3.5, United States/Canada

Sherlock Jr.

1924 / Buster Keaton > If there’s one thing anybody can take away from a viewing of Keaton’s Sherlock Jr., it’s that the kind of special effects we see in movies nowadays had their roots way before we could have ever imagined. Some of the tricks pulled off here are, even now, not easy to replicate. And some are as clever now as they were then. We tend to forget that Hollywood has matured over almost a century of ups and downs, but thankfully works by great minds like Keaton and Charlie Chaplin are always there to remind us of the wonderful stash of cinema still existing from our often forgotten past. As for Sherlock Jr. specifically, I did find a few tonal shifts in the film a bit jarring, mostly stemming from the need to show off effects and techniques when such hullabaloo were not necessary. The film tends to stand firm on its own footing as a cornerstone of visual effects but not necessarily as a storyteller. But Keaton is so very watchable, you just might not care.

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3.5, United States/Canada

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

2008 / Nicholas Stoller > Forgetting Sarah Marshall lacks the juvenile sensibilities of certain other Judd Apatow vehicles, and has a near-perfect balance of ideals and realism in its treatment of relationships so that it never feels tiring or sensationalist. This is also the first time I’ve ever really appreciated Mila Kunis as an actress, in contrast to her annoying character on That 70’s Show and her being totally miscast in Max Payne.

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3.5, United States/Canada

Kung Fu Panda

2008 / Mark Osborne & John Stevenson > There’s a creature out there who’s sometimes hard to ignore, but in the right habitat, he blends in just right. That creature is none other than Jack Black, who, in Kung Fu Panda, is as fitting and effective in a role since The School of Rock. And if you think it’s an easy job doing a voice-over, I must point to the fact that someone like Angelina Jolie simply can’t hide her persona behind her animated character. The second she speaks, you know who it is, and her larger than life character shows through the CGI. But back to the movie: This is beyond anything I could have expected from Dreamworks Animation and is arguably their best effort since the original Shrek. It’s light-hearted, imaginative, highly entertaining and funny. It lacks the depth to rank alongside some of the great animated works of this era, but is nonetheless a great story of an underdog that gives hope to noodle shop owners who aspire to be something more.

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3.5, Hong Kong/China

A Moment of Romance

1990 / Benny Chan > As a definite Hong Kong-classic, A Moment of Romance is raw in its violence and in its portrayal of love. An already popular Andy Lau starring alongside a fresh Jacqueline Wu display the kind of chemistry that makes up for the film’s trite plot points and unpolished direction. The whole triad angle simply works as a foil for us to see their love evolve, ultimately leading to the now-famous final sequence on the bike. It’s a scene that’s been imitated but never with this kind of emotion. Director Chan and producer Johnnie To have created a picture that’s amazingly been able to withstand the test of time.

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3.5, Latin America/Spain

Elite Squad

2007 / José Padilha > Regardless of all the nonsense about Elite Squad being a fascist film, I believe it genuinely tries to portray the morally ambiguous mindset of those who have been given the right to uphold peace in one of the worst ghettos in the world. Coming from the man who directed the eye-opening documentary Bus 174, there’s less reason to believe that Padilha would miss a chance to use the world’s stage (as it screened and won at this year’s Berlinale) to make a statement about his country. And his statement is simple: These people live hard lives, filled with decisions that never seem right. The gangsters (as portrayed beautifully on the other side by City of God) are never right. The BOPE, the special police of the favelas shown here, are never right. Then who is? The primary critique towards the film may be its caricatured portrayal of the wealthy, but even that could be argued as a medium via which to further polarize the law enforcement’s viewpoint. The resolution simply makes the battle versus good and evil more indistinct, and sadly, that sort of finality may be the only truth there is.

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3.5, Europe

Paris, je t’aime

2006 / Tristan Carné > Paris, je t’aime is a mixed bag of short films, no doubt, with a couple of head-scratching entries by Christopher Doyle (which seems to be an extension of his appreciation of Asian women) and Olivier Assayas (where Maggie Gyllenhaal does something, we’re just not sure what). Balancing those are a comfy, introverted short by Alexander Payne in which an American tourist falls in love with Paris and solitude all at once, and arguably the finest piece in the compendium, about a mime who finds love in the most incredulous of places, directed by Sylvain Chomet of The Triplets of Belleville. And though in between is everything from marriage to racism and vampires, the total package’s cohesiveness is rarely lost. It’s tricky, however, when you only have five minutes to get your point across—Symbolism becomes a heavy element but since the viewer’s forced to jump into the next short, there’s not much time to contemplate what the aforementioned symbolism could have meant.

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3.5, Europe

Transsiberian

2008 / Brad Anderson > Transsiberian is an unique film in the midst of Hollywood’s barrage of inarticulate torture porn: It’s filled with a level of palpable tension that never truly shows its face in the way you would expect (which in itself is quite an achievement). Founded on a stellar performance by Emily Mortimer, the film tests the audience’s stereotypes and then tries to defy many movie conventions. While it doesn’t always succeed, Anderson’s script and his technical expertise work together to entertain the viewer throughout. There are a couple of plot points that are irksome, but because the final product feels so complete, it’s hard to not give them the benefit of the doubt.

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3.5, Europe

Son of Rambow

2008 / Garth Jennings > The great thing about Son of Rambow is that it feels less like a kid’s movie and more like the movie you want to watch at an older age that makes you feel like a kid again. It’s got a lot of subtle storytelling tactics that give you a layer on top of what you see, often catalyzed by personal experiences of family and growing up. All the performances are great, though newcomer Will Poulter definitely needs some additional praise for his portrayal of the bad boy with a big heart—and it seems like he’ll be getting some more attention with rumors that he’s been cast in the upcoming Narnia sequels. For Jennings, this is quite a departure from his first feature film attempt in A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, but it definitely seems to be his area of comfort, and I definitely look forward to whatever he brings us next.

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3.5, United States/Canada

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

2007 / Jake Kasdan > A deliriously fun parody, Walk Hard doesn’t ever actually stop to analyze what it’s doing. The way Kasdan organized the project, it really ends up being a seamless, over-the-top yet surprisingly believable (if you were to actually try to believe) story of a rock ‘n’ roll superstar. John C. Reilly is completely in his element and Tim Meadows is, well, funny again. However, the extended cut is arguably too extended and ill-paced for the film to be enjoyable by the time the credits roll. The theatrical cut is clean, efficient and paced just right.

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3.5, United States/Canada

Horton Hears a Who!

2008 / Jimmy Hayward & Steve Martino > It feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve seen an animated film this simple and innocent yet so enjoyable. Aside from all the logical messes that may exist in Horton Hears a Who! (after all, this is based on a Dr. Seuss story), the silly but smart humor, the optimism and hope and the succinct running time make it one of the best family films to come out in some time.

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