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
ZONA SUR (d. Juan Carlos Valdivia; Bolivia) *** 1/4
NIGHTGUARDS (d. Namik Kabil; Bosnia-Herzegovina) *
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


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