goodbye solo

the 2 things I loved most about this movie: the fact that the words of the title practically scream out at you at the appropriate moment, but are never spoken, and the protagonist Solo's voice, which stayed with me throughout my dreams the night I saw it.

live and become

somewhat painful but intriguing story of an Ethiopian boy who, through a series of tragic circumstances, finds himself adopted by an Israeli family and spends his coming of age years trying to reconcile his losses and past with his new life.

ready? ok!

this movie about a boy, his single mom, her twin brother, and their exquisitely gay neighbor is an extremely charming look at young gender bending, as mom tries to resist the overwhelming desire of her polite and cheerful son to become a cheerleader. interesting Lost casting twist, for fans of the show.

choke

clearly not meant to be taken too seriously, this movie packs a lot of plot points and gratuitous sex into an hour and a half. this makes it both amusing and inconsequential. Kelly MacDonald does the best acting and has the best part.

not easily broken

a drama about the trials and tribulations of married life. Morris Chestnut is an exceedingly attractive ex-baseball player who likes helping kids, and Taraji P. Henson is the wife trying to support the family. Jenifer Lewis is her meddlesome mother. it's sad, with religious overtones, and ultimately satisfying as a juicy slice of melodrama.

state of play

where the original was a fascinating, suspenseful, character drama, this one is a pretty quick thriller, with no time for the niceties of meaningful interaction between players. it works on this level too, but it's not nearly as good. plus - Ben Affleck and Russell Crowe as college roommates? they look like they have a good 20 years between them.

sugar

an interesting immigrant story about a young Dominican pitcher who makes it to spring training in the United States.

timecrimes (los cronocrimenes)

this is a tricky Spanish time travel thriller that leaves you with the feeling that it all makes sense - if you bother to sit down and piece it all together. a man running from a head-bandaged attacker unwittingly takes refuge in a time machine, and butterfly-effect type events ensue.

were the world mine

although I don't remember A Midsummer's Night Dream too well, I still thoroughly enjoyed this meditation on it, with protagonist Timothy using his role as Puck to win the boy of his dreams and, as an afterthought, turn most of his town gay. it reminded me of Big Eden, if Big Eden were a whimsical musical comedy.

observe and report

my main complaint about this movie is just that it wasn't too funny. and it was violent and racist and homophobic. most critics seemed thrilled by the fact that it was so dark and bleak, instead of just being a comedy. but who needs dark and bleak? I'd rather laugh. I'm still very fond of Seth Rogen and Anna Faris though.

I'm through with white girls

very cute woman-directed and written indie about a black graphic novelist with commitment issues who launches 'operation brown sugar' to discover if the problem is with him, or his propensity towards white girls. it's pretty funny and charming - very very light.

adventureland

this movie totally brought me back to the angst of the late 80s when everything was so intense, both the incredible and the devastating. I worked at a place not quite as cheesy but equally oppressive and irrelevant. also, just watching Martin Starr makes me happy, and he's excellent in this.

marley and me

I thought this movie would be cute and lightly entertaining but it was actually pretty depressing. it's all about sacrificing for a family life that the movie never quite makes out to be that rewarding. and wow has Kathleen Turner put on a lot of weight.

twilight

at first this seemed like an improvement on the book - faster paced and kind of intriguing, but it devolved into way too many romantic montages and not that scary vampire action. of course that won't stop me from reading and watching the rest of the series.

soul men

this movie is totally forgettable but the tribute over the credits to Bernie Mac reminds you how much more there was to his amazing and way too short career. and Isaac, who I knew. rest in peace.