southland tales

although I'm pretty sure this movie doesn't make any sense, I enjoyed watching it. Sarah Michelle Gellar as a porn star, The Rock as a very nervous, hunky, amnesiac movie star, Wallace Shawn in make-up, Mandy Moore as a spoiled rich girl - the pleasures just keep on coming. but I warn you, it's long and confusing, so watch at your own risk. maybe it's for Donnie Darko fans only.

awake

there really weren't too many surprises in this one. lots of disgusting medical shots though. nonetheless I enjoyed it as I enjoy all cheesy thrillers, and it certainly didn't hurt to have Terrence Howard aboard. it did strike me as particularly amazing that having someone CUT INTO YOUR BODY AND TAKE OUT YOUR HEART doesn't kill you - it just hurts, a lot.

into the wild

this movie made a deep and lingering impression on me. the scenery is beautiful and the connections between McCandless and the people he encounters on his journey feel very real - much more so than in most road trip type movies. Emile Hirsch, Catherine Keener, Brian Dierker (who was a technical consultant that Sean Penn decided to cast in one of the main roles), Vince Vaughn and Hal Holbrook were all great. so watch it, but don't try it yourself.

jumper

remember when Doug Liman was really cool, and directed Swingers then Go? things have changed a lot since then. I can only hope the book this movie is based on makes more sense than this film, which has some cool shots, and Summer from the O.C., but not too much of a plot. or character development. but did I mention some cool shots? that's about all you get for your money, unless you're really interested in seeing Samuel Jackson with white hair.

30 days of night

yuck! unless you like really disgusting vampire murders, don't watch this movie. if you do, you'll undoubtedly enjoy Ben Foster's turn as a crazy person - he does this so well - and...well, disgusting murders. not much more to it I'm afraid.

the darjeeling limited

although I hadn't heard good things about this new Wes Anderson movie, I was still disappointed to find that most of it was just three ignorant Americans 'exploring' India. I'm sure it was supposed to operate on some satirical level, but it looked like another white-people-take-spiritual-journey exploitation thing to me. not surprisingly, my favourite scenes were the ones that took place in the past - before their father's funeral, and all of Hotel Chevalier (does that count as a scene?). always lovely to see Bill Murray, and I enjoyed Natalie Portman's sassiness.

step up 2 the streets

yes! I love movies with street dancing, outsider high schoolers who transcend their pariah status, and kids going crazy with wild moves. this one has it all. the cast is almost all unknowns yet they all seem so familiar. I loved Adam G. Sevani as Moose. and perfect to see Sonja Sohn in a flick that's all about Baltimore. I was thoroughly entertained.

penelope

this movie is really sweet. how does Cristina Ricci manage to look perpetually like a teenager? even with a pig nose, she is beautiful. Reese Witherspoon produced this and gave herself a cute role. with these two lovely ladies, Peter Dinklage, Catherine O'Hara, James McAvoy, and Richard E. Grant, well, what's not to like? oh, and it's a fairy tale.

semi pro

I really wanted to laugh at least once during this movie, but I just couldn't do it. the only things I enjoyed were Andre Benjamin, who just has to talk to keep me interested, and some of the baskets near the end of the movie. I could not believe it was not over when an hour went by. Will Ferrell's five lines in The Suburbans were more amusing than this entire movie.

no reservations

once again, an incredible foreign (in this case, German) film is remade into a cliched, formulaic, weak American imitation. seriously, why bother? watch Mostly Martha. you'll love it. this movie is crap.

lust, caution

I really enjoyed this Ang Lee movie - all two and a half hours of it. set in Japanese-occupied Hong Kong and Shanghai, it tells the story of a young woman abandoned by her family and recruited into the resistance movement. it's kind of an erotic spy thriller with gorgeous cinematography. what more could you want?