| "T" All Films Watched 2000-2010 |
| 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 |
| TAARE ZAMEEN PAR (2008, d. Aamir Khan; India) ** 3/4 |
| TABOO (Gohatto) (2000, d. Nagisa Oshima) ** |
| TADPOLE (2002, d. Gary Winick) *** 1/4 |
| TADPOLE (2002, d. Gary Winick) *** 1/4 |
| TAE GUK GI: THE BROTHERHOOD OF WAR (2004, d. Kang Je Gyu) Overly melodramatic Korean war film. Good, bloody battle scenes, if edited too fast. ** 1/2 |
| TAHAAN - A BOY WITH A GRENADE (2009, d. Santosh Sivan) * 3/4 |
| TAILOR OF PANAMA, THE (2001, d. John Boorman) ** 3/4 |
| TAIS-TOI! (2004, d. Francis Veber) Depardieu 100 lbs. lighter & on his game has true chemistry with Jean Reno in this fast paced buddy/chase comedy. *** |
| TAKE CARE OF MY CAT (2002, d. Jeong Jae-eun) ** |
| TAKING CHANCE (2009, d. Ross Katz) V. Emotionally devastating TV movie about the consequences of war on the homefront. *** 1/2 |
| TAKING LIVES (2004, d. D.J. Caruso) I intended to hate this predictable & implausable thriller; but its atmosphere & good acting (Hawke!) won me over. ** 3/4 |
| TAKING SIDES (2003, d. István Szabó) Umteenth film in a row Harvey Keitel chews scenery; but Stellan Skarsgard superb. Thoughtful, morally ambiguous. ** 3/4 |
| TAKING WOODSTOCK (2009, d. Ang Lee) Very interesting oblique look at the '60s & seminal event. Henry Goodman deadpan excellent; but Staunton is fabulous. *** 1/4 |
| TAKVA - A MAN'S FEAR OF GOD (2007, d. Ozer Kiziltan) *** 1/4 |
| TALE OF TWO SISTERS (2004, d. Kim Ji-woon) Boring, pointless, confusing "ghost" story mostly about hysteria, but with a few shocks. * 1/4 |
| TALHOTBLOND (2009, d. Barbara Schroeder) *** 1/4 |
| TALK TO HER (2002, d. Pedro Almodóvar) *** |
| TALK TO ME ABOUT LOVE (Parlami d'amore) (2008, d. Silvio Muccino) *** |
| TALK TO ME (2007, d. Kasi Lemmons) *** 1/4 |
| TALLADEGA NIGHTS (2006, d. Adam McKay) Finally a really funny stupid satire. Sasha Baron Cohen a revelation! *** |
| TAMARA DREWE (2010, d. Stephen Frears) Silly English countryside contempo comedy. What happened to Frears, he used to be such a good director. ** |
| TAN DE REPENTE (2003, d. Diego Lerman) Lesbian road film, B&W, like early Godard or Greg Araki, with sweetly life affirming aftertaste. *** 1/4 |
| TANGLED (2010, d. Greno & Howard) V. 3D animated musical loosely based on Rapunzel. Terrible songs & clichés abound; but I'm not the intended aud. * 3/4 |
| TAO OF STEVE, THE (2000, d. Jenniphr Goodman) ** 3/4 |
| TAPAS (2007, d. José Corbacho & Juan Cruz) V. *** |
| TAPE (2001, d. Richard Linklater) *** 1/4 |
| TARGET FOR RAGE (2004, d. Michael Watkins) V. High tension 1997 film based on N. Calif. school massacre with excellent acting by Schroder, Winkler & Prinze. ** 3/4 |
| TARNATION (2004, d. Jonathan Caouette) Highly charged personal life docu done as experimental film. Revealing of a screwed up family life, but aroused my sympathy. *** |
| TASTE OF OTHERS, THE (2001, d. Agnes Jaoui) *** 1/4 |
| TATTOO (2002, d. Robert Schwentke) *** |
| TATTOOED (Tatuado) (2005, d. Eduardo Raspa) ** 3/4 |
| TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE (2007, d. Alex Gibney) Horrific, difficult docu: American torture of prisoners since 9/11. *** 1/4 |
| TAXIDERMIA (2006, d. György Pálfi) ** 3/4 |
| TBILISI-TBILISI (2005, d. Zakareishvili Levan; Georgia) ** 1/2 |
| TBS [NOTHING TO LOSE] (2008, d. Pieter Kuijpers) *** 1/4 |
| TCHAO PANTIN (2009, d. Claude Berri) *** 1/4 |
| TE DOY MIS OJOS (2004, d. Iciar Bollain) Excellent womans picture about a wife dealing with an abusive husband. Fabulous acting by Laia Marull and Luis Tosar! *** 1/2 |
| TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE (2004, d. Parker & Stone) Surprisingly funny and relevant puppet comedy, trenchant satire on Bruckheimer films. *** |
| TEAR THIS HEART OUT (Arráncame la vida) (2008, d. Roberto Sneider, Mexico) *** 1/4 |
| TEARS OF APRIL (2009, d. Aku Louhimies) *** 3/4 |
| TEARS OF THE SUN (2003, d. Antoine Fuqua) White man's burden as American soldiers save day in Nigeria. Good direction...horrendous script. * 1/2 |
| TEDDY BEAR (2008, d. Jan Hrebejk) *** 1/4 |
| TEETH (2001, d. Gabriele Salvatores) *** |
| TEHROUN (2010, d. Nader T. Homayoun) ** 1/2 |
| TEKNOLUST (2002, d. Lynn Hershman-Leeson) |
| TELL NO ONE (Ne le dit à personne) (2007, d.Guillaume Canet) *** 1/4 |
| TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE (2004, d. Mark Wexler) Fascinating, very personal docu about prickley liberal cinematographer by his rebellious son. *** 1/2 |
| TELSTAR (2009, d. Nick Moran) *** |
| TEMPEST, THE (2010, d. Julie Taymor) As expected, visually stunning. But I kept phasing out of opaque Shakespearian narrative. Still, loved Ben Whishaw's Ariel. ** 1/2 |
| TEMPESTA (2006, d. Tim Disney) * 3/4 |
| TEMPLE GRANDIN (2010, d. Mick Jackson) V. Superb perf by Claire Danes sets this one apart. Moving, fascinating true study of autism. *** 1/2 |
| TEMPTATION OF ST. TONY, THE (2010, d. Veiko Ounpuu; Estonia) 3/4* |
| TEMPTATIONS (2002, d. Zoltan Kamondi) * 1/2 |
| TEN CANOES (2006, d. Rolf de Heer; Australia) ** 1/2 |
| TEN WINTERS (Dieci inverni) (2010, d. Valerio Mieli) *** |
| TEN, THE (2007, d. David Wain) *** 1/4 |
| TENDERNESS (2010, 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 |
| TERMINAL, THE (2004, d. Stephen Spielberg) Logistic triumph, great cinematography; but a mediocre script. Hanks is turning into the male Meryl Streep. ** 1/2 |
| TERMINATOR 3 RISE OF THE MACHINES (2003, d. Jonathan Mostow) Good script, great f/x, one of the most satisfying action thrillers of recent years. *** 1/4 |
| TERMINATOR 4 (2009, d. McG) I love the "Terminator" world, including the tv-show contrib to the mythos. This film worked, consistent and thrilling. *** 1/4 |
| TERRIBLY HAPPY (2009, d. Henrik Ruben Genz) ** 3/4 |
| TERRORIST, THE (2000, d. Santosh Sivan) *** 1/4 |
| TESIS (2003, d. Alejandro Amenabar 1995) Thriller about snuff films on campus. Amenabar at 23 was already an accomplished creepmeister! *** 1/2 |
| TESSERACT, THE (2004, d. Oxide Pang) Complex, stylish thriller about a dope smuggling deal which goes wrong. *** |
| TESTIMONY OF TALIESIN JONES, THE (2001, d. Martin Duffy) *** |
| TESTOSTERONE (2004, d. David Moreton) Nicely done thriller about obsessive love, made in Argentina with a fine cast. Looks splendid, but some editing decisions detract. ** 3/4 |
| TESTOSTERONE (2005, d. David Moreton)V.+ Murky gay doings in Buenos Aires with an attractive (!) cast & a story of lust and longing which doesn't work. ** 1/2 |
| TÊTE DE TURC (2010, d. Pascal Elbé) ** 3/4 |
| TETRO (2009, d. Francis Ford Coppola) Visually ravishing with creative films & operas within the film. But the narrative is too over-the-top operatic for my tastes. ** 3/4 |
| TEXAS (2006, d. Fausto Paravidino) *** |
| THANK YOU FOR SMOKING (2006, d. Jason Reitman) Clever satire with a great cast. Slightly oversold as the best thing since sliced bread. *** |
| THAT EVENING SUN (2010, d. Scott Teems) Fine film, if a downer. Holbrook is wonderful; but I felt for McKinnon's villain, too, surely not intended. *** 1/4 |
| THAT MAN: PETER BERLIN (2005, d. Jim Tushinski) Interesting docu about male porn object of the '70s. Nicely made with excellent interviews. *** 1/4 |
| THEATER OF WAR (2008, d. John Walter) ** 1/2 |
| THEM (Ils) (2007, d. David Moreau and Xavier Palud) ** 3/4 |
| THEN SHE FOUND ME (2008, d. Helen Hunt) Enjoyable, if predictable, romantic dramidy. ** 3/4 |
| THERE GOES MY BABY (2003, d. Floyd Mutrux) V. American Graffiti lite: high-school grad night set in L.A. during Watts riots. Good music, bad acting. ** 1/2 |
| THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007, d. Paul Thomas Anderson) Respect the filmmaking more than loved the film. *** 1/4 |
| THESE FOOLISH THINGS (2007, d. Julia Taylor-Stanley) ** |
| THEY KILLED SISTER DOROTHY (2008, d. Daniel Junge) Shocking docu about miscarried justice in the Brazil rainforests. *** 1/4 |
| THEY (2004, d. Robert Harmon)V. Atmospheric but shlocky horror flick about some college students who had night terrors as kids & now they're being harvested by "they". *** |
| THEY (2002, d. Robert Harmon) ** 1/2 |
| THEY'VE GOT KNUT (2003, Germany d. Stefan Krohmer) A tedious film about a group of leftists who meet in a Tyrol ski cabin for fun times & relating. ** |
| THICKER THAN WATER (2007, d. Arni Olafur Asgersson) *** 1/4 |
| THIEF OF PARIS, THE (2003, d. Louis Malle) V. Very cool, young Belmondo in solid period piece. Malle obviously influenced by Bresson at this stage. *** |
| THIEVES AND LIARS (2006, d. Matta & Marichal) *** |
| THING ABOUT MY FOLKS, THE (2005, d. Raymond De Felitta) Touching family comedy written & acted by Paul Reiser with the great Peter Falk. *** |
| THINGS BEHIND THE SUN (2001, d. Allison Anders) ** 1/2 |
| THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE (2007, d. Susanne Bier) Fine direction, fantastic acting (del Toro & Barry) *** 1/4 |
| THINK IT OVER (2003, d. Katerina Evangelakou) Forgetable romantic comedy: family where daughter is pregnant by her much younger almost step brother. * |
| THIRD PERSON SINGULAR NUMBER (2010, d. Mostofa Sarwar Farooki; Bangldesh) ** |
| THIRD WAVE, THE: A VOLUNTEER STORY (2009, d. Alison Thompson) Inciteful docu of volunteers who went to small Sri Lankan town destroyed by 2004 tsunami. *** 1/4 |
| THIRTEEN DAYS (2000, d. Roger Donaldson) *** |
| THIRTEEN (2003, d. Catherine Hardwick) Hard to watch, authentic, gritty drama about "good" teen girl going bad. Wood & Hunter truly great! *** 1/4 |
| THIRTY DAYS OF NIGHT (2009, d. David Slade) V. Hyper-violent vampire film with ridiculous script, some bad overacting, but also a scary Arctic atmosphere. ** |
| THIS CHARMING GIRL (2005, d. Lee Yoon-ki) Tedious, pointless film about a quietly suffering S. Korean girl wounded inside by sexual abuse. ** 1/4 |
| THIS FILM IS NOT YET RATED (2006, d. Kirby Dick) V. Amusing indictment of rating system. Predictable. *** 1/4 |
| THIS GIRL'S LIFE (2004, d. Ash)V. Extraordinarily powerful film about a girl in the internet porn biz. Great perfs by James Wood, Kip Pardue and esp. Juliette Marquis. *** 1/4 |
| THIS IS ENGLAND (2007, d. Shane Meadows) *** 1/4 |
| THIS IS IT (2009, d. Kenny Ortega) Valuable testament to MJ's talent. The show would have been great, and what is on screen is fascinating & near great. *** 1/4 |
| THIS IS NOT A LOVE SONG (2002, d. Bille Eltringham) ** 3/4 |
| THIS WAY OF LIFE (2010, 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 |
| THOMAS IN LOVE (2001, d. Pierre-Paul Renders) *** 3/4 |
| THOSE HAPPY DAYS (Ces jours heureux) (2006, d. Nackache & Tolédano) OK summer camp romantic comedy. Got better as it went along. ** 1/2 |
| THOSE WHO REMAIN (Ceux qui restent) (2008, d. Anne Le Ny) ** 3/4 |
| THOUSAND CLOUDS OF PEACE, A (2004, d. Julio Hernandez) Pretentious B&W gay reverie about a teen boy's troubles coming out. Mala Noche from the chicken's POV. ** 3/4 |
| THREE BLIND MICE (2008, d. Matthew Newton) *** |
| THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA, THE (2005, d. Tommy Lee Jones) *** |
| THREE DANCING SLAVES (2005, d. Gaël Morel) Three attractive brothers and their somewhat eliptical stories. Morel should quit directing & return to acting. ** 1/4 |
| THREE DAYS WITH THE FAMILY (2010, d. Mar Col) ** 3/4 |
| THREE MARIAS (2003, Brazil/Italy d. Aluizio Abranches) Stylish drama of family feud and revenge. A nothing story gorgeously told. ** 1/2 |
| THREE MONKEYS (2009, d. Nuri Bilge Ceylan; Turkey) *** 1/2 |
| THREE OF HEARTS (2005, d. Susan Kaplan) Interesting docu about a 3-way "marriage" between two gay men & a straight woman. Fascinating outcome. *** 1/4 |
| THREE ON THE ROAD (Baciami Piccina) (2007, d. Roberto Cimpanelli) *** |
| THREE TIMES (2006, d. Hou Hsiao-hsien) ** |
| THUMBSUCKER (2005, d. Mike Mills) ** 1/2 |
| THUNDER SOUL (2010, d. Mark Landsman) *** |
| TIC CODE, THE (2000, d. Gary Winick) ** 1/2 |
| TIGERLAND (2000, d. Joel Schumacher) *** 1/2 |
| TILL HUMAN VOICES WAKE US (2004, d. Michael Petroni)V. My low expectations for this moody romance (man & ghost) were exceded. Bravo Guy Pearce! *** |
| TILLMAN STORY, THE (2010, d. Amir Bar-Lev) Muckraking docu of army coverup: one heroic family's quest for truth. Not innovative filmmaking; but infuriating. *** 1/4 |
| TILSAMMANS (2004, d. Lukas Moodysson) V.+ Undeminished a 2nd time. The best film about the leftist collectives of the '70s ever made. **** |
| TIME CHANGER (2003, d. Rich Christiano) Offensive Christian propaganda film disguised as a SF time travel story. 0* |
| TIME FOR DRUNKIN HORSES, A (2000, d. Bahman Ghobadi) ** 1/2 |
| TIME MACHINE, THE (2002, d. Simon Wells) * 1/2 |
| TIME OF FAVOR (2002, d. Joseph Cedar) ** 1/4 |
| TIME OF FEAR (Salve Geral) (2009, d. Sergio Rezendi; Brazil) *** |
| TIME OF THE WOLF (2004, d. Michael Haneke) Contextless, disturbing apocolyptic drama of society's breakdown in rural France. Strong stuff. *** |
| TIME OUT (2002, d. Laurent Cantet) *** 1/4 |
| TIME REGAINED (2000, d. Raoul Ruiz) ** |
| TIME TO DIE (Pora Umierac) (2008, d. Dorota Kedzierzawska) *** |
| TIME TO LEAVE (2006, d. François Ozon) **** |
| TIME TRAVELERS WIFE, THE (2009, d. Robert Schwentke) Glossy, but cheesy romantic melodrama with SF twist. Well cast; but tries too hard to tearjerk and only jerks. ** 1/4 |
| TIMECODE (2000, d. Mike Figgis) *** |
| TIMECRIMES (2008, d. Nacho Vigalondo) ** 1/2 |
| TIMELINE (2003, d. Richard Donner) Workmanlike, if eliptical, historical time-travel story, looked good...but the acting and direction mostly sucked. * 3/4 |
| TIMES AND WINDS (2008, d. Riha Erdem) *** 1/4 |
| TIN MINE, THE (2006, d. Jira Maligool; Thailand) ** 3/4 |
| TITAN A.E. (2000, d. Don Bluth & Gary Goldman) * 1/4 |
| TO BE AND TO HAVE (2003, France d. Nicolas Philibert) Pastoral documentary about a year in the life of a one-room school in rural France. *** |
| TO BE OR NOT TO BE (2003, d. Ernst Lubitch) V. Polish WWII farce with some clever, if unrealistic, fantasy writing. No trace of the Lubitch touch. ** |
| TO GET TO HEAVEN YOU FIRST HAVE TO DIE (Bihisht Faqat Baroi Murdagon) (2007, d. Djamshed Usmonov) *** |
| TO SERVE & PROTECT (2004, d. Jean de Segonzac) V. Competent '98 tv movie about a family of Dallis cops & a serial killer targeting them. James Franco's 1st role. ** 3/4 |
| TOGETHER (Tillsammans) (2001, d. Lukas Moodysson) **** |
| TOGETHER (2003, China/S. Korea d. Chen Kaije) Audience pleaser about a young violin prodigy facing life in Beijing. *** 1/4 |
| TOI ET MOI (You and Me) (2010, d. Julie Lopes-Curval) V.+ Started watching & recognized I'd seen before. Not quite as fun as I remembered. ** 1/2 |
| TOKYO NOISE (2002, d. Petri, Roed, Soderberg) ** |
| TOKYO SONATA (2009, d. Kiyoshi Kurosawa) Excellent screwed-up family drama & morality tale which is more Kore-eda + Cantet than Kurosawa. *** 1/2 |
| TOKYO! (2008, d. Michel Gondry, Leos Carax, Joon-ho Bong) ** 1/2, * 3/4, ** 1/2 |
| TOM BROWN'S SCHOOL DAYS (2005, d. Dave Moore) V. *** 1/4 |
| TOMORROW MORNING (Sutra ujutro) (2006, d. Oleg Novkovic; Serbia) * 3/4 |
| TON OF LUCK, A (2006, d. Rodrigo Triana; Columbia) ** 1/4 |
| TONY MANERO (2008, d. Pablo Larrain) ** 1/2 |
| TOPP TWINS, THE: UNTOUCHABLE GIRLS (2010, d. Leanne Pooley) ** 3/4 |
| TORREMOLINOS 73 (2004, d. Pablo Berger) Fun satire about an ordinary couple making home pornos for the Scandinavian market. Candela Peña a standout! *** |
| TORTILLA SOUP (2001, d. Maria Ripoll) ** 1/4 |
| TOTAL LOSS (2000, d. Dana Nechushtan) ** |
| TOTALLY PERSONAL (Sasvim Licno) (2005, d. Nedzad Begovic) ** 3/4 |
| TOTALLY SEXY LOSER (2003, d. Jason Schafer) Low budget, very realistic DV comedy about a man afraid to commit (fine Chad Lindsey) in a doomed affair. *** |
| TOUCH OF PINK (2004, d. Ian Iqbal Rachid) Witty, skillful comedy much like The Wedding Banquet: gay man's Muslim family unaware he's gay. *** |
| TOUCH OF SPICE, A (2004, d. Tassos Boulmetis) Large scale but intimate picaresque à la Junot: a Turkish-Greek family, a boy's coming of age with a heavy food metaphor. ** 3/4 |
| TOUCH (2003, d. Paul Schrader) V.+ Nice cast, esp. Skeet Ulrich; I hadn't remembered it at all until the stigmata scene which stuck. ** 1/2 |
| TOUCHING EVIL (2006, d. var.) V. Eerie English detective miniseries created by Paul Abbott and Russell Davis with fine cast (Robson Green!) *** 1/4 |
| TOUCHING THE VOID (2004, d. Kevin Macdonald) V. Recreated docu (with interviews with original mountain climbers.) Suspenseful, nicely shot, but more fiction than doc? *** 1/4 |
| TOUGH ENOUGH (2006, d. Detlev Buck) *** 1/2 |
| TOUR, THE (2009, d. Goran Markovic; Serbia) ** 1/4 |
| TOURNEUSE DE PAGES, LA (2006, d. Denis Dercourt) *** 1/4 |
| TOUT CONTRE LÉO (2003, d. Christophe Honoré) French tv "afternoon special": 12 yr. old boy whose older brother gets AIDS. Frank, well acted. ** 1/2 |
| TOUT UN HIVER SANS FEU (2005, d. Greg Zglinski; Switzerland) ** 3/4 |
| TOWN IS QUIET, THE (2001, d. Robert Guédiguian) ** 1/2 |
| TOWN, THE (2010, 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 |
| TOY STORY 3 (2010, d. Lee Unkrich) Best of recent Pixar films, splendid action sequences plus emotionally rich evocation of passing childhood. *** 3/4 |
| TRACKER, THE (2004, d. Rolf de Heer) Spare, well shot drama of white power in Australia in 1922. The Aboriginal hero was the best thing in the film. *** |
| TRAFFIC (2004, d. Eric Bross, Stephen Hopkins) V. 3 part mini-series: new story, many threads, volently cross-cut, high tension, good acting. *** |
| TRAFFIC (2000, d. Steven Soderbergh) *** 1/2 |
| TRAINING DAY (2001, d. Antoine Fuqua) *** 1/4 |
| TRAINWRECK: MY LIFE AS AN IDOIT (2007, d. Todd Harrison Williams) *** |
| TRAITOR (2008, d. Jeffrey Nachmanoff) Superior, if predictable, terrorism thriller with superb perfs by Cheadle and Guy Pearce. *** 1/4 |
| TRANSAMERICA (2005, d. Duncan Tucker) *** 1/4 |
| TRANSFORMERS (2007, d. Michael Bay) ** 1/4 |
| TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN (2010, d. Michael Bay) Nobody ever accused Bay of subtlety & nuance. So glad Cameron kicked his ass. 1/4* |
| TRANSPORTER 2, THE (2005, d. Louis Leterrier) ** 1/2 |
| TRANSPORTER, THE (2005, d. Louis Leterrier) V. ** 3/4 |
| TRANSPORTER, THE (2002, d. Cory Yuen) ** 1/2 |
| TRANSSIBERIAN (2008, d. Brad Anderson) *** |
| TRAP, THE (2008, d. Srdan Golubovic; Serbia) *** 3/4 |
| TRAPPED (2003, d. Luis Mandoki) V. Greg Iles is one of my fave authors; but his own screenplay for his worst book was lame. Still, worked as thriller. ** 1/2 |
| TREASURE PLANET (2003, d. Ron Clements, John Musker) Disney animated Oscar nom based on Treasure Island. I slept through part of it. * 1/2 |
| TRECE CAMPANADAS (2003, d. Xavier Villaverde) Brilliantly made Hitchcockian thriller/ghost story. *** 1/2 |
| TREELESS MOUNTAIN (2009, d. So-Yong Kim) ** 1/2 |
| TREMBLING BEFORE G-D (2001, d. Sandi Simcha DuBowski) *** 1/4 |
| TRIALS OF DARRYL HUNT, THE (2006, d. Stern & Sundberg) Almost perfect docu about failure of justice in N. Carolina. *** 3/4 |
| TRIANGLE (Tie Saam Gok) (2008, d. Tsui Hark, Johnnie To, Ringo Lam) ** 1/4 |
| TRICK IN THE SHEET, THE (L'imbroglio nel lenzuolo) (2010, d. Alfonso Arau) ** 1/2 |
| TRICKS (2009, d. Andrzej Jakimowski; Poland) *** |
| TRILOGY: AFTER LIFE (2003, France/Belgium d. Lucas Belvaux) Melodrama about the morphine addict & her flic husband running parallel to previous. *** |
| TRILOGY: AN AMAZING COUPLE (2003, France/Belgium d. Lucas Belvaux 100) Edgy romantic comedy farce of events running parallel to above. *** |
| TRILOGY: ON THE RUN (2003, France/Belgium d. Lucas Belvaux) Thriller noir about prison escapee terrorist, taut and well played. *** 1/2 |
| TRIMPIN: THE SOUND OF INVENTION (2009, d. Peter Esmonde) ** 1/2 |
| TRIP TO KHARABAKH (2006, d. Levan Tutberidze) *** |
| TRIP, THE (2002, d. Miles Swain) ** 3/4 |
| TRIPLE AGENT (2004, d. Eric Rohmer) Cerebrial, talky, involving pre-WWII thriller about a White Russian general and his Greek wife. *** |
| TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE, THE (2003, d. Sylvaine Chomet) Stylish 2-D animation feature, weird story: Tour de France race gone very wrong. Not my cuppa'. *** |
| TRISTAN + ISOLDE (2006, d. Kevin Reynolds) Formula period romance with a charismatic perf by James Franco and a better than average script. ** 3/4 |
| TRISTRAM SHANDY: A COCK AND BULL STORY (2005, d. Michael Winterbottom) *** |
| TRIUMPH OF LOVE (2002, d. Clare Peploe) ** |
| TRIXIE (2000, d. Alan Rudolph) ** 1/4 |
| TROLLYWOOD (2004, d. Madeleine Farley) Poorly edited and photographed doc. about the homeless in my neighborhood of L.A. * 3/4 |
| TRON: LEGACY (2010, d. Joseph Kosinski) Visually stunning, of course (incredible strides since the '80s); but bombastic & video-gamey with silly, predictable plot. ** 1/2 |
| TROPIC THUNDER (2008, 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 |
| TROPICAL MALADY (2005, d. Apichatpong Weerasethakul) Very strange, beautiful film which starts as a simple gay friendship film & ends as an allegory. ** 3/4 |
| TROTSKY, THE (2010, d. Jacob Tierney) *** 1/4 |
| TROUBLE EVERY DAY (2002, d. Claire Denis) ** 1/4 |
| TROUBLE THE WATER (2008, d. Deal & Lessin) Docu with amateur video work, but a strong personalized message about Katrina lessons. *** |
| TROUBLED WATER (2009, d. Erik Poppe) *** 3/4 |
| TROY (2004, d. Wolfgang Peterson) Much better than expected...a psychologically apt script and some great battles and superb acting (esp. Peter O'Toole). *** 1/2 |
| TRUE ADOLESCENTS (2009, d. Craig Johnson) *** 1/2 |
| TRUE GRIT (2010, d. Joel & Ethan Coen) A remarkably pure, fun western from the Coens, one of my faves from them, quite remarkable performances. *** 1/2 |
| TRUE LOVE (2005, d. Michael J. Saul)V. *** |
| TRUE STORY OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT, THE (2005, d. Jim Lindsay) V. Quite informative History Channel 2 1/4 hr. opus, better than the recent feature. *** |
| TRULY HUMAN (2001, d. Ake Sandgren) *** 3/4 |
| TRUST THE MAN (2006, d. Bart Freundlich) Enjoyable adult relationship comedy which peters out last 1/3. *** |
| TRUTH ABOUT CHARLIE, THE (2002, d. Jonathan Demme) * 1/4 |
| TRUTH AND LIES (2003, d. Piergiorgio Gay) Italian film about a man discovers the truth about his Fascist father. *** |
| TRY TO REMEMBER (2003, d. Zabout Breitman) Moving & pathos filled love story set in rehab hospital. Young woman with Alzheimer's. *** 1/4 |
| TSAR (2010, d. Pavel Lungin) ** 1/2 |
| TSATSIKI, MUM AND THE POLICEMAN (2000, d. Ella Lemhagen) *** |
| TSOTSI (2005, d. Gavin Hood; South Africa) **** |
| TU VERRAS, ÇA TE PASSERA (2003, d. Fabrice Cazeneuve) Superb coming out "afternoon special" tv movie, frank and truthful as only the French can do. *** 1/4 |
| TUCK EVERLASTING (2002, d. Jay Russell) ** 1/2 |
| TULLY (2002, d. Hillary Birmingham) *** 1/2 |
| TULPAN (2008, d. Sergei Dvortsevoy; Kazakhstan) *** 1/4 |
| TULSE LUPER SUITCASES 1, THE (2004, d. Peter Greenaway) Ambitious multi-media project, visual jumble, I just couldn't take it for long. W/O |
| TUNNEL, THE (2001, d. Roland Suso Richter) *** 1/2 |
| TUPAC: RESURRECTION (2004, d. Lauren Lazin) V. Superbly made docu about life & death of 2Pac Shakur, ultimately too hagiographic. *** 1/4 |
| TURISTAS (2010, d. Alicia Scherson) *** |
| TURN LEFT, TURN RIGHT (2004, d. Johnny To, Wai Ka-fai) Exhillerating romantic comedy in the Lelouchian And Now My Love mode. *** 1/4 |
| TURNING GREEN (2009, d. Michael Aimette & John Hoffman) An American teenager in Ireland goes entrepreneur as porn king. Donal Gallery as the kid is worth watching. ** |
| TURNING PAIGE (2002, d. Robert Cuffley) ** |
| TURTLES CAN FLY (2005, d. Bahman Ghobadi) Powerful, wrenching drama about damaged Kurdish children in a refugee camp just before Gulf War 2. *** 1/4 |
| TUXEDO, THE (2002, d. Kevin Donovan) * |
| TV JUNKIE (2006, d. Michael Cain) *** |
| TV SET, THE (2007, d. Jake Kasdan) Spot on satire of tv network/show running goings on. Great cast, nifty, truthful script. *** 1/4 |
| TWELVE (2010, d. Joel Schumacher) Gossip Girl + Less Than Zero. Over-use of narration to novelize doesn't work; but acting & direction first rate. *** |
| TWELVE AND HOLDING (2006, d. Michael Cuesta) *** 1/2 |
| TWENTY THOUSAND STREETS UNDER THE SKY (2006, d. Simon Curtis) V. BBC romantic period '30s drama from 3 points of view. Bryan Dick! *** |
| TWICE UPON A TIME (Désaccord parfait) (2007, d. Antoine De Caunes) ** 1/2 |
| TWILIGHT DANCER (2006, d. Mel Chionglo) * 1/4 |
| TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON, THE (2009, d. Chris Weitz) Lugubrious, short on action compared to 1st, disappointing even with low expectations. Lautner is *hot*, though. ** |
| TWILIGHT SAMURAI, THE (2004, d. Yoji Yamada) A masterpiece set in same era as Last Samurai. Intimate, truthful and emotionally fulfilling. **** |
| TWILIGHT (2008, d. Catherine Hardwicke) Paradigmic film with vampirism as metaphor for teenage insecurities. Strangely beautiful & involving. *** 1/4 |
| TWILIGHT: ECLIPSE (2010, d. David Slade) Interesting love triangle, lovely to look at with some 1st class action...but mid-section drags & motivations suspect. ** 3/4 |
| TWIN SISTERS (2004, d. Ben Sombogaart) 20th cent, epic of 2 twins separated at 6 yr., one German, one Dutch. Beautifully made in every department. **** |
| TWIST OF FATE (2004, d. Kirby Dick) V. Downer docu about angry men who were molested as teenagers by a Catholic priest in Toledo OH. Incendiary, but sort of boring. ** 1/2 |
| TWIST (2004, d. Jacob Tierney) A very bleak, but truthful digital variant on Oliver Twist characters as Toronto street hustlers. Great acting, but unremitting. ** 3/4 |
| TWISTED LOVE (shorts) |
| TWISTED ROOTS (2010, d. Saara Saarela) *** |
| TWISTED (2004, d. Philip Kaufman) Utterly predictable, unlikely policier thriller. Ashley Judd fares well; but the film is pretty bad. * 3/4 |
| TWO DAYS (2003, d. Sean McGinly) Hip, funny - a 30-something actor (Paul Rudd at the top of his game) who has a documentary made about his suicide. *** 1/4 |
| TWO DRIFTERS (2006, d. João Pedro Rodrigues) ** 3/4 |
| TWO FAMILY HOUSE (2000, d. Raymond De Felitta) ** 1/2 |
| TWO FOR THE MONEY (2005, d. D.J. Caruso) ** 1/2 |
| TWO FRIENDS (2003, d. Scimone, Sframeli) Slice of life drama about 2 roommates, one a mafia hit-man, the other an ordinary joe. Droning, boring. ** |
| TWO GREAT SHEEP (2005, d. Liu Hao) Visually stunning Chinese shaggy sheep story about collectivism gone nuts. I was a little bored. ** 1/2 |
| TWO IN THE WAVE (Deux de la vague) (2010, d. Emmanuel Laurent) V. *** 1/2 |
| TWO LOVERS (2008, d. James Gray) *** |
| TWO SONS OF FRANCISCO (Dois Filhos de Francisco) (2005, d. Breno Silveira; Brazil) ** 3/4 |
| TWO TOWNS OF JASPER (2002, d. Whitney Dow, Marco Williams) ** 1/2 |
| TWO WEEKS NOTICE (2002, d. Marc Lawrence) ** |
| TYCOON: A NEW RUSSIAN (2003, d. Pavel Languine) Fascinatingly dense, overdone haunting satire about the rise and fall of a modern Russian Oligarch. *** 1/4 |