vantage point

somebody shot the president! let's keep rewinding the clock to see what happened from different people's points of view (the audience in my theatre broke out into laughter every time this happened). no wait, let's stop doing that halfway through the movie and unveil an intricate, high technology terrorist plot by - what?! - Middle Eastern looking people! wait - that wasn't working - let's do a huge car chase through the narrow streets of Spain. wait - actually, this part is pretty good. cool - that car just got crushed by that huge truck and the driver shoved the glass aside, got out of the car sideways, and started running and shooting people. I like this movie!

definitely, maybe

another new york-set romance with good looking actors, and this one has a cute kid too. it was interesting to see the Clinton campaign, and I'm happy to watch Derek Luke in anything. I also like Rachel Weisz and was amused by Kevin Klein's lascivious, famous old writer. the movie could have moved a little faster, but it is what it is, and that's a good thing.

in the valley of elah

I didn't expect this movie to be so subtle, but I'm glad it was. I wasn't sure I was ready to watch more of the atrocities of war, and Haggis doesn't ask you to bear witness to very much - just to use your imagination. of course, this tale of how war seriously messes you up is an easy sell to me, but I also enjoyed Charlize Theron in a very quiet role and other good actors like Susan Sarandon and Josh Brolin. oh yeah, and Tommy Lee Jones.

across the universe

this singalong homage to all things beatles is like an extended psychadelic music video. it's fun to watch the pretty pictures and sing - butI wouldn't try it in a movie theatre.

cloverfield

talk about credentials - the writer of this movie also wrote for buffy, angel, alias, and lost. the director wrote felicity. no wonder I liked it! it's tight and scary and icky, with human drama wrapped up in the whole scary-monster-wreaking-havoc/new york-is-destroyed thing. it's constantly entertaining, and short. what more could you want?

maldeamores (lovesickness)

Puerto Rican movie, ostensibly about love, actually about a sick hostage taker, a cheating husband, and three older people trying to live with each other when the woman's husband returns after 35 years. after the film, there were people outside handing out domestic violence pamphlets. it wasn't too bad but it wasn't too cheery either. nice to see something set at home.

the brave one

I liked this Neil Jordan/Jodie Foster film about how people deal with loss, fear, and violence. Terrence Howard is eminently watchable, I wanted to see more of Naveen Andrews, and I liked the way Jodie Foster's character was split - on one hand, a vigilante killer, on the other, a thoughtful, expressive, spoken word artist/radio host. unbelievable as that sounds, I believed it.

the nines

this is an intriguing and entertaining movie that seems to be about one thing - the film/television/videogame industries - then turns out to be a layered, tricky, metaphysical thriller/sci fi thing instead. John August, who wrote and directed, also wrote Go, Charlie's Angels, and a few other interesting films. Ryan Reynolds is great playing 3 different characters and I especially liked Melissa McCarthy's turn as herself. Lots of messing around with reality/non-reality, which is always fun.

the king of kong

this documentary about classic video game champions is really funny and suspenseful. great character studies and a nostalgic theme. it takes much less time to watch than for one of its subjects to play a game of donkey kong.

smiley face

this movie is a big change for Gregg Araki, who's always been so serious. it is what it is - a stoner movie that is mostly dumb but has some hilarious moments and some good cameos. the highlight of the film is a philosophical riff on lasagna. enjoy!

27 dresses

how to lose a guy in 10 days meets the wedding planner. the first hour and a half moves really fast then the last half hour drags - it's kind of always hard to believe when folks are lied to, manipulated, and humiliated, and then they realize they love the person who did it to them. guess it's kind of like those rape fantasies. sorry if you hadn't guessed the ending yet and that ruined it. this movie is really all about the dresses anyway.

once

zzzz.....I was a little bored by this movie about a singing Irish bloke who flirts with a Czech immigrant but never really seems to mean it. maybe if I liked this kind of music I would have enjoyed it more. as it was, there wasn't much of a love story and the songs were earnest and whiny. I liked the ending, but wasn't sure the payoff was really worth sitting through the rest of it.

the golden door

I liked this movie about Sicilan immigrants to America. not much of a story per se, but a really interesting historical study about conditions on the boat and the tests people underwent on Ellis Island. it kind of quietly, slowly enthralls. and Charlotte Gainsbourg as a myserious, red-headed Englishwoman is a little mind-blowing in itself.

el orfanato

very creepy, sometimes gross, plenty of jumps ghost story. I just couldn't help thinking how good European movies are. it's also sad, especially if you're sensitive to cute little orphans.