Gran Torino

Rating: 2

Like a Hallmark Channel movie of the week.

Frost/Nixon

Rating: 6

With a ham-fisted script involving lots of clumsy exposition, the movie is worthwhile for Michael Sheen's wonderful performance as David Frost. Frank Langella's Nixon is creepily overacted, maybe because he adapted the role from the stage.

Doubt

Rating:7.5

Great performances by Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams, with cinematography by the brilliant Roger Deakins.

The Day the Earth Stood Still

Rating: 4

Plods.

Milk

Rating: 9

Milk is reason number 762 that I adore James Franco. It's actually really great, even though it's a biopic.

Slumdog Millionaire

Rating: 9

Wonderful.

Let the Right One In

Rating: 9

It's the best creepy scary vampire movie..... maybe ever? And it's not from Japan, but Sweden! Please do not wait for the inevitable American version to come out, people. Did you not learn a thing from the The Vanishing catastrophe? See it now! You won't be disappointed.

Synecdoche, NY

Rating: 7

I can only echo Edge's assessment :
"A lot of ideas there."

I wouldn't recommend this to everyone but Charlie Kaufman always gets me thinking. It's comforting to know there are others out there who can't relate to 99% of humanity. Comforting to me, anyway.

Body of Lies

Rating: 8.5

Though he hasn't done a project on the scale of Blade Runner or Alien in many years, you can usually count coming away from a Ridley Scott movie feeling really satisfied. In recent years I have experienced this with movies like Matchstick Men and, in the case of American Gangster, I don't think Ridley got the credit he deserved. Body of Lies might not measure up to these but the performances are brilliant and the film moves at an unstoppable pace. Leo DiCaprio is always terrific, and Russell Crowe is impressive playing the United States of America; gluttonous, cynical and oblivious to his own hypocracy.

Changeling

Rating: 8

What I keep thinking about Changeling is this: a couple of years ago everyone had huge hard-on for Million Dollar Baby (also directed by Clint Eastwood,) and I was completely perplexed by this. It won four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. I think Changeling is a much more interesting movie but all the reviews I've read so far have been lukewarm. Changeling isn't perfect - it could probably use some cutting, but it's so gorgeous with all the period detail and bizarre story details that would seem implausible if they weren't based on a real incident. It has a ton of style. Who knows why it's getting such a raw deal from the press?

Pride and Glory

Rating: 7.5

Pride and Glory is a genre cop drama where loyalties are tested, histories are reflected upon and corrupt characters attempt to be redeemed. As a fan of the TV show The Shield I feel a little jaded by these stories that put the viewer in the same ethical gray area as the characters, but still: it has excellent moments that are worth seeing.

Appaloosa

Rating: 8.5

What could be better than Viggo Mortensen with a Van Dyke beard and a huge gun? If you can ignore Renee Zellweger, Appaloosa is almost perfect.

Blindness

Rating: 4

It's some sort of allegorical thing about South American politics...maybe..? I don't really get it. And it's pretty gross.

Religulous

Rating: 8

Sure, it's gimicky and puts people on the spot, but Maher is hilarious, and it makes my head explode that questioning people about their religious beliefs should seem so subversive.

Lakeview Terrace

Rating: 5

I'm a Neil Labute fan, but since this was only directed and not written by him I felt a bit deprived. Labute's themes are always gleefully misanthropic, and I'm always left wondering what the point was, but in a fascinating way. Lakeview Terrace lacks that out-of-nowhere grumpiness in a story of black-on-white racism that's kind of bitter and cringeworthy.

Ghost Town

Rating: 7

You can't go wrong with Ricky Gervais and Greg Kinnear. Not super original, but sweet & funny.

Burn After Reading

Rating: 7.5

It's not the Coens' best work , but it's fun and the performances make it worthwhile. Brad Pitt does a hilarious job as a fitness instructor - you get the feeling he's known a few versions of that guy - along with an excellent cast of veterans.

Traitor

Rating: 6.5

Guy Pearce: Great.

Don Cheadle: Really great.

This movie: not that great.

Pineapple Express

Rating: 8.5

Though it's packaged like a modern day Cheech & Chong flick, there's a lot more to this movie. The characters are really interesting and, like all the Apatow flicks, it's totally hilarious and sweet.

Tropic Thunder

Rating: 6

Pretty silly but still enjoyable for its mockery of Hollywood and the slimiest role for Tom Cruise since Magnolia.

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

Rating: 9

Say what you will about Polanski, this documentary demonstrates that he got a pretty rotten deal, justice-wise.

X-Files: I Want To Believe

Rating: 6

Seemed more like a long-ish TV episode than a movie to me. But, has anyone else ever noticed Duchovny's character's name sounds like "Fuck Smolder"?

Step Brothers

Rating: 6.5

With these two guys, how can it not be at least KINDA funny?

The Dark Knight

Rating: 9

How cool is the above poster? It's an apt depiction of how brilliantly creepy Heath Ledger is in The Dark Knight. There isn't any back story about the Joker's character, so I've made up my own: it's Ennis Del Mar's revenge on the world.

August 17, Additional Note:

I saw The Dark Knight again today, and remain completely enamored of it. It contains the only action sequences I have ever enjoyed in any movie. The music is beautiful. The Bat-cycle is the coolest vehicle ever. All those terrific actors. I could go on, but that is all for now.

Hellboy II

Rating: 8

Pretty cool!

Hancock

Rating: 5

Meh.

Wall-E

Rating: 9

Adorable!

Bigger, Stronger, Faster

Rating: 8

A Michael Moore-style documentary about steroid use, directed by Christopher Bell (thanks for the correction, screaming anonymous commenter!) Entertaining and enlightening.

R.I.P. George Carlin

The Incredible Hulk

Rating: 6

The CG effects completely ruin what would otherwise be a decent movie - the Hulk character looks like bad video game animation. The screening I saw was preceded by a trailer for Hellboy II. The monsters in Hellboy II look downright creepy and completely realistic. I wonder why the same effect can't be used for the Hulk? Anyway, I can't wait for that Hellboy movie!

You Don't Mess With The Zohan

Rating: 6

Not as bad as it looks, and there's a single gag that's hilarious enough to be worth the price of admission.

Sex and The City

Rating: 6.5

There is so much I find objectionable about this show. I have no interest in shoe-shopping or husband-hunting, and in real life I'm sure I would find Samantha's antics tiresome - and yet I am completely entertained by it. The best thing about the TV show was its raunchy humor. Unfortunately the movie falls short in that regard and relies more heavily on the sentimental romanticky stuff, which isn't really my bag. One thing was consistent though: Mr. Big is still an irksome dick!

Towelhead (SIFF 2008)

Rating: 7

The subject of Towelhead - a thirteen year-old's budding sexuality - is difficult to stomach, so this one's a toughie. I'm such a fan of Alan Ball's writing I'd rather see him using his own material rather than adapting a novel. Mr. Ball attended the screening and I think I liked the film more after hearing him explain why the story appealed to him, which in a nutshell is the complexity of its characters. That's Ball's specialty.

Visioneers (SIFF 2008)

Rating: 6.5

Takes place in the not-very-distant future and has some silly, fun moments as well as some wonderful performances (including a few local Almost Live alumni). I think with a little practice and guidance these filmmakers, who are brothers, could do very well.

The 27 Club (SIFF 2008)

Rating: 5

The premise claims to explore why so many famous people die at the age of 27, but it doesn't. It's just a mediocre road movie about grief after a suicide. The director is a cinematographer so the visuals were nice. Boring, though.

The Wackness (SIFF 2008)

Rating: 9

The Wackness is dope! When it comes out, see it.

Frozen River (SIFF 2008)

Rating: 8

A terrific story about two underprivileged women involved in human smuggling.

The End (SIFF 2008)

Rating: 5

This documentarian has unusual access to members of the London criminal underground since her father is a member. It would have worked well as a short but there didn't seem to be enough material for a feature-length film.

Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go (SIFF 2008)

Rating: 6.5

A documentary about an English school for emotionally disturbed children. The teachers outnumber the students by several to one and there are many instances in the film where it takes 3 staff members to restrain a student. The staff seem saintly in their ability to stay completely calm in the face of a cursing, spitting, violent child. Being a teacher for normal children would be difficult enough, but the teachers in this film seem to have a near impossible amount of patience. If the film delved more into the backgrounds of its subjects or explained the criteria they use to admit students it would have given some context that was lacking.

Choke (SIFF 2008)

Rating: 5

Probably a better book than a movie.

Be Like Others (SIFF 2008)

Rating: 7

Since homosexuality is punishable by death in Iran but having a sex-change operation is totally legal, what ends up happening is that non-transgendered gay people end up having sexual reassignment surgery to avoid persecution. This documentary follows a few of these tragic souls.

Sparrow (SIFF 2008)

Rating: 7

Due to a SIFF scheduling change, we ended up seeing this by accident instead of a Josh Hartnett thriller. Turned out to be quite good, particularly the cinematography and music. The story, about a group of Hong Kong pickpockets who meet a beautiful seductress, is OK. The director, Johnny To, seems to have quite a following in the film fest crowd.

Song Sung Blue (SIFF 2008)

Rating: 6.5

Documentary about a celebrity impersonator couple who seem to have a dark cloud hovering over them. A little disturbing, in an Edward Albee kind of way.

Savage Grace (SIFF 2008)

Rating: 6

Julianne Moore is a brave mofo. Or I should say, sofo? It will make sense when you see the movie.

That is all.

Encounters at the End of the World (SIFF 2008)

Rating: 9

Werner Herzog's latest documentary, about Antarctica and its strangeness, is magical.

Crossbow (SIFF 2008)

Rating: 9

Film festival shorts packages always require sitting through a bunch of films that range from boring to bad, but I keep going because there's invariably a gem hidden in there somewhere. Some of the best films I've ever seen have been shorts, though it takes a little work to find them. It's worth it because chances are, you'll never get a chance again outside film festivals. Jeebus willing, the internet will change this.

This year's short gem is a 14-minute Aussie film called Crossbow, about a neglected teenager. The director is David Michod. I'm keeping my eye on him. Absolutely brilliant.

American Teen (SIFF 2008)

Rating: 9

This excellent documentary follows four midwestern teens every day for an entire school year. Unlike reality television, American Teen actually seems pretty true, and will make you very thankful to be done with high school.

Kiss The Bride (SIFF 2008)

Rating: 2

The poster says it all.

Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Rating: 3

Underwhelming.

R.I.P. Sydney Pollack

This great director and actor will be missed. Full obit here.

Transsiberian (SIFF 2008)

Rating: 8.5

This thriller is icy cold, and not just because of its frigid locale. Very gripping. I recommend it.