In The Valley of Elah

00s Drama
4 Stars

This movie was so close to being flat out splendid. Tommy Lee Jones is at his stiff best, trying to find out what happened to his missing son. The Iraq War serves as a backdrop to color the entire film with confusion, testosterone, and futility. The acting, especially by Charlize Theron is top-notch. My only complaint is the last 20%, when I felt the politics of the filmmaker became too heavy handed and I began to wonder who made this film. By the way, I hated the film Crash.

The Machinist

00s Drama
4.5 Stars

Let's get this out of the way. Christian Bale is a dynamo in this film, going to such lengths as to wither down his body for the cause. He looks disgusting, but perfect for the role. The film is a swirling, paranoid world not totally dissimilar from Se7en or Angel Heart. Can you believe he hasn't slept in a year? I could. This movie was surprisingly good.

The Child/L'Enfant

00s Drama
French
3.5 stars

Sad tale about a guy who sells his child because he's too lazy to get a job. Very sad & intense. Oh, the realism!

Gone Baby Gone

00s Drama
3.5 stars

This one starts out pretty good, but the veering into police corruption is a snore-bore of the highest order. Also, I haven't yet found anyone who saw this film who thinks the crime would've gone down that way. The very ending dilemma is an interesting one, however. Casey Affleck is obviously the actor Affleck to watch. Not a bad flick, just didn't sustain the good stuff long enough.

Death Proof

00s Drama
4 stars

I've already been in one heated discussion about this Tarantino film (with Drew from I Am Spoonbender), but I liked it. Way more than I liked either volume of the insufferable Kill Bill, and also more than Jackie Brown. Tarantino seemed to have a good time making this film and it is reflected on the screen. Sure, there's the overt homage to Vanishing Point, but what the heck is wrong with that? Nada. I didn't mind the on-and-on dialog, as I felt it made the violence that much more impactful. Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike rocks, but can't touch Snake Pliskin. Those stunts at the end, while totally gratuitous, were adrenaline inducing, to say the least.

Marie Antoinette

00s Drama
2.5 stars

Wonderful sets & costumes, the use of (relatively) modern music with a period piece movie is occasionally inspired, and the outdoor scenes often engage an evocative use of camera. That's the good. This film is about 45 minutes too long, as so much of the action repeats itself and the story itself moves at a snail's pace. I fought the urge to turn it off about 3 times. Some may quibble over the Schwartzman casting, but I thought he was a nice choice.

Green Street Hooligans

00s Drama
4 stars

I liked this movie about a US college kid going to England and finding friendship with a hooligan. Good soccer fandom film. I've always wanted to go over to the UK and follow a soccer club around for 6 months or so. This movie is a little underrated.

Bullet Boy

British
00s Drama
4 stars

Called the "Boyz in the Hood" of England, it's the story of some youths trying to stay on this side of the law. Sad stuff. Massive Attack soundtrack. Damn good movie.

Secretary

00s Drama
3.5 stars

A unique, sexual frustration and release film. I think it indicts the workplace, but who knows. A little too self-aware for my tastes.

Bug

00s Drama
3 stars

Apparently this movie started life as a play, and it still seems like a play. The acting is good, but ultimately and especially at the conclusion I was wondering why do I care what it's all about? Frenetic, occasionally oddly compelling and pretty good, though hardly great.

The Squid and The Whale

00s Drama
4 stars

Entertaining story about 2 kids on the fast track to therapy because of mom & dad. No, it did not seem as if I was watching home movies. Or so I've told my shrink. Ahem.

Cache

French
00s Drama
4 stars

Slow, slow French film about survelliance and race relations in France. A creepy, creeping, twisting psychological work.

Jarhead

00s Drama
War
3 stars

Stylish, yes, but ultimately derivative (Full Metal & Apocalypse) movie about a soldier becoming a soldier. Some might go ga-ga over the scenes where the soldiers are covered in oil, but I felt like I'd seen this all before.

Old Joy

00s Drama
4.5 Stars

A tone poem, really. A non-threatening story about friendship, set in the Pacific NW. After seeing this one, I emailed my friends to see it. Actually, I emailed the director too to say how much I liked it, but I never heard back.

The Notorious Bettie Page

00s Drama
3 stars

Ok, but not a very deep dramatization of a very interesting life.

Thank You For Smoking

00s Drama
3 stars

I liked where the father teaches the son about debate and argument. Neither of us knows it, but somehow I'm actually related to the filmmaker (& his pops).

Down in the Valley

00s Drama
2.5 stars
Long and formulaic. Big Norton fan, which I think is why I wanted to see this. Stolen scenes from Taxi Driver. C'mon now, try harder.