Red State

RED STATE (2011) - Sept. 29, 2011
A surprisingly decent film from Kevin Smith about three teenagers who find themselves in the clutches of Westboro-esque religious fantatics, and the firefight that ensues when the authorities get involved.  Even at under 90 minutes, the movie does have some pacing issues, but it's actually fairly well directed and a big step up from Smith's last few efforts (and definitely an interesting departure for the man).   The performances are all pretty great, and the film is quite involving in parts.  ***

Citizen Kane

CITIZEN KANE (1941) - Sept. 25, 2011 (Fifth or Sixth Viewing +1)
Yep, still awesome.  And seeing it on the big screen was pretty awesome, though the fact that it was clearly just a projected Blu-ray did kind of take away from its awesomeness a bit (it was pretty fuzzy).  Oh well, hopefully at some point I'll get to see a projected film print of this movie.  ****

Snowtown

SNOWTOWN (2011) - Sept. 17, 2011
Meh.  An unpleasant Animal Kingdom wannabe about a kid who finds himself involved with a man who increasingly reveals himself to be a sociopath.  The fact that this movie is so similar to Animal Kingdom both in style and tone probably doesn't help, as this movie comes up very, very short when that comparison is made.  But even putting aside that comparison, this just wasn't very good.  All of the characters were pretty bland, and given that this movie didn't have much of a plot, the characters are kind of important.  The film is also quite episodic with nothing in particular pulling it all together, and it drags pretty badly in parts.  *1/2

Lovely Molly

LOVELY MOLLY (2011) - Sept. 17, 2011
About a recently married couple who move to a house in the middle of the woods (where the wife grew up) only to find themselves embroiled in supernatural shenanigans revolving around the wife.  Or maybe she's crazy?  The film actually starts out pretty well, with a tense opening half hour that feels quite Paranormal Activity-esque.  But then more and more weird story threads start to get introduced, and the film becomes less of a horror movie and more of a "is she or isn't she crazy?" character study.  This stuff could have worked, but director Eduardo Sanchez never seems too sure if he's making a character study or a horror film, and both sides subsequently suffer.  More problematic are the many mysteries that are introduced that are left infuriatingly ambiguous; what's the deal with the horse?  What happened with the dad?  I'm all for movies that leave stuff to the viewers' imaginations, but there is a line and this movie crossed it.  **

I Wish

I WISH (2011) - Sept. 17, 2011
An absolutely delightful film from Hirokazu Koreeda about a group of kids who find out that they can make a wish if they see two high-speed trains pass each other, and set out to make it happen.  Like pretty much all of Koreeda's films, there is a warmth and a richness of character here that really just draws you in and makes you glad to spend time in this world.  All the kids excel in their roles, and all feel like real children and not like kids in a movie.  The film is maybe a tad on the long side, but that's definitely a minor complaint.  ***1/2

Himizu

HIMIZU (2011) - Sept. 17, 2011
About a high-schooler whose sole aspiration is to work at his mother's boat rental shack, the girl with a serious crush on him, and the wacky group of people living on his property (the film is set months after the giant earthquake that devastated Japan).  It was reasonably well made, and it had a quirky charm that kept it going for the first hour or so.  But the film takes a weird, dark turn towards the end that just feels awkward and out of place, and the whole thing kind of runs out of steam.  **1/2

Harpoon: Whale Watching Massacre

HARPOON: WHALE WATCHING MASSACRE (2009) - Sept. 11, 2011
A well made slasher film about a group of tourists in Iceland who, while on a whale-watching expedition, find themselves in the clutches of an insane family who want to hunt them down one by one.  Though the script and performances are a bit iffy at times, the film features some solid direction from Julius Kemp, who keeps things moving at a brisk pace (there's also sporadic moments of over-the-top gore to keep things interesting).  Plus, the widescreen cinematography by Jean-Noël Mustonen is better than you'd expect for a straight-to-video slasher such as this.  ***

Contagion

CONTAGION (2011) - Sept. 10, 2011
A top-notch film from Steven Soderbergh about the spread of a deadly virus, and the efforts to keep it under control.  Soderbergh's direction is, not surprisingly, very very good.  He does a really great job of bouncing back and forth between several different characters without it ever feeling disjointed, or like certain characters aren't getting enough time.  In fact there is a really good sense of momentum to the film; the film is very briskly paced, and Soderbergh does a great job of establishing an escalating sense of dread as the virus's spread gets worse and worse. Cliff Martinez's eerie, propulsive score goes a long way to making the film work as well as it does.  The film is also perfectly cast, with some really great performances by people like Jude Law, Matt Damon, Lawrence Fishburne and Kate Winslet.  ***1/2

The Reef

THE REEF (2010) - Sept. 8, 2011
An enjoyably tense film about a group of Australians whose boat capsizes, and who decide to try to swim to a nearby island that is several miles away.  Shark shenanigans ensue.  Though not on the level of something like Open Water (the characters are somewhat thin, and we see so much of the shark that it becomes a bit less sinister).  Also, the ending feels a bit sloppy (the fates of two characters are revealed via text in a way that just feels awkward).  Despite the film's problems, it was definitely entertaining throughout, and did a good job of maintaining a decent level of tension.  ***

Our Idiot Brother

OUR IDIOT BROTHER (2011) - Sept. 6, 2011
About a dim-witted but good-hearted guy who, after finding himself homeless after being released from prison, shakes up the lives of his three sisters.  Quite enjoyable if nothing particularly special, the film was elevated by some strong performances -- particularly a very charming Paul Rudd, who gives one of his better performances here.  ***

Final Destination 5

FINAL DESTINATION 5 (2011) - Sept. 2, 2011
About...  do I really need to finish this sentence?  This was enjoyable, and certainly a step up from the last installment, but I think it's probably about time to let this series die while it still has some steam left.  Though the film was decently directed and actually featured characters who weren't completely flat, it just felt kind of middling.  Even the opening set-piece, usually a highlight of one of these films, felt a little been-there, done-that.  **1/2

Colombiana

COLOMBIANA (2011) - Sept. 1, 2011
About a little girl whose parents are killed in front of her, and who 15 years later has essentially dedicated her life to becoming a lean, mean, revenge machine.  Decently directed by the awesomely-named Olivier Megaton, the movie sort of feels like a Luc Besson action film on autopilot: it's got parkour, it's got shootouts, it's got hand-to-hand action, and it generally has the style we've come to expect from these films, but it all feels kind of perfunctory.  I was always entertained, but I was never particularly involved.  Meh.  **1/2

Mr. Nice

MR. NICE (2010) - Aug. 30, 2011
About a man who ultimately winds up becoming one of Britain's most prolific drug dealers, this was decently made but quite familiar and ultimately kind of disposable.  Seriously, did the world really need another rise-and-fall movie about a drug dealer?  Still, this was enjoyable enough, and featured a solid central performance from Rhys Ifans (and a scene-stealing David Thewlis).  **1/2

In Name Only

IN NAME ONLY (1939) - Aug. 28, 2011
About a man, trapped in a loveless marriage to a woman who only wants him for his money, who falls in love and struggles to get a divorce.  Super melodramatic but well made and quite entertaining, this featured an expectedly charming performance from Cary Grant, and an equally good performance from Carole Lombard.  ***

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2011) - Aug. 27, 2011
An above average summer movie about a scientist who, while trying to develop a cure for Alzheimer's, winds up inadvertently creating an army of super-intelligent primates.  Well made and well acted, including some surprisingly engaging action.  Plus, it's always nice to see a sci-fi film with a bit more on it's mind than your typical summer fare.  ***

Baraka

BARAKA (1992) - Aug. 26, 2011 (Third or Fourth Viewing)
An exquisitely made and flat-out mesmerizing film about life -- both human and animal -- throughout the globe.  Though there's no narrative to speak of, just images and music, the film is absolutely compelling throughout.  It helps that every frame of the movie is absolutely breathtaking to look at.  ****

Single White Female

SINGLE WHITE FEMALE (1992) - Aug. 25, 2011
A routine but solidly made thriller about a woman who, after breaking up with her cheating fiance, takes in a roommate who slowly reveals herself to be completely insane.  Though it starts out kind of slow, it definitely gets better as it goes along and the more overtly thrillerish elements get into gear.  ***

30 Minutes or Less

30 MINUTES OR LESS (2011) - Aug. 23, 2011
A perfectly enjoyable, if somewhat underwhelming movie about a pizza delivery guy who has a bomb strapped to his chest and is forced to rob a bank.  I think I probably would have enjoyed this more if I hadn't seen the trailer; the trailer essentially plays out like a condensed version of the movie, leaving very few surprises.  ***

Heart and Souls

HEART AND SOULS (1993) - Aug. 22, 2011
About four people who die in a bus accident in the 1950s, and then find themselves attached to a young boy as ghosts.  They later reappear in his life when it becomes clear that they need to resolve their unfinished issues to move on.  Featuring some really solid direction from Ron Underwood and uniformly stellar performances, this movie is definitely just as good as I remember it being.  The film is shmaltzy (this is definitely not a movie that's shy about pulling on your heart-strings), but never in a way that feels cloying or off-putting.  It's very well acted, with a surfiet of memorable characters who all have great chemistry.  ***1/2

Couples Retreat

COUPLES RETREAT (2009) - Aug. 19, 2011
As a follow-up to Swingers and Made, it's pretty much a miserable failure.  Even as a stand-alone film, it's not very good.  About a group of couples who decide to go to a seemingly perfect couples' resort; (so-called) wackiness ensues.  Though it was never all-out boring, the characters were all pretty disposable, and the whole thing wasn't particularly funny.  **