Hellboy II: The Golden Army

HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY (2008) - August 30, 2008
A mostly enjoyable sequel, featuring some really impressive action set-pieces that easily exceed anything from the first one. However, outside of the action scenes, this is definitely a big step down from the original. It's missing that certain spark -- it's hard to put your finger on it, but it just doesn't feel as fun as the first one, despite the fact that it's clearly trying to be. It probably doesn't help that it's a tad on the overblown side; though Hellboy and his team were fighting supernatural monsters in the first one, it was mostly grounded in reality. This one has no such grounding, finding the team in increasingly fantastical settings. Guillermo del Toro's visuals are as inventive as ever, but the film itself definitely falls short of the original. **1/2

Million Dollar Baby

MILLION DOLLAR BABY (2004) - August 25, 2008
It took me long enough, but I finally saw this movie. Obviously, I would have enjoyed it much more if I hadn't known about the twist with Hillary Swank's character, but despite that this was still a very compelling, well-made drama with some great performances. Clint Eastwood's direction is as good as ever, and the film also features some nicely moody cinematography. ***1/2

WALL-E

WALL-E (2008) - August 23, 2008 (Fourth Viewing)
Man, what can I say about this movie? Other than that it's awesome? Because it is awesome. Super awesome. I think it's starting to become pretty clear that this film is creeping into my all-time top ten. It's that good. I've seen it four times now, and I still cease to be amazed by how good it is; it never fails to move me, to excite me, and to just generally remind me of how awesome and inspiring it is to watch a truly great movie on the big screen. ****

Vicky Christina Barcelona

VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA (2008) - August 22, 2008
On one hand, I've gotta give props to the Woodster -- he's definitely trying to do something interesting, and to make a genuinely good film, something which definitely can't be said for most of his efforts from the past decade or so. On the other hand, this just wasn't that great. It certainly wasn't bad, but... let me put it this way: the film is only 96 minutes, but as I was watching it I was sure it was two hours, if not longer. The film meanders a lot, and I know what the Woodster was going for, but it just doesn't work a lot of the time. Much of it feels oddly pointless, particularly in the mid-section of the film. Also, although the writing cannot be mistaken for anything but a Woody Allen product, it seems like he's trying to do something different directorially, which I can't say I'm a big fan of. Not that I'm against him trying out new things, or evolving as an artist, but it seems to me like he's thrown out many the hallmarks of his established style (such as lots of meticulously composed long takes) in favour of something much more conventional and bland (I don't think I've ever seen so many close-ups in a Woody Allen film). I still think this was a good movie, but also a definite misstep for the Woodster. **1/2

The Dark Past

THE DARK PAST (1948) - August 20, 2008
An entertaining if somewhat dated and stagy film about a criminal, recently escaped from jail, who holds up in the home of a psychiatrist. The film features good performances from William Holden and Lee J. Cobb, and decent (if somewhat bland) direction by Rudolph Maté. **1/2

The Gambler

THE GAMBLER (1974) - August 19, 2008
Featuring a really impressive performance from James Caan, this was a good character study about a couple of days in the life of an English professor, who also happens to have a bit of a gambling problem (putting it mildly). It was completely plotless, but remained fairly entertaining throughout if only for Caan's performance, and the interesting look at an otherwise intelligent character who is so hopelessly addicted to gambling it impacts everything he does. The direction is ho-hum; I'm sure this film would have been remembered more if the direction were a bit better. Oh well. ***

WALL-E

WALL-E (2008) - August 17, 2008 (Third Viewing)
After watching this for the third time, I think I can say without hesitation that this is one of my favourite films of the decade. It's right up there with There Will Be Blood, the last really great film of recent memory -- in fact, I think it might even surpass it. I say that because I feel like WALL-E is ridiculously close to being a perfect film; there isn't a single wasted moment to be found. This is the type of movie that a lot of directors probably want to make, but don't have the talent or the balls to do so -- a movie which tells its story primarily through visuals rather than dialogue (something which is, paradoxically, especially rare in contemporary animation, despite the fact that this type of storytelling is ideally suited to the medium), and which introduces characters who are essentially mute and expects us to care about them. This is where WALL-E really shines -- WALL-E himself is such a great character, who exudes charm and personality without ever uttering a word. He will surely enter the pantheon of great movie characters, or at least he should if there's any justice in the world. His romance with Eve is one of the most effective and affecting movie romances I've seen in a long, long time. This is a perfect film, or close to it, because it elicits pretty much every emotion you could ask for from a movie: it's funny, exciting, sad, moving and exhilarating. It's filmmaking distilled to its very essence, and delivered in the most satisfying way imaginable. It's perfect. ****

Mirrors

MIRRORS (2008) - August 16, 2008
Though reasonably well made by Alexandre Aja, this film is definitely not on par with his two previous efforts. About an ex-cop, now a security guard, who discovers that there's something sinister afoot with the mirrors in the old department store he's guarding. Aja does his best, but it's hard to make a really compelling villian out of something as broad as all mirrors. It doesn't help that every scare here is of the "Boo!" variety. It also doesn't help that the film ultimately becomes like pretty much every Asian horror remake, with the protagonist having to solve a decades-old mystery. The film is never boring, though, and reasonably suspenseful in parts. It's also notable for having one of the most brutal scenes I've seen in a while (if not ever). **1/2

Marie Antoinette

MARIE ANTOINETTE (2006) - August 13, 2008 (Second Viewing)
Featuring stunning cinematography and great direction by Sophia Coppola, this is easily among the best looking films I've ever seen. The film also does a really good job of making Antoinette a sympathetic character, courtesy of both Sophia Coppola's script and Kirsten Dunst's performance. ****

Tropic Thunder

TROPIC THUNDER (2008) - August 11, 2008
An enjoyable spoof about a group of clueless actors who find themselves lost and alone in the middle of the Vietnamese jungle. Much like Ben Stiller's last film as writer/director/star, Zoolander, this wasn't always laugh-out-loud hilarious but it definitely had its moments, and it was entertaining throughout. ***

For Love of the Game

FOR LOVE OF THE GAME (1999) - August 10, 2008
A really enjoyable film about an aging baseball player who, during what may be his final game, looks back at his life -- particularly at his five-year relationship with his on-again off-again girlfriend. This was a really well made film; the baseball scenes are really exciting, and the stuff outside of the game were just as good. It's very often schmaltzy, but never in a bad way. It also features a really good performance from Kevin Costner. ***1/2

The Bishop's Wife

THE BISHOP'S WIFE (1947) - August 9, 2008
A well made if somewhat slow-paced movie about a troubled bishop, who receives help in the form of a charming angel. The film's biggest undoing is that it often feels a bit pointless -- a good chunk of the film's running time is devoted to the angel and the bishop's wife just going around having a good time, which gets tiresome after a while. Cary Grant was good, though. **1/2

The Pineapple Express

THE PINEAPPLE EXPRESS (2008) - August 8, 2008 (Second Viewing)
This is a really enjoyable film, thanks mostly to the better-than-average direction from David Gordon Green, and the great chemistry between Seth Rogen and James Franco. Though the film is still quite enjoyable during the action-heavy third act, the stuff where the two characters are just talking is where the movie really shines. ***

King of the Hill

KING OF THE HILL (1993) - August 7, 2008
A well made slice of life about a poor boy in the 1930s, and the various shenanigans he gets himself into. This was easily the most straight-forward Steven Soderbergh movie (at least that I've seen); it contains none of his usual stylistic quirks, and I really doubt I would have been able to guess that he had directed it if I hadn't already known. The pared-down style works for the story, and the film was really engaging all the way through despite being entirely plotless. It helps that the performances were all quite good, including a young Adrian Brody. ***

3:10 to Yuma

3:10 TO YUMA (2007) - August 5, 2008
A superlative western about an outlaw who finds himself being escorted to a prison train by a determined rancher (an a few others). This was a really well made film, featuring interesting characters and great performances. Russell Crowe and Christian Bale are both in peak form here, and I particularly liked the relationship between their two characters (and Ben Foster was a definite scene-stealer as one of Russell Crowe's smarmy henchmen). James Mangold's direction is particularly good; he makes good use of the widescreen frame and directs the action sequences with a steady hand, making them exciting without ever resorting to the quick-cut/shaky-cam trope that so many contemporary directors fall back on when they can't think of any other way to make an action scene work. The film lags a tiny bit around the mid-section, but that's a minor complaint. It really is too bad they hardly ever make westerns any more, especially when they're this good. ***1/2

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR (2008) - August 3, 2008
Though far from a great movie or even a good one, this wasn't quite the flat-out disaster that many people are making it out to be. It's silly, and, more often than not, badly written; the action direction also leans far more towards quick-cut/shaky-cam than I'd like, and the overblown conclusion goes on a bit longer than it needs to (other than the Jet Li / Michelle Yeoh fight, which is disappointly short). But it's mostly entertaining (or never completely boring at least). It probably helped that my expectations were pretty much rock bottom. **

The Dark Knight

THE DARK KNIGHT (2008) - August 1, 2008 (Second Viewing)
Wow! Obviously, this is a really good film, and watching it again just cements that. But it was watching this on IMAX that really impressed; the scenes that were actually shot on the IMAX format were easily the most impressive-looking thing I've seen in a movie theatre. The clarity of the image was pretty much stunning (sort of like going from VHS to DVD). Good stuff. ****