The Descent

THE DESCENT (2005) - Jan. 31, 2006
Wow! About six women who venture into a cave, the movie starts off with a sort of Blair Witch / Open Water sort of vibe, with the women discovering that leaving the cave may not be quite as easy as they thought. This part of the film was really well done, with the tension slowly building up as the situation gets worse and worse. But then they discover the strange, monster-like creatures who live in the cave, and and the movie turns into something very different (but no less good) as the women fight for survival. The thing about this movie is that it was really, really good. It's pretty much gripping from start to finish (with the exception of a short introductory sequence in which all the characters are introduced), it's really well acted and really well made. It's suspenseful, and genuinely creepy. It's definitely the best horror movie I've seen in a while. Actually, it's the best movie I've seen in a while, period. ****

The Librarian: Quest for the Spear

THE LIBRARIAN: QUEST FOR THE SPEAR (2004) - Jan. 29, 2006
A cheesy but essentially entertaining adventure movie starring Noah Wyle. The movie was clearly made on a shoestring budget, and it looks it (no one is going to be confusing this for a theatrical release). The main problem is that you really would expect more adventure from an adventure movie; the characters basically spend the majority of the film walking around and talking (presumably because of the aforementioned budget, or lack thereof). But it has its moments, and it does feature a really engaging lead performance from Noah Wyle (who certainly deserves better than this). **1/2

Lord of War

LORD OF WAR (2005) - Jan. 28, 2006
Nicolas Cage gives a really good performance in this film about the rise and fall of a powerful gun-runner. The direction, by Andrew Niccol, is quite good and the film is entertaining throughout. All the performances are really good but Cage in particular gives a better than average performance as a character who is unable (or unwilling) to admit that what he does is wrong. ***

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE (2005)
A well made and enjoyable adaptation of C.S. Lewis' classic book. The film is essentially a scene-for-scene recreation of the book, though that's not to say that it was simply a slavish translation of the novel; there were certainly many things that were different, but all in all it was really good in many of the same ways that the book was really good. It helps that the film was really well made and well acted. All four of the kids were pretty much perfect in their roles, and Tilda Swinton was appropriately sinister as the White Witch. And Andrew Adamson's direction was quite good, giving the movie an epic feel without overwhelming the viewer with sweeping shots of epic landscapes (the Lord of the Rings trilogy comes to mind). As well, the requisite battle scene was really well done, eschewing the old shakey-cam/quick-cut stand-by in favour of shots that actually last longer than a second (again, the Lord of the Rings trilogy comes to mind). Though at well over two hours the film felt a tad long at times, that's a relatively minor complaint. ***1/2

Bad Santa

BAD SANTA (2003) - Jan. 1, 2006
About a grizzled criminal who becomes a mall Santa every year so he can rob the place, and the unlikely friendship he forms with one of the kids who visits him. Billy Bob Thornton was really good as the criminal, as was the kid. The movie was actually quite funny at parts, and really well made and entertaining all the way through. ***1/2