Bronson

BRONSON (2008) - Oct. 9, 2010
I'm really not sure what to make of this movie.  Kind of reminiscent of a Clockwork Orange in more ways than one, this was a bizarre film about a man who gets sentenced to seven years in prison and winds up spending far, far longer thanks to his fighting and other shenanigans.  Nicolas Winding Refn's stylish direction is a big reason that the film works as well as it does, as is Tom Hardy's crazed and flat-out mesmerizing performance as the titular Bronson.  The film is strange and kind of meandering, but it's definitely pretty compelling from start to finish.  ***

The Social Network

THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010) - Oct. 8, 2010
Probably Fincher's best film since Panic Room (and definitely the most distinctly Finchery film in its visual style since that one), this was a really compelling movie about the invention of Facebook.  I kind of wish I hadn't read the book that inspired this film, as it did mean that there weren't really any surprises for me, but this was certainly a really well made film with a surfiet of interesting characters -- so the lack of surprises was pretty much a non-issue.  It was also exceptionally well acted -- it was probably one of the more consistantly well acted films I've seen in a while.  Particularly, both Andrew Garfield and Jesse Eisenberg were both pretty much amazing in the two main roles.  ***1/2

Mirageman

MIRAGEMAN (2007) - Oct. 7, 2010
More earnest and not quite as comedic as stuff like Kick-Ass and Super, this was an enjoyable if somewhat disposable film about a man who, still a bit messed up a few years after his parents were murdered in front of him, decides to become a make-shift superhero.  The whole thing looks like it was made on a budget of about five dollars, but it works, and there's actually some pretty decent martial arts goodness.  ***

Takers

TAKERS (2010) - Oct. 1, 2010
This actually started off decently enough -- silly and completely cliched, but kind of entertaining.  But not a whole lot happens in the midsection, and at almost two hours the film overstays its welcome by a longshot.  It also doesn't help that John Luessenhop's direction is kind of iffy.  It's decent for the most part, but his over-reliance on the old shakey-cam/quick-cut trope sullies the action, and completely ruins a long foot chase that should have been pretty awesome.  Other than that, the characters were all pretty generic, and no one made much of an impact with the possible exception of Idris Ebla, who deserves way better than this and seriously needs to start making better choices (his last few American films were this, the Losers, Obsessed, and the Unborn.  The man needs to get a better agent if it's not already too late, because he's definitely a good actor).  **

Timer

TIMER (2009) - Sept. 30, 2010
An enjoyable romantic comedy about a society where there is a product that will count down to when you'll meet your soulmate.  It's kind of a strange premise, but it definitely works -- the film never feels overly quirky or artificial.  It's well acted, engaging and quite enjoyable throughout.  ***

The Marriage of Maria Braun

THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN (1979) - Sept. 28, 2010
An enjoyable enough and decently made film about a calculating woman's struggles to stay sucessful in WWII-era Germany.  Well acted and mostly engaging, it's... I don't know, it's been a few months.  I should have probably written this sooner.  **1/2

Catfish

CATFISH (2010) - Sept. 28, 2010
A basically decent but seriously over-hyped documentary about a guy who starts a long-distance relationship over facebook, and then starts to realize that all is not as it seems.  I think this is a case of hype (and marketing) seriously hurting the film, as the film has been billed as a thriller with an insane twist, which is really not the case.  I mean, there is a twist, sort of, but it's not particularly mind-blowing, and it's pretty low-key.  Certainly, calling this any type of a thriller is an outright lie (and the quote in the trailer calling this "the best Hitchcock film Hitchcock never directed" is almost laughably absurd).  Aside from the fairly blatant false advertising, this was a decent but unspectacular documentary.  Shoddily filmed but slickly edited, the whole thing was kind of interesting but mostly forgettable.  I'm really not sure how this was the most buzzed about film at Sundance when it played -- must have been slim pickings.  **1/2

The Young and the Damned

THE YOUNG AND THE DAMNED (1950) - Sept. 28, 2010
A decent drama by Luis Bunuel about the struggles of a bunch of very poor kids in the slums of Mexico.  Decently made, if not particularly memorable.  **1/2

Wings of Desire

WINGS OF DESIRE (1987) - Sept. 27, 2010
About a couple of angels who wander around Germany listening to people's thoughts (and all Germans, apparently, think exclusively about poetry and philosophy), this was a maddeningly pretentious film.  I'm kind of shocked that this is as well-regarded as it is; it's meandering and a bit pointless.  Maybe if there were a single person who felt authentic the film might have had a bit more of an impact, but as it stands the film feels like a thinly-veiled excuse for Wim Wenders to explore philosophy (i.e. it's the philosophy equivalent of a dumb Hollywood action movie in which the characters are just an excuse to get to the action).  *1/2

The Battle of Algiers

THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (196?) - Sept. 27, 2010 (Second Viewing)
I’ll admit that I was really not looking forward to revisiting this film; my memory of it was that it was dull and completely overrated. Well, I didn’t exactly love it this time around, but at least I can say that I’m no longer baffled by the film’s enduring popularity. It just goes to show you that it’s sometimes a good idea to revisit certain films; I’m not sure why my opinion on this film changed. Maybe I was just in a weird mood the first time I watched it, or perhaps my tastes have changed over the years. It’s funny, because the opposite thing happened when I revisited Amarcord — I liked it on my first viewing, but not so much on my second.  I can see why I didn’t particularly like this film the first time around; there aren’t really any characters, or at least none that we get to know beyond their politics, and there isn’t much of a narrative to speak of. But there’s something oddly fascinating about watching the minutia of the revolution unfold. It probably helps that I watched a film called Outside the Law at this year’s TIFF, which also dealt with the Algerian resistance, and which gave this film some added context that it wouldn’t have otherwise had.  I’m still not sure that this is the all-time classic that many make this out to be, but it’s definitely an interesting film. Pontecorvo’s gritty, documentary-like style suits the movie well, and there are some pretty great moments here — for instance, a tense sequence in which three Algerian women disguise themselves as Westerners in an attempt to get through a checkpoint with bombs. The ending is oddly abrupt, though the more I think about it, the more I think it works. ***

The Town

THE TOWN (2010) - Sept. 25, 2010
Another winner from Ben Affleck, and confirmation that Gone Baby Gone wasn't just a fluke.  About a bank robber who winds up falling in love with one of the victims of his last robbery, this was quite well made and well acted (including Affleck himself, who may just give his best performace ever here).  I don't think there's a single thing here that felt particularly original, but it was so entertaining and well executed that it didn't really matter.  ***1/2

Three Days of the Condor

THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (1975) - Sept. 22, 2010
A superlative thriller about a CIA analyst who returns to his office from lunch to find everyone killed, and who then must try to figure out who wants him dead.  Really well directed by Sydney Pollack, this was somewhat slow-paced but always interesting and kind of electrifying in parts.  Robert Redford is pretty much perfect in the main role, and is a big reason why the film works as well as it does; he just creates a really compelling character.  The supporting characters are just as good -- Faye Dunaway and Cliff Robertson are both quite good, and Max von Sydow manages to make a fairly big impact with a small role (there's a scene between him and Redford towards the end of the film that was definitely one of the better things I've seen in a while).  ***1/2

Devil

DEVIL (2010) - Sept. 21, 2010
Kind of like an extended episode of the Twilight Zone, this was a well made little thriller about a group of people who get stuck in an elevator thanks to the Devil himself (who just happens to be taking the form of one of the people inside).  Featuring solid direction from John Erick Dowdle (which is leagues better than his work on the mediocre [REC] remake), this is a thriller that doesn't have particularly big ambitions, but which accomplishes what it sets out to do quite well.  ***

Stake Land

STAKE LAND (2010) - Sept. 19, 2010
A really well made film about a grizzled vampire hunter in a post-apocalyptic America who takes a young man under his wing and attempts to travel to "New Eden," a place which is supposedly vampire free.  This is a post-apocalyptic film refreshingly devoid of the typically desaturated colours and visual style that has essentially become the standard in this genre; the cinematography here is actually quite striking.  There are also some really tense moments here and some great action, all of which works as well as it does because the film does such a great job of developing the characters and getting us to care about them.  ***1/2

The Illusionist (2010)

THE ILLUSIONIST (2010) - Sept. 19, 2010
A bit of a let-down after the exceptional Triplets of Belleville, this was a really well animated, well made film that was just a little bit too low-key and slow-paced for its own good.  I was never all-out bored, but I was never really engaged, either.  **1/2

Fire of Conscience

FIRE OF CONSCIENCE (2010) - Sept. 19, 2010
Another hopelessly convoluted Asian crime story, this was about a gritty cop doing gritty stuff.  There isn't much here that we haven't seen before, though the action is impressive enough to make the movie moderately worthwhile.  **1/2

John Carpenter's The Ward

JOHN CARPENTER'S THE WARD (2010) - Sept. 19, 2010
Not quite the triumphant return of John Carpenter that I might have hoped, this was a kind of mediocre but essentially entertaining film about a young girl who finds herself locked up in a sinister asylum.  Though John Carpenter's command of the camera and the widescreen frame remains intact, there film itself just wasn't all that compelling.  It was pretty obviously leading up to a twist, so I spent much of the film trying to figure out what the twist was going to be, which is never a sign that you're watching a great movie (to the film's credit, aside from knowing that things were obviously not as they seemed, I wasn't able to guess the twist).  The film featured an excess of jump scares, but little by way of tension or dread.  It was basically entertaining, but a bit of a let-down coming from a master like Carpenter.  **1/2

Confessions

CONFESSIONS (2010) - Sept. 19, 2010
Featuring a fractured narrative that traces a murder and its aftermath, this was a kind of interesting film that I think probably worked better on paper than in execution.  Though the general style and use of music suggests that the director intended this to be riveting all the way through, I got tired of the overly-dense, narration heavy narrative fairly quickly, making the film kind of a slog to sit through.  The movie is constantly throwing information at the viewer, and never really slows down to allow us to process it or develop the characters in any meaningful way.  Because of this, it was kind of hard to care about anything that unfolded.  The whole thing worked much better as a novel, I'm sure.  *1/2

Super

SUPER (2010) - Sept. 18, 2010 (Second Viewing)
Yep, good stuff.  ***1/2

The Butcher, The Chef, and The Swordsman

THE BUTCHER, THE CHEF, AND THE SWORDSMAN (2010) - Sept. 18, 2010
Quite literally one of the worst films I've ever seen, this was a horifically bad film about...  I don't know, a chef out for revenge?  It kind of had a few different stories -- all terrible.  Featuring awful, unfunny humour so broad and silly that even a five-year-old would find it juvenile and beneath him, this was not merely unfunny -- it was  gratingly, in-your-face, cringe-inducingly unfunny.  It doesn't help that this was billed as a martial arts action film and features (maybe) five minutes total of sloppy, awkward action.  It also didn't help that there wasn't a single likable character in the bunch (and at least a couple of characters who were so infuriatingly annoying that I had the overwhelming urge to punch someone in the face -- preferably the director, the actors, or TIFF programmer Colin Geddes for subjecting me to this garbage).  I honestly cannot think of a single thing I liked about this mess.  SO TERRIBLE.  ZERO STARS

Sandcastle

SANDCASTLE (2010) - Sept. 18, 2010
Well, I fell asleep again.  Not for too long, but long enough that I can't really give this film a rating.  About a boy whose grandfather dies, and who starts to learn about who his father was, this was generally well made but very slow.  NO RATING

Womb

WOMB (2010) - Sept. 18, 2010
Pretentious and super slow-paced and yet also oddly compelling, this was a strange film about a woman whose childhood love dies, and who then decides to carry his clone.  Bizarre, unabashedly arty and kind of obtuse, I can't really say I fully get what the point of this film was, but I guess I was never all-out bored, and there was something kind of intriguing about the premise and the meticulously framed visuals.  **1/2

Bunraku

BUNRAKU (2010) - Sept. 17, 2010
Nope, not a fan.  About a couple of guys who both want to kill the same guy, set in a strange, gunless future society.  Featuring bizarre, super-stylized visuals that make everything look like cardboard cutouts in a stage play, this was definitely a unique looking film, but there's only so far that unique visuals can go.  The main problem here is that all of the characters are almost absurdly dull.  Featuring dialogue that consists almost entirely of one-liners and pseudo-hard-boiled dialogue that must have seemed clever to someone at some point, the whole thing got tiresome pretty fast.  The film had quite a lot of action, but with the exception of one pretty great scene (that shamelessly ripped off Old Boy) it was all kind of mediocre.  Meh.  1/2*

Blame

BLAME (2010) - Sept. 17, 2010
About a group of students who set out to murder one of their teachers, who they perceive to be responsible for the death of their friend, this was a well directed and downright intense film.  Though it's essentially all dialogue in one house, it never feels stagey; it's quite cinematic, and the film is pretty tense throughout.  It helps that it's very well written and acted; the constant revelations keep things interesting throughout.  The director does a really good job of slowly giving the audience all of the information, keeping things tense without being annoyingly or artificially vague.  Definitely one of the better films at the festival so far, and another winner from Australia.  ***1/2

Home for Christmas

HOME FOR CHRISTMAS (2010) - Sept. 17, 2010
Meh.  Generally well made but just not particularly compelling, this was about a bunch of characters in a small town in Norway around Christmas.  Some of the stories were a bit better than others, but mostly this was passable but dull.  **

The High Cost of Living

THE HIGH COST OF LIVING (2010) - Sept. 17, 2010
Featuring a better than expected performance from Zach Braff (though it did take me a few minutes to buy him as a very non-JD-like character) this was an above average film about a guy who causes a pregnant woman to lose her child, and who then befriends said woman (without her knowing his role in her accident).  Melodramatic (but not in a bad way), this was well made and quite well acted.  Plus, I've found myself thinking about it on and off pretty much all day.  ***1/2

Peep World

PEEP WORLD (2010) - Sept. 16, 2010
An enjoyable dramedy about a guy who writes a semi-autobiographical novel about his dysfunctional family, and the uproar that this causes among said family.  Though the film wasn't anything particularly special, it was well made and well acted by a cast pretty much crammed full of recognizable actors (I'm pretty sure every single major role was a familiar face).  ***

I Saw the Devil

I SAW THE DEVIL (2010) - Sept. 15, 2010
A well made but seriously flawed film about a cop (or a secret agent or something -- it's never really made clear) who seeks elaborate vengeance when his fiancee is murdered.  My main problem with this film is the ludicrous choice the character makes of catching the killer and then letting him go so that he can catch him again (in an effort to make him suffer as much as possible -- as if there is no other way than an ill-conceived catch-and-release plan to make a man suffer).  I never bought for a second that any even remotely intelligent person would make such a stunningly stupid decision -- an act I found so irrational that it took me out of the movie.  Aside from that the film was well made and definitely had its moments, but it was a bit overlong and it dragged in parts.  But ultimately, I just couldn't buy into the ridiculous premise.  **

Essential Killing

ESSENTIAL KILLING (2010) - Sept. 15, 2010
Someone needs to explain this movie to me.  Why did this particular story need to be told?  About a member of the Taliban (we assume -- the character never speaks and we learn nothing about him other than a couple of brief flashbacks that imply he has a wife) who is captured, escapes and then runs away through a seemingly endless snowy forest.  This could have been exciting and/or suspenseful, but we never learn a thing about the character and thus have no reason to care about him, so the whole thing ends up coming off as a pretentious excercise of some sort, despite the fact that it's reasonably well made.  *1/2

Henry's Crime

HENRY'S CRIME (2010) - Sept. 15, 2010
A really low-key but enjoyable film about a guy who is wrongly sent to jail for robbing a bank, and who then decides to actually rob the bank.  Featuring a pretty solid cast with people like Keanu Reeves, James Caan and Vera Farmiga giving above average performances (Caan, in particular, is probably better here than he's been in a while).  There's pretty much nothing here that we haven't seen before, but it's quite affable with characters that we really come to care about.  ***

Black Swan

BLACK SWAN (2010) - Sept. 14, 2010
Another big winner from Darren Aronofsky, and final confirmation that the man has serious talent, and that I need to revist Requiem for a Dream (and even if that movie is as bad as I remember, it's just a blip in an otherwise primo filmography).  About a ballerina who gets the lead role in a production of Swan Lake, and who then starts to unravel, this was a really well made, seriously compelling film.  Though it starts off seeming stylistically similar to the Wrestler, the film also has some very overt thriller elements, and even some horror thrown in.  It's really well made, well acted, and flat-out entertaining all the way through.  ****

Our Day Will Come

OUR DAY WILL COME (2010) - Sept. 13, 2010
Seriously pretentious and almost criminally self-indulgant, this was an inscrutable mess of a film, with characters who do odd things seemingly just for the sake of being odd.  I thought that perhaps it was all supposed to be a metaphor or an allegory for something, but the Q&A with the director after the film seemed to indicate that it was all supposed to be taken at face value.  If that's the case, seriously, why did the characters do pretty much everything they did in that film?  Why did these two strangers just randomly decide to take a road trip together?  Why did they go nuts and start murdering people at the end?  The whole thing just made me mad, because the director obviously has a fair amount of talent (or at the very least, a keen eye for visuals), but he seems to have little to no interest in making a coherent film, and in fact seems to want to thumb his nose at anything resembling convention just for the sake of being different.  1/2*

Outside the Law

OUTSIDE THE LAW (2010) - Sept. 13, 2010
Not quite the "epic gangster movie" that the TIFF guide promised (that's a seriously misleading description of the film, and I have to wonder if the person who wrote it even watched the movie), this was a decent film about the Algerian uprising in France in the '50s.  Well made and featuring a fairly epic scope without feeling too overlong (despite a running time of well over two hours), this was a good movie that I was just never all that involved with, despite never being bored.  **1/2

Super

SUPER (2010) - Sept. 13, 2010
Sort of like a more twisted version of Kick-Ass, this was a really fun film about a guy who decides to become a superhero after thinking he's heard the word of God.  Really well made, I think the Kick-Ass comparisons are going to be inevitable, but I think this is funnier and less slick, and definitely deserves to stand on its own (I liked Kick-Ass, but I liked this more).  Features a surprisingly good lead performance from Rainn Wilson; you definitely forget about the Office pretty early on, as his character here is quite far from Dwight.  The supporting cast is just as good, though it's Ellen Page who really steals the show as Wilson's overzealous sidekick.  Good times.  ***1/2

Late Autumn

LATE AUTUMN (2010) - Sept. 12, 2010
Well made but almost absurdly slow-paced, this was a decent film about a young Chinese woman, let out of prison for a couple of days to go to a funeral, who strikes up a relationship with a seemingly carefree Korean gigalo.  The film is well directed and reasonably well acted (though it's fairly clear that neither of the leads knew English too well).  It's actually quite compelling in parts, and the characters are definitely likable.  But it's insanely slow, and would probably benefit from some generous cutting.  There's also a fantasy sequence that just seems out of place and kind of slows down what little momentum the film has. **1/2

The Piano in a Factory

THE PIANO IN A FACTORY (2010) - Sept. 12, 2010
Well, it had to happen.  At least I got it out of the way early this year: I fell asleep.  I was pretty tired, but the movie being fairly poor certainly didn't help.  Directed with a fussy, overly composed visual style that gave the film an unpleasantly artificial theatricality and put the viewer at a constant arm's length, this was just not a particularly compelling film.  NO RATING

Easy Money

EASY MONEY (2010) - Sept. 12, 2010
Well made and quite fast-paced throughout, this was about an ambitious young man who finds himself working for a group of drug dealers.  Directed with a gritty visual style that suited the film quite well, I definitely enjoyed this.  ***

Outbound

OUTBOUND (2010) - Sept. 11, 2010
A typically European art house type of film (but a well done one), this was a well made and well acted film about a woman who gets out of jail -- supposedly for 24 hours only -- and who sets out to leave with her son.  The film follows her over the course of the day as she attempts to get her affairs in order, and features a naturalistic style that is quite reminisent of the work of the Dardenne brothers (but mostly without the handheld camerawork).  The film also features one of the more abrupt endings that I've seen lately, which seemed to irk the crowd I saw it with -- when someone asked the director to elaborate on what happened at the end, there were definite murmurs of appreciation (and of course, he didn't answer).  ***

Inception

INCEPTION (2010) - Sept. 11, 2010 (Fourth Viewing)
Yep, awesome.  And it definitely worked quite well on the large Imax screen, if not quite as brilliantly as the shot-for-Imax stuff from the Dark Knight.  ****

Wasted on the Young

WASTED ON THE YOUNG (2010) - Sept. 11, 2010
An interesting and well made film about a girl who overdoses and is subsequently raped at a party, and how this affects those around her.  Directed with visual flair by first-time director Ben C. Lucas, the film provided a unique spin on the high school drama.  ***

Cirkus Columbia

CIRKUS COLUMBIA (2010) - Sept. 10, 2010
A basically well made but uneventful and kind of boring film about a man who comes back to his small town in Bosnia after a twenty year absence, and winds up shaking things up.  There wasn't any particularly element of this film that was badly done, it was just kind of meandering and by somewhere around the mid-way point, I had completely lost interest.  *1/2

Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen

LEGEND OF THE FIST: THE RETURN OF CHEN ZHEN (2010) - Sept. 10, 2010
Though it started out with one of the better action sequences I've seen in a while (it was seriously awesome), the rest of the movie just wasn't up to that level.  About a famous resistance fighter in 1920s China, the film was just completely bogged down with political maneuverings, which left the characters themselves woefully underdeveloped.  It also didn't help that the first hour was pretty much action-free (aside from the aforementioned awesome opening), which completely threw off the pacing of the movie.  It picks up somewhat in the second hour, but it had pretty much lost me at that point.  It also closed with a pretty spectacular action sequence, but for the most part this movie was a let down.  Donnie Yen was awesome as usual, however.  **

Bedtime Stories

BEDTIME STORIES (2008) - Sept. 6, 2010
A surprisingly bad film about a man who realizes that the stories he's telling his neice and nephew are starting to come true.  Unabashedly juvenile, it becomes clear pretty much immediately that the film is aimed squarely at undiscrimating children, with no attempt to appeal to anyone over the age of twelve.  The film was pretty episodic, and lacked any particular narrative momentum.  Blandly directed and completely laugh-free, there really wasn't too much that worked here.  *1/2

The American

THE AMERICAN (2010) - Sept. 5, 2010
A well made if somewhat slow-paced film about a skilled hitman who hides out in a small Italian town making a custom sniper rifle.  The film kind of has a cool, emotionally distant tone that always keeps you at an arm's length, but it's well directed by Anton Corbijn and does a good job of evoking a European art-house vibe.  It also features a really strong central performance from George Clooney, who manages to create a compelling character (who is a bit different from his usual thing) without all that much dialogue.  ***

Machete

MACHETE (2010) - Sept. 3, 2010
Meh.  Based on the fake trailer from Grindhouse, this was about an ex-Federale who finds himself double-crossed by the people who hired him to assassinate a politician.  Further proof that Robert Rodriguez just isn't a very good director, this was decent in parts, but mostly it was just kind of flat, and it was never nearly as fun as it was trying to be.  Perhaps if it had been about half an hour shorter it would have been an enjoyable enough diversion, but at 105 minutes it definitely over-stays its welcome.  Plus, it's yet another movie where the violence is sullied by an over-use of CGI.  **

The Last Exorcism

THE LAST EXORCISM (2010) - Aug. 28, 2010
Though it's more of a character study than the in-your-face horror film the marketing is making it out to be, this was still a really enjoyable movie about a preacher who sets out to debunk exorcisms by showing a documentary crew how fake they are.  Definitely one of the stronger entries in the found-footage horror subgenre, this featured a really strong central performance from Patrick Fabian.  Director Daniel Stamm did a really good job of ratcheting up the tension when he needed to, plus the mystery of whether or not the girl was faking remained compelling throughout.  The ending was a bit perplexing, but I thought it really worked in a sort of ambiguously creepy way.  ***1/2

Scott Pilgrim Versus the World

SCOTT PILGRIM VERSUS THE WORLD (2010) - Aug. 27, 2010
An really past-paced and unique film about a young man who falls in love, and who then must fight his new girlfriend's seven evil exes.  Easily the stylistic culmination of everything that Edgar Wright has done so far, there's definitely no one else who could have made this film quite the same way that Wright does.  And yet somehow, despite being crammed with a very distinctive sense of stlye, the movie never feels over-stylized; it all seems to accompany the story perfectly.  I really enjoyed this, though for some reason I was never quite as into it as something like Shaun of the Dead.  I think another viewing is probably in order.  ***

Animal Kingdom

ANIMAL KINGDOM (2010) - Aug. 26, 2010
Good stuff.  Man.  A really well made, well directed, well written, well acted, well scored...  well everything, pretty much.  I loved so much about this movie.  For starters, there's David Michod's assured, pitch-perfect direction, which is visually compelling throughout without being ostentatious or calling attention to itself.  His screenplay is just as good; the characters all feel authentic and definitely become people we really care about.  I also liked that you were never entirely sure where the film was going, and that there were quite a few moments that were genuinely surprising.  There were also some really tense moments peppered throughout.  The film was definitely not super fast-paced, but it was extremely compelling from start to finish.  Then there's the performances, which were all well above average.  Antony Partos' melancoly, memorable score works perfectly.  Basically, I loved this movie.  If it weren't for Inception, I'd say that this was easily the best movie of the year so far.  In fact, I think it may even be better than Inception, but I'll have to see it again.  ****

Piranha

PIRANHA (2010) - Aug. 21, 2010
A fun, over-the-top horror comedy about a beach-side town that gets infested by prehistoric piranhas during spring break.  Deftly directed by Alexandre Aja, the film did a good job of setting up the characters so that we care about them once the piranha mayhem starts to go down.  It also did a good job of being pretty funny throughout without the smugness or over-the-top quirkiness that can sometimes be a problem in horror comedies.  The sequence where a beach full of partying teens gets ravaged by the piranhas was definitely one of the better things I've seen in a while.  As for the 3D, it was decently implemented, but I can't really say it enhanced the movie all that much (I would have been happier without it).  ***

Black Knight

BLACK KNIGHT (2001) - Aug. 16, 2010 (Second Viewing)
Decent, though not quite the enjoyable wacky comedy I remembered it being.  About a guy who works at a castle-themed amusement park who finds himself teleported to the distant past, one of the film's main problems is Martin Lawrence's way over-the-top performance, which is grating at times.  I generally like Lawrence, but he has a tendancy to dial things up to eleven when he should probably be at a seven or an eight.  **1/2

The Expendables

THE EXPENDABLES (2010) - Aug. 14, 2010
A bit of a disappointment, and not quite the ultimate '80s action throwback that the premise and the cast might have led you to believe.  About a group of mercenaries who travel to a small island to overthrow a dictator, there's a suprising amount of non-action here, and it's actually pretty boring.  The problem (or, one of the problems) is that, for the most part, the film just takes itself way too seriously, and none of the characters are particularly interesting.  The action itself is vaguely servicable, but without the comically over-the-top violence that made the last Rambo film so entertaining, Stallone's deficiencies as a director become awfully clear.  He leans very strongly towards the old close-up/quick-cut style, which is disappointing (I have to wonder why Stallone even bothered casting a legendary martial artist like Jet Li when his one fight scene was so obscured by quick cuts, it could have been anyone doing the fighting).  Meh.  **

Step Up 3D

STEP UP 3D (2010) - Aug. 10, 2010
A mostly enjoyable movie about a dance troup's efforts to win a big dance competition.  It's kind of cheesy and it does drag a bit in parts, but the dance scenes are actually impressively choreographed, and director Jon Chu does a pretty good job of stepping back and letting the dancers do their thing (he also seems to be one of the few directors who isn't shy about really using 3D to its fullest).  ***

The Other Guys

THE OTHER GUYS (2010) - Aug. 6, 2010
A really funny comedy about a couple of desk cops who wind up working a big case involving a corrupt businessman.  This was actually a bit better than I thought it would be, and is probably my favourite of the four Farrell/McKay comedies thus far.  It's a bit too long (as all the McKay films have been) but aside from that it was well made, fast-paced and quite funny.  Will Ferrell was at his Will Ferrell-y best, and Mark Wahlberg was surprisingly funny.  Plus it's always nice to see Michael Keaton on the big screen, and a recurring joke involving him quoting TLC songs was pretty hilarious.  If this had been 90 minutes I'm pretty sure it would have been an instant comedy classic.  ***

The Adventures of Robin Hood

THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938) - Aug. 5, 2010
This movie is quite possibly one of the most well-regarded action/adventure movies ever, so my expectations for it were fairly high. It didn’t disappoint. While I don’t know if I’d put this on a list of my all-time favourites, it was definitely well made and quite entertaining throughout.  Certainly, the film was leaps and bounds above the fairly anemic Robin Hood, the recent Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe re-imagining of the Robin Hood legend. That film was kind of dull and ponderous; I can definitely see what they were going for, but it just didn’t work, for the most part. However, I can safely say that Robin Hood will never be on the list, so… moving on.  This Robin Hood featured all of the archery, swordplay and rollicking adventure that you’d expect from the character. The action was exciting and well-staged (and further proof that, contrary to what pretty much every contemporary director believes, you don’t need a million cuts a second to have an exciting action scene). Robin Hood himself came off as a bit arrogant (he was pretty smug), but he was always likable thanks to a charismatic performance from Errol Flynn.  There’s definitely a lot to like here, and I think this is the type of film that everyone could enjoy — assuming they can get past the somewhat old-fashioned filmmaking (eg. the aforementioned lack of a million cuts per second during the action). Did I mention how much better this was than the Ridley Scott version? ***

Mother

MOTHER (2009) - Aug. 4, 2010
Though it drags in parts and is probably a bit on the long side, this was still an entertaining and really well made film about a mother who tries to clear her mentally challenged son's name after he's put in jail for murder.  Featuring a pretty amazing lead performance from Hye-ja Kim, the film is almost worth it just for her performance alone, and it is actually fairly riveting in parts. ***

Mystery Team

MYSTERY TEAM (2009) - Aug. 3, 2010
An enjoyably wacky comedy from the online comedy group Derrick Comedy, about a group of teenagers who never quite outgrew their childhood detective business.  Though it's not quite as laugh-out-loud funny as the best Derrick Comedy sketches, it's still pretty funny in parts and quite enjoyable throughout.  ***

The Eclipse

THE ECLIPSE (2009) - Aug. 2, 2010
A kind of meandering but well made drama about a teacher who, while volunteering at a literary festival, strikes up a friendship with a writer.  Meanwhile, he is periodically terrorized by the ghost of his not-yet-dead father-in-law.  Well made and very well acted, particularly Ciaran Hinds, who definitely proves here that he deserves more than just the supporting roles he typically plays.  The supernatural stuff kind of feels odd in this otherwise super low-key drama (especially since that stuff is so dependent on jump scares), but it basically works, though it doesn't really seem to go anywhere.  As well, the Aiden Quinn character feels mostly superfluous, and I really would have rather just spent more time with Hinds' character.  Oh well, it was still pretty good.  ***

Cop Out

COP OUT (2010) - Aug. 1, 2010
A surprisingly inept "comedy" about a couple of cops who get embroiled in a case involving the Mexican mafia when they start investigating a stolen baseball card.  There is almost nothing that works here.  First and foremost, there are the performances; Tracy Morgan is essentially playing his 30 Rock character, and he is so wildly over-the-top that he generally just comes off as desperate (plus, I never bought for a second that his buffoonish character could have been an actual cop).  On the opposite side of the bad acting spectrum is Bruce Willis; he completely phones in his performance, and actually looks bored much of the time.  The movie is awkwardly directed by Kevin Smith, and features action which is completely bland (there isn't much of it, though).  It isn't funny, nor does it particularly work as a parody of buddy-cop action films.  I did like the score, but even that didn't particularly work in the context of the film, as the movie otherwise doesn't evoke an '80s vibe in the slightest, making the score feel a bit incongruous.  *

The Collector

THE COLLECTOR (2009) - Aug. 1, 2010
A decently made but kind of unpleasant horror film about a thief who breaks into an isolated country home only to find it filled with deadly traps and a crazy guy (the titular collector) who either wants to kill him or collect him (the nature of how or why this guy likes to collect people is never explored).  It started out decently enough, but after a while the whole cat-and-mouse dynamic between the collector and the thief began to run out of steam.  It didn't help that the whole thing feels vaguely Platinum Dunes-y (particularly the two recent Texas Chainsaw films) both in its ugly, monochromatic visual style and its tendancy to emphasize gore on the more sadistic side of things.  **

Dinner for Schmucks

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS (2010) - July 31, 2010
A mediocre and way over-the-top comedy about a guy who finds out that he has to befriend an idiot in order to bring him to a party his boss is holding.  Mostly unfunny wackiness ensues.  The main problem with this movie is that the humour, for the most part, is just way too broad.  Pretty much the entire supporting cast are absurdly zany and completely unbelievable as anything even resembling real people.  The titular dinner scene was long and painfully unfunny.  The movie was also filled with forced melodrama which felt excessive -- even for this type of film, where you have to expect some third act drama.  I did mostly like Paul Rudd and Steve Carell, and some of their scenes together were decent enough, but for the most part the film just feels like it's trying way too hard, and it doesn't particularly work.  **

The Cry of the Owl

THE CRY OF THE OWL (2009) - July 28, 2010
An exceptionally mediocre movie about a guy who gets caught up in the life of a woman who he had been spying on, who turns out to be even crazier than he is.  Filled to the brim with hokey, often laughably bad dialogue, the whole thing was distinctly inauthentic, with nary a single character who felt like a real person.  It became increasingly clear as the movie went on that the director was going for a sort of stylized, film noir vibe, but for the most part it just doesn't really work.  The first half or so was disastrously bad, as the film starts out as more of a low-key drama, and the aforementioned dialogue and character problems are pretty glaring.  It got a bit more enjoyable once the plot really starts to kick in; it takes some twists and turns towards the end that are completely absurd but reasonably entertaining.  I really have no idea how the director was able to get Paddy Considine and Julia Stiles for this mess (who both gave uncharacteristically bad performances, though with material this bad even the best actor in the world would be hard-pressed to come up with something decent).  *1/2

Inception

INCEPTION (2010) - July 27, 2010 (Third Viewing)
So awesome.  This is definitely a superlative summer movie.  ****

The Kids are All Right

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (2010) - July 26, 2010
A low-key and well-crafted (if a bit bland) drama about a brother and sister who decide to meet their birth-father.  This causes friction with their two lesbian mothers.  The whole thing was quite well acted (I'd be surprised if the cast doesn't get at least one Oscar nomination) and well made, and I definitely enjoyed it, but it's the sort of film that you enjoy while you're watching, then you pretty much completely forget about it almost immediately after.  ***

Youth in Revolt

YOUTH IN REVOLT (2009) - July 25, 2010
A really well made and engaging film about a teenager who falls in love, and then creates a suave, criminal alter-ego to get back to her.  The film is quite entertaining throughout, and features some really solid direction from Miguel Arteta.  It also featured a bunch of memorable supporting roles from people like Ray Liotta and Steve Buscemi, and a really good lead performance from Michael Cera.  I know Cera gets a lot of flack for having a distinctive persona and not changing much from movie to movie, but I think he's an engaging presence on screen.  ***1/2

Salt

SALT (2010) - July 24, 2010
An enjoyable action film about a CIA agent who goes on the run after being accused of being a Russian spy.  Skillfully directed by Phillip Noyce, the film moves at an almost absurdly brisk pace, but the performances (particularly Jolie herself) ensure that we always care about the characters and that it doesn't just feel like a bunch of loosely strung together set-pieces (which it essentially is).  The film also has a refreshingly old-school vibe, mostly eschewing the more blatantly over-the-top CGI shenanigans that have become so prevalent in the action genre of late.  ***

Primer

PRIMER (2004) - July 23, 2010
Completely baffling and yet oddly compelling, this was about a couple of guys who invent a machine that allows them to go back in time; confusing shenanigans ensue.  Seriously, almost as soon as the time travel began, I lost any ability to follow what was going on -- even the mechanics of how they were traveling through time were kind of beyond my comprehension.  Why did they have to stay in a hotel?  How did they know how far they were going back?  What was the deal with that party?  My brain is starting to hurt just thinking about it all.  Hmmm... was this an example of muddled storytelling, or was I just not smart enough to follow this movie?  I'm thinking a bit of both, but maybe I should watch this again.  ***

Ashes and Diamond

ASHES AND DIAMONDS (1958) - July 22, 2010
Well, that was a pleasant surprise. Not that I was expecting this to be bad, but I was unfamiliar with director Andrzej Wajda, and so I wasn’t sure what to expect.  As it turns out, Wajda’s impressive direction was probably the highlight of the film; stylish and filled with intricately-composed, Citizen Kane-esque low angle shots, you can definitely see the influence Wajda has had on directors over the years. I won’t go into spoilers, but there’s a moment towards the end of the film that was as memorable and as visually striking as anything I’ve seen in quite a while. You’ll know it when you see it.  Of course, this wouldn’t have added up to all that much if the film itself hadn’t been up to snuff — the protagonist’s realization, over one long night, that he can’t necessarily do his duty and live a normal life was deftly handled, and though the film wasn’t perfect (it drags slightly in parts) it was definitely quite memorable.  ***

Unthinkable

UNTHINKABLE (2010) - July 21, 2010
A kind of uneven but mostly engaging drama/thriller about the interrogation of a man who claims to have planted three nukes in three American cities.  Not quite on the level of the couple of films by Gregor Jordon that I've seen thus far, this was still enjoyable enough and quite well acted.  ***

Despicable Me

DESPICABLE ME (2010) - July 20, 2010
Fun and enjoyably cartoony, this was a lightweight but quite entertaining film about a super-villain who adopts three sisters as part of his latest scheme.  I think it's probably a bit unfair to compare every computer animated film to Pixar, but... well, it wasn't exactly Pixar.  But it was definitely entertaining.  ***

The Brothers Solomon

THE BROTHERS SOLOMON (2007) - July 19, 2010
A vaguely entertaining film that seriously overstays its welcome, this actually feels a lot like an SNL sketch that goes on a few minutes longer than it should.  It's extremely silly and not quite as funny as it's trying to be, but it's generally entertaining enough.  **1/2

Inception

INCEPTION (2010) - July 17, 2010 (Second Viewing)
So good.  A big summer action film this good is definitely a rare treat.  Plus: more proof that you can't go wrong with a heist movie.  ****

Hunger

HUNGER (2008) - July 16, 2010
A bizarre, intense prison film about a jail in Ireland in the '80s, filled with a bunch of political prisoners.  It was supposedly about a particular prisoner's hunger strike, though that stuff only really came into play in the last little bit of the film.  Mostly, the film focused on a handful of prisoners, and one guard.  A little bit more background would have been nice -- for instance, I didn't realize that the prisoners were living in squalor thanks to a "no wash" strike until about halfway through the film.  I just figured that it was a really terrible prison.  Still, I enjoyed the movie; there was something strangely engaging and almost hypnotic about the grimness of it all.  Steve McQueen's direction was quite good, and though the film was deliberately paced, it was absolutely never boring.  We never particularly got to know any of the characters all that well, but it almost didn't seem to matter (I mean, it would have been nice, but the film definitely had a lot of other stuff going for it).  ***

Sixteen Candles

SIXTEEN CANDLES (1984) - July 15, 2010
An enjoyable film by the sadly departed John Hughes.  I waited way too long to write this for whatever reason, so...  I recall liking this film, but... yeah.  ***

Inception

INCEPTION (2010) - July 12, 2010
Oh sweet Jesus yes.  As hyped as I was for this film, this was just as good if not even better than I had hoped it would be.  I loved everything about this movie.  First off, there is Christopher Nolan's direction, which really is astounding, and is almost certainly his best work to date.  The action is thrilling and exciting, and the film is almost absurdly compelling on a visual level.  The final action sequence (which lasts a good half hour, if not a bit more) is a dazzling piece of work, with a dream within a dream within a dream all happening simultaneously and edited together to perfection.  The performances are just as good; Leonardo DiCaprio probably gives his best performance ever.  Every other role is just as perfectly cast.  Nolan creates a world here that seems entirely plausible; the film's depiction of dreams and the way they work always feels real.  GOOD STUFF.  ****

The African Queen

THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951) - July 11, 2010
I’ve been a fan of John Huston’s for a while now, so the African Queen has definitely been on my to-see list (I’m also a fan of Humphrey Bogart’s, but that just goes without saying. There are only two types of people in the world: Humphrey Bogart fans, and people who have never seen a Bogart movie). Up until a few months ago, thanks to some legal shenanigans involving rights issues, trying to see this movie on home video has been surprisingly difficult. But I’m glad that I never made the effort to get my hands on a dodgy import, because the recently-released Blu-ray looks pretty stunning. It’s sharp, vibrant and without a hint of age.  But what about the movie itself? While I wouldn’t quite put it up there with stuff like the Treasure of the Sierra Madre and the Asphalt Jungle (which I will be watching again pretty soon, as it’s on the list), this is definitely a justified classic. A movie like this, which is really just about the interactions between two characters, lives and dies by its performances. Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn… well, do I really need to finish that sentence? They’re both legendary actors, and their performances here are certainly commensurate with their stature. They also have really great chemistry together, so by the end of the film you’re definitely rooting for them to make it. You’d think that the film might be a bit stagy, but Huston manages to keep things abundantly cinematic, including a few sequences which are surprisingly tense. Good stuff. ***1/2

Tenderness

TENDERNESS (2009) - July 10, 2010
A slow and kind of mediocre film about a guy who has just come out of jail for murdering his parents, and the girl who has developed something of an obsession with him.  Meanwhile, a "mostly retired" cop is on his tail, convinced he's going to murder again.  The film was well made amd well acted, and it was actually fairly compelling in spots, but it was a bit uneven and too leisurely-paced for its own good.  **1/2

Predators

PREDATORS (2010) - July 9, 2010
While not quite the instant classic I might have hoped, this was still a really enjoyable action movie about a random group of soldiers (plus a convict, a doctor and a gangster) who find themselves being hunted on a strange alien world.  Featuring some expectedly primo direction from Nimrod Antal, the film is pretty tense in parts, and has a surfeit of exciting action (it also features what is easily one of the best openings I've seen in a long time).  The eclectic cast is definitely solid, particularly Adrien Brody -- he certainly isn't the most obvious choice for an action lead, but he's completely convincing.  The movie drags a bit around the middle, but aside from that it was quite enjoyable.  ***

Cyrus

CYRUS (2010) - July 6, 2010
Meh.  About a man who meets the woman of his dreams, only to find himself in conflict with her bizarre adult son, who still lives with her.  My main problem with this film is that the premise, and the over-the-top way these characters tend to act (particularly the Jonah Hill character), seems like it would be more at home in the latest Happy Madison or Adam McKay film.  However, writer/directors Jay and Mark Duplass imbue the film with a realistic, documentary-like tone and style which is entirely at odds with the more outrageous elements of the plot.  It feels very incongruous.  The movie is basically entertaining and very well acted, but it's definitely at its best in the quieter moments.  Also: the Duplass brothers' directorial style, with its jittery camerawork and inexplicably random zooms, is completely unappealing.  **1/2

The Invention of Lying

THE INVENTION OF LYING (2009) - July 4, 2010
An enjoyable enough film about a man who discovers lying in a society where everyone always tells the truth and speaks their minds.  All of the performances were quite good, Ricky Gervais in particular.  The whole thing was kind of middling but mostly entertaining.  **1/2

Futurama: Bender's Game

FUTURAMA: BENDER'S GAME (2008) - July 2, 2010
Another fun but somewhat subpar (compared to the best episodes of the show, at least) Futurama movie.  The weakest stretch was the extended fantasy sequence towards the end; it seems to be a rule that all animated shows must do this at some point, and it rarely works all that well.  Oh well, still an enjoyable film.  ***

Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer

AILEEN WUORNOS: THE SELLING OF A SERIAL KILLER (1992) - July 1, 2010
Well, this is a bit of a puzzlement. The list isn’t exactly doc-heavy (this is the first documentary I’ve watched for this blog thus far), so this seems like kind of an odd choice — it’s interesting enough, I guess, but it’s kind of low-rent and not exactly a shining example of what the medium is capable of. Not that I’m a huge documentary guy; I’ll admit that my interest as a filmgoer lies more with fiction than non-fiction. But even as an unseasoned documentary viewer, it’s pretty clear that this just isn’t all that great.  In fact, I had to consult the book itself to see why this mostly unremarkable doc warranted inclusion on a list of essential films. Apparently, it “[sheds] a piercing light on the underbelly of the American character” and is a “riveting, hop-scotching documentary.” Fair enough on the first count, I suppose, though personally I would disagree that this is anywhere near riveting.  I think the main problem here is that the film is never entirely sure about what it wants to be — is it about Arlene Pralle, a woman who bizarrely adopted Wuornos after she had already been arrested for seven murders? Is it about Wuornos herself? Or is it about director Nick Broomfield’s attempts to get access to Wuornos? The film doesn’t really have a clear focus, which prevents it from being quite as effective as it could have been. Pralle is probably the film’s most interesting figure (well, aside from Wuornos herself, but the film seems to have no interest in exploring her crimes in a meaningful way), but Broomfield sort of meanders around, spending just as much time with Wuornos’ incompetent, guitar-playing lawyer, a thread which doesn’t particularly go anywhere. Ultimately, it’s this lack of any kind of unifying thesis that really prevents this doc from being particularly effective.  **1/2

The Last Airbender

THE LAST AIRBENDER (2010) - July 1, 2010
Why, M. Night?  Why?  Though I didn't think that this was the all-out disaster that a lot of people are proclaiming it to be, certainly, it is Shyamalan's worst film, and the first of his movies that I thought was all-out bad.  The main problem is that none of the characters are particularly compelling; they're all kind of bland and without much personality.  That the film is filled with questionable, somewhat clunky dialogue doesn't help matters.  Nor does the fact that the whole thing has that artificial, overly-CGIed sheen.  I was sort of going with it for the first little bit, but about half-way through it started to really lose me, and by the time the requisite epic battle rolled around, I was pretty bored.  I did kind of like Shyamalan's direction; his penchant for long, meticulously composed takes remains intact here, leading to some fairly interesting visuals.  But the movie overall just doesn't work.  **

Grown Ups

GROWN UPS (2010) - June 30, 2010
Jesus.  Almost absurdly boring, this was almost certainly Adam Sandler's worst film -- he's made sillier films, stupider films, and films that were even more painfully unfunny, but he's never made one that was quite this boring, or quite this dull.  Esentially just a series of vignettes revolving around a group of old friends getting together for the weekend, there was just nothing interesting about these characters or the way they interacted.  They certainly seemed to be having a good time, with a good chunk of the movie consisting of reaction shots of the various characters laughing at their own jokes -- but none of this merriment translates over to the audience.  It just doesn't work.  The characters never become people we particularly care about, so the whole thing winds up feeling like watching a home video with high production values -- it's just people I don't know or care about having a good time.  There came a point, I guess about an hour into the film, where it felt like things should be wrapping up.  But it just kept going, and going, and going (AND GOING) and it was interminable.  *

Knight and Day

KNIGHT AND DAY (2010) - June 26, 2010
Kind of light on plot and character but still good fun, this was an enjoyable film about a woman who finds herself mixed up with a secret agent on the run.  Tom Cruise gives a really charismatic, charming performance (he probably hasn't had a role this lighthearted in well over a decade) and has good chemistry with Cameron Diaz.  James Mangold directs the over-the-top action with a (mostly) sure hand, and while the whole thing doesn't particularly add up to much, it's a fun ride.  ***

Toy Story 3

TOY STORY 3 (2010) - June 22, 2010 (Second Viewing)
Yep.  Pixar!  ****

The Karate Kid (2010)

THE KARATE KID (2010) - June 18, 2010
Not so good.  A beat-for-beat remake of the original Karate Kid which really has no reason to exist -- it's essentially just a duller version of the original film.  The one aspect that should have been improved -- the fighting scenes -- are ruined by Harald Zwart's shoddy direction (he shoots pretty much every fight scene in agonizingly tight close ups, which kind of robs them of any real excitement).  This is a step down from the original in every regard; it just feels perfunctory.  Plus, it's bloated and way overlong at well over two hours.  I was pretty bored.  *1/2

Killers

KILLERS (2010) - June 16, 2010
Oh man.  Further proof that Robert Luketic is a complete hack who shouldn't be allowed within ten feet of a camera.  About a woman who realizes that her husband is actually an assassin, and an audience who realizes that they just wasted their time and money and should have just watched True Lies again instead.  The film starts out mediocre but sort of watchable, but as soon as the action starts kicking in, Luketic's deficiencies as a director become woefully apparent (this is a film that features the action movie trifecta -- car chases, fist-fights, and shootouts -- and somehow manages to make it all so dull and boring).  It doesn't help that Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl have almost no chemistry, and are both pretty bad in their roles -- Kutcher is never convincing as a expertly trained killer, and Heigl is just shrill.  Plus, the two spend much of the latter half of the movie bickering in the most grating way imaginable.  And the notion that pretty much every single person that the couple knows are all actually hired assassins stretches credibility to its very breaking point.  Man, this movie made me angry.  Oh, I should mention that seeing Tom Selleck back on the big screen in his full mustachioed glory was pretty sweet.  I have no other good things to say about this movie.  *

Toy Story 3

TOY STORY 3 (2010) - June 16, 2010
Well, I'm not entire sure if this tops Toy Story 2, but it's pretty darn close.  I'll watch it a couple more times, then I'll decide.  Seriously though, I don't know how Pixar manages to keep making such absurdly good films -- their track record remains spotless, even after 11 films.  This was a really fun, egaging film.  It maybe slows down a tad somewhere in the middle, but it recovers nicely with one of the best action climaxes that I've seen in a while.  It's seriously good.  Plus, the film manages to do a really good job of wrapping up the Toy Story... story... in a really satisfying way.  ****

Toy Story 2

TOY STORY 2 (1999) - June 14, 2010 (Fourth or Fifth Viewing)
Even better than the original.  It takes everything that made the first Toy Story so good, and improves it in pretty much every way.  The stakes are higher, the gags are funnier and it's just overall more enjoyable.  And that's saying a lot, considering how good the first one was.  ****

Toy Story

TOY STORY (1995) - June 14, 2010 (Fourth or Fifth Viewing)
A classic.  This was Pixar's first film, and it's pretty astonishing that they were able to come right out of the gate with such a quality feature.  It's not quite on the same level of some of Pixar's best stuff, but all the hallmarks of what makes Pixar so great are present here -- the memorable, perfectly-voiced characters, the top-shelf filmmaking, the amazing set-peices...  Pixar!  Good stuff.  ***1/2

The Karate Kid

THE KARATE KID - June 13, 2010
Though almost absurdly dated, this was an enjoyable enough film about a kid who learns life lessons while learning karate.  ***

The A-Team

THE A-TEAM (2010) - June 12, 2010
About a team of mercinaries who set out to prove their innocence after being framed for a crime, this was really silly and never quite as fun as it's trying to be, but nevertheless enjoyable enough.  It's definitely at its best when it was just fully embracing its silliness -- a scene involving a falling tank was a highlight.  The finale, on the other hand, was muddled and bland, and went on far too long.  **1/2

Shrek Forever After

SHREK FOREVER AFTER (2010) - June 12, 2010
Meh.  Another mediocre Shrek instalment.  I think it's safe to say that everything that made the original so unique and fun has been completely run into the ground at this point, so I hope they stay true to their word about this being the last Shrek film.  Yet again, the film falls back on tried-and-true characters and situations, but without the spark of the original (and the first sequel, to a lesser extent).  It feels like a cash-grab, and while the film was decently made, I just wasn't particularly entertained.  **

42nd Street

42ND STREET (1933) - June 10, 2010
This is the second musical I’ve watched for this blog, with the first one being All That Jazz. Boy, they could not be more different. Where Jazz was torpid, dull and pretentious, 42nd Street was fun, fast-paced and immensely memorable. It’s funny, because both films have a fairly similar plot and structure (a play being prepared, followed by an extended sequence of musical numbers). But 42nd Street just does it so much better.  One of the hallmarks of a good musical is that it leaves you humming the songs to yourself — I definitely have at least one of the songs stuck in my head pretty conclusively, so the film certainly succeeded on that count.  The film essentially breaks up into two parts: the first hour, with all the behind the scenes stuff, followed by the musical itself. The whole thing was well made and engaging, though it’s the last 20 minutes or so (which features some really visually dazzling musical sequences choreographed by the legendary Busby Berkeley) in which the film really comes alive.  Really, this is just a movie that puts a big smile on your face. It’s quite enjoyable throughout, and definitely one of the better musicals I’ve seen in a while.  ***1/2

Black Dynamite

BLACK DYNAMITE (2009) - June 8, 2010
A fun film about a badass lady's man who springs into action when his brother is killed.  Much like Grindhouse, the film is shot in a style meant to emulate exploitation cinema of the '70s (blaxploitation, in this case).  This probably works better than either of the films from Grindhouse; it's laugh-out-loud funny at times, and doesn't really overstay its welcome (though it does drag a bit in parts towards the end).  Much of the film's sucess is thanks to Michael Jai White's surprisingly hilarious performance as the titular Black Dynamite -- I doubt the film would have been nearly as effective with someone else in that part.  ***

Dragon Tiger Gate

DRAGON TIGER GATE (2006) - June 6, 2010
Hmmm...  About a couple of estranged brothers who were brought up at a school for kung-fu, and the stuff that happens.  Honestly, I'm having a hard time summing this movie up, as it was never particularly clear what it was about.  It was pretty muddled; in particular, I had no idea who the bad guy was, or what his deal was -- why did he want to kill the main characters?  What was at stake?  I really wasn't sure.  The movie kind of felt like it was originally much longer, and was cut down in a really sloppy way.  I'm not sure if that's actually the case, though I suspect it is; it was a bit of a mess.  Aside from that, it was decently directed by Wilson Yip, and featured some expectedly exciting action (though it was much more over-the-top and wirey than the previous Yip / Donnie Yen collaborations).  **

Splice

SPLICE (2010) - June 5, 2010
An interesting film by Vinceno Natali about a couple of scientists who create a strange creature featuring human DNA mixed in with several other animals.  The film sort of veers between sci-fi, drama, horror, and thriller, but somehow it all comes together in an effective whole.  Natali's direction is above average, as are the performances.  This wasn't a perfect film, but I enjoyed it (aside from some third-act shenanigans that I don't really buy -- mostly how readily Adrian Brody would do it with the creature). ***

Get Him to the Greek

GET HIM TO THE GREEK (2010) - June 4, 2010
An enjoyable if somewhat overlong film about a record company employee who is tasked with escorting a flamboyant rock star from London to the States.  Wackiness ensues.  Jonah Hill and Russel Brand are both quite funny and have definite chemistry, and though the movie is quite familiar all the way through, it's well made and fun.  ***

Synecdoche, New York

SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK (2008) - June 3, 2010
An strange film about a theatre director who begins to stage an increasingly elaborate play, a task that winds up taking up a good portion of his life.  There's something really odd and almost inscrutible about the dream-like world that writer and first-time director Charlie Kaufman creates, and it doesn't always exactly work.  But the film is definitely compelling in its own quirky way, and I think Kaufman is to be commended for trying something different (which does seem to be his M.O., though this is weird on a far more epic scale than his previous work).  Plus, there's the performances, which are uniformly great -- particularly Philip Seymour Hoffman, who gives what is probably one of his best performances in the central role.  ***

3-Iron

3-IRON (2004) - June 1, 2010
It’s a rare pleasure to go into a movie knowing nothing about what it is about, and then slowly letting the plot unfold. It’s an experience that you really don’t get to have all too often (the internet has made that nearly impossible), at least outside of a film festival. But it’s how I got to watch 3-Iron, so I wasn’t even aware that the film was a love story, and I was completely unaware of its central gimmick — that the two main characters never speak a word to one another (in fact, the man never speaks at all, and the woman has maybe three lines of dialogue). It’s an odd concept for a love story, but it works. Basically.  For the first twenty minutes or so, I kept thinking “oh, okay, now they’re going to start talking to each other… oh, okay, they were waiting to leave the house, now they’ll start talking.” Eventually it became fairly clear that the two characters were never going to speak, which is kind of neat. I mean, it feels a bit contrived at times, but it’s such a unique premise for a film that I was willing to cut it some slack. And it really does work; there’s definitely a palpable chemistry between the two characters, with brief looks and sideways glances many times saying more than words ever could. It is kind of odd that they absolutely never speak to each other, but you don’t think about it as much as you’d think you would.  Aside from that, director Ki-duk Kim shoots the film with an austere, minimalist style that suits the story perfectly. The acting is pretty great, with both actors admirably rising to the challenge of creating memorable characters without saying a word. It’s a movie that easily could have been disastrous, but all involved definitely rise to the challenge.  ***