia, Benning, Watts all incredibly good. *** 3/4
   May, 2010
LOSERS, THE (d. Sylvain White)  Lived up to its title: too frenetic & comic-booky, ridiculous action; more amusing than thrilling - & Chris Evans rules.  **
SQUARE, THE (2009, d. Nash Edgerton) + Inadvertently watched again.  Still pretty clever Aussie film noir.  ***
FARSAN  (d. Josef Fares)  ***
AHEAD OF TIME  (d. Bob Richman)  ***
KANIKOSEN (d. Sabu)  W/O
BACK-UP PLAN, THE  (d. Alan Poul) J-Lo overacts terribly.  Alex O'Loughlin is sexy & wonderful.  Film is a clichéd stinker.  * 3/4
I AM LOVE (Io sono l'amore) 
(d. Luca Guadagnino) + SIFF crossed me up & switched films. I watched this again, mystified but fascinated. *** 1/4
CITY ISLAND  (d. Raymond De Felitta) Family dramedy where everybody lies. Original idea, great script, wonderful acting ensemble.  *** 1/2
NOWHERE BOY  (d. Sam Taylor-Wood)  *** 1/4
EXCITED  (d. Bruce Sweeney)  ***
CHEF OF SOUTH POLAR, THE  (d. Shuichi Okita)  *** 1/4
EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP  (d. Banksy) Controversial docu about street art & L.A. hipster art scene. I had no idea all this was happening. *** 1/2
TWO IN THE WAVE  (Deux de la vague) (d. Emmanuel Laurent) V. *** 1/2
SOUL KITCHEN  (d. Fatih Akin)  ***
CASINO JACK AND THE UNTIED STATES OF MONEY  (d. Alex Gibney) Fast paced, scattered & unfocused docu about Jack Abramoff & govt. corruption. ** 1/4
FREEBIE, THE  (d. Katie Aselton)  ** 3/4
CONCERT, THE  (d. Radu Mihaileanu)  *** 1/2
BUS PALLADIUM  (d. Christopher Thompson)  *** 1/4
SKELETONS  (d. Nick Whitfield)  **
PRINCE OF TEARS, THE  (d. Yonfan)  ** 3/4
AMER  (d. Hélène Cattet)  *
IRON MAN 2  (d. Jon Favreau) Downey is fine, some good set pieces; but film loses traction and peters out to disappointing climax.  ** 1/4
LETTERS TO JULIET  (d. Gary Winick) Enjoyable chick flick, even though at times excessively absurd. Vanessa Redgrave is truly wonderful.  ** 1/2
ROBIN HOOD  (d. Ridley Scott) So a-historical, overamped, even boring that some good acting & prod. design are wasted.  * 3/4
WINTER'S BONE  (d. Debra Granik) *** 1/2
WHEN WE LEAVE  (d. Feo Aladag) ***
SKATELAND  (d. Anthony Burns) ** 1/2
ONDINE  (d. Neil Jordan)  ** 1/2
COUNTDOWN TO ZERO  (d. Lucy Walker)  ***
MAO'S LAST DANCER  (d. Bruce Beresford)  *** 1/4
EVERY DAY  (d. Richard Levine)  ** 3/4
DRY LAND, THE  (d. Ryan Piers Williams)  *** 1/4
SON OF BABYLON  (d. Mohamed Al-Daradji)  ** 3/4
LIFE DURING WARTIME  (d. Todd Solondz) ***
TOPP TWINS, THE:  UNTOUCHABLE GIRLS  (d. Leanne Pooley)  ** 3/4
EXTRA MAN, THE (d. Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini)  ** 1/4
AIR DOLL  (d. Hirokazu Kore-eda)  **
LITTLE HELP, A  (d.  Michael J. Weithorn)  *** 1/4
LOOSE CANNONS  (d. Ferzan Ozpetek)  *** 1/4
HUACHO  (d. Alejandro Fernandez & Almendras) ***
FROM TIME TO TIME  (d. Julian Fellowes)  *** 1/2
ROBBER, THE  (d. Benjamin Heisenberg) *** 1/4
CYRUS  (d. Jay Duplass & Mark Duplass)  ** 3/4
HOLY ROLLERS  (d. Kevin Tyler Asch)  ***
SECRET FEST #1  *** 1/2
ON THE TOWN 
(d. Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly)  ** 1/2
PERRIER'S BOUNTY  (d. Ian FitzGibbon)  ** 1/4
SHORT FILM COLLECTION - Playing Doctor  Average score:  **
SHORT FILM COLLECTION - Boys to Men  Average score:  *** 1/4
IMANI  (d. Caroline Kamya)  * 3/4
JOAN RIVERS:  A PIECE OF WORK  (d. Ricki Stern, Annie Sundberg)  *** 1/4
PENITENT MAN, THE  (d. Nicholas Gyeney)  ** 3/4
MOUNT ST. ELIAS  (d. Gerald Salmina)  *** 1/2
CAIRO TIME  (d. Ruba Nadda)  ** 1/2
WASTE LAND  (d. Lucy Walker)  *** 1/4
ME TOO  (Yo, también)  (d. Alvaro Pastor & Antonio Naharro)  ***
PETYA ON THE WAY TO HEAVEN  (d. Nikolai Dostal)  * 1/2
SEX&DRUGS&ROCK&ROLL  (d. Mat Whitecross)  ** 3/4
SOME DAYS ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS  (d. Matt McCormick) ***
CHERRY  (d. Jeffrey Fine)  *** 1/2
CHILDREN OF DIYARBAKIR, THE  (d. Miraz Bezar)  ***
KATALIN VARGA  (d.  Peter Strickland)  ** 1/2
FROM BEGINNING TO END  (d. Aluizio Abranches)  *** 1/4
STIGMATA  (d. Adán Aliaga)  **
DRIFTING  (d. Ventura Pons)  ** 1/2
HIDEAWAY (d. François Ozon)  *** 1/2
3SOME  (d. Salvador Garcia Ruiz)  *** 3/4
LIKE YOU KNOW IT ALL  (d. Hong Sang-Soo)  ** 1/4
SENIOR PROM  (d. Nicholas Terry) ***
LEAVING  (d. Catherine Corsini)  ***
TROTSKY, THE  (d. Jacob Tierney)  *** 1/4
HENRY OF NAVARRE  (d. Jo Baier)  ***
SECRET FESTIVAL #2  *** 1/4
KHARGOSH  (d. Paresh Kamdar)  * 1/2
ACTRESSES, THE  (d.  E. J-Yong)  ** 1/2
CRAYFISH  (d.  Ivan Cherkelov)  * 1/4
LEO'S ROOM  (d. Enrique Buchichio)  ***
MY YEAR WITHOUT SEX  (d.  Sarah Watt) ***
DEVIL'S TOWN  (d. Vladimir Paskaljevic) ***
ARMY OF CRIME  (d. Robert Guédiguian)  *** 3/4
      June, 2010
RUN IF YOU CAN 
(d. Dietrich Brüggemann)  *** 1/4
MEET MONICA VELOUR  (d. Keith Bearden)  **
BRAN NUE DAE  (d. Rachel Perkins)  ** 1/2
BODYGUARDS & ASSASSINS  (d. Teddy Chen)  *** 3/4
EASTERN PLAYS  (d. Kamen Kalev)  ** 3/4
PATAGONIA  (d. Marc Evans)  ***
AGORA  (d. Alejandro Amenábar)  ** 3/4
ATHLETE, THE  (d. Danny Frankel and Rasselas Lakew)  ** 3/4
TWISTED ROOTS  (d. Saara Saarela)  ***
TURISTAS  (d. Alicia Scherson)  ***
LAST TRAIN HOME  (d. Lixin Fan)  ** 1/2
I MISS YOU  (d. Fabian Hofman)  *** 1/4
UNDERTOW  (d. Javier Fuentes-León)  ** 1/2
FOR THE GOOD OF OTHERS  (d. Oskar Santos)  *** 1/4
ALL THAT I LOVE  (d. Jasek Borcuch)  ***
RATIONAL SOLUTION, A  (Jörgen Bergmark)  ** 1/2
CENTURION  (d. Neil Marshall)  ** 3/4
GARBO THE SPY  (d. Edmon Roch) *** 1/4
RIVER, THE  (d. Jean Renoir)  ** 3/4
TSAR  (d. Pavel Lungin)  ** 1/2
MORNING (d. Joseph Mitacek)  ** 3/4
STRING, THE  (d. Mehdi Ben Attia)  *** 1/4
SECRET FESTIVAL #3  ** 3/4
HUGH HEFNER: PLAYBOY, ACTIVIST AND REBEL  (d. Brigitte Berman)  *** 1/2
GOING SOUTH  (d. Sebastien Lifshitz)  ** 3/4
AU REVOIR TAIPEI  (d. Arvin Chen)  *** 1/4
DAMNED, THE  (d. Isaki Lacuesta)  *
CARGO  (d. Ivan Engler)  ***
CELL 211  (d. Daniel Monzón)  *** 1/2
THREE DAYS WITH THE FAMILY  (d. Mar Col)  ** 3/4
GORDOS  (d. Daniel Sánchez Arévalo)  *** 1/4
CROSSING HENNESSY  (d. Ivy Ho)  ** 1/2
MISS NOBODY  (d. Tim Cox)  * 1/2
TEHROUN  (d. Nader T. Homayoun)  ** 1/2
V.O.S.  (d. Cesc Gay)    ** 1/4
ROOM IN ROME  (d. Julio  Médem)  *** 1/4
FAMILY TREE, THE  (d. Vivi Friedman)  ***
LOVE IN A PUFF  (d. Pang Ho-Cheung)  ** 1/4
ALTIPLANO  (d. Peter Brosens &  Jessica Woodworth)  *** 1/4
MONOGAMY  (d. Dana Adam Shapiro)  ** 1/4
UPPERDOG  (d. Sara Johnsen)  *** 1/2
COME UNDONE  (d. Silvio Soldini)  ***
MICMACS     (d. Jean-Pierre Jeunet)  *** 1/4
I KISSED A VAMPIRE  (d. Chris Sean Nolan)  W/O
SENTIMENTAL ENGINE SLAYER, THE  (d. Omar Rodriguez Lopez)  ** 1/4
I AM  (d. Igor Voloshin)  * 1/2
LITTLE BIG SOLDIER  (d. Ding Sheng)  ** 1/2
UNDER THE MOUNTAIN  (d. Jonathan King)  ** 3/4
PARIS RETURN  (d. Yossi Aviram)  *** 1/4
DIAMOND 13  (d. Gilles Béat)  *** 1/4
LAND OF THE DEAF  (d. Valery Todorovsky)  ** 1/2
GRAVITY  (d. Maximilian Erlenwein)  ***
HOWL  (d. Rob Epstein &  Jeffrey Friedman)  *** 3/4
VENGEANCE  (d. Johnnie To)  *** 1/4
SECRET FESTIVAL #4  *** 1/4
THUNDER SOUL  (d. Mark Landsman)  ***
WEDDING CAKE, THE (Pièce montée)  (d. Denys Granier-Deferre)  *** 1/4
BORN TO SUFFER  (d. Miguel Albaladejo)  ** 3/4
PRINCE OF PERSIA  (d. Mike Newell)   A film of monumental badness, although Jake G. wasn't terrible. Flashy F/X, cringeworthy dialog. * 1/4
IRON CROSS (d. Joshua Newton)V.  Post-Holocaust affect story, ludicrously plotted, poorly acted (poor Roy Scheider, bad way to go.)  * 3/4
TWELVE (d. Joel Schumacher) Gossip Girl + Less Than Zero. Over-use of narration to novelize doesn't work; but acting & direction first rate. ***
FAMILY, A (d. Pernille Fischer Christensen) *** 1/2
TOY STORY 3 (d. Lee Unkrich) Best of recent Pixar films, splendid action sequences plus emotionally rich evocation of passing childhood. *** 3/4
ORLY  (d. Angela Schanelec)  ** 1/4
LEBANON (d. Samuel Maoz)  *** 1/4
PARADE  (d. Isao Yukisada)  *** 1/2
R  (d. Tobias Lindholm & Michael Noer)  ***
ANIMAL KINGDOM  (d. David Michôd)  *** 1/2
MAHLER ON THE COUCH  (d. Felix O. Adlon & Percy Adlon)  ** 3/4
KILLER INSIDE ME, THE  (d. Michael Winterbottom) Confusing, ultra-violent & misogynistic. Also chilling, repellant, & maybe brilliant.  ** 1/4
KNIGHT AND DAY  (d. James Mangold) Absurd plot with predictable surprises, good action & star power, but SO OBVIOUSLY FAKE.  * 3/4
WILD GRASS (Les herbes folles)  (d. Alain Resnais) Poor title translation, should be called "Loco-weed". Strangely unmotivated goings-on, but fascinating. ** 3/4
GROWN UPS  (d. Dennis Dugan) Silly, poorly directed comedy about 5 families, almost redeemed by its insightful grasp of current American values.  ** 1/4
LET IT RAIN (Parlez-moi de la pluis) (d. Agnès Jaoui) Mildly funny, very French farce with a game Jean-Pierre Bacri playing denser than usual.  ***
    July, 2010
GET HIM TO THE GREEK
(d. Nicholas Stoller) Surprisingly tender rock-n-roll road-trip farce from Apatow factory. Jonah Hill & Russell Brand have great chemistry. *** 1/4
PACIFIC, THE (d. various) Major HBO miniseries, not quite as good & memorable as Band of Brothers, but ultimately moving in its own right with a fine cast.  *** 1/2
FROM BEGINNING TO END (d.  Aluizio Abranches) + 2nd time (with horrible DVD temp.mix print) not quite as good; but still startlingly controversial & sexy.  ***
LIGHT GRADIENT (Rückenwind) (d. Jan Krüger) ** 1/2
TWILIGHT: ECLIPSE (d. David Slade) Interesting love triangle, lovely to look at with some 1st class action...but mid-section drags & motivations suspect. ** 3/4
GAY DAYS (Hazman Havarod) (d. Yair Qedar) *** also short film THE LIBERATION OF GRIFFITH PARK (d. Matt Spero)  *** 1/2
FIT  (d. Rikke Beadle-Blair) *** 1/4
ADULTS IN THE ROOM, THE (d. Andy Blubaugh) ***
SASHA (d. Dennis Todorovic)  ** 1/2
HUMAN RESOURCES (d. Laurent Cantet)V. Beautifully underplayed labor vs. management, father vs. son drama. Ambiguities abound to the novice director's credit. *** 1/4
BEARCITY (d.  Doug Langway) **
LAST AIRBENDER, THE  (d.  M. Night Shyamalan) Ambitious concept, mediocre performances, lousy 3D, convincing f/x add up to so so.  ** 1/4
SPRING FEVER (d.  Ye Lou)  * 1/2
DESPICABLE ME  (d. C. Renaud, P. Coffin) Hip doesn't always translate to good family oriented animation; but here it plays wonderfully. Pixar watch your back.  *** 3/4
KIDS ARE ALRIGHT, THE (d.  Lisa Cholodenko) A perfect acting ensemble, a daringly post-modern family drama.  Best film of the year so far?  ****
ROLE/PLAY  (d.  Rob Williams)  ** 1/2
DOSSIER K.  (d. Jan Verheyen) Convoluted Belgian thriller about Albanian Mafia and honor killings.  Atmospheric noir; but somewhat confusing.  ***
ARMORED (d. Nimrod Antal) V.  Nicely mounted caper film, but clichéd, predictable script spoils some good action direction.  ** 1/2
INCEPTION
(d.  Christopher Nolan) Too complex plot makes for fascinating conjectures. Great f/x & driving, propulsive score overcomes too much exposition.  *** 1/4
GET LOW  (d.  Aaron Schneider) Fine acting (Duval, Bill Murray & Lukas Black shine here) authentic period; but slender true story fails to live up to promise.  ** 3/4
VALHALLA RISING (Nicolas Winding Refn) Malick's New World on angel dust. Mads Mikkelsen is superb, it looks great; but message plot too heavy for me.  ** 3/4
PATHOLOGY (d. Marc Schoelermann) V. Michael Weston & Milo Ventimiglia are well matched as smart adversaries in this stylish, evil-doing thriller.  ***
CHARLIE ST. CLOUD  (d.  Burr Steers) Ludicrous plot, predictable & insulting; but Zac can act and has film magnitism. Where is the Burr Steers of Igby?!  * 1/2
SORCERER'S APPRENTICE, THE  (d. Jon Turteltaub) Well done for what it is: high concept f/x driven drivel. Baruchel shines, per usual. ** 1/2
    August, 2010
SALT  (d.  Philip Noyce) Surprisingly effective thriller...preposterous, over-the-top; but Jolie at top of game and Noyce keeps all the balls up in the air.  *** 1/4
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (d. Michael Rymer)V. 2003 Mini-series. I'm hooked by this serious SF mashup of Star Wars & Star Trek and better than either. *** 1/4
MIDDLE MEN (d. George Gallo) Overamped, overacted, narration riddled caper flick loosely based on fact...but unlikely and unlikable.  * 3/4
DEVIL'S TEARDROP, THE (d. Norma Bailey)V.Lifetime movie watched for Tom Everett Scott, who was fine. Predictable, poorly written thriller with no bite at all.  * 1/2
FLIPPED  (d. Rob Reiner)  For once omnipresent narration works. Loved the films dual POV structure. Emotionally satisfying and fun whitebread kiddie romcom. *** 1/4
OTHER GUYS, THE (d. Adam McKay) I simply have no tolerance for dumb comedies. I did laugh...but the action sequences were boring & it didn't work for me. * 3/4
DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED, THE (d. J Blakeson) Clever & original plot, fine 3-character kidnapping caper which spares nobody & resolves unpredictably. *** 1/2
SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD  (d. Edgar Wright) Stylization run amok; Cera is perfect, music & f/x weirdly intriguing. But it all spins out of control by end. ***
GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE, THE (d. Daniel Alfredson) Having read the book, this is an amazingly faithrul & skilled adaptation of a complex story.  *** 1/2
PRIVATE LESSONS (d. Joachim Lafosse) Story of a teen boy's education, both academic and sexual, by an older man. Riveting, shocking, and yes, truthful. *** 1/2
STEP UP 3D  (d. Jon M. Chu) Clichéd script, mediocre (or worse) actors & weirdly uneven choreography doom this film despite a pulsing music track.  * 1/4
EAT PRAY LOVE  (d. Ryan Murphy) Romantic & spiritual travelogue.  Overlong; but the hot men, and Julia Roberts' charisma & emotional resonance work.  ** 3/4
SWITCH, THE  (d. Josh Gordon, Will Speck) Enjoyable for the cute kid & Justin Bateman who excels at this sort of role. But so predictable.  ** 3/4
JULIA  (d. Erick Zonca) V. Tilda Swinton is amazingly blowzy in this unlikely, unpleasant, if strangely affecting kidnapping story.  ***
GOING THE DISTANCE  (d. Natalie Burstein) Strange mixture of raunchy guy and emotional chick flick & doesn't quite gel as either despite amiable cast. ** 1/2
CHANGE OF PLANS  (d. Danièle Thompson) Uninvolving French dinner party/relationship film about events a year apart. Talky script not saved by good cast. ** 1/4
TILLMAN STORY, THE
  (d. Amir Bar-Lev) Muckraking docu of army coverup: one heroic family's quest for truth. Not innovative filmmaking; but infuriating. *** 1/4
   September, 2010
AVATAR
(d. James Cameron) +++ Extra 9 min. seamlessly integrated. 1st time in IMAX (not much different). Still amazing, unparalleled experience.  ****
LEWIS: COUNTER CULTURE BLUES (d. Bill Anderson) V. Murders abound around '60s Brit rock royalty. Interesting characters, contrived plot.  ** 1/4
I LOVE YOUR WORK (d. Adam Goldberg) V. Crazed actors maybe shouldn't make super-arty films about crazy actors. But Giovanni Ribisi is fine here.  **
PILLERS OF THE EARTH, THE (d. Sergio Mimica-Gezzan) V. A miracle of novel adaptation to a superb mini-series. Ideal cast & extraordinary prod'n. values. ****
TOI ET MOI (You and Me) (d. Julie Lopes-Curval) V.+ Started watching & recognized I'd seen before.  Not quite as fun as I remembered.  ** 1/2

AMERICAN, THE (d. Anton Corbijn) Art film disguised as thriller. Also a Sergio Leone film in modern drag, only lacking Morricone's score. Slow, but Clooney shines. ***
IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY (d. Fleck & Boden) Fine, well directed coming of ager with a career making perf. by Keir Gilchrist. Neat montages, absorbing. *** 1/2
CATFISH (d. Schulman & Joost) Somewhat overhyped docu.  Interesting and sad human nature vs. internet account - but nothing remarkable.  ***
TOWN, THE (d. Ben Affleck) Nobody has ever directed Ben Affleck as well as Ben Affleck. Remarkable down & dirty crime flick that has it all.  *** 3/4
JACK GOES BOATING (d. Philip Seymour Hoffman) Unlikable, unattractive people trying to cope. I couldn't get interested or involved.  **
NEVER LET ME GO (d. Mark Romanek) Likable, attractive "people" trying to cope.  I *was* interested & involved; but alternate universe aspect bothered. *** 1/4
LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS (d. Zack Snyder) Looks 10, story 0.  Nice 3-D animation.  Let's just say I found it overly plotted and unsatisfactory.  * 3/4
BURIED (d. Rodrigo Cortés) Uncompromising, difficult to watch, uncommercial tour de force. Reynolds is spectacularly right.  Is there an audience? *** 1/4
WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS (d. Oliver Stone) Entertaining, if cockeyed look at financial meltdown. Questionable motivations mar effect.  ** 3/4
ENTER THE VOID  (d. Gaspar Noé) Tour de force doesn't come close to describing this amazing film which completely bowled me over.  ****
   October, 2010
BEST WORST MOVIE
(Michael Stephenson) V. Docu about cult film TROLL 2; quite entertaining.  Apparently NOT a mockumentary, tho it plays like one. ***
LEWIS: THE DEAD OF WINTER (d. Bill Anderson) V. Hijinx & murder in the lord's manor; unsatisfactory resolution - but Sgt. Hathaway shines here. ** 1/2

SOMETHING'S GONNA LIVE  (d. Daniel Raim) Pleasant docu about 6 elderly film artists & their life & work. I knew & worked with Boyle & he shines here at 98. *** 1/4
SOCIAL NETWORK, THE (d. David Fincher) Scintillating flick, perfectly cast, great writing & direction. I'm still under spell & will probably pay to see it again. ****
BREATH MADE VISIBLE (d. Ruedi Gerber) V. New Agey docu about octogenarian Marin danseuse Anna Halprin. Lovely sequences of artistic expression & bio.  *** 1/4
YOU AGAIN (d. Andy Fickman) Derivitive plot of 3 generations of girl high school rivalries. Yet it's surprisingly entertaining farce writing. ** 1/2
EASY A  (d. Will Gluck) Silly, unrealistic story of high school girl's self-sullied reputation. Moments of forced mirth with a couple of good perfs. Not enough. **
BURZYNSKI
(d. Eric Merola) V. Combative, fascinating one-sided (but effectively so) docu about pharma & FDA conspiracy against effective cancer cure.  *** 3/4
FILM UNFINISHED, A (d. Yael Hersonski) V. No end to vital & important Holocaust films with something new: here German docu footage of '42 Warsaw Ghetto. *** 3/4
TAMARA DREWE  (d. Stephen Frears) Silly English countryside contempo comedy. What happened to Frears, he used to be such a good director.  **
FEW DAYS IN SEPTEMBER, A (d. Santiago Amigorena) V.  Subtle French conspiracy thriller based around 9/11.  Food for thought, but thin gruel.  ** 3/4
AFTER THE LAST ROUND (d. Ryan Pettey) V. Docu about boxing & brain damage. Definite point of view; but a tad too obviously heart tugging.  ***
ART OF THE STEAL, THE (d. Don Argott) V. Docu about public violating the Barnes Found.trust, looting $25B of art. Fascinating, if one-sided & confrontational. *** 1/4
SOCIAL NETWORK, THE (d. David Fincher) + Still superb. So impressed by all the actors; but Eisenberg and Garfield are at top of their game. ****
CARLOS (d. Olivier Assayas) V. 3-part miniseries, so complex, lucid & excitingly written & directed. Ramirez also excellent. Very impressive achievement.  *** 3/4
INCENDIES (d. Denis Villeneuve; Canada) no rating at this time.
BLACKS, THE  (d. Devic & Juric; Croatia) no rating at this time.
ILLEGAL  (d. Olivier Masset-Depasse; Belgium) no rating at this time.
PEEPLI LIVE  (d. Anusha Rizvi; India) no rating at this time.
LET ME IN  (d. Matt Reeves) Slow and intense reworking of original Swedish film. Fine performances & some of the most consistent vampire lore ever. ***
STONE  (d. John Curran) Norton & Jovovich are superb. But I'm at a loss as to what the film adds up to...spiritual mumbo-jumbo? Symbolism gone wild?  ** 3/4
BEAUTIFUL ISLANDS (d. Tamoko Kana) V. Intriguing, non-confrontational, pictorial docu of 3 areas where global warming is causing profound life changes.  ** 3/4
LIFE AS WE KNOW IT (d. Greg Berlanti) Berlanti is a fine show-runner; but as a director not so much. Predictable, unrealistic plot & mediocre all around.  **
MAMA GÓGÓ (d. Fridrik Thor Fridriksson; Iceland) no rating at this time.
HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER (d. Eran Riklis; Israel) no rating at this time.
FREEDOM RIDERS (d. Stanley Nelson) V. Ultimately involving, uplifting docu about '61 bus riders to South who broke Jim Crow.  Why wasn't I one?!  *** 1/4
GENIUS WITHIN: INNER LIFE OF GLENN GOULD (d. Hozer & Raymont) V. Extraordinary live footage makes for an especially fascinating bio docu. *** 1/2
UNDERTOW (d. Javier Fuentes-León; Peru) +  Appreciated it much more 2nd time.  Fine print plus more compassion on my part made big difference.  *** 1/4
BAREFOOT DREAM, A (d. Kim Tae-gyun; South Korea) no rating at this time
OF LOVE AND OTHER DEMONS (d. Hilda Hidalgo; Costa Rica) no rating at this time
PIVELLINA, LA (d. Tizza Covi & Rainer Frimmel; Austria) no rating at this time
SECRETARIAT  (d. Randall Wallace) Old fashioned filmmaking; but enthralling in the way it recalls my memories of the era. I loved this horse.  ***
CONVICTION  (d. Tony Goldwyn) Totally predictable (even more obviously than Secretariat), earnest bleeding heart flick. Rockwell & Juliette Lewis esp. fine. ** 1/2
GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET'S NEST, THE  (d. Daniel Alfredson) Fitting ending to fine trilogy. Interesting simplifications from the book. Well thought out. *** 1/4
9:06  (d. Igor Sterk; Slovenia) no rating at this time
AFTERSHOCK (d. Feng Xiaogang; China) no rating at this time
MUNDO ALAS (d. Gieco, Molnar, Schindel) V. Docu about a troup of handicapped artists in Argentina. Gratifying for its humanity, sort of boring as a film.  ** 1/2
KAWASAKI'S ROSE (d. Jan Hrebejk; Czech Republic) no rating at this time
NOY (d. Dondon Santos; Philippines)
no rating at this time
COMPANY MEN, THE  (d. John Wells) Leave it to Wells to make the first truthful, if predictable, film about Depression II.  Superbly cast and timely.  *** 1/4
    November, 2010
ANGEL, THE
(d. Margreth Olin;  Norway) no rating at this time
CRAB TRAP (d. Oscar Ruiz Navia; Columbia) no rating at this time
SEQUESTRO (Kidnapping)  (d. Jorge W. Atalla) v. Action docu made like TV series "Cops", often touching stories of Sao Paulo kidnapping squad & victims.  *** 1/2
SMASH HIS CAMERA (d. Leon Gast) V. Entertaining & amusing docu about famed paparazzo Ron Galella. Neat photo montages & well put together material.  *** 1/2
HEREAFTER (d. Clint Eastwood) Superbly written & crafted film, subtle, mature, moving and emotionally fulfilling...especially the twin boys' story.  *** 3/4
WRETCHES & JABBERERS (d. Gerardine Wurzburg) V. Informative, positive docu of world travels & computer communication of 2 autistic older Vermont men.  ***
127 HOURS (d. Danny Boyle) Franco is splendid in a role that he mostly has to play alone (or to a videorecorder); but the film tries too hard.  *** 1/4
EASTERN PLAYS (d. Kamen Kalev; Bulgaria) + no rating at this time
THIRD PERSON SINGULAR NUMBER  (d. Mostofa Sarwar Farooki; Bangldesh) no rating at this time
STEAM OF LIFE  (d. Joonas Berghäll & Mika Hotakainen; Finland) no rating at this time
EDGE, THE  (d. Alexei Uchitel; Russia) no rating at this time
PRINCESS OF MONTPENSIER, THE  (d. Bertrand Tavernier) *** 1/2
BOY  (d. Taika Waititi)  ***
MEGAMIND  (d. Tom McGrath)  Amusing enough superhero 3D animation with some fine vocal talent. I preferred the similar Despicable Me; but that's just me. *** 1/4
WELCOME TO THE RILEYS  (d. Jake Scott) Gandolfini and Leo are fine. The predictable downer story only fitfully involved me & ultimately I lost interest. ** 1/4
HEARTBEATS  (d. Xavier Dolan) ***
HAMILL  (d. Oren Kaplan) *** 1/4
CONFESSIONS (d. Tetsuya Nakashima; Japan) no rating at this time
YUMA, LA  (d. Florence Jaugey; Nicaragua) no rating at this time
SUBMARINO (d. Thomas Vinterberg)  *** 1/2
MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER, THE (d. David Robert Mitchell)  ** 1/2
NOTHING'S ALL BAD  (d. Mikkel Munch-Fals)  ** 3/4
RAZOR (BSG-4) (d. Fé lix Enriquez Alcalá) V.  Backstory TV movie covering Pegasus & Adm. Kane's prior loony obsessions. High production values, but confusing. ** 1/2
OF GODS AND MEN (d. Xavier Beauvois; France) no rating at this time
EAST, WEST, EAST (d. Gjergj Xhuvani; Albania) no rating at this time
PETITE CHAMBRE, LA  (d. Stéphanie Chuat & Véronique Reymond; Switzerland) no rating at this time
UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES (d. Apichatpong Weerasethakul; Thailand) no rating at this time
MIENTE  (d. Rafi Mercado: Puerto Rico) no rating at this time
BIBLIOTHÈQUE PASCAL (d. Szabolcs Hajdu; Hungary) no rating at this time
VIDA UTIL, LA  (d. Federico Veiroj; Uruguay) no rating at this time
MONGA (d. Doze Niu; Taiwan) not rating at this time
HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1 (d. David Yates) Impeccably made, designed, acted. Fine f/x.  But for me a long, one-note, loud bore.  ** 3/4
KING'S SPEECH, THE (d. Tom Hooper) Just about perfect in tone and historical accuracy & import. Firth & Rush are truly wonderful together. Splendid.  *** 1/2
NEXT THREE DAYS, THE (d. Paul Haggis) Fairly taut thriller with a premise just this side of absurd.  Crowe is fine.  ** 3/4
HONEY (Bal)  (d. Semih Kaplanoglu;  Turkey) no rating at this time
BORDER, THE (d. Jaroslav Vojtek; Slovak Republic) no rating at this time
MESSAGES FROM THE SEA (d. Daoud Abdel Sayed; Egypt) no rating at this time
ILLUSIONIST, THE  (d. Sylvain Chomet)  Silent bittersweet comedy with nice 2D animation from a Jacques Tati script. Typical retro Tati...I just don't get him.  ** 1/2
     December, 2010
I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS (d. John Requa, Glenn Ficarra) Weird script even if true. A bomb, of course; but for me a guilty pleasure.  McGregor shines. ***
ERSKINEVILLE KINGS  (d. Alan White) V. Static '99 Aussi film about 2 brothers mourning their recently passed abusive dad. Hugh Jackman in early good form. ** 1/2
EVEN THE RAIN  (También La Lluvia) (d. Icíar Bollaín; Spain)   no rating at this time
ALL THAT I LOVE (d. Jacek Borcuch; Poland) +  no rating at this time
DOGTOOTH (d. Yorgos Lanthimos; Greece) no rating at this time
OUTSIDE THE LAW  (Hors la loi) (d. Rachid Bouchareb; Algeria)  no rating at this time
BLACK SWAN (d. Darren Aronofsky) Deliriously over the top. Great camera work, esp. hand-held ballet stuff. Portman superb. But crazed script left me cold. ***
FIGHTER, THE  (d. David O. Russell) Perfect ensemble acting (Bale, Leo, Adams spectacular) combined with a script which built slowly but powerfully.  *** 1/2
TEMPEST, THE  (d. Julie Taymor) As expected, visually stunning. But I kept phasing out of opaque Shakespearian narrative. Still, loved Ben Whishaw's Ariel.  ** 1/2
BARNEY'S VERSION  (d. Richard J. Lewis) Grown-up version of Duddy Kravitz with less wit and altogether unpleasant associations. ** 1/4
FIRST BEAUTIFUL THING, THE (d. Paolo Virzi; Italy) no rating at this time
FAREWELL BAGHDAD (d. Mehdi Naderi; Iran) no rating at this time
LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS (d. Edward Zwick)  Jake & Anne have real chemistry. Zwick made a rare uneven film. Pfizer is the bad guy.  Haha.  ** 3/4
SOMEWHERE (d. Sofia Coppola) Such a great L.A. movie.  Dorff pulls off the difficult role of the Hollywood superstar, and Coppola is a true auteur. *** 1/2
CARANCHO (d. Pablo Trapero; Argentina)  no rating at this time
LIGHT THIEF, THE (d. Aktan Arym Kubat; Kyrgyzstan) no rating at this time
LULA, SON OF BRAZIL (d. Fábio Barreto; Brazil) no rating at this time
TRON: LEGACY  (d. Joseph Kosinski) Visually stunning, of course (incredible strides since the '80s); but bombastic & video-gamey with silly, predictable plot. ** 1/2
RABBIT HOLE  (d. John Cameron Mitchell) Moving film about loss, incredible acting ensemble. Honestly, I thought I was watching a wonderful Todd Field film. *** 1/2
CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, THE: VOYAGE (d. Michael Apted) Often annoying, but better than similar Last Airbender, which is damning with faint praise.  ** 1/2
FRANKIE AND ALICE  (d. Geoffrey Sax) Split personality story told much better before. Halle Berry's acting seemed calculated as Oscar bait. * 3/4
CASINO JACK  (d. George Hickenlooper)  Spacey is convincing as out-of-control real-life lobbyist; but fiction, even imaginatively structured doesn't match fact. ** 3/4
PRECIOUS LIFE  (d. Shlomi Eldar) V. Personal docu of Gaza bubble baby's fight for life in Israeli hospital. Symbolic of mideast situation & emotionally shattering. *** 3/4
LIFE OF FISH, THE  (d. Matías Bize; Chile) no rating at this time
BESA (d. Srdan Karanovic; Serbia) no rating at this time
QUEST FOR HONOR (d. Mary Ann Smothers Bruni) V. Straighforward interview docu of women victims of honor killings in Iraqi Kurdistan. Old news; but important. ** 3/4
BIUTIFUL (d. Alejandro González Iñárritu)  Bardem is all he can be in this depressing slice of Barcelona life film, written & directed with sensitivity.   *** 1/2
THIS WAY OF LIFE (d. Thomas Burstyn) V. Docu of New Zealand half-breed family's way of life living off land. Beautiful, but marred by unknowns & accents. ** 3/4
TEMPTATION OF ST. TONY, THE (d. Veiko Ounpuu; Estonia) no rating at this time
PRECINCT, THE (Ilgar Safat; Azerbaijan) no rating at this time
STRAYED (d. Akan Satayev; Kazakhstan) no rating at this time
CIRCUS COLUMBIA (d. Danis Tanovic; Bosnia) no rating at this time
ANOTHER YEAR (d. Mike Leigh) Wonder of wonders, a sensitive, slice-of-life film purely about my age contemporaries.  Ending left much unresolved.  *** 1/4
TRUE GRIT  (d. Joel & Ethan Coen) A remarkably pure, fun western from the Coens, one of my faves from them, quite remarkable performances.  *** 1/2
WAITING FOR SUPERMAN (d. Davis Guggenheim) V. Gripping, informative, inventive, frightening, emotionally shattering docu with remarkable point of view. ****
WAY BACK, THE  (d. Peter Weir) A terrific film all around, gorgeous cinematography, gripping plot. Sturges & Harris especially outstanding.  *** 1/2
HOW DO YOU KNOW  (d. James L. Brooks) V. Cookie-cutter romcom with wildly divergent acting styles. Silly set-up, sappy ending. Disappointing. **
CLIENT 9 - RISE & FALL OF ELIOT SPITZER (d. Alex Gibney) V. Informative docu about hubris, almost a whitewash; but Spitzer's cooperation telling.  ***
ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE (d. Lemkin & Sambath) V. Vital, if turgid, docu of Cambodian killing fields from bottom up collected by man whose family died.  ***
ANIMAL KINGDOM
(d. David Michôd) V.  Watched again.  This time slight downgrade for some plot problems.  *** 1/4
TANGLED  (d. Greno & Howard) V.  3D animated musical loosely based on Rapunzel. Terrible songs & clichés abound; but I'm not the intended aud. * 3/4
BLUE VALENTINE  (d. Derek Cianfrance) Gosling is the finest film actor I've ever seen. Beautiful editing structure, emotionally seering, truthful film. *** 3/4
SHERLOCK: STUDY IN PINK (d. Paul McGuigan) V.  Clever present day remaking of familiar tropes. Both leads quite well suited.  *** 1/4
SHERLOCK: BLIND BANKER (d. Duros Lyn) V.  Rather ordinary who-done-it script based on codes.  ** 3/4
SHERLOCK: GREAT GAME (d. Paul McGuigan) V.  The game's truly afoot with a fine over-the-top supervillian in "John". Fast moving, gotta say.  ***
TENDERNESS (d. John Polson) V. Jon Foster is quite good as young psychopath in this subtle, slow folie a deux drama with touch of terror. *** 1/4
GASLAND (d. Josh Fox) V. Yet another effective, scary, muckraking docu about horrendous enviromental affects of drilling & fracking (natural gas in this case).  ***
MADE IN DAGENHAM (d. Nigel Cole) V. Valiant actors try; but script and direction so pedestrian and predictable even if it is based on real story.  ** 1/4
INSIDE JOB (d. Charles Ferguson) V. Well deserved hatchet job docu on the banks, government & most everybody responsible for the current Depression.  *** 3/4
YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER (d. Woody Allen) V. Typical late Allen relationship farce, bitter and ironic. Not well resolved; but diverting.  ***
LOTTERY, THE (d. Madeleine Sackler) V. Another sad docu on state of eductation & their savior, charter schools. Not as comprehensive as Superman.  ***
SOLITARY MAN (d. Koppelman & Levien) V. Saga of a true asshole played convincingly by Michael Douglas. ** 3/4

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