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Rating: 7.5

Visually stunning and definitely worth seeing. The story and most of the characters are, ironically, pretty two-dimensional. But even so, the female characters kick some butt. I recognize that James Cameron has to generate eleventy bazillion dollars so it has to be kinda vanilla to appeal to everybody (that closing credits song? REALLY horrible. Will certainly win the best song Oscar - it's that bad.) So it has a weirdly simultaneous pro/anti war message going on, which I guess we are so used to, it didn't hit me right away. But at least the red states will get force fed a little environmentalism, which is good in my book.

Larger Than Life... Dave Matthews band in 3D

Rating: 3

Yes, I saw the Dave Matthews concert in 3D movie but it was only because the film opens with my new obsesson, Gogol Bordello. In 3D! Which was awesome, but they only played the last 2 songs of their set, then moved on to a Ben Harper show....in 3D. I even like Ben Harper but damn if that was not the most boring show ever. I think the 3D actually enhanced its dulllness. So I didn't even bother to stay for Dave Matthews because it just isn't my scene. Though the 3.5 minutes worth of Gogol Bordello was great, maybe not worth $13.50. I think there is a documentary of them coming out soon. I should have just waited for that.

The Road

Rating: 8

I don't know how this is possible: I wasn't crazy about the book and I really liked the movie a lot. But the book and movie are EXACTLY THE SAME. The movie did not add or embellish, it followed the book precisely. But the book didn't resonate emotionally while the movie really got to me. Perhaps the Viggo factor? The kid was pretty amazing too. Somehow, I understood the intention of the book much better after seeing the movie. Maybe Twihards feel the same way.

The Messenger

Rating: 8.5

The acting is so good. It may be too good, because the subject matter and realism are almost too much to bear. Ben Foster is phenomenal. Hard to watch, so be warned, but one of the most beautifully acted pieces I can recall.

Up In The Air

Rating: 7.5

It's a sweet shout out to people who have been laid off during the recent recession, and George Clooney and Vera Farmiga have excellent chemistry. There are some clunks in the story but it gets better as it moves along.

The Found Footage Festival

Rating: 8.5

Even in the age of YouTube, the Found Footage Festival is a hoot. Something about the juxtaposition of clips from video tapes found at garage sales, in basements and at Goodwill combined with the live narration of the guys who obsessively collect them is charming. There's bad hair, firearms, full frontal nudity, and most shockingly, video dating (see below.) Unfortunately tonight was their last night in Seattle but if they ever come back to town, get your tickets early. I just barely squeezed in on the waitlist. See website:

http://www.foundfootagefest.com/videos/video-dating-part-2

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Rating: 9.5

Positively sublime.

The Bad Lieutenant - Port of Call: New Orleans

Rating: 8

It's controversial but I think Nicholas Cage is excellent - but only when he's playing a depraved fuck-up. Same goes for Werner Herzog as a depraved fuck-up director. Love it.

An Education

Rating: 5

What is the big deal? Why the hype? I Do Not Get It.

The Men Who Stare at Goats

Rating: 8

The ( excellent) book could be re-titled 'Interviews with Interesting Wingnuts' because that's what it is. So I understand why the movie had to add some plot stuff. Not really clear why the Narrator/Journalist/Writer needed to be American in the movie, while the real guy and the actor who plays him are both English. But whateves. It's a treat of a movie, mostly because of the brilliant acting talent (George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan Macgregor) and Kevin Spacey who seems successful only playing pricks.. Just sayin.' There is much satire and absurdity, well enough played that the minor flaws are easy to ignore.Thoroughly entertianing.

A Serious Man

Rating: 8

My initial opinion was that this is a story mostly about Judaism, but the more I think about it the more I realize that it's really asking the question: how complicit are we in our misfortune? Bad things happen all the time and I personally feel self-pity usually. But some part of me suspects I'm creating the bad juju with my crappy judgment or inertia or something. On some level we must deserve these punishments, right? Or not? I like the Coens for posing this question.

Paranormal Activity

Rating: 8.5

Scairy!

Capitalism: A Love Story

Rating: 8

He's preaching to the choir but heck, at least somebody's saying it.

Whip It

Rating: 8.5

Ok, it's definitely not perfect, but I defy anyone to not enjoy it on some level. Frankly the love story was leotarded - we could have done without the Look At This Fucking Hipster dude because he's got nothing on Ellen Page. He's uninteresting and probably 'cute' on some level I'm too much of a granny to understand. Jimmy Fallon, as the circus barker in the center of the roller derby and completely hilarious, might have filled the roll . Or what about Andrew Wilson (as in Luke & Owen's big bro who never seems to get a decent gig, till now )who played the coach? How about him? I would venture that in addition to his super foxiness, he's kinda smart with a minimum of smarm (unlike his bros, on some occasions.) Andrew, the superior Wilson. Then there's Marcia Gay Harden: A tough role, beautifully fleshed out. I regret that Juliette Lewis, though her heart was completely in it, was't given more to work with. She's absurd enough to take it to the next level but seemed to be reeled back to the realm of a two dimensional bad guy from a john hughes movie . Had her character been more fleshed out I think there could have been some pretty fascinating stuff that was missed.

but all in all a fun flick and an impressive directorial debut for Ms. Barrymore.

Bright Star

Rating 6.5

It has some wonderful moments but it's mostly a conventional love story. And though romantic period dramas aren't really my thing, the costumes are pretty neat (my god, those hats!)

The preview for the roller derby movie Whip It showed before this one and found myself wishing I'd seen that one instead. Check back tomorrow for a Whip It review!

It Might Get Loud

Rating: 9

It's so sexy it'll turn you into a devil-worshiping deviant. Is that what you want, heathen?

Great stuff here, including tv footage of an adorable 12-year-old Jimmy Page and Jack White playing until his hands bleed....literally. My one complaint is that, though all these guys are fascinating, there's too much talking and not enough music. Would it be so hard to show the entire clip of Whole Lotta Love? Yeah, I know it would probably be too Robert Plant-centric, but still. I guess that's what YouTube's for.

Inglourious Basterds

Rating: 9

'Basterds' is a total fucking riot. It's been a while! Since Pulp Fiction, most of Tarantino's flicks seem disappointing. My usual complaint is that they're heavy on elaborate action scenes and weak on story. This one has an enormously entertaining story, incredible cast and of course great music and visuals.

Moving on to a tangent unrelated to the movie itself: being a Big Hollywood Star causes a crippling mental disease which makes people say things like, "The dialogue I write isn't poetry, but it's close. It isn't rap, but it's close." I heard this cringe-worthy spiel from Quentin today in an interview and wished some publicist would put a muzzle on him or teach him a yoga pose where he can at least blow himself in private.

It's a great movie from a great director and writer. Shut up and let the work speak for itself. Please?

District 9

Rating: 9

Original and deeply disturbing.

Julie & Julia

Rating: 8.5

I hope Meryl gets another Oscar for this.

She is great.

That is all.

Ponyo

Rating: 7

I know many Miyazaki enthusiasts, and I know he's enormously talented and crazily prolific, but I'd prefer a Pixar movie any day. I'm not knocking Ponyo. It's beautiful and cute and sweet and I'm just a philistine. The kids in the audience today were captivated and I was a little bored, and for that I envy them and their undisturbed, dreamlike imagination.

Funny People

Rating: 7

It's ironic that this is the least funny of Apatow's comedies. It's a little serious, and good. Adam Sandler is pretty impressive when he's doing good work. My biggest complaint is how every plot point is revealed in the trailer, but that's my complaint with all trailers. They should just call them Spoilers.

Away We Go

Rating: 6.5

Some of the peripheral characters seem a little overdone but the main people are interesting. Overall mostly enjoyable.

The Hurt Locker

Rating: 9

YIKES! (Poops self.)

(500) Days of Summer

Rating: 8.5

It's being described as a romantic comedy, but it's not. Romantic comedies suck. (500) Days is smart and sad and charmed my pants off.

Public Enemies

Rating: 7

Very bored for the first half hour. Also, considering the effort that was put into gorgeous period costumes and set design, the cinematography is...shaky and crappy and weird. I think by using digital video they were trying for hyper-realism, but it felt distracting. It got more interesting as it moved along though, and by the end I was into it.

Bruno

Rating: 8

Obscene, filthy, depraved and hysterical. Bruno's lack of boundaries + imperviousness to cringe = fucking hilarious.

Moon

Rating: 8.5

This is a good, good movie.

Talhotblond

Rating: 7

I know the title sounds like one of those kooky Scandanavian Dogme 95 flicks, but it isn't even foreign. It's a disturbing documentary about an internet love triangle that ends in murder. Between this and the Kim Jong Il movie, I am completely creepy documentaried out by this year's SIFF.

Kimjongilia

Rating: 8.5

I associate Kim Jong Il with his "I'm So Ronery" puppet character in Team America: World Police, so I was unprepared for how tragic and horrifying this documentary would be. People who have managed to escape North Korea have stories that range from eating mice to prevent starvation to watching family members publicly executed in gulags. Between the heartbreaking interviews are clips from propaganda films that are unlike anything I've ever seen. Kinda mind-blowing.

Land of the Lost

Rating: 4

I had very low hopes for this one, and it didn't disappoint. Due to some fucked up framing I got my money back though, so at least there's that.

Up

Rating: 8.5

Lively and frolicsome. Be sure to see it in 3-D.

Drag Me To Hell

Rating: 8

Here, kitty kitty!

The Brothers Bloom

Rating: 8.5

Great acting, fun treat.

We Live In Public

Rating: 8.5

Documentary about an internet mogul who goes off the deep end, by the director of the excellent Dig!

Shrink

Rating: 5

The story is about a shrink with personal problems. Not cute. Or original. I keep waiting for an American Beauty-caliber comeback for Kevin Spacey but this isn't it. Spacey's good of course, but, bleh.

The Higher Force

Rating: 4

All the good ideas in the story are left dangling. The characters are good. This director might do well with a decent screenplay. Also, Iceland looks like a shithole!

Little Ashes

Rating: 6

I foolishly had high hopes for this one - about the youthful Salvador Dali, Federico Garcia Lorca and Luis Bunuel, but it disappoints. My Dad summed up the type of dialogue that makes biopics about legendary characters suck as follows:

Bunuel: Hey Salvador Dali! That's quite a surrealist painting you've got going on there.
Dali: I only wish my paintings were as beautiful as Lorca's anti-fascism poems!
Lorca: Luis, please go back to your black & white eyeball-cutting art films while I suck on Dali's mustache!

Wait - I'm making it sound way cooler than it is.

Goodbye Solo

Rating: 9

The Senegalese main character, Solo, is the cutest person in the WORLD.

Star Trek

Rating: 6

Semi-entertaining regurgitated Hollywood bullshit.

Sunshine Cleaning

Rating: 6

Good actresses, but it's impossible to ignore the similarities between this and Little Miss Sunshine, which was kinda overrated.

The Soloist

Rating: 6

Robert Downey, Jr. is excellent as usual and Jamie Fox is good and the music is purdy, but I'm not really feeling the movie as a whole. I felt the same way about this director's other movie, Atonement.

Observe and Report

Rating: 6.5

Disturbing, violent, sad and pretty darn funny.

State of Play

Rating: 7

Not much originality here but it's a fun ride. The performances by the great female leads are excellent and there's also a terribly silly appearance by Jason Bateman.

Sin Nombre

Rating: 9.5

First of all, I am a whore for Mexican movies. Having said that, I think this is the best movie so far this year- maybe one of the best ever. Drop everything, see it.

Adventureland

Rating: 6.5

Is it weird how much I enjoyed Ryan Reynolds in this? He was by far the most interesting character.

Duplicity

Rating: 8.5

Great chemistry between the leads and a fun, twisty plot from Tony Gilroy of Michael Clayton fame. Duplicity kicks The International's butt.

I Love You, Man

Rating: 8.5

The Judd Apatow crew (he didn't direct it but it's the usual funny suspects in the major roles) with the whole male bonding sentimentality thing probably should be getting old by now, but I just never seem to tire of it. This movie is hilarious.

Gomorrah

Rating: 6.5

There's some really interesting imagery, particularly of the downtrodden, slummy parts of Italy nobody knew existed, but it was so detatched, story and character-wise, that I couldn't get into it much.

Watchmen

Rating: 5

Except for The Dark Night and Iron Man, superhero movies are completely lost on me. Grown-ups in costumes making speeches about right and wrong just seem silly and boring. The opening credits sequence of Watchmen is excellent and got my hopes up. Then, snooze.

Ben X

Rating: 6

I think it was a little too Dutch for my taste. I don't even know what 'too Dutch' means, but there you have it.