U  -  ALL FILMS  2003 - 6/2009

ULZHAN (d. Volker Schlöndorff) ***

UM FILME FALADO  (d. Manoel de Oliveira) Travelogue cum philosophical meditation on feminism and language. Interesting, if unsatisfying.  ** 1/2

UN OSO ROJO  (d. Israel Adrián Caetano) Loner outlaw, larger than life character in a film noir notable for its cruelty and compassion.  ***

UNCERTAINTY (d. Scott McGehee, David Siegel) ** 1/4

UNCONSCIOUS (d. Joaquin Oristell) Sometimes funny, lush Spanish period farce about sexuality in the days when Freud was current. ** 3/4

UNDER ANOTHER SKY (d. Gaël Morel) Go back to acting, Gaël!  Nicolas Cazale was magnetic as French/Algerian youth forced to return to his roots.  ** 1/2

UNDER THE BOMBS (d. Philippe Aractingi) ** 1/2

UNDER THE ICE (d. Aelrun Goette) *** 1/2

UNDER THE SAME MOON (d. Patricia Riggen) Predictable, but the kid is great & the story just works.  ** 1/2

UNDER THE SIGN OF SCORPIO (d. Taviani brothers) 1969 film by filmmakers I like; but this shipwreck film was boring & thematically opaque  *

UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN (d. Audrey Wells) Romantic woman's pic which despite predictablilty, pressed all my buttons. Ah, lovely Italy...mi amore.   ** 3/4

UNDERTOE (d. David Gordon Green) Green has such a unique style. It works here, with nice acting turns by Jamie Bell and Josh Lukas. Quite affecting.  *** 1/2

UNFAITHFULLY YOURS (d. Preston Sturges) V. Deftly written drawing room comedy - symphony conductor plots to music against wife's infidelity.  *** 1/2

UNFINISHED LIFE , AN (d. Lasse Hellstrom)  ** 1/2

UNIDENTIFIED, THE (d. Kevin Tucker) *** 1/4

UNITED 93 (d. Paul Greengrass) V.  Impressively subtle.  As close to Cinéma vérité as we're likely to get this century.  *** 3/4

UNITED STATES OF LELAND, THE (d. Matthew Ryan Hoge) Fine cast, but overwritten and predictable. Manic was similar, but better. Still Ryan Gosling rules!  ** 3/4

UNIVERSALOVE (d. Thomas Woschitz) * 3/4

UNKNOWN WHITE MALE (d. Rupert Murray) V.  *** 1/2

UNKNOWN, THE (d. Giuseppe Tornatore) Italy Academy foreign film submission *** 1/4

UNKNOWN, THE (d. Giuseppi Tornatore) + *** 1/4

UNLIKELY HEROES  (d. Richard Trank) Doc. about resistance during the Holocaust. I did considerable work on this, and film/vid/film looks great. ** 3/4

UNMISTAKEN CHILD (d. Nati Baratz) ***

UNO (d. Aksel Hennie) Tough, violent drama about a good man who can't escape the consequences of acts beyond his control.  ***

UNREASONABLE MAN, AN (d. Mantel an Skrovan) V. Excellent, if mostly talking head docu about Ralph Nader.  *** 1/4

UNSPOKEN PASSION (d. Roni Bertubin) ** 1/2

UNTOLD SCANDAL  (d. E J-yong) Ravishingly visual Korean adaptation of a 17th century Dangerous Liasons.  It translates well.  *** 1/4

UNTOLD STORY OF EMMETT LOUS TILL, THE (d. Keith and Kevin Beauchamps) V. ***

UP AND DOWN (d. Jan Hrebejk) Involving multi-character comedy about the intertwined life in Prague today among refugees, emigrées, and all stratas of society. *** 1/4

UP THE YANGTZE (d. Yung Chang) ** 3/4

UPSIDE OF ANGER, THE (d. Mike Binder) John Gissing was so bad that I dismissed Binder as a director...mistake. Fine ensemble comedy. ***

URBAN SCARECROW (d. Andrew McAllister) ** 3/4

URO (d. Stefan Faldbakken) ***

USED PARTS (d. Aaron Fernandez) *** 1/4