Margot at the Wedding

Ultimately a downer, filled with dramatic non-sequiturs, shitty camerawork, and weird child actors. The sister relationship between Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh was deep and fascinating. The whole movie should have been about these women. Instead, half the movie diverts us to Kidman’s weird looking, androgynous son and his misunderstanding of everything and/or Leigh’s funny but random relationship with fiancée Jack Black. What’s annoying, too, are “bits” inserted randomly in the movie which are intentionally and overtly meant to be weird. Rather than reveal the quirks of the characters organically, the filmmaker's “Ooo! Look how weird and dysfunctional these people are!” moments feel phony and premeditated.

Hitman

Forgettable action movie fraught with bad acting and an incomprehensible plot. There’s no modulation in the dramatic moments. When something important happens, there’s nothing cinematic to emphasize it. Therefore, key clues and plot twists get glazed over with the same action beats, making the whole thing, like, well, watching a video game.

The Mist

I could write volumes about this movie. It’s a ticking bomb. Well-acted, well-directed, and unnerving. Marcia Gay Harden is superb and terrifying as a religious nutjob who our hero (perfect everyman Thomas Jane) and his reasonable allies can’t stand to be around. She’s so fanatical and dangerous that the good people would rather take their chances with the CG creatures. There’s a strong moral here, too: don’t give up hope. Be good. Be kind. And persist. No matter how bad things look. Quite possibly one of the most cynical movies I’ve ever seen. Worth seeing, but may dash your hopes for world peace.

Southland Tales

My second viewing. I still like it, and I still can’t recommend it. I understand the plot A LITTLE better, but I don’t think a lot of it is SUPPOSED to make sense. I recently learned that there are prequels of the movie available in comic book form. Maybe that’ll clear things up. Nevertheless, there’s still nothing else like it.

Beowulf

Overall, this is impressive. It’s visionary and it’s exciting. However, I didn’t see it in 3-D and I wish I had. The animation is, at times, inconsistent. Beowulf is well animated and uncannily human. But occasionally, the supporting characters aren’t as expressive. Their facial movements are computer-y and, in moments, the animation is a bit like Shrek. Other times, the animation is gorgeous and photorealistic. There’s a good moral here too: Don’t let the temptation of beautiful dragon/women make you lose sight of your goal.

Love in the Time of Cholera

Love in the Time of fake beards and bad make-up. Normally I don’t like to nitpick about such things, but the bad beards distracted from the story. Too, in a rush to squeeze the entire novel into two hours, the whole movie felt like a weekly recap. “Previously on Lost…” This was rushed, unromantic, and uninspired. At least the trailer is great.

Smiley Face

Anna Feris is in perfect form here. After an accidental overdose of pot, she floats through her day, getting deeper and deeper in trouble. It’s like The Big Lebowski with a female protagonist. Really funny, and unlike other dope comedies, it serves as a bit of a cautionary tale. I’m biased though, because I love Anna Feris. Love her. (As an actor, not a person. I don’t know her personally.)

No Country for Old Men

Taut, bleak, and full of dark humor, The Coens are in familiar territory: existential noir. Great performances all around, especially Josh Brolin, a smart dude whose judgment gets clouded by a big bag of money. Most of the movie is linear and plot-driven, but the “novel” structure takes over after a while which makes the ending a bit of a bummer. Nevertheless, its strong characterizations, suspenseful plot, and terminator-ish villain all make this a must see.

Look

Voyeuristic drama told from the point of view of assorted security cameras. The drama itself, Altman-esque, would have worked without the security camera gimmick. But the cameras add something creepy and realistic to the proceedings. There are even moments when it appears the filmmakers intercut real security camera footage. It helps, too, that the performances are, for the most part, authentic, which is no small chore. I imagine “security camera acting” would require it’s own special skill set. I liked this, it’s unique, and it’s worth seeing.

Public Enemy: Welcome to the Terrordome

Worthwhile, but par-for-the-course music doc about the influential rappers. The q&a afterwards with the band was HILARIOUS.

Noise

Forgettable Tim Robbins comedy/drama about a New York vigilante obsessed with stopping noise pollution. Good intentions, but not really that gripping.

Juno

Funny and sweet. I kept waiting for this to get disturbing, but it never does. It remains pure and sweet throughout. Michael Cera is a standout here with his perfect deadpan.

Heckler

One of my favorites at the festival. A very personal doc/essay featuring comedian Jamie Kennedy as he investigates why people scream at comedians and why do reviewers attack artists personally, rather than critique their work. Well structured, funny, and human.

American Gangster

Extremely well-made and almost perfect in every way. Never a dull or unclear moment. Glorifies violent drug dealers a bit, but tries to show the damage they do, too. A little more of that would have helped. A brief but memorable appearance from Carla Gugino.

In Search of a Midnight Kiss

Before Sunrise set in L.A. Admirable cost-cutting and guerilla filmmaking, but a stock, unremarkable romance. A strong performance from Sara Simmonds makes it tolerable, though.

Southland Tales

I really liked this and it stuck with me. It’s not for everybody. It’s weird, and it doesn’t always make sense. There’s an all-star cast of comic actors, most of whom are from SNL, supporting The Rock (?) and Sarah Geller (?) But I can’t help admiring it. It’s a comic/sci-fi Altman movie, and it dares to be different.

Pop Skull

I walked out of this, so I can't really give it a fair review. The narrator sounded like the guy in the King Missile song, "Detachable Penis."

Lions for Lambs

Well-intentioned, but boring. Unfortunately, it’s this kind of thing that makes the anti-war movement look bad. Everything’s so preachy and on-the-nose. There is no suspense or drama here. So it makes liberals (Redford) look clueless, superior, and pretentious. Cruise plays the only interesting character – a cocky Senator in denial, and a nice spin on his usual persona. Otherwise, this is a dud.