Slumdog Millionaire

Directors Danny Boyle & Loveleen Tandan and writer Simon Beaufoy have delivered a love-letter to the art of making movies. They show me India like I’ve never seen it, modern, hyper-kinetic, and heartbreakingly Dickensian. It’s just about everything you could want in a movie. In spite of incredible odds, the hero Jamal somehow remains optimistic. The villains are ruthless scoundrels. The love is unrequited, boundless, and heroically unconsummated. It’s beautifully shot and made with such manic care, it’s as though Boyle and company were possessed by the spirit of David Lean on a Red Bull binge. The result is a feast. Even with an expected conclusion, it’s completely surprising and totally original. I don’t see how this COULDN’T get a best picture nomination.

Twilight

What if Judy Blume wrote a vampire book? "Are you there God? It's me, Bella?" This is a weepy, sappy melodrama bereft of conflict, so much so that the thin plot contrives a villain two-thirds in just to create some jeopardy. Robert Pattinson fares well as the emo vampire, but Kristen Stewart sulks and pouts enough to make you wonder what the hell Edward sees in her in the first place. For that matter, why would Edward bother going to high school at all? He says it's because he can stay in town longer, but any job at Starbucks would accomplish the same thing. I could feel the women in the audience swoon at certain key points -- it reminds me of this decade’s Legends of the Fall. But beyond the swoon-factor for the ladies there’s very little to recommend.

Last Chance Harvey

Before Sunrise in London for "people of a certain age." Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson are both extremely likeable pros, and manage to pull off a bit of unlikely chemistry. But I always felt like I was about ten seconds ahead of the plot, so it seemed very predictable. Maybe that’s a good thing? Nevertheless, it’s deeply-rooted in its belief that no one should ever give up on romance. (But, then again, maybe romance only exists in schmaltzy movies like this…)

Quantum of Solace

I can’t really give this a fair review. There was an altercation in the theater that distracted me and threw off my mojo. But of what I saw, it felt a little too “Bond Identity” and not enough Casino Royale. I missed Martin Campbell’s wide shots and long takes. And though she’s stunning, Olga Kurylenko has all the charisma of a bucket of sand. (The generic script is partially to blame.) Mathieu Amalric slithers around with the best of the Bond villains, but there’s no WAY he could go the distance with Bond in hand-to-hand. I wanted to like it, so I’ll give it another chance.

Casino Royale

My third theatrical screening. Still impressive. Expository dialogue during the poker scene is still hilarious. Martin Campbell still impresses with dramatic wide shots and long takes. And above all, it’s Eva Green as the young, in-over-her-head accountant Vesper Lynd. She’s vulnerable, but not a victim, and she’s imposing without knowing a shred of karate.

Captain Abu Raed

BEAUTIFULLY directed by Amin Matalqua. I was grateful for a dark twist near the end. It was on its way to becoming the Arabian Big Fish, which wouldn’t be a bad thing, but Amin’s personality comes out a little more thanks to the final minutes. A special mention goes to Nadim Sawalha, a sturdy supporting player of numerous “Arab guy” roles for years, including a couple of Bond movies and Ishtar. His strong performance, along with the deft filmmaking, gives Jordan’s foreign film selection a good chance at an Oscar nomination.

Repo! The Genetic Opera

The girl from Spy Kids, “Giles” from Buffy, opera star Sarah Brightman, vacuous socialite Paris Hilton, the lead singer of “Skinny Puppy” and Paul Sorvino in a futuristic, post-apocalyptic rock-opera about a blood-thirsty repo-man who butchers deadbeat recipients of human organs who don’t pay their bills? From the director of Saw 2, 3, & 4? That AGAIN? That old chestnut?? Come on, Lionsgate! Be original, for once!

(Not recommended for children or the squeamish.)

Changeling

More or less a glorified “Lifetime” movie. Angelina Jolie cries in every scene. Clint Eastwood was the wrong director for this movie, and the moments that needed a light touch are handled with the subtlety of a jackhammer. You know there’s a problem when it’s based on a true story, yet the whole thing feel histrionic and preposterous. If something really happened, it shouldn’t be treated like a cliché. The movie leaves many unanswered questions, too. It’s well-shot, but it could have used the delicate hands of Ang Lee or Paul Greengrass.

Role Models

C+. A suitable comedy with some decent rated-R laughs and snappy one-liners from Sean William Scott and Paul Rudd. There’s also a funny plot-departure into the bizarre world of medieval role-playing, and a radically outlandish performance from Jane Lynch with what could have been a run-of-the-mill foil.

The Wrestler

In my short history of blogging, I’ve never come across a movie so difficult to review. I’m self-conscious because I can’t possibly, in a few words, heap the kind of praise of which this film is worthy without seeming insincere; a Will Ferrell as James Lipton, praise-showering phony.

In previous reviews, I’ve admired Daniel Day-Lewis for his amazing technique, George Clooney for his unlikely vulnerability, and I’ve admired Christian Bale, among others, for his willingness to transform physically for a role. All skills that, when employed in the right movie, can make for a great performance. Here, Mickey Rourke has managed to pull-off ALL THREE qualities, and with The Wrestler has given a portrayal for the ages. Not to mention that he’s Mickey Rourke, so he comes to the table with all kinds of baggage, and we come to the theater with all kinds expectations of who we think he is. But he embodies his character so completely that he tears down all those expectations and redefines himself as an actor. See?? Now it seems like I’m trying to sound important.

Marisa Tomei is the Wrestler’s emotional counterpart. She also gives the performance of a lifetime as, believe it or not, the stripper with a heart of gold. Like him, she’s heartbreakingly vulnerable as she struggles in a career that prioritizes youth, and for her audience of young men, she pretends to be something she is not.

The Wrestler is unlike any of Aronofsky’s other movies. With screenwriter Robert D. Siegel, they’ve paid loving homage to the touchstone sports metaphors: Rocky, Raging Bull, and even a little bit of The Champ. It’s devastatingly sad, but the tone modulates well, making small victories all the more poignant. There’s enough here to make a grown man cry. Ten-fold. It makes me wonder where Mickey Rourke has been all this time. (Sin City, I guess.) But then again, perhaps everything he’s done up until now has led him to this movie, the one for which he’ll be remembered forever.

Poundcake

This likable low-budget comedy actually plays it pretty safe. The feuding siblings, drifting through life, trying to detect their own purpose, is a worthwhile canvass for some easy laughs. Unfortunately, it almost smothers itself in its mid-80’s soundtrack. Still, it’s not all that profound, but the cast makes it watchable.

Until the Light Takes Us

Accomplishes a very important goal. It introduces us to a world and a subculture that we have never seen before. In the early 90’s in Norway, the founders of a heavy metal movement called black metal got completely carried away and started burning down churches and killing each other. It’s not so much that it’s a skillfully made doc, it withholds information for too long attempting to create false suspense. But it opens a window to a teeny-tiny part of our world we would never know about otherwise. It’s VH1s "Behind the Music", but distilled, supercharged and atomic-powered.

The Brothers Bloom

Cut from the Wes Anderson cloth, it’s a sweet comedy with sharp performances and perfectly-timed gags. The zany tone eventually gives way to the con-artist plot, which is fine. There are fun twists and a genuine romance between Adrian Brody and the always luminous Rachel Weisz. An excellent follow-up to Brick which was a favorite of mine.