Topper

TOPPER (1937) - June 16, 2006
About a freewheeling couple who die, and then decide to help out a stodgy banker as a good deed to get into heaven. Cary Grant was good, but Cary Grant is always good (and his part was too small). The movie itself was kind of iffy; it was basically plotless, and the main character (the banker) wasn't all that interesting. It was essentially entertaining but it did start to drag a bit towards the end. **1/2

The Lake House

THE LAKE HOUSE (2006) - June 14, 2006
Though the premise of this movie is a bit gimmicky (a man and a woman who live two years apart somehow write to each other via some kind of time-traveling mailbox), it works. Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock were both really good, which helps. The obligatory fake-breakup felt even more artificial here than usual, and the movie does a really bad job keeping the last "twist" a secret, but aside from that this was pretty good. ***

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

KISS KISS BANG BANG (2005) - June 12, 2006
A really enjoyable film noir buddy comedy / murder mystery. Written and directed by Shane Black, who wrote the first Lethal Weapon, and who does a good job here directing for the first time. The movie was surprisingly funny, with most of the laughs coming from the interplay between Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer (who were both quite good). The self-aware narration was sometimes a bit too clever for its own good, but aside from that, good stuff. ***1/2

The Omen

THE OMEN (2006) - June 9, 2006
A decent but overlong and kind of mediocre horror movie. The performances were good (Mia Farrow was really sinister as a demonic nanny, and it's always nice to see David Thewlis on the big screen), and it was reasonably well directed. The main problem was that, aside from a few creepy parts, the movie just wasn't scary. There were long stretches where you could almost forget you were watching a horror movie; it didn't seem to be building up any kind of tension, or dread. Plus, at almost two hours, it was definitely too long. **1/2

Cars

CARS (2006) - June 7, 2006
Well, this seemed like a good movie, but I'll have to watch it again to know for sure. I was really tired, and though I tried my hardest, I wound up falling asleep in the middle of the film. So yeah, another viewing is going to be necessary, especially since what I did see was good. NO RATING

The Da Vinci Code

THE DA VINCI CODE (2006) - May 19, 2006
A decent, though not particularly great, adaptation of the mega-popular book. Tom Hanks was good, because Tom Hanks is incapable of giving a bad performance, but he has definitely been better. Meh. **1/2

United 93

UNITED 93 (2006) - May 17, 2006
A sometimes harrowing, sometimes slightly dull recounting of flight 93, the one plane on 9/11 that didn't hit its target. Directed by Paul "one note" Greengrass, so it's obviously directed with a gritty, documentary-like style (though it works a lot better here than it did in the Bourne Supremacy). The movie cuts between stuff on the ground, with the people controlling the planes trying to figure out what's going on, and the stuff on the plane itself. My biggest complaint with this movie was that after a while, the stuff on the ground started to feel a bit redundant -- once the idea that there was a lot of confusion on the ground is hammered home, watching random workers exclaim "is it a hijacking?" "it can't be a hijacking!" "the plane disappeared!" etc., starts to get a bit monotonous, especially since there aren't any characters. The stuff on the plane was really good though, particularly towards the end. I wish there had been more of that and less of the other stuff. ***

Last Holiday

LAST HOLIDAY (2006) - May 16, 2006 (Second Viewing)
A really entertaning, funny and enjoyable film, centred by a very likeable performance from Queen Latifah. Say what you will about this movie -- it may by cheesy and manipulative and (insert jaded film-buff criticism here) but it's really well done and very enjoyable. ***1/2

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975) - May 12, 2006 (Umpteenth Viewing)
What can I say about this movie? It's a classic, certainly. There are too many really funny scenes to mention, and though I've seen it so many times at this point that I've practically memorized it, I'm still really entertained and amused by it. ****

Poseidon

POSEIDON (2006) - May 10, 2006
It's strange for a movie like this to be as short as it is -- around 90 minutes. But watching it, it becomes clear why: it feels like double that. It probably doesn't help that the wave hits at around the ten minute mark, which leaves the characters slightly underdeveloped (to put it mildly). It also doesn't help that as soon as the boat flips, the characters spring right into action, going from one "exciting" set-piece to the next, with almost no down-time between them. And, although it's not a fair comparison, it's hard to watch a movie set on a sinking ship without thinking of Titanic, which is obviously the superior film in every conceivable way. It was nice seeing Richard Dreyfuss back on the big screen, and of course people like Josh Lucas and Kurt Russell are always good, but, well... The movie wasn't completely boring, it just got sort of tedious towards the end. **

Art School Confidential

ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL (2006) - May 10, 2006
This actually started out really well, but then sort of lost steam and petered out towards the end. About a idealistic young kid who goes to art school, only to find out it isn't quite what he thought it would be. The movie has a quirky charm, and for the first 40 minutes or so it really works. But there's a lot of superfluous stuff here; the comic it's based on was apparently too short for a movie, so it was expanded for the screenplay. You can tell. It feels padded. The performances were all good, as was Terry Zwigoff's direction. But it definitely would have benefited from a shorter running time. ***

Hostage

HOSTAGE (2005) - May 7, 2006
A surprisingly inert thriller. Featuring Bruce Willis, who plays a grizzled veteran of the force who looks like a scared child every time someone points a gun at him, and who spends the majority of the film on the verge of tears. The film was reasonably well made, it just wasn't very interesting or exciting, for whatever reason. **

Mission: Impossible III

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III (2006) - May 3, 2006
An essentially entertaining action film, though it did grow a bit tiresome after a while as it was over two hours long and was essentially just a series of loosely strung together action set-pieces. It probably doesn't help that practically every one takes place in a different country, which makes the whole thing feel a bit disjointed. Philip Seymour Hoffman was excellent as a really sinister bad guy, though he didn't have nearly enough to do, and Simon Pegg was definitely a highlight as a wacky computer technician. The action scenes were all well done, but the movie definitely would have benefited from some trimming, and a bit more downtime between the action. **1/2

Silent Hill

SILENT HILL (2006) - May 2, 2006
Sweet Jesus. Based on the trailers, and the fact that the people behind the camera have talent (supposedly), this seemed like it should have been the first really good video game adaptation. It was one of the worst. It had some promise at the beginning; it had a creepy atmosphere and it seemed generally well made. But then it started to get strange. But not strange in a good way -- strange in a "what's supposed to be happening here?" type of way. Strange in a "why are the characters acting like this?" type of way. It just got more and more confusing, with random oddball stuff happening for no apparent reason. The plot had something to do with a ghost town, and a fire, and some weird little girl... I really actually have no idea what the plot was. Aside from being confusing, the writing was about on the same level as a low budget, straight-to-video movie, with such gems as "They used to say this town was haunted... I think they were right!" (this being after they've seen several bizarre demons, a swarm of giant cockroaches with human-like mouths, among other various bits of weirdness). The performances weren't much better. Even the usually reliable Sean Bean seemed completely uncomfortable with a forced, awkward American accent. The movie generally looked pretty good, but it was such a boring, baffling ordeal, I didn't really care. If I ever see Roger Avery I'm going to punch him in the stomach and demand my ten bucks back. *

The Descent

THE DESCENT (2005) - April 29, 2006 (Second Viewing)
As far as this type of horror movie goes, this movie is pretty much perfect. It's just riveting from start to finish. There is the first half, with the women struggling to find their way out of the cave, which is really good. And then there's the second half, with the monsters, which is even better than the first. It's edge-of-your seat and it's really well made. ****

Wolf Creek

WOLF CREEK (2005) - April 27, 2006
A brutal and entertaining horror film. This got a bad rap when it came out, and I'm not sure why. Sure it was pretty brutal to its characters, but all films of this type are. It probably doesn't help that the bad stuff doesn't go down until around the mid-point of the movie, with the first half spent with the characters traveling across the countryside and having a good time. This makes the sudden brutality of the second half more jarring than it would be otherwise. The movie was well made and entertaining, but I don't think I'll ever be able to look at Crocodile Dundee the same way. ***

Miller's Crossing

MILLER'S CROSSING (1990) - April 25, 2006
A really well written, well directed movie about gangsters in the '20s. The performances were all quite good, particularly Gabriel Byrne, and John Turturro as a sleazy, small-time thug. The Raymond Chandler-eqsue dialogue was really good... basically, this was just as good as you'd expect a gangster movie by the Coens would be. ***1/2

American Dreamz

AMERICAN DREAMZ (2006) - April 19, 2006
A decent but essentially forgettable film about an American Idol type of show. The film satirizes such fresh subjects as reality shows and President Bush. What a bold and fresh idea -- I've never seen anyone make fun of Bush before. Oh wait, I have, like a million times. The movie starts off well enough but got sort of tiresome towards the end (the amount of songs performed probably didn't help). The performances were all good - Seth Meyers stole pretty much every scene he was in as a sleazy agent - but aside from that it was pretty mediocre. **1/2

Lucky Number Slevin

LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN (2006) - April 19, 2006
Well, that was a bit disappointing. The movie started well and ended well but most of the it was sort of a dud. Not that it was terrible (it was pretty much entertaining all the way through) but, well... For one thing, the dialogue was a bit too quirky for its own good. Plus the main character, for the sake of the twist at the end, was essentially not developed at all, which made his exploits during most of the movie sort of pointless. The whole movie was very obviously leading up to a twist, so it was sort of like, just get to it already. It did improve at the end, though. **1/2

Brick

BRICK (2005) - April 19, 2006
A high school detective movie, featuring the same type of hard-boiled dialogue that Sin City tried (and failed) to emulate. While Sin City's dialogue seemed like overblown parody that got tiresome pretty fast, here it really works. It helps that all the performances were really good; Joseph Gordon-Levitt in particular was exceptional in the main role. This was basically just a really good detective movie that just happened to be set in and around a high school. ***1/2

Hostel

HOSTEL (2005) - April 18, 2005 (Second Viewing)
A really effective horror/thriller. The film is perfectly paced, allowing us to spend some time with the characters before beginning the carnage. The whole last half was pretty much electrifying. And essentially all the bad guys get their comeuppance, with the main villain getting a particularly brutal death. I don't care what anybody says, this was a really good movie. ****

The Dark Corner

THE DARK CORNER (1946) - April 17, 2006
A well directed film noir about a detective framed for murder. Featuring Lucille Ball, who is actually quite good in a very non-Lucy Ricardo type of role. The film was entertaining throughout and looked good too, featuring the type of shadowy cinematography film noir became known for. I also liked the dialogue, with lines like "I'm easier to frame than Whistler's Mother." Good stuff. ***

Black Angel

BLACK ANGEL (1946) - April. 8, 2006
A decent film noir, though nothing particularly special. Flatly directed by Roy William Neill, the film was entertaining throughout (the 81 minute runtime probably helped). The performances were good, particularly Peter Lorre, but the film was basically just forgettable. **1/2

Dog Soldiers

DOG SOLDIERS (2002) - April 6, 2006
Though obviously nowhere nearly as good as the Descent - Neil Marshall's followup to this film - as far as Aliens-inspired films go, this was one of the better ones (the hack who directed Doom could learn a thing or two from Marshall). The film managed to develop the characters enough that we cared about them, while still moving at a reasonably fast pace. The action was good, and it was well directed. ***

Last Days

LAST DAYS (2005) - Mar. 31, 2006
Hmmm. This movie was really well directed and featured some good performances (though he has almost no coherent dialogue, Michael Pitt still managed to give a really good performance). However, it was the weakest of Gus Van Sant's recent trilogy; it lacked the bizarre hypnotic appeal of Gerry, or the emotional impact of Elephant. It was definitely well directed, featuring some Kubrick-like compositions, but it just wasn't all that interesting. I was never all-out bored, but I was never really entertained, either. **1/2

Serenity

SERENITY (2005) - Mar. 28, 2006 (Third Viewing)
Good stuff! This movie just seems to get better every time I watch it. Joss Whedon's writing and direction were top-notch, and the film was really entertaining all the way through. The performances were all really good, particularly Nathan Fillion and Chiwetel Ejiofor. As Grandpa would say, this was a first-class film. ****

The Awful Truth

THE AWFUL TRUTH (1937) - March. 24, 2006
An entertaining screwball comedy starring Cary Grant (excellent, as usual) and Irene Dunne (who was also quite good). The movie was based on a play and is actually quite stagey, but the dialogue was good and it was entertaining throughout. ***

Inside Man

INSIDE MAN (2006) - Mar. 22, 2006
An enjoyable but overlong film heist movie by Spike Lee. Featuring expectedly good performances by people like Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster, the movie was well made but distinctly uneven. It probably didn't help that a subplot about Christopher Plummer's Nazi past seemed superfluous and out of place. It also didn't help that the movie had the whole Spielberg thing going on, where it refused to end. **1/2

V for Vendetta

V FOR VENDETTA (2006) - Mar. 20, 2006
Though different from the original comic in many ways, this was still good in its own way. All around it was quite well made, and... I don't really have much else to say about this movie. I was a little bothered by a scene where V is revealed to have made an exceedingly complex layout of dominos, which must have taken him days if not weeks to complete. That sort of took me out of the movie, since I'm not sure that I buy that V would have taken a month off to erect a elaborate set of dominos. ***

Final Destination 3

FINAL DESTINATION 3 (2006) - Mar. 20, 2006
A silly but enjoyable slasher movie. It's essentially a series of loosely connected death scenes, featuring the bare minimum in terms of plot and characters to remain coherent. But the death scenes were all well done and the film remained entertaining throughout. The opening theme park sequence in particular was quite effective, doing a good job of slowly building tension. ***

The Palm Beach Story

THE PALM BEACH STORY (1942) - Mar. 17, 2006
A really enjoyable romantic comedy by Preston Sturges. Featuring some really well-written, crackling dialogue and a couple of excellent performances from Claudette Colbert and Joel McCrea, this was a really fun movie from start to finish. It even (sort of) managed to avoid the dreaded fake breakup, by essentially making the entire film the fake breakup. Why can't they make romantic comedies this good any more? ***1/2

Mean Streets

MEAN STREETS (1973) - Mar. 12, 2006
Featuring a couple of electrifying performances by Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel, this was a somewhat underwhelming film by Martin Scorsese. It was certainly well made, and I was enjoying it quite a bit for the first little while, but it was ultimately undone by its plotless meandering. I was definitely never bored, but towards the end I was losing interest a bit. The performances were the highlight. **1/2

The Hills Have Eyes

THE HILLS HAVE EYES (2006) - Mar. 10, 2006
A well-made and engaging horror film about a family who find themselves under attack by a band of radioactively mutated freaks. Featuring some surprisingly good performances, the film perhaps spends a bit too long setting things up (there's probably about an hour of build-up) but that's a pretty minor complaint. The whole latter half of the film is really suspenseful and pretty much riveting, and features some pretty satisfying moments of gore (mostly involving one of the survivors turning the tables on the freaks). The opening was also really effective, probably one of the better horror movie openings. The ending, on the other hand, could have been better, though it was nowhere nearly as bad as the almost movie-ruining stupidity of the ending for Alexandre Aja's previous film, High Tension. ***1/2

Sex, Lies and Videotape

SEX, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE (1989) - Mar. 7, 2006
Written and directed by Steven Soderbergh, this was a really good movie, especially impressive considering this was his first film. Featuring some really good dialogue (he should write more) and good direction, and some really exceptional performances. Even Andie MacDowell was good, which is saying something. But it was James Spader who really stood out, giving a really impressive performance, one of the best I've seen in a while (you forget what a good actor he is watching Boston Legal, where he seems to coast along with two expressions: smug, and super-smug). ***1/2

Good Night, and Good Luck

GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK (2005) - Mar. 3, 2005
A well made, well acted but not particularly interesting film about Edward R. Murrow's fight against Joseph McCarthy. The film didn't have much of a plot, and none of the characters were particularly well developed or interesting; they were just there. If Clooney's goal was to teach me about what Murrow did, and tell me why he was important, he was successful. If his goal was to entertain me... not so successful. I mean, what did I learn about Murrow as a person, other than that he was classy and a good journalist? Or any of those characters, for that matter? The film had some good performances, and Robert Elswit's black and white photography looked nice, but aside from that this was an unexceptional film. That's not to say it was bad, I was never really bored but it certainly wasn't one of the five best movies of the year. **1/2

The Lady Eve

THE LADY EVE (1941) - Mar. 2, 2006
An enjoyable romantic comedy about a con-artist who finds herself falling in love with her latest mark. Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda were both really good in the main roles. The film has a few twists and doesn't really play out the way you'd think it would, and it was quite entertaining from start to finish, featuring really good writing and direction by Preston Sturges. ***

16 Blocks

16 BLOCKS (2006) - Mar. 1, 2006
A decent thriller about a detective who must escort a suspect to the courthouse, running up against a group of corrupt cops on the way (led by a very sinister David Morse). Bruce Willis gave a good performance, though he was essentially playing the standard grizzled, alcoholic cop we've seen about a billion times before. Mos Def gave a bizarre and somewhat grating performance, seemingly channeling Anton Jackson from In Living Color. I sort of figured the character was supposed to be mentally retarded at first, but as the movie went on that didn't seem to be the case. The film was pretty much entertaining, but as much as it was trying to be it was never all that gripping. **1/2

Brokeback Mountain

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2005) - Feb. 28, 2006
Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal were both excellent in this slow-paced but always entertaining film. About Ledger and Gyllenhaal and their struggle to maintain their relationship over the course of twenty years or so, the film was really well written and well directed by Ang Lee (unlike the criminally overrated Crouching Tiger). It certainly featured a leisurely pace, but this gave the film time to develop the characters, who became people we really come to care about. ***1/2

The Four Seasons

THE FOUR SEASONS (1981) - Feb. 27, 2006
About three couples who take four vacations over the course of a year (one for each season) this was a pretty good movie. It was exceptionally talky (the four different vacation spots essentially just give the characters four different backgrounds to talk in front of) but essentially entertaining throughout. Alan Alda's direction was bland, but his dialogue was good, though it did seem at times like he was trying a bit to hard to be clever. The performances were good, particularly Alda, and the movie was never really boring, but it would have benefited from a slightly shorter running time. **1/2

Marty

MARTY (1954) - Feb. 25, 2006
Featuring a surprisingly good performance by Ernest Borgnine, this film was essentially plotless but still quite entertaining throughout. The movie is basically just a couple of days in the life of this character (Marty); it remains compelling throughout because Borgnine is so good, and because he creates a character we really come to care about. ***

Uncle Buck

UNCLE BUCK (1989) - Feb. 24, 2006
An entertaining comedy starring John Candy and made by John Hughes. Though not quite as good as Hughes' best, it was still quite enjoyable. I don't really have anything else to say about this movie. So... Yeah. ***

The Best and Worst movies of 2005

THE BEST:
1) Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
2) Serenity
3) Match Point
4) Broken Flowers
5) The 40 Year Old Virgin
6) Walace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-rabbit
7) A History of Violence
8) Downfall
9) War of the Worlds
10) Unleashed

THE WORST:
1) The Aristocrats
2) House of Wax
3) Doom
4) The Island
5) XXX: State of the Union
6) The Longest Yard
7) Aeon Flux
8) Fantastic Four
9) Kicking and Screaming
10) The Ring Two

Munich

MUNICH (2005) - Feb. 20, 2006
This could have been a really, really good movie. The potential was there. It was really well acted - Eric Bana in particular gave a really impressive performance, and all the supporting roles were really good. It was very well made, and featured some pretty riveting set-pieces. And considering the subject matter, it was remarkably even-handed, never reducing itself to a simplistic "good versus evil" type of thing. All good stuff! But, like pretty much every Spielberg movie from the last decade or so, it was seriously bloated. It was nearly three hours long and it shouldn't have been a minute over two. For the first hour or so I was really into it, thinking that Spielberg had finally made another really great movie. But then it started to lose steam, with several scenes that seemed either overlong or entirely superfluous. And then of course there's a point where it seems like it should end and it keeps going. It sucks, because at two hours long this could have been something great. ***

Only Angels Have Wings

ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS (1939) - Feb. 19, 2005
Cary Grant gives a really good performance (no surprise there) in this otherwise unremarkable film. The movie was essentially plotless, and at around two hours felt overlong by at least twenty minutes. It was well made, and Cary Grant created an interesting character (who actually reminded me a bit of Mal from Firely), but its overlength made it hard to ever get really into. **1/2

Arsenic and Old Lace

ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (1944) - Feb. 17, 2006
Frank Capra directs this film featuring Cary Grant in an absolutely hilarious performance. Based on a play and essentially taking place in real time, the film does feel a tad overlong at times, but was still really entertaining and enjoyable throughout. This was definitely one of the funniest movies I've seen in a while, thanks almost entirely to Grant's amazing performance; his various wacky reactions were a clear highlight. If I weren't already a fan of Cary Grant, I'd definitely be one now -- his performance in this movie was probably one of the best comedic performances I've ever seen. ***1/2

50 First Dates

50 FIRST DATES (2004) - Feb. 16, 2006
A sort of cross between Groundhog Day and Memento, this was a silly but essentially entertaining romantic comedy. The humour was somewhat hit-and-miss, though there were a few funny parts. Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore were both good in this, their second film together (the superior Wedding Singer being the first). As far as Adam Sandler movies go, this falls somewhere in the middle (it wasn't as good as something like Happy Gilmore, but it was a masterpiece compared to, say, the Longest Yard). ***

Match Point

MATCH POINT (2005) - Feb. 15, 2006
Well, it's official: the Woodster is back! Though this wasn't quite up there with classics like Hannah and her Sisters and Crimes and Misdemeanors (which this film was quite similar to) it was still quite excellent. Jonathan Rhys Meyers was really good in the main role, as was everyone else, and Woody Allen's writing and direction were expectedly superb (or maybe not so expectedly, considering some of his recent missteps). Plus I've been thinking about this movie pretty much nonstop since I saw it a few hours back, and that's always a good thing. I just wish I hadn't seen the trailer, as it ensured that there were very few surprises. ***1/2

Monkey Business

MONKEY BUSINESS (1952) - Feb. 14, 2006
Is it even possible for a movie featuring both Cary Grant and a chimp to be bad? The chimp, unfortunately, didn't have a very big part, but the movie was still quite good. Cary Grant plays a scientist who invents an anti-aging formula (with the help of the chimp). Wackiness ensues. ***

The Money Pit

THE MONEY PIT (1986) - Feb. 13, 2006 (Second Viewing)
Tom Hanks gives a really good performance in this wacky comedy about a couple who buy a house that seems like a good deal, until they realize it's falling apart (literally). A basically run-of-the mill romantic comedy that's elevated by a really engaging, wacky performance by Tom Hanks. ***

She's Having a Baby

SHE'S HAVING A BABY (1988) - Feb. 11, 2006
Made by John Hughes (in the '80s, when he was still good), starring Kevin Bacon and featuring Alec Baldwin (in a way-too-small role), this film isn't quite as good as one might hope. It's certainly not bad, but it's definitely not in the same league as some of Hughes' classics. The performances were all really good, particularly Kevin Bacon. The main problem is that almost all the screen-time is given to Bacon's character, with Elizabeth McGovern's character hardly being developed at all. This makes it sort of hard to root for their relationship, particularly since they spend most of the movie fighting. I spent a good chunk of the movie wondering why Kevin Bacon's character didn't just leave. I guess Hughes was trying to go for a less conventional sort of vibe, but it would have been nice to have a little more evidence that the two characters actually loved (or even liked) each other. **1/2

Firewall

FIREWALL (2006) - Feb. 8, 2006
A run-of-the-mill but entertaining thriller. Harrison Ford stars as a family-man who's forced to steal money from the bank he works for by a sinister British bad guy (played well by Paul Bettany). It was a bit on the long side though, and certainly could have benefited from a bit of trimming. It felt long particularly towards the end, but then it was totally redeemed by one of the best fight scenes I've seen in a while. Ford and Bettany just go at it in a really brutal, gritty fight scene that was far better than anything I would have expected in a movie like this. It was awesome. ***

2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968) - Feb. 7, 2006 (Third or Fourth Viewing)
It was interesting watching this film after reading the book, which makes it somewhat less mysterious (knowing what the apes are thinking, knowing what the deal is with the ending, etc.). The odd thing about this movie is that it's so slow-paced, yet completely hypnotic and never boring. It helps that Kubrick's direction is superlative (of course) and so the film is always interesting to look at. Kubrick's use of sound is just as good; the classical soundtrack is the perfect accompaniment to the visuals. As well, many of the scenes are completely silent, or with just the sound of breathing, to great effect. Basically -- it's a masterpiece; a great film by a great director. ****

Sorry, Wrong Number

SORRY, WRONG NUMBER (1948) - Feb. 5, 2006
Starring Barbara Stanwyck in a performance that can best be described as over-the-top (putting it mildly), this was a cheesy but basically entertaining film noir. The movie hasn't aged very well, and features a plot that gets more and more convoluted as the film progresses. However it was essentially well made and was never boring. **1/2

Volunteers

VOLUNTEERS (1985) - Feb. 4, 2006
An entertaining but basically forgettable comedy, there's probably a reason why this is one of Tom Hanks' lesser known films. That's not to say it was bad; it was enjoyable throughout. Tom Hanks was good (sporting a bizarre 1930s accent) as were John Candy and Rita Wilson. The movie was a bit on the long side, but aside from that it was pretty good. ***

Last Holiday

LAST HOLIDAY (2006) - Feb. 2, 2006
A sheer delight from start to finish, this movie stars Queen Latifah as a woman who finds out that she's dying, and decides to go out with a bang. Latifah gives an excellent performance, and creates a character that we really come to care about. The supporting performances, by people like Timothy Hutton and Gerard Depardieu, are just as good. At just under two hours the movie was really entertaining all the way through. It's not exactly going to win any Oscars, but it's fun and it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. ***1/2

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

This Gun for Hire

THIS GUN FOR HIRE (1942) - Dec. 26, 2005
An entertaining film noir about a hitman who is double crossed by his latest client and who sets out to get revenge. Alan Ladd is quite good as the stone-faced hitman, a mean, cold-blooded killer, who has a soft spot for cats and little else. The movie is fast-paced, and at 80 minutes is over well before it has a chance to over-stay its welcome. ***

March of the Penguins

MARCH OF THE PENGUINS (2005) - Dec. 26, 2005
A good, if a bit overrated documentary about penguins and the insane amount of trouble they have to go through to procreate. Director Luc Jacquet keeps things interesting visually, but after a while the movie starts to feel a bit repetitive (I guess the penguins can be blamed for that, as they basically just go back and forth from the breeding grounds to the ocean). Even at a short 85 minutes the film feels long, though it was definitely never all-out boring. It's definitely interesting just watching all the different things the penguins have to do to protect their children, and Morgan Freeman's soothing voice proves to be the perfect accompaniment to the visuals. And certainly, the scene where the mother penguin tries to nudge awake her frozen-to-death child was one of the more heartbreaking things I've seen in a while. ***

The Ringer

THE RINGER (2005) - Dec. 23, 2005
A cheesy but mostly entertaining film about a guy who decides to fix the Special Olympics. Johnny Knoxville is good in the main role, and Brian Cox steals pretty much every scene he's in as Knoxville's sleazy uncle. The film was cheesy and predictable, and not exactly laugh-out-loud hilarious (though certainly, hearing Cox referring to Michael Clarke Duncan as "that enormous 'tard from the Green Mile" was pretty good) but it was essentially enjoyable all the way through. **1/2

Die Hard

DIE HARD (1988) - Dec. 21, 2005 (Umpteenth Viewing)
A classic. As far as action movies go, it's really hard to get much better than this. Bruce Willis is pretty much perfect as John McClane, a New York cop who finds himself going up against a building full of hardened terrorists. Alan Rickman is equally good as Hans Gruber, who is certainly one of the all-time great movie bad guys. Really, what is there to say about this movie? It's violent, funny, exciting; it's pretty much the perfect action movie, and a sad reminder of how impotent nearly all contemporary action films are. ****

Capote

CAPOTE (2005) - Dec. 21, 2005
Philip Seymour Hoffman gives an unsurprisingly excellent performance in this film about Truman Capote and the writing his non-fiction novel, In Cold Blood. Aside from Hoffman the movie is good but not great; the exceptionally slow pace makes it hard to ever get really into it. It was certainly never boring though, and it was well made. But even if it had sucked, it would have been worthwhile if only for Philip Seymour Hoffman. ***

Jingle all the Way

JINGLE ALL THE WAY (1996) - Dec. 18, 2005 (Third Viewing? Fourth?)
An underrated Christmas gem. I'm really not sure why this film gets such a bad rap. Sure, it's really silly, especially towards the end (okay, I'll admit the last little bit with the parade is pretty stupid), but it's just so enjoyable end entertaining. And then of course there's Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is pretty much perfect as the harried father trying to get a toy at the last minute, and whose performance is a big part of why the film is as enjoyable as it is. He definitely has a knack for comedy, and if he ever gets out of politics and back into acting, hopefully he'll do a few more comedies, since he is getting a bit old for action movies. ***

King Kong

KING KONG (2005) - Dec. 12, 2005
This was a good movie that could have been a great one; it's three hours long and it feels it, with almost every section of the film feeling overlong to some degree. There were a lot of really good parts -- stuff that was as thrilling as anything I've seen: the dinosaur stampede, King Kong versus the T. Rexes, the bugs attacking, Kong rampaging in New York, etc. The performances were really good, particularly Kyle Chandler, who stole pretty much every scene he was in. And then there was Kong himself, certainly a high achievement in special effects, as he always looked completely convincing. He was also remarkably expressive, and it's weird to say it, but he gave an Oscar-worthy performance. I've never thought all that much of motion-capture, but if this is what it's capable of I guess it's not all bad. The depth of the emotions Kong is able to convey is certainly the absolute antithesis of the stiff, creepily zombie-like facial animation of something like the Polar Express. It's too bad, because at about an hour shorter, this could have been one of the best films of the year. ***

Serenity

SERENITY (2005) - Dec. 10, 2005 (Second Viewing)
As I suspected, this movie works a *lot* better having seen all of the episodes of the show. It doesn't matter that the film doesn't really develop any of the characters, as they've all been fully fleshed out on the show. As well, there's a lot of things which seem insignificant but actually aren't, if you've seen the series. The performances are all really good, and the whole film just seemed a lot more exciting and fast-paced this time around. I still think it would have been just as good without killing off all those characters (Wash's death seemed particularly pointless) but aside from that it was really good. ***1/2

Are we there yet?

ARE WE THERE YET? (2005) - Dec. 4, 2005
About a guy who, trying to impress his girlfriend, volunteers to take her two kids from Seattle to Vancouver. He hates kids and they hate him (they think he's trying to replace their dad) so wackiness naturally ensues. Though the humour tends to lean towards the kiddie side, and the movie is really silly at times, it's essentially entertaining all the way through. It helps that Ice Cube gives a good performance as the befuddled boyfriend, plus I don't think I could ever totally hate a movie in the "lots of stuff happening in a short amount of time" genre, no matter how cheesy it is. **1/2

Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit

WALLACE & GROMIT IN THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT (2005) - Dec. 2, 2005
About Wallace and Gromit, and their quest to rid their small town of a giant were-rabbit, this was a delight from start to finish. The film is colourful and really well animated, and ensures that it's always entertaining to look at. But then, it's entertaining on pretty much every level, and at a short 80 minutes, the whole thing breezes by. Watching the movie, it's easy enough to see why Wallace and Gromit have become such popular characters over the years. Plus, it's hard to go wrong with a movie that features so many puns. ***1/2

Aeon Flux

AEON FLUX (2005) - Dec. 1, 2005
Well, that wasn't very good. It was just mediocre on pretty much every level. The characters were all underdeveloped, the action was dull, it was quite possibly the most visually boring version of the future I've ever seen (it was all drab white concrete buildings and flowers), and the whole thing just wasn't interesting. There was one sequence towards the end that I liked, and the movie did seem to improve a little bit as it reached its conclusion, but at that point it was too little, too late. *1/2

Escape from New York

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981) - Nov. 30, 2005 (Second Viewing)
Kurt Russell is pretty much the ultimate badass as Snake Plissken, a man who's called in to rescue the president when Air Force One crashes in New York (which has been turned into a gigantic prison). Dark and gritty, it doesn't really feel as dated as most older movies that take place in the future. It's really fast paced, and features some memorable supporting performances from people like Lee Van Cleef and Ernest Borgnine. John Carpenter needs to direct more. ***1/2

Grizzly Man

GRIZZLY MAN (2005) - Nov. 28, 2005
An entertaining documentary about Timothy Treadwell, a man who would make yearly trips into the Alaskan wilderness to live with the bears, until one finally killed him. He thought he was protecting them somehow, though it isn't entirely clear how he thought he was doing this. It's sort of sad to watch him, so enthusiastic about the bears, and yet clearly somewhat insane. ***

Tarantula

TARANTULA (1955) - Nov. 17, 2005
A cheesy but entertaining film about a giant tarantula that terrorizes a small desert town. Not much else to say about this, really. It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect: no more, no less. **1/2

Saw II

SAW II (2005) - Nov. 12, 2005
An entertaining sequel. About a bunch of characters thrown into a house by Jigsaw, one of whom is a grizzled detective's son. Donnie Wahlberg is good as the grizzled detective, but Tobin Bell is the real standout as the sinister Jigsaw. ***

Titanic

TITANIC (1997) - Nov. 8, 2005 (Third Viewing)
I know, sometime after Titanic made about a zillion dollars and was embraced by teenage girls worldwide, it suddenly became that you weren't allowed to like it. Well, you know, there's a reason that this movie made a zillion dollars: it's really good. Both Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet are really good as the ill-fated lovers, as are all of the other performers. Billy Zane essentially steals every scene he's in as Kate Winslet's smarmy fiancee. The movie is well over three hours but doesn't really feel it. And then there's the whole sinking sequence, which is as exciting to watch as anything James Cameron has done. There is the spectacle of the giant ship slowly sinking, and yet it never eclipses or makes us forget about the characters. The special effects hold up really well; there are only a few shots here and there where it is obvious that computers were used. And I don't think there's any other movie - not even It's a Wonderful Life - that chokes me up the way this one does. ****

Zathura

ZATHURA (2005) - Nov. 5, 2005
An enjoyable film about a couple of bickering brothers who find themselves on a cosmic adventure when they start to play an old board game called Zathura. The movie is pretty much entertaining all the way through, and seems to have that universal appeal that'll make it enjoyable for both kids and adults. It did start to drag a bit towards the end, but aside from that it was quite good. ***

Jarhead

JARHEAD (2005) - Nov. 2, 2005
After Road to Perdition, there was really nowhere to go but down for Sam Mendes. While Jarhead was really well acted and well directed, it lacked the kind of emotional resonance that marks the difference between a good film from a great one. It was essentially a series of vignettes revolving around a group of snipers during the gulf war. Some of these were better than others, and I found myself losing interest at times in the midsection of the movie (it probably didn't help that the movie was constantly making me think of Three Kings, a much better film). While there were certain sequences in the film that were really really good, there was also a distinct feeling of unevenness. ***

Water's Edge

WATER'S EDGE (2003) - Oct. 29, 2005
A basically entertaining but somewhat mediocre thriller about a couple who move to a small town and quickly find themselves in trouble. There wasn't anything particularly bad about it, though it did get a bit cheesy and predictable towards the end. Nathan Fillion was good playing a very un-Mal-like character, but aside from that this was a pretty forgettable movie. **1/2

Land of the Dead

LAND OF THE DEAD (2005) - Oct. 21, 2005
An enjoyable zombie film about a group of survivors in a world that seems to be almost entirely overrun with zombies. The film is essentially just one sequence of zombie mayhem after another, but it's well-done and enjoyable throughout. ***

High Tension

HIGH TENSION (2003) - Oct. 21, 2005
This was an above-average slasher movie, and I was really enjoying it -- right up until the last ten minutes or so. Then there was a twist ending that was so ridiculous and so ludicrous that it actually made me want to reconsider my opinion of the movie. The ending initially seems to make no sense at all, and only gets worse the more you think about it. Worst twist since Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes. It left a really bad taste in my mouth and sullied an otherwise effective slasher film. ***

Doom

DOOM (2005) - Oct. 19, 2005
Now this was just a bad movie. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad. Even by videogame movie standards this was bad, and that's saying something. It was just boring, and unpleasant and bland. There weren't any even remotely decent characters. I don't think there was a single line of dialogue in the entire movie that felt real, and wasn't expository to some degree. It was terrible. The entire movie was dark, probably to hide the mediocre special effects and shoddy sets, all of which looked fake. It was barely gory at all. Even the much lauded first-person sequence was pretty crappy, basically amounting to something akin to a badly done fun-house ride at a carnival. I hate this movie because it gives videogames a bad name, even though I've rarely (if ever) played any games this bad, and this inept. 1/2*

Elizabethtown

ELIZABETHTOWN (2005) - Oct. 19, 2005
That was odd. It was odd because it was well made and well acted (even Orlando Bloom was pretty good) and yet... I didn't like it. I'm not sure why. It seemed like I should have liked it. The direction was good, it seemed to be well written, and I liked all of the characters. But I didn't enjoy it for some reason. I was bored. And I don't know why. It just seemed lifeless somehow; like it was lacking something that I just can't quite put my finger on. Certainly, it had its moments. It started out pretty well. And the funeral scene towards the end was pretty good, and actually had me forgetting how bored I was during the rest of the movie. But after that it seemed like the movie should have ended, and it didn't (it went on for another long fifteen minutes or so). It's weird, because I'm finding myself thinking about the movie quite a bit with fond memories, despite the fact that I was quite bored while watching it. I feel like I should watch it again, if only to figure out what exactly I don't like about it. **

Enter the Dragon

ENTER THE DRAGON (1973) - Oct. 15, 2005
Well, that wasn't very good. The "plot" involved three guys going to an island to take down some bad guy holding a fighting competition of some sort. I don't know. This being a kung-fu movie, things like plot and characters and... being good... (and this movie had none of these things) aren't really necessary if the action is good. But for the first hour and a half or so there was almost no action -- there were LONG sequences in which absolutely nothing happens, and then when some action finally comes to break up the monotony it only lasts a minute or two (and it's not even that great). Finally right at the end there's actually some good action with Bruce Lee taking on dozens of the bad guy's henchmen, but really, it's too late by then. And then there's the really long confrontation with the bad guy that takes place in a room full of mirrors that just comes off as an inferior rip-off of the same scene from the Lady from Shanghai. I really don't understand why this movie is regarded as a classic; it pretty much sucks. *1/2

Kung Fu Hustle

KUNG FU HUSTLE (2004) - Oct. 6, 2005
An odd movie about a small village who find themselves at odds with a local gang. Or something. I don't know, there wasn't much by way of plot in this movie; it was mostly just a series of over-the-top fight scenes. I mostly enjoyed the fight scenes -- they were entertaining in a really cartoony kind of way, though they did get a bit silly towards the end. ***

A History of Violence

A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (2005) - Oct. 1, 2005
Viggo Mortensen gives an excellent performance in this film about a man from a small town who gets some unwanted attention when he kills a couple of robbers in self defense. It was really well made and well acted (Mortensen gives what is probably the best performance of his career). Plus it was surprisingly violent (though I guess not too surprising considering it was directed by David Cronenberg). ***1/2

Gerry

GERRY (2002) - Sept. 30, 2005
About a couple of friends who go hiking in the desert and get lost, this film has absolutely no plot and barely any dialogue. And yet it's oddly compelling. The whole thing is basically just Matt Damon and Casey Affleck walking in the desert. But it's really well directed and strangely hypnotic. While it doesn't have the emotional resonance of something like Elephant, it's still quite entertaining throughout despite how slow-paced it is. ***

Serenity

SERENITY (2005) - Sept. 28, 2005
While this was definitely entertaining all the way through, it wasn't quite as good as I was hoping it would be. It probably didn't help that I've only seen one episode of the show, and the movie seems like it would work best if you're already familiar with the characters and their universe. The main problem is that the film never really slows down to allow us to get to know the characters (since they were already developed on the show, presumably); it just moves from plot point to plot point. There was also a richness to the pilot episode that this movie felt like it was lacking -- you really got a sense of the universe itself in that episode, but the movie seemed to be straight to business. I still enjoyed it, but I think perhaps I'll be able to appreciate it more when I watch all the episodes of the show. ***

Hostel

HOSTEL (2005) - Sept. 17, 2005
A surprisingly effective horror film about three friends whose trip to Europe takes a serious turn for the worse. Though there's at least 45 minutes before the bad stuff starts going down, the film is extremely entertaining throughout. And when stuff does start happening to the characters, its all the more effective because we know them so well. The film is really intense in some sequences, and quite gory. In fact, the last chunk of the film, with the main character attempting to escape, pretty much had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. As far as slasher movies go, this is essentially as good as it gets. ****

River Queen

RIVER QUEEN (2005) - Sept. 17, 2005
For a while, I was essentially entertained by this film. The performances were all really good (Samantha Morton was excellent in the main role, and Kiefer Sutherland - with a heavy Irish accent - was also really good in a smaller role), and the direction was bland but passable. But then there comes a point where it seems like the movie should end, and yet it keeps going for another twenty minutes. And then there was ANOTHER part where I thought, okay, now it MUST be over -- and it went on for another ten minutes! It was brutal. **

S.P.L.

S.P.L. (2005) - Sept. 17, 2005
Oh the humanity. This was a terrible, terrible film. It was a poorly-made, overwrought piece of garbage. There wasn't one decent character in the whole movie, nor was there even a single line of dialogue that seemed real. The whole thing was melodramatic and cheesy and so badly done. The performances were all over-the-top, the plot (involving a group of corrupt cops trying to take down a mob boss) was one big cliche, and the action scenes, for the most part, sucked. The director, up until the final action sequence, seemed to be taking a page from the Michael Bay school of direction, with lots of quick cuts during the action scenes. Plus, the whole movie had a glossy, Michael Bay type of look to it. But then there was the last fight sequence, in which the main character takes on Sammo Hung's main henchman, and then Sammo himself. This almost seemed like it was from another movie -- it was really good. I don't get that. If they were capable of making action this good, why'd they save it for the end? It the whole movie had been punctuated with action scenes of that caliber, it probably would have been decent (it certainly would have been a lot easier to overlook how terrible the actual movie was). *

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance

SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE (2005) - Sept. 17, 2005
There are a lot of things that I really liked about this movie. It was really well directed -- the film was almost always interesting just on a visual level. The score was really good and complemented the visuals quite well. And there were a lot of sequences that were really well done. But then there was a lot of stuff that seemed superfluous, and the film got increasingly muddled as it went on (becoming downright confusing at times). The plot just seemed to be unnecessarily complicated. Plus the film really started to drag towards the end. It's too bad because this could have been a really good movie. **1/2

Winter Passing

WINTER PASSING (2005) - Sept. 17, 2005
While this movie was very well acted and reasonably well made, it was just so incredibly slow. I was able to go with it for a while, but towards the end the deliberate pace just got to me. It probably didn't help that none of the characters were all that interesting (with the possible exception of Corbit, played by Will Ferrell). **

The Myth

THE MYTH (2005) - Sept. 16, 2005
Well, this certainly wasn't Jackie Chan's finest effort. It started out well enough, but it started to really drag towards the end, and the final sequence, which took place in some kind of floating, zero-gravity mausoleum seemed to go on forever. The film was divided into stuff taking place in the past, with a romance between a general and a princess of some sort, and stuff in the present, with an archeologist and his scientist buddy (both starring Jackie Chan). One of the film's big problems was that for the most part, the stuff in the past wasn't all that interesting. The romance between Jackie Chan and the princess essentially didn't work at all, as they had zero chemistry together and in fact rarely even spoke to each other (despite the fact that a big chunk of the film was dedicated to their so-called romance). The stuff that took place in the present was considerably better, as Chan got to play more to his strengths (humour and elaborate martial arts sequences). The action (what little there was) was right up there with Jackie Chan's best stuff, with the highlight easily being a fight taking place in a rat glue factory. If this movie had been way shorter it may have been pretty good, but as it stands I was getting bored towards the end. **

Caché

CACHÉ (2005) - Sept. 14, 2005
A really bizarre film by Michael Haneke. About a couple who begin receiving tapes of footage filmed outside their home. Much of what makes this film so unique is Haneke's direction, which emphasizes unusually long shots. This, and the mystery of the tapes and who's behind it keep the film compelling, despite the movie's ultra-leisurely pace. ***

Trust the Man

TRUST THE MAN (2005) - Sept. 14, 2005
This started out really well. For the first half or so, I was enjoying it quite a bit; it was basically a better than average romantic comedy. The performances were all really good (David Duchovny and Billy Crudup were really good -- Crudup in particular was surprisingly good in a much lighter role than he usually plays, proving he is as adept at comedy as he is at drama). The dialogue was good, and there were also some genuinely funny parts. BUT... the movie was at least twenty minutes too long. As much as I was enjoying it at the beginning, it was completely plotless and in the latter half I was really just getting sick of it. It seriously overstayed its welcome. Which is too bad, because there's quite a good movie in here somewhere, it just needs some serious trimming. **1/2

The Proposition

THE PROPOSITION (2005) - Sept. 14, 2005
Though it took a while for me to fully get into it, this movie did eventually win me over. I liked the direction; the film contained some impressive scenes of the Australian outback. It also helped that Ray Winstone gave a really excellent performance, in fact probably his best that I've seen (it was a lot more subtle than his usual performances, relying a lot on facial gestures and such). I also liked the interaction between Ray Winstone's and Emily Watson's characters. The movie established a tone and a mood that really just drew me in, and there were some really powerful moments. ***1/2

Revolver

REVOLVER (2005) - Sept. 12, 2005
Well, I've been thinking about this movie all afternoon and I can safely say that I am baffled by it (but not necessarily in a bad way). Though it started out as what seemed like a straight-forward gangster movie, it just got stranger and more confusing and by the end I was scratching my head and wondering what it all meant. It was certainly well directed (though not as flashy as some of Ritchie's previous films) and well acted (Jason Statham and Ray Liotta are at their best, particularly Statham). But it was just strange, though thankfully not in a Miike or Lynch "strange for the sake of strange" type of way. Ritchie described it as "a chess game within a chess game within a chess game," which seems apt. I get the feeling that the movie will become a lot more clear and get a lot better on repeat viewings, but unfortunately I'm going to have to wait a while until I find that out. Certainly, kudos goes to Guy Ritchie for trying something different; I have a feeling that those expecting another Snatch or Lock Stock are going to be sorely disappointed. Who knows, I may watch this again and find that it is just as confusing and obtuse on repeat viewings, but I have a feeling that this is not the case. This has the potential to be a four star movie, I think, but right now I'm giving it a three. But then, since I wrote this a few hours ago, I've been thinking about the movie pretty much nonstop, so I'm going to have to bump this up to a three-and-a-half. ***1/2

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE (2005) - Sept. 9, 2005
A creepy film about a priest who attempts to perform an exorcism, fails, and is forced to go on trial. Tom Wilkinson was really good (as usual) as the priest, as was Laura Linney as his lawyer. Most of the film is the trial itself, with the exorcism and such being seen in flashbacks. The movie is somewhat slow paced; the first creepy moment doesn't come until at least twenty minutes into it. But the pace worked, and I found that the courtroom stuff was just as effective as some of the scarier moments. But (and perhaps it helps that I scare very easily) this was still a really scary movie. It wasn't so much scary in a flat-out Ring sort of way, it was more eerie and unnerving. It helps that the movie avoids over-the-top supernatural stuff like the 360 head-turning and projectile vomiting of the Exorcist. The movie was really well directed, and some of the scenes were really suspenseful. In fact, when the credits rolled I noticed that my back and neck felt unusually tight; I must have been tensing up for extended periods without even realizing. ***1/2

The Transporter

THE TRANSPORTER 2 (2005) - Sept. 3, 2005
A somewhat disappointing sequel. It's especially disappointing given how good Unleashed was, Louis Leterrier's previous film. There were a couple of good action sequences, but the action was pretty mediocre for the most part. It didn't help that the whole film felt like a TBS version of an R-rated movie (it's really clear that this was originally supposed to be much more violent). It also didn't help that the movie was filled with action movie cliches (the generic European villain, the big quiet guy who does a lot of damage to the main character until he gets the upper hand, the fight on a plane in which the pilot is shot in the crossfire, and so on). It wasn't all bad, though. Jason Statham was quite good, and the film was essentially entertaining throughout. It was just mediocre. **1/2