Same disclaimer applies



28 Weeks Later
I am thankful to the first film for invigorating the zombie movie. Only to see its super-feral zombies become a cliche. Along comes the sequel. It is 28 weeks (hence the title) after the outbreak in the U.K. Except this time the movie makers forgot to give us characters to care about. I realized sometime around the scene in the park that not only did I not care about anyone left alive but I had no clue what their names were. The only name I ever found out happened after the character was dead. The first film was limited in scope where you had no idea what was going on the in the larger world. Here we do see what governments are trying to accomplish. This just made me root for the government. Firebomb London. Nuke NYC. Napalm Hong Kong. Just keep the damn virus isolated. I don't care about a couple of snot-nosed kids that cause the virus to spread yet again. I was going to recommend this movie cause it is well-made, but fuck that. There isn't really any purpose to it. The really interesting moral conflict the opening scenes introduces is completely wasted.
Not Recommended.

Godzilla
I loved Godzilla as a kid growing up. I remember being excited when I heard the announcement of a new Godzilla movie - one done by an American studio. Then this turkey hit the theaters. Word of mouth quickly spread how bad it sucked. Not willing to see my childhood raped, I didn't see this for a decade. I finally saw it recently. The film is not as bad as I was led to believe, but it's not good either. The new design of the monster didn't bother me either. I enjoyed this sleeker, faster Godzilla. The rest of the movie was crap though. Even the dig as Siskel & Ebert grew tiresome. Why is it constantly pouring rain? Was CGI unable back then to make a giant dinosaur in daylight? I just didn't get why most of this movie was designed the way it was.
Not recommended.

Hulk
Another one I decided to avoid due to reaction when it was released. Never a big Hulk fan anyway. Decided to see it since the "restart" comes out this summer. Again, not as bad as I was led to believe. Jennifer
Connelly is quite good. Eric Bana might have been good, but Ang Lee (who is an excellent director) sucked all the life out of this film. Very pretty, but much like a butterfly mounted on a wall rather than flying through the air. We never got under the skin of Bruce Banner. Unlike the Hulk, his skin isn't
impenetrable. Hyde without a great Jekyll is just not compelling.
No Recommendation.

Gone Baby Gone
Hey, Ben Affleck can direct! A little girl goes missing in a blue collar neighborhood. Three days and no one can find her. A local P.I. (Casey Affleck) is hired by the aunt to help with the closed-mouth neighborhood. He may look young, but he does know the neighborhood and its people. Amy Ryan turns in great performance as a mother who really shouldn't be a mother. The film effectively places you into a morally ambiguous mindset. Would you do what happens here? Is it right or wrong? Is it even possible to
determine that? I hope to never come close to the situations in this movie.
Recommended.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
I think everyone has an opinion about this movie by now. The Indiana Jones movies work best when they use something known (Ark of the Covenant, Holy Grail) rather than something George Lucas mostly makes up (crystal skulls, holy stones). It helps us buy into the story more. Otherwise we can make do with the latest National Treasure claptrap. Still, it was an entertaining movie and I love Cate Blanchett in just about any role. One small thing I liked: the way Indy's face lit up with happiness when he saw Marion for the first time. You rarely see Indy (or even Ford) smile like that. It was really sweet.
Recommended.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
When I read the story/novel I sat down with few martinis. Little did I know that I was also getting sick. The alcohol and nausea began to make the room slowly spin in a way I did not appreciate. Which made me appreciate the circumstances of the "characters" even more. This film, starring the great Johnny Depp as Raoul Duke AKA Hunter S. Thompson, does a remarkable job translating it onto the screen. The equally great Benicio Del Toro is Duke's attorney Dr. Gonzo (an attorney I hope to never emulate). The film actually rose above the written material at times. The biggest downfall of the movie was all the stunt cameos. "Hey! It's Hunter S. Thompson! Hey! It's Penn from Penn & Teller! Hey! It's Flea from RHCP!" You get the idea. The sight of the two high on ether trying to walk into a casino gave me a giggle fit. I also understood the end of the story better than when I read it... although that might've been due to the way the words began to swim on the page.
Highly Recommended.

Det Sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal)
I should just buy the damn movie. Got my wife to see it. If you don't know the plot or haven't heard of this movie, I doubt your NT credentials. Existentialism at its finest, I even changed my avatar in its honor. Playing chess with Death. I'd lose. Best scene: the burning of the "witch". Very powerful for a film unable to show anything too graphic. I've had the conversations of the squire (my favorite character) many times with myself.
Highly recommended.

Brick
Hey, that kid from 3rd Rock grew up! He plays the main character, who receives a mysterious, frantic phone call from his ex-girlfriend, who mentions a "brick". Two days later she is dead. He vows to find out who killed her. Another excellent film noir set in southern CA. Filled with shady characters, witty dialogue, drug dealers, double crosses, femme fatales, violence, intricate plotting, and more witty dialogue. Did I mention that it is set in high school? At first I didn't know if it was a parody or not. Then I realized they were playing it straight. If you hated those hyperliterate kids from Dawson's Creek, you probably won't like this! If you relax and try not to think how unrealistic it all is, you are in for a treat.
Highly Recommended.

WALL*E
Pixar does it again. The only movie of theirs I thought was below average was Cars, but I guess when you get stuff like Ratatouille you can't complain about one stinker. Most people know the plot so I won't recount it here. The first half is the best, almost a silent movie with the only real dialogue coming from an old worn VHS copy of Hello Dolly. To do that in a modern movie is pretty daring, but to do it in an animated movie where you have to entertain kids is quite incredible. And it works. The animation is top notch, though some I see don't quite recognize it since the Earth of the future is so dry and dingy. Loved the old school video game animation in the end credits. Great date movie too.
Highly Recommended.

Team America: World Police
There are some brilliant little bits in this one, but it doesn't hold together for an entire film. Still, the sight of puppets fucking and puking is great for a laugh. Some decent socio-political satire, but South Park does it better. Awesome theme song. Should be our national anthem!
Recommended.

The Dark Knight
Don't listen to the naysayers. This one of the best summer action movies ever made. And one of the rare sequels that surpasses the original (assuming you discount all those Batman movies in the 90s). I had heard the hype and was prepared to be let down, but instead it was better than I had hoped for. Heath Ledger is mesmerizing, a twisted and demented psycopath that you almost want to root for. There will be a tendency to get sentimental and nominate him for an Oscar, but he really deserves it. He was so good I forgot it was him and his stupid waste of a death this winter. Much less (as in none) Katie Holmes which is addition by subtraction. My only criticism is they tried to cram a bit too much into this movie. I'd have left the second half of Two Face's story for the second sequel. Add a bit more Bruce Wayne, we didn't get to see much of that guy. And give Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine a scene together!
Highly Recommended.

The X-Files: I Want to Believe
So did I. A bit of confusion at the movie theater. The ticket said theater #3, but the sign outside said Mamma Mia. I asked an employee who directed us to theater #14, where the sign also said Mamma Mia. The theater was almost all women at the time. As the gay men and women continued to pour in, I knew we were in the wrong theater (as were a few others). They finally made an annoucement and we hoofed it back to theater #3.
So the movie. I had heard the main mystery was a bit meh, so I was prepared to be underwhelmed. starla was right. It was one of the dull standalone episodes instead of one of the excellent ones. I was even more underwhelmed than I was expecting. It all seemed to be a framework to reintroduce us to Mulder and Scully. That part of the movie worked. Duchovny and Anderson have always had chemistry together and it still works here. Their chemistry even survived the "Moonlighting" moment where they finally got together on the show. Those two characters (and Scully's ongoing crisis of faith) we the best parts. The rest of it was forgettable.

I didn't think Dana Scully would look even hotter 15 years later, but she does. Damn, that woman has some good genes.
Recommended only for X-Philes.

La Dolce vita
Gossip journalist (Marcello Mastroianni) roams through Rome with various women in his debauched life. He flees from his steady girlfriend who only wants to marry and smother love him; tries to seduce an extremely busty foreign actress; tries to connect with the only woman who understands him - a slutty rich heiress; and finally fails to understand the innocent young teen he encounters (twice) at the beach. Drowning in his louche lifestyle, you can see his despair, but it is pathetic story rather than tragedy. 2/3 of the way through the film an act of darkness punctures the disquieting mood of the film. It all appears headed for a really dark explosion... Banned in several countries when released, it is still a great one. The film begins with Jesus Christ and ends with a monsterous fish on a beach. I'm still thinking about this one days later.
Highly Recommended.

(also note: the film gave us the term "paparazzi")

Bamboozled
"Sellout" black TV writer (Damon Wayans) is frustrated. No one at the network wants to give his middle-class black shows a chance. So he comes up with the worst idea possible - a minstrel show in blackface. Another Spike Lee joint, the sarcasm is laid on very thick (I laughed hardest at the end of a police shootout). Most of the movie is shot with digital video (ugly) except for the actual minstrel show where Lee used film. Which is actually quite entertaining while still being screamingly racist. Not sure what to make of that. The show becomes a smash TV hit. Now Wayans' character (with a horrible affected accent that was too cartoonish) finds himself taken in by the success of a show meant to get him fired. The most affecting parts of the movie were the racist old clips played at the very end, and the racist toys shown in the end credits. Dave Chappelle should've studied this one more closely.
Recommended.

Transformers
Damn, Hollywood can put on a show. My jaw dropped when I saw the impressive images. Nearly two hours of gravity defying beauty. If only all movies could do that. Megan Fox is sooo hot. Also, I read there were evidently realistic-looking giant robots, but I didn't notice that.
No Recommendation.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Actually better than I thought it would be. The animation was impressive at times, but it's not Pixar quality. If they manage to keep it up for the TV show, that will be quite impressive. I was annoyed the theme music and scrolling text wasn't there. They do it for SW video games, do it for this. The characters were actually not so wooden & uptight, something missing from the last trilogy without Han Solo around.
Recommended only for Star Wars fans.

Syriana
An over-the-hill CIA field operative (George Clooney), a shadowy D.C. attorney (Christopher Plummer), his underling - a D.C. corporate lawyer with an alcoholic father (Jeffrey Wright), a foreign Pakistani oil field worker in the Persian Gulf (Mazhar Munir), a brash Texas oilman (Chris Cooper), an energy investment analyst living in Zurich who just lost a son (Matt Damon), a reform-minded Arabian prince (Alexander Siddig); all collide on the grand stage that is global politics. People are killed, bribes are given, and who is really the bad guy? The oil industry? The government? The terrorists? See this movie and The Constant Gardner to find out how the world works outside the tourist hotspots.
Highly Recommended.

Definitely, Maybe
Not your average romantic comedy. A divorcing dad (Ryan Reynolds) tells the story of how he met the mother of his daughter (Abigail Breslin)... to the daughter. A look back to the nineties (le wife complained about stuff they got wrong) and to the three women he was involved with (played by Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher, and Rachel Weisz). I also liked the fact the filmmakers didn't take the cheap way out at the end.
Recommended.

The Apartment
The great Billy Wilder wrote and directed this, again teaming with Jack Lemmon (they made Some Like It Hot the previous year) who plays an ambitious insurance accountant looking to become an executive. He lets others in his company use his apartment for their extra-marital affairs. When he gets promoted for letting a high-level boss (Fred MacMurray) use it, he thinks he has it made, not knowing the boss's mistress (Shirley MacLaine) is the girl he has a crush on. Nominated for multiple Academy Awards, it won Best Picture in 1961, and I found enjoyable for being quite open (for its time) about the subject matter. Comedy? Drama? Love story? It's all these things. Only the ending was a bit too pat for me.
Highly Recommended.

Casablanca
I had several movies to choose from last night that I hadn't seen yet. Instead I went with a movie I own, but haven't watched in years. I wanted to see something really good. This one never disappoints. Classic cast (I love Ingrid Bergman!), story, and famous lines. This one hits that tertiary Si melancholy sweet spot. "Play it once, Sam. For old times' sake." Not often do you see your mood (and reason why you chose to watch the movie) echoed so beautifully. One of the greatest ever made.
Highly Highly Recommended.

The TV Set
A behind the scenes look at what it takes to get a pilot picked up and put on the air by a network. Sigorney Weaver as the slightly-dense but cut-throat network executive was great. David Duchovney was as appealing as I've ever seen him as the creator/writer of the TV show. Plus, his beard rocked. Dammed funny at times, I only wish it was longer and more biting.
Recommended.

Secretary
Several people recommended this to me around here. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a meek girl just recently released from a mental institution for cutting herself too deep (she says she's not suicidal, just a cutter). She goes to work as secretary for attorney James Spader (dude is so typecast!). They both sense something in the other, which comes to a head when he literally spanks her for a typo in a letter. Their relationship blossoms in light of the d/s roles they play, and the secretary finds she is not as meek as everyone thought. I really liked this film, and it's not as kinky as you'd think. The ending was too over the top (3 hours is all I would've needed, not three days).
Recommended.

All About Eve
Another classic I hadn't seen yet. Bette Davis is great as the Broadway actress Margo slowly undermined by a seemingly naive girl named Eve (Anne Baxter). The film is full of great humor and deservedly won the Oscar for Best Screenplay (as well as Best Picture, Director, etc. - it set the record for nominations that was only matched by Titanic). Also features an early appearance by Marylin Monroe. Bette Davis probably would have won her third Oscar had not Anne Baxter pressured the studio to have herself nominated along with Davis for Best Actress instead of Supporting Actress. They ended up splitting the votes and Baxter later said she realized her mistake.
Highly Recommended.

There Will Be Blood
Daniel Day-Lewis is good, though he was not nearly the scenery-chewer I was led to believe. Set in CA just after the turn of the last century (note to Netflix: it may have been filmed in Texas, but it is not set there!) we follow the rise of DDL's character Daniel Plainview as he becomes an oilman and the various obstacles he faces from the community, landowners, Standard Oil, and even himself. Early on he adopts a son who he teaches the business until a minor tragedy occurs. He seemingly hates everyone except his son. Plainview needs a human connection yet doesn't realize it, a tragedy writ in the character himself. Plainview's nemesis is a young preacher in the community (Paul Dano) who appears to be just as egotistical as Plainview. The film explores the conflict of capitalism and religion, and how both are exploited. A note to director Paul Thomas Anderson: I know you decided to use Dano to play both brothers after you filmed the Paul scenes, but I thought Paul and Eli were the same person the first hour of the movie! Do a better job next time of defining the characters! Also, the ending was a bit much. I'd rather think of oil as the blood. Keep the milkshake.
Recommended.

Training Day
I meant to see this back when it came out, but never got around to it. I was surprised when I realized that it came out in 2001. How time slips away. We follow a rookie cop (Ethan Hawke) along on his first day on the job with his new superior, a narcotics detective (Denzel Washington). We quickly learn that the rules and laws are only a minor concern to this ambitious, magnetic, and corrupt detective. Denzel is the reason to see this film. He's been better in other roles, but this one got him the Oscar (cause the Academy was making it up for not giving it to him for Malcolm X because they were giving the award that year to Pacino, who also deserved one years earlier. They are always playing catch-up.) and Denzel makes the most of the role.
Recommended.

Both films today come from 1955 and are hugely influential and both are closely rated on imdb.com's Top 250 movies list.

The Night of the Hunter
Even someone that's never seen it knows about the love/hate tattoos:
http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/36/61736-004-81DA4F55.jpg
Robert Mitchum is fantastic as a self-styled "preacher" that really masks his true nature of a serial killer behind the words and image of man of God. When he finds out a condemned man in jail has hidden $10k with his family (a soon-to-be widow and two children) he worms his way into the widow's affections and the daughter's as well. Only the son, the one who really carries the burden of the hidden money, resists.
There are some wonderful scenes in this film: the swaying hair at the bottom of the river, the nighttime dream-like river escape, the silhouette of Mitchum's hatted preacher and his maniacal manner when things go wrong, and the scene of him softly calling to the children at the top of the cellar stairs is now a horror movie staple. I did dislike the score, the horrid acting of the little girl, and the too-happy ending. Scorned upon release, it is now rightly an American classic. You can see the movie for free on Hulu if you like.
Highly Recommended.

Les Diaboliques
Don't see the remake! See this fantastic French b&w film. The principle of a boy's private school has made a horrible mistake: his fragile wife and mistress (both teachers at the school) have become friends. Never let this happen! Add his cruel nature, and it's only natural they begin to plot his death. Sedating him and then drowning him in a bath tub, they throw the body in the school's dirty pool for someone else to discover. Then the body... well, just rent this one, you won't regret it. Another classic that has spawned countless imitators.
Highly Recommended.

Primer
A couple of young engineers in their spare time build a, get this, time machine in their garage. Written, directed, and starring former engineer/mathematician Shane Carruth, this film made for $7000 won the 2004 Sundance Grand Jury prize. At first you are not sure where this is all going. It reminds one of those 70s nerds working on what would become the PC revolution in their own garages. Except this idea is a real revolution... one of them gets the idea to build the machine big enough for a person to go inside... and you start to slowly realize you haven't been given the whole story. Reminded me a lot of Memento with the fractured time line and puzzle it presents. It never panders to the audience, and you will not have it all figured out by the end. I will rewatch it. Great to see someone can still make an entertaining movie without big stars, annoying CGI effects, and a massive budget. All one needs is a bit of imagination.
Highly Recommended.

Peeping Tom
Released the same year as Psycho, this film wasn't even a cult fave until Martin Scorsese rescued it from oblivion. A young man, subject to his father's twisted experiments on fear as a child, has grown up into a serial killer that films the women as he murders them. Dark and complex, this one is years ahead of its time (including Psycho) and reminded me of Thomas Harris' Red Dragon with its ability to see the human side of the monster.
Highly Recommended.

Braindead (Dead-Alive in the U.S.)
Peter Jackson's breakout movie just piles on the gore and I couldn't stop laughing at it! Set in the late '50s in New Zealand, a cursed monkey bites the mother of our tale's hero. Soon, dogs are eaten, a priest displays his kung fu powers, bodily fluids spray into eaten food, and the severed limbs pile up like firewood. Completely over-the-top, I wish I had seen it back when I was in love with Evil Dead 2. Be sure to get the unrated version! I need to get that brand of lawnmower...
Recommended.

Stir of Echoes
(Six degrees of) Kevin Bacon is the working-class husband and father hypnotized into an "open door" by his flaky sister-in-law. Soon he is seeing things that do not exist, and knowing things he should not know. He and his wife begin to realize their son has this same ability as well. Not excessively scary, it turns more into a thriller in the last third. This movie had the misfortune to be released around the time of The Sixth Sense. Which is why I didn't bother with it until now. Not nearly as good as that one, it was still entertaining and well-made. Fun to see House's Jennifer Morrison as the young missing girl.
P.S. I once successfully hypnotized my brother.
Recommended.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
I remember wanting to see this when it came out, but it seemed to fade from sight as soon as it did. With good reason, the movie isn't as funny as it should be. There are some hilarious bits, the Beatles in India, the best Dylan parodies ever, and even a spoof of Brian Wilson going insane making Smile. Still, it's just not enough to sustain the entire picture. It needed something more.
No recommendation.

Blood Diamond
I already heard about these from Kanye West. It was the acting of Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou (both nominated for Oscars) that makes this film go. The action sequences are part thrilling and horrifying (particularly every time the children soldiers make an appearance), but this movie still doesn't know whether to entertain you or preach to you. So it does both. The effect is to undercut both. It never gets as thrilling as it could be, or as affecting as it should be. The two actors save this one.
Recommended.

Dan in Real Life
At one point, when the middle teenage daughter of Dan (Steve Carell) is tearfully ranting at him for driving her boyfriend away, I pointed at le wife's belly and said to the unborn within, "No!" Dan is an widowed advice columnist with three daughters traveling to his parent's place on the shore of RI for the weekend. While out getting a paper, he runs into the first woman that interests him since his wife's death (Juliette Binoche). Unfortunately he finds out this is his brother's (Dane Cook) new girlfriend. They spend most of the movie denying their obvious chemistry, but everyone knows what is going to happen (come on, it's fucking Dane Cook!). The movie was sweet and true enough for me not to care much. This is also the first time I'm beginning to notice Binoche's age, and still nearly any woman would love to age as beautifully as her.
Recommended.

Role Models
We've seen these two guys before (Seann William Scott & Paul Rudd): two guys in their 30s that still haven't figured out how to grow up. An incident after Rudd's girlfriend (Elizabeth Banks, who is seemingly everywhere these days) breaks up with him lands them afoul of the law. They are required by the court to perform community service. In this case, they are big brothers to two kids. One wild pre-teen kid (Bobb'e J. Thompson) with the foulest mouth ever, and one fantasy inclined teen (Christopher Mintz-Plasse aka McLovin). Life lessons are learned (including one hilarious sequence where Scott's character teaches his kid to be on the lookout for boobs without staring at them... some women probably think this is just fiction, it's not!) and everything works out again. Were you expecting something else? Once again, I was entertained enough not to care.
Recommended.

Get Smart
An amusing and entertaining movie, esp. considering this has to be the 171st TV show made into a movie in the last 15 years. It helps to have Steve Carell who can only suck in a comedic role by sucking on purpose. Anne Hathaway was a pleasant surprise as well. The two of them worked well together and I won't be surprised to see a sequel.
Recommended.

P.S. I Love You
Irish dude (Gerard Butler) dies of cancer, but not before leaving his widow (Hilary Swank) a trail of letters to be delivered to her over nearly a year. I couldn't decide if this plan was cruel or loving. An intriguing premise: how does one make a romantic comedy after killing off one of the leads? Answer: flashbacks! The flashbacks didn't do enough though. Swank's character was stuck in the past while trying to move forward. Were we supposed to be celebrating her past marriage, or rooting for her to move on? You can't really do both in two hours. I also thought Harry Connick Jr.'s character was so off that I decided he had brain damage.
No recommendation.

Tropic Thunder
Yeah, Robert Downey Jr. was great. There was just something missing. I think it could've been funnier (go full retard?) or maybe it needed to be released in the early 90s after all those Vietnam movies.
Recommended.

Iron Man (previously reviewed)
Still awesome.

Primer (previously reviewed)
It did make more sense this time! I think I enjoyed it more the second time too.

Casino Royale
We watched this with the idea we'd see the current Bond movie after bringing my parents up to speed with this one. The second part didn't happen. My parents, clueless that this was an actual good Bond film, were a bit resistant to seeing this. Afterward, they saw the light. Some complain this is too much like the Bourne films (which I also really enjoy), but I thought this one struck the right tone: mixing both brutal action and high class touches. Too much camp and you end up with nipples on the batsuit. Everyone knows The Dark Knight is a much better direction, as was this Bond film - the best since the early Connery days. Eva Green is drop-dead beautiful.
Highly Recommended.

To Have and Have Not
A Hemingway story! Screenplay by William Faulkner! Bogie and Bacall fall in love on the set! Legendary director Hawks! The only problem with this film is I've seen it before when it was called Casablanca. In comparison to that one this will fall short; despite the chemistry of Bogart/Bacall and the snappy dialogue ("You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and... blow."). If your competition is one of the best movies of all time, you did something right.
Highly Recommended.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall
This comedic breakup picture started off a bit slow. I wasn't expecting much, just another raunch fest from the Aptow gang, and starting off with some male nudity seemed to set the tone. However, the laughs started coming, and Mila Kunis was more charming and pretty than she ever was on That '70s Show. Jason Segal (How I Met Your Mother) is the overly sensitive guy that Kristen Bell's TV show star breaks up with. Russell Brand is also good as the British rocker you want to hate for fucking your ex, but is ultimately too charming and level-headed to resist. Plus: filmed on location in Hawai`i! I love Hawai`i. And musical puppetry.
Recommended.

À bout de souffle (Breathless)
Watching older movies, I am often astounded more people do not know just how good some of these classics are. Then there are movies like Breathless. Jean-Luc Godard's classic "a guy, a girl, and a gun". There were elements I enjoyed: Paris, the revolutionary jump-cuts, the final scene on the street. However, this film really only works in a historical context, and mostly seems dated and stilted. I was never drawn in. No matter how pretty Jean Seberg is.
Recommended only for film historians.

Key Largo
A John Huston classic, and another Bogart/Bacall. Bogie is an ex-WWII soldier come to pay his respects to the family of a fallen comrade, including his widow (Bacall). The family owns a hotel in Key Largo, and has seemingly been taken over by some out of town gangsters. Bogie is reluctant to get involved, but with a hurricane approaching, and because he's Bogie, of course he does. Not as witty as the last Bogie/Bacall movie I watched (this was also the last time they were together on-screen), I enjoyed this one more because it didn't ape Casablanca so much. Claire Trevor was great as the alcoholic gangster's mistress.
Recommended.

Collateral
I meant to see this one back when Jamie Foxx was proving he could act with this film and Ray, and before Tom Cruise went batshit insane on Oprah. Maybe it was Cruise that relegated this one to the back of my to-see list, but I shouldn't have. Cruise is perfect as a sociopathic hit man, and Foxx is believable as a cab driver that has yet to take a risk in life. Maybe Michael Mann's Miami Vice movie is worth seeing? I'll put it on the list. I still hate digital video though.
Recommended.

Laura
When watching classic movies, you'll get a few that are so dammed good you want to weep the next time you head to the multiplex, knowing what you're going to see won't be as good. Laura is one of those - Otto Preminger's film of a dead woman (Gene Tierney) and the men (Clifton Webb, Vincent Price) who are in love with her, including the detective (Dana Andrews) trying to solve her murder. I won't say anything more about the plot, just go see this one when you can. One of old Hollywood's best.
Highly Recommended.

Quantum of Solace
No, it's not as good as Casino Royale. Others in this thread have discussed this movie enough about its problems, though I'd add I was entertained despite its faults. Bond misses Eva Green, and so do we.
Recommended.

Infamous
Capote was perhaps my favorite movie of 2005, so I hadn't bothered with this film. Basically the same story about the same writer writing the same book... zzzz. I will say Toby Jones was perhaps a better Truman Capote, though only in mannerism, not in acting. There's a difference. This one was actually quite funny at times, playing up Capote's flamboyant homosexuality for laughs. The second half of the film turns darker as we meet the killers (including Daniel Craig as Perry Smith!) and begins to resemble the other film. This one was good, but unfortunately came out too close to the other superior film.
Recommended.

Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Not as entertaining as the first. Something was off, though Georgie Henley as Lucy is a very good child actor.
No Recommendation.

Orfanato, El (The Orphanage)
Produced by Guillermo del Toro, I found this one similar to El Espinazo del diablo (The Devil's Backbone), including being set in an orphanage. A woman (Belén Rueda) moves back to her early childhood home, an orphanage where she was raised, intending to open it as a home for children with special needs. Her husband (Fernando Cayo) is a doctor and with them is their adopted son (Roger Prêncep) who does not know he is adopted, nor that the pills he takes are because he has HIV (secrets kill, people!). A creepy old woman appears briefly and then her son begins to insist there are invisible friends of his in the house. After the son disappears she becomes desperate to find him, starting to believe that his invisible friends in the house are in fact real. At times creepy as hell (one children's game played near the end sent shivers down my spine) and quite affecting, I prefer this type of horror film to the gorefests that pass for scary movies today.
Recommended.

In Bruges
A novice hitman (Colin Farrell) is sent with an experienced hitman (Brendan Gleeson) by their boss (the wonderfully profane Ralph Fiennes) to hideout in Belgium after a badly botched hit. A whip smart screenplay isn't afraid to make us laugh while not shying away from the darkness and violence that killing people for money entails. The pair encounters a drug-addled dwarf actor on a movie shoot, and Farrell's character falls for a local woman with a shady past of her own. I wished I could follow this story beyond the ending here.
Highly Recommended.

Far from Heaven
A housewife (Julianne Moore) is married to a closeted gay man (Dennis Quaid) while striking up an intense, but platonic relationship with a local black man (Dennis Haysbert) in 1950s Connecticut. Based on the Hollywood melodramas of that period, but with a modern storyline, it is exquisitely filmed. You feel for all the characters and their struggles.
Highly Recommended.

Live Free or Die Hard
Die Hard >>>Die Hard III > Live Free or Die Hard > Die Hard II
Recommended.

Pineapple Express
Highlarious!
Recommended.

Three Days of the Condor
A bookish CIA researcher (Robert Redford) at a disguised location in NYC goes out to pick up lunch, and returns to find everyone dead. He goes on the run, but quickly finds out he can't trust his employers either. A well-made (directed by Sydney Pollack) thriller that still has implications in the 21st century (the final scene is chilling). The only sour note was the love affair Redford's character has with the woman he kidnaps in a panic (Faye Dunaway). But it was the 70s.
Highly Recommended.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Ahhh, I don't feel like recapping this one. I'm sure you've heard of it. I liked, but it was just a bit too precious, like the beginning of Juno.
Recommended.

Man on Fire
Dakota Fanning is kidnapped from under the nose of drunk ex-soldier Denzel Washington, and this pisses him off to no end. I enjoy good revenge stories, and this one was one of the better ones. I was led to believe this movie was bloodier than it was. Yes, Denzel's character uses torture to get answers, but I've seen far worse in horror films.
Recommended.

The Kingdom
A horrific terrorist attack on an American compound in Saudi Arabia kills dozens of people. Playing some politics, the FBI manages to get a team (Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman) to the country to investigate. This film is a bit schizo, not knowing if it wants to be CSI mystery, an action movie, or the superior Syriana. I enjoyed it, but with some reservations about the American slant of the film. I wanted to follow Colonel Faris al-Ghazi (Ashraf Barhom), the Saudi "babysitter" of the team who was far more interesting and conflicted.
Recommended.

Fracture
Anthony Hopkins shoots his wife, confesses to it, and departing Asst. AD (Ryan Gosling) thinks he has a slam dunk case to close out his career before moving to a private firm. He quickly finds out that the defendant is dangerously smart and has a detailed plan to avoid conviction. Interesting at first, it falls apart at the end, no one that smart hasn't learned the basics of criminal law every 1L student knows.
No Recommendation.

Step Brothers
Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly play man-children. Again. Some laughs.
Not Recommended.

Y tu mamá también
Two boys (still boys even if technically men) take a road trip with a married woman to a beach they made up at the spur of the moment to impress her in Mexico. Lots of sexuality on display here, in a way rarely seen in American movies. Not just for titillation, but to get to real emotional concerns beyond youthful braggadocio. Though the way the woman looks into the camera and dances after starting up the jukebox at the end was one of the most erotic expressions I've ever seen.
Recommended.

House of Games
David Mamet takes you inside the world of con men. Mostly a very good psychological thriller, it is a bit dated so the plot isn't the trip it probably was back in the '80s. Today, many people know what "being on tilt" means, and so many movies have obviously been influenced by this film that it doesn't stand out as much as it used to as a cult hit. Still very well done.
Recommended.

Throne of Blood
Akira Kurosawa does MacBeth. Considered one of the best adaptations ever despite using none of Shakes language, I have to agree. Fantastic.
Highly Recommended.

Kontroll
I believe I promised OMW a year ago I'd watch this. I'll just blame my failure on the baby... yeah that works. Few movies are capable of creating their own insular world, but this one does. Once I figured out the role of Hungarian subway ticket inspectors, I fully bought in. Someone is pushing people in front of subway trains, and our main protagonist has seemingly taken to living his entire life in the subway system. The movie peters out towards the end, preventing it from me liking it more than I do, but I still really enjoyed this one.
Recommended.

The Bank Job
Based on a real-life bank robbery in the early '70s in London, there are several urban legends and conspiracy stories that developed immediately afterward involving some blackmail photographs of a member of the Royal Family. This film takes those stories and runs with it. And they were probably right...
Recommended.

The International
More banks! Finally Hollywood is figuring out a modern replacement for the old Commies/Nazis/Arabs/lawyers villains... bankers! This film further reinforces the idea that Clive Owen would've been a great James Bond. Must see this for the shootout at the full-scale Guggenheim set.
Recommended.

The Mist
Frank Darabont has directed two of the best Stephen King adaptations for the screen. This time, however, the supernatural is way more than a slight plot point, and it's not set in a prison. He does a good job of keeping the tension and horror high, though the "crazy Christian" trope is one I'd like to see horror films stop overusing. He also improved on the original story's ending.
Recommended.

1408
Another Stephen King adaptation. Great set up, but the second half of the film relies to much on SFX. I know film is a visual medium, but other movies can do psychological terror without showing so much.
No Recommendation.

The Punisher
Thomas Jane does a good job, but an action/revenge movie should have some more action in it. The Punisher is a psycho vigilante, we should fear him a bit too.
No Recommendation.

I Love You, Man
Another Apatow comedy about manchildren, yes? Not quite. There's only one manchild and he's more grown up than past movies. Despite some similar actors this one isn't an Apatow-related production either. Paul Rudd plays a character without any real male friends that goes on a series of Man Dates to find someone that might be a best man at his wedding. He eventually runs into Jason Segel and they get along famously. They eventually have some conflicts and learn some lessons about being friends. This isn't an Apatow production?
Recommended.

Watchmen
It was no Dark Knight, but it was better than I expected. Like The Mist, the director improved on the original ending. Some great sequences in this one. I doubt anyone could do a better job of making the comic into a movie.
Recommended.

The Long, Hot Summer
Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, and Orson Wells in a movie based on William Faulkner's stories? What could go wrong? Nothing really. The whole thing simmers without boiling over. When accused barn burner and bad boy Newman rolls into the southern town controlled by corrupt Orson I expect a lot more fireworks. The romance never really gets going either. Still, fairly enjoyable.
Recommended.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
People compared this to Forrest Gump, and I see why. Brad Pitt goes skipping through history while aging backwards. Cate Blanchett is great, but this isn't quite a David Fincher movie, no matter how excellent the aging SFX are. Again, it doesn't suck, but I want more.
Recommended.

Adventureland
Jesse Eisenberg plays a college student (stealing a good role from Michael Cera for once) whose plans fall through forcing him to work at the local amusement park for the summer. He finds himself falling for a co-worker (Kristen Stewart) not realizing she's involved with an older married worker (Ryan Reynolds). Set in the 80s, this movie had a better soundtrack than any movie actually released in the 80s. I thought this would be more of a comedy as two SNL players have supporting roles, and while there are some funny scenes, instead this is a great little coming of age story.
Highly Recommended.

The Queen
Helen Mirren is a great actress and gets the role of a decade playing Queen Elizabeth II set in the week following Princess Diana's death. Not being a Royal Family groupie or British, I never got understood what went on back then. In some ways, even despite this great film, I still don't. Michael Sheen has recently made a career out of playing Tony Blair, and you begin to admire his Blair (no idea how accurate it is).
Highly Recommended.

Rachel Getting Married
Anne Hathaway is a woman fresh out of rehab to attend her sister's wedding. She's great, but the rest of the film... I always watch the deleted scenes, but not this time. There was no point to many of the scenes in the actual movie. One with rehersal dinner speeches kept going on and on and on.
No Recommendation.

State of Play
A Washinton D.C. newspaper reporter (Russell Crowe) is investigating a seemingly drug-related shooting while his old friend in Congress (Ben Affleck) is dealing with the death of his mistress and the public unveiling of their affair. A newspaper blogger (Rachel McAdams) and the editor (awesome Helen Mirren again) begin to squeeze him to provide some access to his old friend, esp. when it appears that the woman may have been murdered. Some people don't like these type of thrillers, but this is more true-to-life than guns-n-explosions that make the money today. This is a very good and well made movie that I only wish happened more often.
Highly Recommended.

Jeepers Creepers 2
I enjoyed the first one, a good little horror film (Justin Long's first break) that was scary and exciting. As usual, the sequel is a step down, dumber and not as frightening.
No Recommendation.

Monkey Shines
One of those 80s horror movies I never got around to seeing. Man is crippled, given a "helper" monkey to make life easier, but the monkey has been given experimental drugs that bond him to the man and the monkey begins to carry out his darkest wishes. Needed to be much scarier.
No Recommendation.

Joy Ride
Two brothers (Paul Walker and the always snarky Steve Zahn) are driving through the West to pick up a girl (Leelee Sobieski - whose nipples were on display more than anything I've seen since Friends went off the air) and on the way decide to mess with a trucker via CB. Who, of course, turns out to be a psycho. Scary and fun.
Recommended.

Dog Soldiers
Oso recommended this one last year where British soldiers are participating in an exercise in Scotland and run into a band of werewolves who... wait a minute! I've seen this movie before! Only it was called Aliens and is one of my favorite movies ever! I mean they are so much alike, right down to the "short controlled bursts" line of dialogue! Oh well, at least there was no Queen (alien not the band) at the end, they could only rip off a classic movie so much. Gory and fun.
Recommended.

The Changeling
Good haunted house movies no longer exist, thanks to CGI throwing shit in the audience's face. Is there anything creepier than a ball bouncing down some stairs? Not if you're a composer (George C. Scott) living alone in a giant mansion after the deaths of his wife and child. And guess what? It seems a child died long ago under similar circumstances at the house too! The creepy factor peaks with the medium's visit and then slowly receeds as the mystery unfolds to the conclusion. A worthy entry in the horror genre anyway.
Recommended.