Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

I absolutely loved this film. It was small and didn't seem to mind. The characters felt very familiar and didn't wreak of teen comedy shallowness. Keep in mind I watched it right after American Pie Presents: Band Camp which sports the worst of all things teen comedy. Bottom line, lovely little movie with great characters (Ari Graynor as Caroline is excellent) and a fun plot that reminds me a little of Lost in Translation.

branded to kill

Quirky Japanese (Redundant?) B&W mob movie.  It was OK but a little to Cerebral for my taste and left me wondering, "Why do people at Criterion feel it's mainstream therefore bad to like movies that are edited properly?" Oh, and Jo Shishido reminds me of Japan's answer to Orson Welles. Anybody?

fantastic mr. fox

Everything Wes Anderson has ever touched has been amazing. The story is rather normal-cute but normal. However, the look of the film thanks to the usual Anderson visuals and STOP-MOTION ANIMATION is stunning. For those of you interested, apparently Anderson started making the movie with Henry Selick in 2004 but Selick quit in 2006 to make Coraline with Gaiman which is another amazing film. In short, get off of Facebook and go see these.

The Thin Blue Line

First of all, I had no idea what this was about as I was 8 in 1989 when the events discussed in this documentary came to a close. I highly recommend that if you've never seen anything about this case, you watch the movie first.  It blew my mind. This is precisely what documentary filming is about. So, if the only "documentaries" that you watch are made by Michael Moore then you owe it to yourself to check out this movie.

gran torino

**** - Clint Eastwood plays a racist old vet that just wants to be left alone. I think the reason I loved this movie so much is because of how much it reminded me of the western(samurai) flicks for which Eastwood made his name. At times the acting is pretty rough but I watched this movie as an old style action/comedy so the whole thing worked. I also really liked Tom Stern's work. He brings the pretty.

The Hangover

**** - A nearly perfect comedy. Zach Galifianakis' comedy genius is worth the eleven bucks. Todd Phillips (Road Trip, Old School) avoids the slow lull that most comedies fall into when they have to apply a story to finish up the movie. Also, all of the characters seem to avoid the pitfall of being the-guy-that-screws-everything-up-for-everyone-else which is a refreshing change from most comedies.

update: i recently had a way crazier experience in vegas so this movie has lost a little something for me. still very funny though.

Dark City Director's Cut

***** - A sci-fi classic on the level of Blade Runner and Metropolis. The incredible cinematography finally has a chance to shine on the new digital transfer. Alex Proyas hasn't made many movies but the two he made in the 90's (Crow, DC) set the tone for modern sci-fi. Great movie.

Swimming Pool

**** - A slightly twisted erotic thriller about a writers search for a story in her publishers French cottage. Charlotte Rampling (a.k.a. Super Brit) contrasts the overt sexuality of Ludivine Sagnier perfectly and the visuals are consistently stunning. I've seen it twice now and still really enjoyed the second time around.

foxy brown

*** - Pimps, hoes and drugs. How couldn't this movie be awesome? Pam Grier gives a solid performance as a classically strong women taking revenge after being wronged by her cousin. The pacing goes a bit slow at times but there's plenty to keep you interested. Also, Willie Hutch's performance is a really cool "extra".

inglourious basterds

**** - So cool. WWII movies are a dime a dozen and while there have been several great ones, only a few have taken the comedy route. Inglourious Basterds plays like a B-movie with a ton of money behind it. The style is what you'd expect but the real surprise was Christoph Waltz. He has to be one of the best bad guys of all time. The only real complaint I have is that they didn't spend enough time with each of the "Basterds". One or two of the guys have intros but I would love to have seen more which is a complaint I've had with other Tarantino movies. Even with the 2.5 hour runtime the final "chapter" of the movie felt rushed and I wanted more. I.B. 2 with the remaining characters would be bitchin'.