In Time

IN TIME (2011) - Oct. 29, 2011
A suprisingly bad movie about a future society in which time is the new currency -- people stop aging once they hit 25, at which point their clock starts ticking.  This is a society in which the poor are segregated from the rich, and in which the poor get poorer with little chance for escape, while the rich get richer with more time than they know what to do with.  You can just feel writer/director Andrew Niccol elbowing you in the ribs; "kind of like our society, right?  RIGHT??"  No, this is not a subtle film, but even setting aside its ham-fistedness, it's just not that good.  It feels pretty clunky, without all that much narrative momentum driving it forward, and without much chemistry between the two leads.  It's surprisingly shoddy, especially coming from a director as talented as Andrew Niccol.  *1/2

Assault on Precinct 13

ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (1976) - Oct. 28, 2011
Classic John Carpenter.  About a group of cops, criminals and civilians who must defend a small, nearly abandoned police station when a large, angry gang descends upon it, determined to kill everyone inside.  Featuring typically assured direction from Carpenter, including some really nice widescreen cinematography, the film does a great job of ratcheting up the tension and has some memorable set-pieces.  It helps that the characters are all quite good.  Definitely impressive stuff considering that this was only Carpenter's second film.  ***1/2

Point Blank

POINT BLANK (2010) - Oct. 25, 2011
An absolutely crackerjack thriller about a nurse-in-training who finds himself caught up in some serious shenanigans revolving around corrupt cops when his wife is kidnapped.  Featuring stellar direction from Fred Cavayé, who keeps things moving at an absurdly fast pace and directs the action with the sure hand of an old pro (despite the fact that this is only his second film) -- there's a foot chase here that has to be one of the more thrilling chases I've seen in a long time, and many other sequences that are edge-of-your seat thrilling.  And seriously, I cannot say enough about how awesome the pacing is in this movie.  The movie strikes the perfect balance between action and down-time, with plentiful action that never feels overwhelming.  The film also does really efficient job of developing the characters and getting them to a point where we care about them without spending too much time doing it.  Good times.  ****

Tucker and Dale vs Evil

TUCKER AND DALE VS EVIL (2010) - Oct. 22, 2011
About the shenanigans that ensue when a group of partying teens mistake a couple of good-natured guys for murderous rednecks, this was a well made and sporadically hilarious send-up of slasher movies.  Like the best horror comedies, the film manages to poke fun at genre conventions without smugly winking at the audience; even if you've never seen a slasher movie, you can still enjoy this film.  Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk were both quite good and had great chemistry, and the film was solidly directed by Eli Craig.  Though the first half was probably more enjoyable than the second half, the whole film was definitely quite entertaining throughout.  ***

The Three Musketeers

THE THREE MUSKETEERS (2011) - Oct. 22, 2011
A gleefully dumb but fairly enjoyable retelling of the story of the Three Musketeers.  The film definitely has its problems; for one thing, it has some pacing issues and at 110 minutes, is probably a tad longer than it needs to be.  I'm also really not sure why this movie needed four different villains, which left a couple of them on the thin side.  Plus, the final action set-piece is a little overblown, and definitenly goes on longer than it needs to.  But ultimately the movie is silly, fluffy swashbuckling fun.  Paul W.S. Anderson knows exactly what type of movie he's making and goes for it with gusto -- this is a film that features four guys taking on forty, and that culminates with a battle between two airships.  The film knows exactly how silly it is, and just tries to be as fun as possible.  Anderson's action direction, aside from being a little bit slow-mo heavy, is admirably old-fashioned, with nary a handheld camera in sight.  ***

The Thing (2011)

THE THING (2011) - Oct. 15, 2011
Well, there was pretty much nowhere to go but down from John Carpenter's original, and that's definitely where this prequel went.  About the group of Norwegians (and some Americans) who initially uncover the thing before it makes its way over to the camp in the Carpenter version, the film was decent enough, but it never really rises above the level of a mild diversion (and certainly, doesn't even come close to the '80s version).  I think bland is probably the best word to describe this movie -- Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.'s direction is bland (particularly when you compare him to Carpenter), the score is bland, the characters are bland (Mary Elizabeth Winstead is fine in the lead role, but she is just not a compelling presence at all... bland), and the very CGI looking creature effects are bland.  There are definitely some decent moments here, but... meh.  **1/2

The Thing

THE THING (1982) - Oct. 12, 2011 (Second Viewing)
An absolute classic -- I remembered this being very good, and it's even better than I remembered.  Featuring perfect direction from John Carpenter (this is definitely among his best films), the film always looks good and does a pretty astounding job of building and maintaining tension.  It's also really well acted, and the dynamic between all the characters is always really well done (both before and after shit gets real, and everybody starts questioning who's still human).  Ennio Morricone's score also suits the material perfectly.  Honestly, I'm having a hard time thinking of any flaws in this movie.  ****

50/50

50/50 (2011) - Oct. 8, 2011
A kind of depressing but well made and quite entertaining film about a guy in his late twenties who discovers he has a rare form of cancer, and how he deals with this news.  More proof that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is one of the best young actors working today.  Seth Rogen is also quite good as his wacky buddy.  ***

Session 9

SESSION 9 (2001) - Oct. 5, 2011
A really well made horror film about a crew of asbestos clean-up guys who find themselves beginning to lose it during their latest job in an abandoned asylum.  Featuring some great performances and really effective direction from Brad Anderson, including a pervasive, escalating sense of dread that pretty much never lets up, this was definitely an above average horror film.  I honestly can't think of many movies that are this effective at maintaining a creepy atmosphere.  It also has some very memorable characters (and of course, David Caruso's epic delivery of the line "Fuck you!").  ***1/2

TrollHunter

TROLLHUNTER (2010) - Oct. 4, 2011
About a group of students who, while trying to make a documentary about a bear poacher, realize that the man they are following is hunting something slightly more dangerous than bears.  A really solid entry in the found footage horror genre, if not quite the instant classic that some people are making it out to be, this was a fun, well made film.  ***

Drive

DRIVE (2011) - Oct. 1, 2011
A really stylish and kind of awesome film about a Hollywood stunt-driver who moonlights as a getaway driver for robberies.  Featuring a really bad-ass central performance from Ryan Gosling, whose driver is a man for whom actions speak louder than words.  There's also a really impressive, scene-stealing performance from Albert Brooks as the film's main villian.  Really, there's just so much to love here.  Nicolas Winding Refn's assured direction is pitch-perfect, with nary a wasted shot.  Likewise, Newton Thomas Sigel's cinematography is pretty stunning; the night scenes in particular look very, very good.  Then there's Cliff Martinez's '80s-infused score (that's two amazing scores from the man in less than a month).  The action is thrilling (the low-key getaway scene that opens the film is a highlight; the more traditional car chase that comes later in the film is just as good), and the stuff in between is equally effective.  Definitely a strong contender for the best movie of the year.  ****

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.  ***