LIFE AS FICTION > for the love of film / a dequinix.com externality

Shutter Island

2010 / Martin Scorsese > Something happened to Scorsese between Goodfellas and Casino. He stopped demanding more of the viewer, started catering to a lower common denominator and/or became too complacent with his storytelling. For a film to work, the technicals need to match the fundamentals and aesthetics. They don't always need to be in equal parts, but if one fails, the others get dragged down hard. In the case of Shutter Island, a darkly beauteous approach to classic Hitchcock horror, the director of Taxi Driver becomes satisfied with an ending that's not only predictable but has become almost expected in this day and age. It takes a lot more than a question of morality and human conscience that surrounds the finale to quench the thirst for a good film.

Avatar

2009 / James Cameron > From a historical perspective, the positives for Avatar far outweigh the negatives. Cameron's technology is incredible: Often during action sequences, I was wondering if the make-up would come off in the heat, only to realize that, no, this wasn't make-up, that this was a new generation of CGI that would change the way we create and experience movies for the the next decade. Throw in the vibrant, imaginary setting of Pandora and you have a world ripe for the picking. But then comes the story, the characters and the barrage of cliches. One could argue that a tried and true story can be made better with refinement, but I'll argue that even in that, this film fails. The writing is tragically bad at times ("I see you!"), and the supporting players are ridiculous caricatures. If in doubt, seek no further than the element of interest in the film: Unobtainium. If that doesn't give away to the fact that someone, somewhere down the line forgot to do some quality checking on the script, I'm not sure what will.

The trick with Avatar, though, is this: I'm grateful for it. Some consider The Abyss to be the test vehicle for Terminator 2, and that to be a test vehicle for this. But given its lack of maturation in the storytelling department, I can't tell you how excited I am to see what Cameron does with his upcoming Battle Angel. Technology allows filmmakers to provide instant gratification to viewers. But you need a story for a film to be memorable, for it to age well. The Matrix is shockingly corny now, and I have little doubt that Avatar will also fail to hold up in the annals of time, box office receipts be damned. Its legacy, however, will be carried forth by the technology and all the cinema that will be founded on it.

Zombieland

2009 / Ruben Fleischer > Two things in short: Yes, it’s fun to watch, and the cameo is absolutely fantastic. The best in movies since Tropic Thunder. And no, it’s not as good as Shaun of the Dead. That film was ingenious, blending the zombie genre with a type of self-heckling comedy that created something memorable. Instead, Zombieland holds the handrails a bit too close, never really flourishing beyond a louder version of what’s already been done. For that, it maintains its own ground though never matching the charm of Simon Pegg’s vehicle.

Overheard

2009 / Felix Chong & Alan Mark > Every Hong Kong filmmaker now has to take into effect mainland China’s demands the righteousness of mankind, whether it be the clutches of morality or the dearest of cultural sensitivities. If they didn’t, the single largest portion of their box office receipts go out the door. And because of that, we’re back to adjusting for the 21st century’s version of the Hays Code all over again. Earlier this year, the guys behind Infernal Affairs (i.e., the basis for The Departed) released Lady Cop & Papa Crook after a six month delay because of disagreements with the Chinese censors. Critics bashed it. Lesson learned: If the bad guys can’t win, make sure somehow everyone loses. In Overheard, Chong and Mak make sure that they can utilize this technique into fitting their vision into China’s demands.

The problem is this, however: The tone of the film never becomes concrete. Thematically, we don’t know what the focus is. It starts off being a wiretapping thriller that turns into a morality dilemma for cops. That’s fine, but then we’re thrown into some reactionary revenge sequences. As it happens, vengeance isn’t always necessary or appropriate, even if the audience wants it. And if the actual act of vengeance isn’t satisfying, then it isn’t worth putting forth to begin with. Tricky, yes, but the Chinese censorship dilemma has forced directors and writers to into a corner from which they'll have to climb their way through. This may have been one of the best efforts at it, but there's still some way to go.

Watchmen

2009 / Zack Snyder > Respectably ambitious, Watchmen is an epic on a small scale: It has no big name movie stars, nor does it field superheroes of mainstream lore. There are two things it does very, very well: The cinematography is stunning with vibrant colors and imaginative awareness, and the violence is gruesome, righteously effective with exacting choreography. Then there are things that just don't seem to fit: The music is a mess. No film should ever use Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sounds of Silence." It reeks of empty ambition since it's already been used nearly perfectly in The Graduate. A lot of the other, more well-known tracks also seem forced ("99 Luft Balloons?" Really?). This, ironically, actually detracts from the mood the film tries to set. But let's talk adaptation: Faithfulness is good and all, but a comic is a different medium. Whatever you think of Alan Moore, he had it right in saying that the reader has time to reflect back on what he's just read, maybe even doubleback to check facts and link a character to his speech bubbles. But a film of this supposed gravity almost becomes a joke in its obtuse seriousness without being given the time to digest. The awkward pacing and plot jumps that leave us filling in gaps with a considerable level of assumptions also don't help. The graphic novel walked a very thin line between the pretentious and the cautionary, and unfortunately Snyder may have fallen on the wrong side of those tracks.

The Night of the Hunter

1955 / Charles Laughton > After Robert Mitchum's turn as the dashing anti-hero in Out of the Past, I found it refreshing to see his portrayal of a so-called holy man with a batshit crazy mind. The man gives you the creeps in The Night of the Hunter, with his wild religious rhetoric and instantly suspicious demeanor. What tricks me is that I can't figure out what Laughton was up to. The film's hard to figure out because it's not simply a good vs. bad story, as it has shades of a fable and a darkly Biblical undertone. But all that withstanding, everything simply falls apart at the end. Symbolically and fundamentally, it becomes a jumbled mess. Sure, it's possible to justify everything that happens, but it just doesn't feel acceptable to a rational mind. Either way, one thing is for sure: This has some of the finest cinematography I've ever seen in a black & white film. Stanley Cortez uses beautiful, stark angles and really captures the depth of what one can do without color.

The Girlfriend Experience

2009 / Steven Soderbergh > The big question everyone will be asking is, "Can Sasha Grey act?" Sad to say, the pornographic star's crossover role has such a limited emotional palette that it's hard to tell. Her character is the subdued type, quiet and reserved except for bursts of emotion inflicted at a loved one. And the story itself is Pretty Woman with a tinge of cynicism. Credit to Soderbergh for giving the girl a chance (as I'd love to see her do more work outside of the realm of the skin and saliva), and for fleshing up the sights of Lower Manhattan true to life. But from those basics, the film is a study of the world's oldest profession in its modern setting without really bringing anything we didn't already know. Were it a character piece, I could understand, but even that doesn't seem to really fit into the details of the script. Even the stints at social commentary via the clientele's morning shoptalk is too lackadaisical to derive some level of interest.

State of Play

2009 / Kevin Macdonald > Frankly, there was no way this film could make me happy. The original 2003 BBC miniseries on which this is based is one of my single favorite pieces of television ever. It's clever, thrilling and intelligent. John Simm in the lead is downright brilliant and the rest of the cast is near perfect. But in the process of cramming six fantastic hours into two for the global mainstream audience, quite a bit of detail and charm has been lost. While it remains a rather well-made film, the last third seems rushed and increasingly trite. The pacing of the movie kills the appreciation of the character motivations and starts insulting the viewer's intelligence. Incidentally, the same storyline in the miniseries successfully orchestrates these emotions. Thus, I can't stress enough that everyone should give the original a chance. Avoid a couple of clunkers this summer and spent those extra four hours diving into this riveting Brit drama and come out much more satisfied.

The Elephant Man

1980 / David Lynch > When dealing with subject of such social sensitivity as Joseph Merrick, the so-called "Elephant Man," directors are put in a very tight spot: They can either go balls-out with sympathetic adoration, or stay back and reduce the emotions in order to portray the objective viewpoint. Lynch, as confident and masterful has he thinks he is, tries to combine the two into proving a fuller experience. It's unfortunate, then, that I personally just didn't find much satisfaction in his overall presentation. Save for the famous "I am not an animal!" cry, I found The Elephant Man mostly uninteresting, if well-made. The question we have to ask as viewers is fairly simple: Was Merrick actually an interesting person? Is he worthy of being made a film about? Or are we falling into the same trap as circus goers and simply praising a film because it involves a deformed man of possible intelligence, and we simply cannot be caught failing to extend our hearts to him?

Ace in the Hole

1951 / Billy Wilder > Now, Billy, you've failed me here. This story of exploitation may have gotten a rise out of people back in the day, but it's aged faster than anything else I've ever seen by you. Even Kirk Douglas seems like he's too busy acting to actually play his part. Something about how simple you make everything seem in Ace in the Hole just doesn't feel right. The morality is too clear cut, and if I really wanted to doubt my conscience, maybe I'd go back to watch the layered Sweet Smell of Success instead! Or am I just feeling backlash to the sudden sprouting of liberal guilt in our current media environment?

Departures

2008 / Yojiro Takita > It's so fitting that when the Academy finally honors an Asian work with the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, the crown is worn by a bastion of studio-laced mediocrity. Departures reminds you over and over that you're watching a carefully directed art film that has symbolism and emotions and all that other good stuff that separates it from the barrage of mainstream dramas. But as successful as it is in conveying the little artifacts of daily life, it's equally as frustrating in forgetting to treat the viewer with the kind of respect necessary for this to be a mutually enjoyable experience. There's an elegant humanist setup to the whole show that gets sideswiped in the second half by an overarching approach of connect-the-dots that has just enough edginess to garner an awards shower that'd even make the Weinsteins proud. In a year where Japan had a couple of far better films (All Around Us, Tokyo Sonata), it's sad that the global audience will judge the market with this caricature of human development.

Casino

1995 / Martin Scorsese > There is no Henry Hill in Casino, and that kills it. Scorsese had a hook in Goodfellas with Ray Liotta's Hill as a guy you could cheer for. Someone caught up in the shebang and rightfully taking advantage of it. Someone you could like. But this three hour long venture finds Joe Pesci another despicable gangster to play, but one that isn't counter-balanced. Throw in the working girl-cum-druggie, deceitful wife in Sharon Stone's Ginger and the scales just tip in ways from where there is no retribution. Why is that so troubling? Because this is, technically, a fantastic piece of work. The production may be one of the finest the director's ever put on, and that's why its mediocrity is so tragic. I just didn't care about anyone. I needed my Henry Hill.

Alien

1979 / Ridley Scott > See, I get it now. Scott’s primary objective in Alien is to portray the relationship between a woman and her cat. Everything else was simply fodder. And why not? It’s a serious issue worthy of further discussion in our society. It was as relevant in 1979 as it is now. As dogs are a man’s best friend, cats are a woman’s. No? Well, alright. Maybe I’m just being a bit a harsh, but I just found my experience with the original Alien to be quite underwhelming. In short, the film did not age as well as I’d hoped. Visually, it’s still quite crisp, even if some of the special effects (e.g., the android sequence) are comic. But it’s the pacing that really gets me. The first half is a bit of an exploration, languishing scene by scene, setting up for the arrival of the beast from outer space. The second half is a considerably more tense rush for the crew’s survival. But from a viewing distance, I couldn’t justify the anticipation early on for what came after. The action sequences are tame, even if the birthing scene remains one of the greatest moments in cinematic history. Scott said he shortened some scenes to tighten the film, but that could never streamline this if the existing content isn’t compelling to begin with. In comparison, 2001 gave us a philosophical pill to swallow (whether you liked the taste of it or not), Aliens gave us the excitement we’ve come to expect from the genre and Sunshine attempted, in what may have been an honorable failure, to fuse the two formats. But this? It’s an impressive stepping stone that’s simply been left behind.

Sparrow

2008 / Johnnie To > As one of the most prolific directors working in cinema today, it's nice to see To take a break from his more usual triad fare to try on a different hat. Sparrow is an elusive departure, with its visually stunning cinematography, matching moody music and a charming performance by the elegant Kelly Lin in telling the story of a gang of Hong Kong pickpockets falling for the wrong woman. It's light, a bit airy and sometimes hard to resist, but is similarly fleeting in the mind of the viewer. There's some drama thrown into the mix to give the film some semblance of a plot, but that's really an afterthought. Consider it a treat, a simply joy from the director—especially after those vicious dogs in Election 2—before his venture into the global market with a remake of Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Cercle Rouge.

The Headless Woman

2008 / Lucrecia Martel > It's tough to fault The Headless Woman on a fundamental level because it's effective in what it really sets out to do: To examine a certain hazy psychological state of denial that many of us experience when confronted with an act of tragedy. Did I really do it? Was it my fault? These kinds of questions have historically been tackled by films in a very literal manner, but Martel's effort is a considerably more subtle, quaint one that definitely should be acknowledged for its respectful approach. I found it lacking initially, but there's an aftertaste to the experience that definitely haunts the mind. In fact, consider this a horror film in the most humane sense of the word.

Gran Torino

2008 / Clint Eastwood > Eastwood's farewell to acting is as polarizing a film he's ever made. His portrayal of a seemingly racist Korean War veteran is reminiscent of his gritty facade in Dirty Harry, in ways that Gran Torino essentially becomes Finding Forrester with a shotgun. The story isn't innovative nor is it particularly well-written, and a lot of the supporting actors are mediocre at best. The dialogue often seems elementary in its cultural naivety, though it does try to educate. (And there's absolutely no reason the young Hmong brother should have any accent at all.) But whatever regurgitated parable about race relations and family life this is supposed to be, somehow, someway, Eastwood succeeds in packing in the kind of punch where it's hard not to be affected by the end, even if you feel deftly manipulated.

Quantum of Solace

2008 / Marc Forster > This is what we get after Casino Royale? Having seen all but the Timothy Dalton adventures of Bond, I felt that Casino Royale was arguably the best in the series, even if it significantly veered from the style of the first 20. But Forster's vision in Quantum of Solace failed to catch the slipstream of its successor. The whole show feels anti-climactic: Too much goes on without any kind of concreteness, and the scope is so minuscule that we find it tough to care for Bond when the final fight vs. the bad guy comes. Aren't Bond films supposed to be about global domination? Aren't there supposed to incredibly powerful henchmen who protect the super-villains, who themselves are maddeningly intelligent and devious? This felt more like a take on Bond as if he were Jason Bourne. The film's enjoyable, sure, but the satisfaction doesn't last. I can't help but stress the weakness of scope, and how it reminded me of the terrible storyline from Diamonds are Forever. The stories of James Bond are supposed to be grand in every essence of the word, but this that was not. Here's hoping they take heed of Daniel Craig's latest comments in saying that Bond's initiation has ended. It's time, finally, for the real villains to come onstage.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno

2008 / Kevin Smith > Has Smith always been mushy and we've just not noticed it because of all the vulgarity? After all, who can forget the mushiest of all rain sequences ever made in Chasing Amy? But hey, it's completely normal to have banter filled with obscenities with your loved ones. It's a part of life that's never usually reflected properly in films due to the inevitable marriage of a PG or PG-13 rating to every romantic comedy possible. (This is partially why Four Weddings and a Funeral was such a winner.) But hey, Smith does it proper for the most part: Zack and Miri Make a Porno is often hilarious, sometimes charming even if it's incredibly, ridiculously predictable from the first minute. Smith's still got some of his quirks up the sleeve, but the film doesn't match the overall wittiness of either Clerks II or Chasing Amy. The best part may be the revelation that is Elizabeth Banks. I've always liked her, but this was really something special, as if she's finally coming into her own: Sweet, endearing and possessing just the right amount of vulnerability.

Ocean Flame

2008 / Liu Fendou > A train wreck that you can't take your eyes away from, that's what Liu's concocted for us. In this case, it's the supremely destructive relationship between a street thug and a well-to-do girl who clutches on tighter the harder he pushes. In some scenarios, it's easy to say that we should only watch movies that have hope, redeeming values, make us comfortable and fluffy inside. This is the antithesis of all that. There's nothing but the weakest attributes of humanity on display, and is somehow, at least for me, fascinating enough to stay with until the end. It's also interesting that this is Hong Kong-favorite Simon Yam's first producing effort. Maybe he's playing Robin Hood, taking money from his mainstream winnings and putting them into the virtually nonexistent independent film scene on the island. If so, good. While Ocean Flame is as polarizing a film that may be released out of Hong Kong this year, I'm glad someone is taking these chances.

The Visitor

2008 / Thomas McCarthy > With all the buzz surrounding Richard Jenkins' bid for a Best Actor, it's easy to watch and like this movie. But I can't help but find it fundamentally flawed in its approach. I understand that people within America find the immigration system full of injustice, but often these are the same people who would complain if their jobs went overseas. Nobody's going to have their cake and eat it too, but McCarthy throws away the subtlety from The Station Agent and pulls a Scott Templeton on us with his liberal guilt. Breaking the law is breaking the law—if you know what the consequences are, you shouldn't be shocked to face them. But politics and social commentary aside, Jenkins deserves praise for his work, but I wouldn't call it Oscar-calibre. His character's development felt very calculated, not natural. In contrast, Hiam Abass' portrayal of the mother was considerably more poetic, memorable and filled with heart. She could definitely slip in a Best Supporting Actress nomination on Jenkins' coattails.

Burn After Reading

2008 / Ethan & Joel Coen > Burn After Reading is a bit of a mystery: On one hand, the plot is put together in a way that's almost too perfect, too clean to be the work of two brothers who just won an Oscar for directing. Things are forced and coincidental to the point where the audience loses the need to think. I know that's generally considered a negative, but let's face it: The boys just finished No Country for Old Men and wanted to do something fun and simple. Subsequently, this is an enjoyable, relatively superficial work with some basic commentary on our everyday lives. The best part, though, has to be how great the individual performances were (especially the hilarious Brad Pitt). The Coens have quite a few gifts, and one of them just may be getting the finest out of their actors.

Stargate

1994 / Roland Emmerich > It's always a bit sad to re-visit a film only to find it a shade of its former self. Such is the case with Stargate, something that I had fondly remembered as a great science-fiction experience upon its release. But time has not been so kind to Emmerich and his creation. The CGI effects are awkward and often unforgiving, some of the the acting is downright wooden (such as Jaye Davidson, who sucked the last bit out of his fame from The Crying Game here) and the story is a bit too shallow to be memorable. (Come to think of it, this and Independence Day are basically the same plot, but on different home fields!) But all of this aside, it's hard not to give the film credit for climbing us up the imagination tree and fusing ancient Egyptian mythology with a good dose of futurism. This is no classic, not anymore, but it's still worth a viewing for its sense of nostalgia.

Body of Lies

2008 / Ridley Scott > On his follow-up to The Departed, screenwriter William Monahan really tries to up complexity of the plot as if it wasn't enough the first time around. In many ways, Body of Lies ends up being a similar type of poker face tale of Billy Costigan, though this time Leonardo DiCaprio's character works for the U.S. Government and fights terrorism. It works but it doesn't work: The pacing is disjointed and certain subplots seem afterthoughts to make the whole equation make sense. Scott, though, knows how refine coal into diamonds, so there's little surprise in how effective much of the directing is. If the film has a purpose other than liberal guilt, it's not completely obvious. And what it lacks in terms of intelligence (ironically) compared to a film like Syriana, it makes up for with a slick presentation and intensity.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

2008 / Guillermo del Toro > Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a fun romp through the world of Dark Horse Comics that often gets bogged down by the "too much" theory which commonly plagues sequels: If it worked once, do it again and throw more of it in, right? Well, no, not really. That's what kills franchises (see Batman & Robin). The story's fairly generic and a lot of the jokes are barely on the right side of slapstick, though thankfully, del Toro's considerably more tactful than most others in his profession. But after the serious foray that was Pan's Labyrinth, I really can't blame him for having a bit too much fun.

Tropic Thunder

2008 / Ben Stiller > Riding on the waves of a star-studded cast and one of the best (and funniest) marketing campaigns for a comedy I've ever seen, Tropic Thunder had some of the highest expectations I've had for a film all year. But, as it often happens when a lot of big egos join together in one project, the film ends up being more a collection of multiple hilarious scenes rather than a successful, comedic whole. Specifically on point are Robert Downey, Dr. and the head-splitting brilliance of Tom Cruise who both take their ridiculous characters to the perfect level of seriousness. But staggering behind seems to be Ben Stiller, whose schtick, however self-deprecating, feels overused and works mainly as a vehicle to move the story forward. Some of the lines, admittedly, are some of the funniest in recent film memory, though one of the most underrated may be Jack Black's (after shoving heroine into a couple of guards' faces): "Let's move! We only have 16 hours before they wake up!"

Speed Racer

2008 / The Wachowski Brothers > Ever since The Matrix sequels reared their pretentious heads, The Wachowski Brothers have been on my shit list for their self-serving, pseudo-philosophical bullshit. V for Vendetta, even with a fine directorial effort by James McTeigue, couldn't rub off its leftist silliness for a second to let me breathe in the excitement of the man behind the mask. And with Speed Racer, they almost cornered me into something similar with its heavy-handed anti-capitalist angle. But alas, the prettiness (of both the film and Christina Ricci) saved the day. It's fun, lots of fun, even with the annoyance of Spirtle and Chim Chim, though I gather, as someone who has never seen the animated episodes, that this was part of the show's charm.

Emile Hirsch seemed a bit miscast, but honestly, nobody cared much for acting in this. (On that note, when did Dr. Jack Shephard leave the island and become Racer X?) The true star of the film was the visuals, and my, how glorious they were. You know how the Crayola 64 packs always had a few neon, ultra-bright colors? Apparently these were the only ones used when doing the Speed Racer storyboards. The Brothers utilize their genuine feel for style in conjunction with an aptly thrown in kitsch factor that makes me wonder what everyone who threw down sharp one-liners at this gentle giant were actually expecting.

Wanted

2008 / Timur Bekmambetov > It's usually a terrible idea when 70% of a film's plot is told over narration within five minutes, but Russian blockbuster director Bekmambetov brings his Night Watch fame this side of the Pacific with an action-packed extravaganza that's short on plot and long, very long on intensity. In fact, Wanted may have some of the best action sequences ever seen on film. Suspending disbelief is a priority in this adaptation of a comic grounded on prophetic assassins—This is also partially because we know Angelina Jolie has the potential to blow stuff up, but James McAvoy? Not your likeliest action star, but the special effects make it all work in spades.

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay

2008 / Jon Hurwitz & Hayden Schlossberg > Let's just keep it simple and say this is an out and out absurdity of a film. There, that makes things easier. Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay won't win Oscars (nor it should), but it does things that keep you glued to the screen until the end—even through an unbelievable sequence involving George W. Bush where you can't help but smile. Doogie Howser is all kinds of crazy, and Kumar's math poetry just makes you tear a little. There is, however, definitely a generational gap in the film that scours it away from a significant amount of moviegoers, and those who are easily offended will probably switch off within the first half hour.

In Bruges

2008 / Martin McDonagh > For all the awesomeness that In Bruges has going for it (and by awesomeness, I'm inclined to say the absolute barrage of political incorrectness), it does make me wonder why McDonagh takes such a sensationalist and overdone method of resolution. However, cheers to him for taking the Colin Farrell out of Colin Farrell and for making Ralph Fiennes one of those guys you love to hate to love to hate. All in all, it's a good time but sadly not the cult classic it could have become with a couple of tweaks. But the film does the city of Bruges quite a good service by making sure viewers such as myself check out hotel pricing on a whim for the so-called "most medieval" city in the world. (Trust me, even for a small city, the current exchange rates for the dollar does none of us any favors.)

The Incredible Hulk

2008 / Louis Leterrier > The most impressive thing about The Incredible Hulk isn't the fact that it's actually good, but that Marvel was able to eat the mistake that Ang Lee made and reboot the series in five short years. Not only does it show that the movie-going audiences have surprisingly short-term memories, but also that a storied franchise need not be bogged down by a misfire. That being said, Zak Penn's script is more on par with his first X-Men 2 effort than Elektra, and Leterrier has targeted a good blend of action and drama while respecting Hulk's fanbase. Now it'll be interesting to see if Hulk returns as a good guy or bad guy in the upcoming Avengers movie.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

2008 / Steven Spielberg > Some of the scenes make no sense, the writing is mediocre and often laughable and the ending messes with the whole mystique of the Indiana Jones series. But those minor, silly things aside, the damn thing is still a lot of fun to watch. It's kind of hard to consider it in the same vein as the originals (especially when Raiders of the Lost Ark can legitimately stand up as a classic), but it was never meant to be taken seriously. Not with Shia LeBeouf and a 65 year-old Harrison Ford. But there were still moments of old Indy greatness, hidden here and there, and that's pretty much all we could ask.

Be Kind Rewind

2008 / Michel Gondry > The bar's up pretty high after Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep, but this what it is on purpose: lighthearted, sentimental and while a bit ill-paced, generally enjoyable. Though Jack Black is on the edge of annoying, the rest of the cast holds the film together in a very communal way. The movie recreations are reason enough to see this as they serve up the genius of Gondry in small, snack portions instead of a whole meal at once.

4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days

2007 / Cristian Mungiu > There's something that's in the minds of the Cannes juries, year after year, that I just can't figure out. It's as if their choice for the Palm d'Or has to be this significant social statement that future filmgoers will always appreciate and respect. (After all, who, in retrospect, is not ashamed that Fahrenheit 9/11 walked away with the top prize in 2004?) 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days is a good film, but it's also filled with one egregious flaw that arguably discounts the whole statement of the film. While I can't give it away, I can imagine the scene being a sticking point for almost everyone who watches it.

Technically, this so-called Romanian New Wave seems to follow works of the Brothers Dardenne with its claustrophic camerawork and frantic pacing as if to give a sense of realism that's supposedly gone missing from cinema. Here, however, one could argue that the reason realism has become modified in film is because film is an escapist medium, not one to transport us back to the moment of truth in which we already live.

But such philosophies aside, I simply can't enjoy a film that fails to give the viewer a sliver of hope. There are hints at it, but ultimately, it's all a mirage. There is no heart. There's nothing emotional that we'd want to grip onto, but rather lots that we'd like to run away from. There is, however, an incredible performance by Anamaria Marinca, who had the unfortunate luck of going up against the incomparable Jeon Do-yeon at Cannes last year. For that and to understand the infatuation with the Romanian realist movement, , the film is worth watching—though how much you enjoy it is completely up to you.

The Bank Job

2008 / Roger Donaldson > The Bank Job is a very enjoyable heist flick that is intensely charged while it lasts, but fails to carve a niche into the history of the genre. Stylish, well-paced, the whole product is very refined, though I imagine it's not surprising since this is not, by any means, the first Jason Statham vehicle to take take on such a premise (see The Italian Job and Snatch).

Street Kings

2008 / David Ayer > Street Kings kills its suspense level and pacing before we're ready to commit, which is a bit tragic because the overall show is pretty respectable. The typical viewer ought to figure out the ending 20 minutes into the film, which is tricky because it makes us lose motivation to continue watching. However, Ayer and writer James Ellroy of L.A. Confidential fame do pull out a couple of tricks near the end that make it worth the wait. The morality tale in the film is not as well-thought out as Gone Baby Gone, but the social questions brought forth are given a new spin even if they've existed for ages.

Paranoid Park

2007 / Gus Van Sant > In the final part of his death trilogy, Van Sant loses the ironic edge that he had with Elephant. Paranoid Park is subtle, provocative and thoughtful, but it still feels all too fleeting. The mood carries the film to its end but somehow, the sadness and despair never really penetrates the audience. Whether this is a function of an age-biased disconnect, I'm not sure, but many of us have found ourselves in positions where we feel guilty of an act we had little control over. This was an attempt at extrapolating that to a higher degree, but in many ways, it feels too forgiving and too simple to be poignant.

Enchanted

2007 / Kevin Lima > Enchanted works because of Amy Adams, as she turns the role of a princess into something identifiable by most stretches of the imagination. Disney's welcome back party, though, isn't without hitches: The story is still ultimately stale even with the sort of modern-day luster that's splashed atop it. And Patrick Dempsey is, unfortunately, forever going to smell of Grey's Anatomy thereby discounting the value of any character he portrays onscreen. (This is a pity, but alas, it's the price he'll have to pay for resurrecting his career.) The film almost works as a foil to Pan's Labyrinth with its cheerfulness and optimism—It's lighthearted fare and undeniably enjoyable, though there's just not enough to hold onto to make it a classic.

The Kite Runner

2007 / Marc Forster > To date, I've very much enjoyed Forster's work. It's admirable that he continues to diversify his style and challenge himself further (as witnessed by his helming of the next Bond film). And while it's hard to directly pin-point exactly why The Kite Runner feels like an utter mess, there's a sensation that the film's literary foundation may have overstretched screenwriter David Benioff's sense of imagination. Subsequently, there's a lot of unnecessary melodrama and sudden pacing changes that make me wonder how good the original story is to begin with. Its largest shortfall is its continuous sense of emotional manipulation, especially in the last third. Otherwise, it's relatively well-made with a couple of surprising performances by its young stars and a moving show by Homayoun Ershadi and a solid score.

Once

2007 / John Carney > It's nearly impossible not to like Once, but mileage will vary in how much it'll be appreciated. As a musical, it works on levels not typical in film: The honest folk/rock of star Glen Hansard is always heartfelt, always fresh. It lacks the silly glamour that tends to persist in the genre and instead fills it with the kind of realism that many can identify with. Carney takes into account the awkwardness of loneliness and spins it into a sort of underhanded morality tale about where love ends and begins. It is, however, a little esoteric in its approach and fails to give me the kind of foothold I was looking for. Either way, the chemistry between Hansard and Marketa Irglova is so natural and charming, it becomes an easy watch.

Persepolis

2007 / Vincent Paronnaud & Marjane Satrapi > Part-history lesson, part-coming of age, Persepolis is a fresh and exciting cinematic event for the masses. What becomes problematic, however, is the idea that Satrapi's journey is neither unique nor over. At the conclusion, there's a nagging feeling that there must be more than this, yet we are forced to walk away. The film's most important contribution, ironically, becomes its brief history of Iran, an often misunderstood nation whose political ties have been close to the Western world since the discovery of oil. The parts of the film where Satrapi is in Iran are countlessly more interesting than when she's in Vienna, diddling away into an awkwardly written episode of Felicity. Still, the whole show is a nice change of pace in a year of weak independent filmmaking.

I Am Legend

2007 / Francis Lawrence > Will Smith's best acting effort to date. Atrocious CGI mutants. Excellent action sequences. First 80% puts it in the top 5% of all sci-fi films ever made. Last 20% moves it back to the middle of the pack. Most of the story is better than the novel, but the ending, which couldn't have happened in the novel, was too Spielbergian to be effective. This wasn't just a weak ending; it was bad enough to render the whole film meaningless and tasteless.

American Gangster

2007 / Ridley Scott > Bloated and unfocused, Scott's epic fails to adequately build on the strong source material provided by the life and times of the notorious Harlem-based heroine distributor Frank Lucas. In fact, one of the most extraordinary angles of this story is left to a simple caption near the end which, if one has their head turned away for a split second, could easily be missed. Much could have been left on the cutting floor, much could have been added. Scott fails to give the audience an emotional center to latch onto besides the glorification of a gangster whose morality is seldom questioned. There is a belief that people who do socially irresponsible things (whether it's polluting the earth or murder) do so because it's the way in which they know how to live. American Gangster tries to tell us that over and over, but somehow never fully forms a complete thought to get that point across successfully.

3:10 to Yuma

2007 / James Mangold > This retelling of 3:10 to Yuma is neither fresh nor does it take any risks. Using a conservative approach, the centerpieces effectively become Crowe and Bale, who, for a couple of foreigners, sure play the role of tough, Western men quite well. In my experience, there's just something about Mangold's style that cheapens the emotional plight of his characters. This, though, is not nearly as bad as Walk the Line, partially because the film pacing's keeps our attention on the action. By the end, 3:10 to Yuma turns out to be a solid effort, even if it comes nowhere near the potential of its foundation.

Always: Sunset on Third Street

2005 / Takashi Yamazaki > Always may have been dominant in winning 12 of the 13 major Japanese Academy Awards in 2005, but its overly sentimental tone will hold it back from being a true classic. Set in the feel-good days of post-war Japan, the film's depiction of family life in Tokyo is charming and full of heart, but the script's overbearing emotion tends to undermine the sublime potential the characters themselves hold. Combined with the acting (which may be the strongest suit of the film and deserving of all its awards), Always ingeniously suckers you into tearjerker moments even if you could smell the set up a mile away—pretty impressive for a sterile, heavy-handed script.

Intacto

2001 / Juan Carlos Fresnadillo > While luck transference is an interesting premise and the execution is sharp and solid, I found it hard to get over the film's conclusion. Filled with Hollywood-style simplification, the ending spirals downward into something sentimental and unsatisfying—so very disappointing after Intacto showed such great promise and freshness with its darkly calculated, brooding style/mood.

Superbad

2007 / Greg Mottola > Superbad is a lot of fun but, unlike the subtle brilliance that's persisted in previous Mottola/Rogen works, childish jokes make up a bulk of its content. It straddles an awkward middle ground where it's neither intelligent nor stupid, and while that might work for some, I found it hard to position in my list of adolescent comedies. Cera's fine—his work on Arrested Development suits him better, but this is by no means a stretch. There are moments that are nice and cuddly yet not cheesy, which is a pleasant surprise. But ultimately, the storyline fails to stand out—as the "get laid before high school ends" plotline is anything but uncommon—and the afterglow is made less memorable by the fleeting nature of its juvenile jokes.

Volver

2006 / Pedro Almodovar > The worst thing about Almodovar most people can say is that he's got his own unique style—so unique that once you've seen a decent amount of his films, you start taking him for granted. With Volver, for once, I'm not taking him for granted, but unfortunately, I'm also not letting him slip by so easily either. The film may be my least favorite in his oeuvre, and although it's better than the barrage of films the industry puts out, it strains the soul in getting started and then challenges mind in its plotting audacity.

Talk to Her, my favorite Almodovar film, is so gracious in its unfolding of events while Volver continuously hints before spilling the beans with simple dialogue. The twists are nearly predictable and fairly lazy—not what I expect from a masterful storyteller. Thankfully, he's skilled enough to not make them the cornerstone of the film, but that doesn't keep Volver's center of gravity from shifting away ever so slightly so that the characters' plights suddenly have less meaning, and we lose sight of some of the original dilemmas presented.

Ocean's Thirteen

2007 / Steven Soderbergh > I had such distaste for the first sequel that I had little initial inclination to see this regardless of positive word of mouth. Thankfully, I let that slide because this is arguably more satisfying overall than even the original, albeit the level of disbelief you must suspend to thoroughly enjoy it is quite inexplicable. The overall show is as sharp and sleek as ever, and the addition of a spicy Ellen Barkin adds a nice bit of spunk on top. Ultimately, the fact that the bottom doesn't fall out of the plot in the first twenty minutes is a great reason it should survive most attention spans, if not overwhelm them.

TMNT

2007 / Kevin Munroe > Harshly misjudged by critics who never appreciated the original cartoon series in its heyday, TMNT is incredibly beautiful, often funny, sometimes serious and overall enjoyable piece of work. It's not great cinema, and it doesn't go beyond its safe zones, but it does what it does well. I simply couldn't help at times to think that the animation was completely outsourced from Hong Kong, with its production values as good if not better than anything Pixar's put forth. Obviously, the story remains the key, and while it doesn't compete with Brad Bird's output, it ends up having a slightly more mature tone that should satisfy those who have grown with the turtles themselves.

Starter for 10

2006 / Tom Vaughan > As a going-to-college-and-finding-myself story, Starter for 10 tries to be refreshing and original but ultimately falls back on stereotypes of girls, geeks and misunderstandings between best friends. That's not to say that it isn't arresting: It's got enough tricks up its sleeve to keep our interest, with buxom beauties to Trivial Pursuit-brand trivia helping James McAvoy's protagonist understand himself further. It's funny and pleasant, and even while it tries to stretch itself thin sometimes with inadequate life-affirming theories, most viewers will let it slide and simply enjoy the ride.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

2007 / David Yates > I'm not a Harry Potter fanatic by any stretch of the imagination (i.e., I haven't read the books), so I find watching these films an idle form of entertainment. In such, it's hard for me to get riled up over them without understanding their long, literate histories (unlike my child-like giddiness towards Transformers). With Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I do feel like I've missed out on a lot of the meat by not having read the books (and not refreshing my memories of the last four), but I did come out of the theatre feeling quite comfortable about Yates taking Harry into maturity.

The darkened atmosphere surrounding Harry is quite welcoming to the sense of the world's impending battle between good and evil. Dolores Umbridge as well as Luna Lovegood add some fresh spices to the character pool, an act that Cho Chang (and that sad, pathetic kiss) absolutely fails at. Fundamentally, it's not always even or even coherent to us non-readers, and admittedly I did feel by the end that not much had happened. Retrospectively, however, it can be noted that many of the simple events that occur during the film are indeed rather significant in the battle against He Who Must Not Be Named. For that, I would've actually liked the film to have been longer, with more depth.

The Patriots

1994 / Eric Rochant > Never saw this one coming: An intelligent spy film that takes the personal aspect of Munich and turns it up a notch. Les Patriotes is less about the methods of espionage but more about human after effects. The ruthlessness and selflessness it takes for one to produce in the field is displayed poignantly in a well-paced effort by Rochant. It has some hiccups, especially with somewhat weak and often stereotypical American acting, but generally stays on point in opening up the world of Mossad to the viewer. A worthy find for those who are fans of the genre, but it may also bore those looking for spy/action films.

Paprika

2006 / Satoshi Kon > Maybe the shine of pseudo-existential anime is new to America, but this has been done before (notably in Ghost in the Shell and Akira, but most recently in Satoshi's own Paranoia Agent). For all its beauty, I can't help but think that Paprika falls short in actually showing us something new. And because of that, I also can't really justify the complexity of the storyline and obtuseness of the conclusion. In Satoshi's oeuvre, Tokyo Godfathers still reigns supreme in my book.

Happy Together

1997 / Wong Kar-Wai > Undeniably my least favorite Wong Kar-Wai film, but not because of the obvious subject matter: The problem was that it felt too easy. When you have a character like Ho Po-wing—that bastard significant other who's selfish but somehow always comes back to haunt you—it becomes an easy to use conflict creator that tires quickly. It lacks the imagination of Chungking Express and the subtlety of In the Mood for Love, but saves itself by retaining the visuals and music that are so pertinent to Wong's oeuvre.

I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK

2006 / Park Chan-wook > It definitely has Park's touch, biting off the color palette and quirkiness that pervades Jeunet's films. But ultimately, it isn't nearly as enjoyable as Oldboy or Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, and falls at the bottom of the feature film list in his catalogue. Nonetheless, it's worth a watch to witness the director's range (although his vignette in If You Were Me is far more impressing on that front), and moreover, a delight to see Im Su-jeong mature and Rain perform better than anyone would have expected from a singer-turned-actor.

200 Pounds Beauty

2006 / Kim Yong-hwa > If you can ignore the horrible international title for the film, 200 Pounds Beauty is quite a bit easier to digest. Part social commentary on plastic surgery and part romantic comedy, its script tries to be a little more innovative than typical fair. But while it doesn't completely succeed, it does have its share of moments that make you cheer. Kim Ah-joong, making her starring debut, is fresh, exciting and beautiful (although lacking the spunk that made her so memorable in When Romance Meets Destiny). Most impressively, she did her own vocals in the film even without any past experience. Ultimately, it's a fun time, though I wouldn't expect it to change anyone's outlook on life.

300

2007 / Zack Snyder > One thing is undeniable: The film is visually stunning with visceral battle scenes that generally satisfy. However, the faithfulness to Frank Miller's original work keeps 300 from becoming a cinema classic. There are awkward, boring moments of long narration, seemingly infinite slow-motion sequences and not enough liberty taken to adjust and adapt to the different medium. The screenplay felt weak, with a storyline that tried to be a foundation for the action but instead just felt like a distraction to the meat. It has its moments—notably, the oracle and her mystical movements—and it may just have given birth to another generation of comic book films, but ultimately 300 is a film of enjoyable superficiality that should have been 20 minutes shorter.

Zodiac

2007 / David Fincher > Maybe it's because of my high expectations for Fincher, but the man's crafting of this solid, methodical work is lacking the underlying charisma that drove Fight Club and Seven into the annals of film history. Moreover, compared to Bong Joon-Ho's Memories of Murder, Zodiac's absence of heart tugs on the length of the film, which clocks in at nearly three hours. When you know there's no payoff (as both cases still remain unsolved), it's harder to keep from twiddling in your seat. Fincher's attempt at losing the gimmicks that some would say have plagued his previous films is successful for the most part: By the end, I felt satisfied, but in retrospect there wasn't enough to make this nearly as memorable as his previous ventures.

The Prestige

2006 / Christopher Nolan > There's really no other way to put it: This was a well-crafted film that I just couldn't enjoy as much as I should have. It's intricate and one can garner a lot of satisfaction dissecting each thread from beginning to end, but I personally couldn't be motivated to care beyond the broad level. Coming from a person who finds Memento to be one of the most overrated films in history, one might think that I just have it in for Nolan—but I did enjoy Batman Begins and even found Insomnia to be fairly solid. Maybe the fact that Scarlett Johansson just can't act was an issue, or maybe I just can't get over the fact that Nolan's knack for complicating matters just drives me insane. Alright, it's probably the latter. At least The Dark Knight looks promising.

The Last Kiss

2006 / Tony Goldwyn > It's nowhere near as bad as I expected (which was, essentially, a cross between Garden State and Crash). It's definitely a film where personal identification makes or breaks one's opinion. It's made for people in certain stages in their lives, especially those in longer-term relationships who question and wonder the long-term viability of these lives. The Last Kiss, surprisingly, does little to answer those questions, which is preferable as not to seem pedantic and righteous. In the sector of emotional resonance, though, it comes nowhere near Nichols' Closer, which further perfected the art of heartbreaks. Nonetheless, the supporting stories here are relevant and of interest, and Rachel Bilson's film-debut is full of appreciative spunk.

Shortbus

2006 / John Cameron Mitchell > Calling it experimental would be a bit of an insult: Without its explicit sex scenes, Shortbus is less novel and considerably more of the old. It's about relationships, sex and the proper mixes that lead to comfort, themes that have persisted and evolved throughout the history of film. And Mitchell's sense of evolution by incorporating what most of us are all familiar with in vivid detail is meant to have given us a better grasp of the lessons within.

Admittedly, though, the atmosphere here is a little quirky, and the characters in Shortbus and the eponymous gathering place are often hard to relate to. It's easy to like the film on the surface level: It's playful, honest and seems to treat sex in an essential but non-exploitative manner. But ultimately, I found it tough to replay the rhymes and reasons of the players without questions, without wondering the simple craziness of sequence after sequence. I imagine this is a great film for many, and in fact I've been surprised by the multitude of those who have enjoyed it. But it's definitely not for everyone, especially those who may have trouble digesting some of the over-the-top scenes.

Downfall

1997 / Im Kwon-taek > This is not exactly the introduction I expected to Korea's most prolific director, but I imagine it can only get better. Downfall (or Chang) holds an impressive showing by My Wife is a Gangster's Shin Eun-kyung as a naive girl thrown into the world of prostitution at a young age. Piece by piece, we are shown the transformation of a society, an industry as well as a woman over time. Unlike typical films on the subject, Im utilizes his central character as a way to study Korean history, from the days of Park Chung-hee's presidency to the Olympic Games in Seoul. However, Shin's character's journey slowly starts to feel too methodical, and we soon stop empathizing. Together with the fact that it's hard to guess if this is meant to be a social commentary or simply a bystander's view, the film fails to achieve the level of pathos needed to compliment its components.

Little Children

2006 / Todd Field > The follow-up to In the Bedroom, Little Children comes off as a mixture between Desperate Housewives (voiceover included) and Crash. There is excess in its tactics, although technically, Field keeps total and absolute control of his world. The film shifts between its central storyline and a side one, and while that can be attributed to the source material, it's nonetheless inexcusable as it distracts from the chemistry between Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson. Their story is a tragedy, and it's beautiful in its process. But those around them remain miniatures of the real thing, exerting one-sided characterizations and little in terms of evolution. Unlike In the Bedroom, where the line between right and wrong was blurred, Little Children positions its characters' actions in such a judgmental manner that its hard to swallow every bit by the end.

Kids

1995 / Larry Clark > Not nearly as controversial and horrific as its reputation would have one believe, Kids is surprisingly credible and straightforward about its subject matter. The so-called exploitation of teenagers in the film is unfounded, and instead Clark's portrayal is dauntingly honest, if slightly sensationalist. The cast is perfect, natural. Chloe Sevigny shows off skillset opposite of the tragic Justin Pierce and newly resurgent Leo Fitzpatrick. Moreover, it's amazing to think that was actually Rosario Dawson. It's definitely a film that gels in the subconscious after time expires, but has the unfortunate effect of making one feel a little guilty, even ill, that there is so much truth present.

Babel

2006 / Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu > Babel is an unfortunate failure on many parts: Samuel L. Jackson's now-infamous "Crash Benetton" comment at Cannes is one of the simplest yet most accurate depictions of this film. It reeks of a lazily contrived storyline, hellbent on deriving some sort of bigger meaning through mishaps and the obvious. Wherein Amores Perros tried to be an objective narrator, Babel instead chooses to manipulate the action to the conclusion it sees fit. Of the four storylines, only the Japanese one holds a sense of legitimacy: It's raw, driven with emotion and mystery and is ultimately utilized as a stopgap measure on the remainder of the mess.

The film is beautiful: For Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography, one would hope that he gets another Oscar nod after last year's unsuccessful bid with Brokeback Mountain. Undoubtedly, the two best performances of the film come from Adriana Barraza as the Mexican caretaker of Pitt's children, and Rinko Kikuchi's deaf-mute Japanese schoolgirl in need of male attention. The latter, especially, is a bewildering success, even stealing the limelight from veteran Japanese actor Koji Yakusho's subtle and masterful acting. This is also Gael Garcia Bernal's weakest to date.

To say the least, this worries me about Inarritu. Sadly, he reminds me of the path Guy Ritchie has taken, in constantly repeating an initially successful technique until it's so over the top that it just loses all credibility (see Revolver). It will be good to see him pair up with a writer other than Guillermo Arriaga, who seems to be quite busy on his own these days after his falling out with Inarritu over the authorship of 21 Grams. The potential herein was immense, with a global concept that, to my knowledge, has never been attempted. Too bad, then, that it falls into its own trap, filled with cliches and one-sided social commentary on what, exactly, we're not even sure.

Children of Men

2006 / Alfonso Cuaron > Visually apt, Children of Men has some great sequences that keeps its dystopian world interesting, but the details are amiss. It's unfortunate that Cuaron seems to have stripped away most of the novel's intricate storyline, leaving a mostly superficial journey filled with one-sided social commentary and a large empty hole where there could have been substance. It's especially shocking how weak the dialogue is, often spelling out the obvious to the viewer. Thankfully, Owen is solid, especially considering how little he had to work with.

The Devil Wears Prada

2006 / David Frankel > How's this for a film trying to justify the existence of the fashion industry? And maybe even show that it's not just glitz and glamour, but full of heart too! Well, whether you believe much of the fashionista propaganda or not, The Devil Wears Prada is still an enjoyable, formulaic ride enhanced by the presence of the one and only Meryl Streep. Sure, Anne Hathaway is nice, but one has to wonder how filmsy the film's foundation would have been without Streep's presence. The only real misstep was the decision by the screenwriters to chose an irrational ending that heavily deviated from the film's general ideals.

The Da Vinci Code

2006 / Ron Howard > Having never read the book, my expectations for The Da Vinci Code were moderate at best, especially after the barrage of critical dismay during Cannes. For its part, that may have worked out well, as I found the film to be a well-crafted, well-paced mystery that kept me surprisingly interested for a good part of its two and a half hour journey. It's not particularly dense, and things are explained to a degree where there's not much thinking involved. In other words: it's very appropriate for simple enjoyment. The ending took a bit too long (and that's time that Howard arguably could have used elsewhere), but the production quality is superb enough that it's hard not to recommend this as a solid popcorn movie. Just don't expect references for a Ph.D thesis.

Fearless

2006 / Ronny Yu > In some ways, it's hard not to like Fearless: Yuen Woo-Ping's exquisitely crafted fight sequences leave you breathless by the beauty of its brutality. Shigeru Umebayashi's score, while not memorable, is subtle enough to cradle your patience when the film tries to be a little too philosophical. And Jet Li's goodbye-to-wushu performance is, at the least, memorable for his return to the days of Fist of Legend in terms of style, intricacy and emotion.

I do, however, find myself disappointed in the film's erratic character development. Often, characters motivations changed seemingly overnight, as if it's just that simple. Moreover, its emotional overtones were often heavy-handed, and much of it was fairly trite and by the numbers. One has to wonder, though, if the film's original 150 minute cut would have been able to achieve what this 105 minute theatrical release did not. If there's not much else to the story that what's presented here, there's a chance that the longer cut would have been a droning failure. For that, it's possible to give Ronny Yu the benefit of the doubt and consider this as good a martial arts film will get these days.

The Illusionist

2006 / Neil Burger > One of the most refined films of the year, it's hard to find any technical flaws in The Illusionist. Most noticeable is its cinematography, crisp and decisive about its turn-of-the-century Vienna setting. The mood is further perfected by Philip Glass' elegant score. The acting is above par at worst, with Rufus Sewell's post-Dark City re-emergence being a pleasant welcome. But as the drama unfolds, we find ourselves within a rich love story that, unfortunately, feels like it's on shaky foundations. Thankfully, the mystery of the illusions drives the story forward. By the end, it is what it is: The unexpected is actually expected, but we not only only accept it, but actually enjoy it.

The City of Violence

2006 / Ryu Seung-wan > I imagine that Ryu's intention with The City of Violence may have been to exploit every inch of the martial arts/action genre he could while still having some semblence of plot and character development. And that he did, if barely, but just enough to progress the film towards crazier and more ridiculous fighting sequences. Clocking in at roughly 90 minutes, Ryu doesn't force the Korean convention of the two hour film, but instead keeps it short and sweet. The meat may be thin, but the bones don't break: The City of Violence is the result of every successful director's wet dream.

The Perfect Crime

2004 / Alex de la Iglesia > A tale of two halves: The Perfect Crime has an incredible build-up, with a freshly comic opening that commands your attention. "Who is this man?" "What is his story?" Alright, so he works at a department store, but hilarity ensues nevertheless. Then we have the gist of the film slowly revealed, and suddenly it dawns on us that the film has a modest chance of being original at this point. It tries, and it tries hard. But it fails. The lead-up to the finale is scattered and often boring, but one comes to understand, "This is definitely better than most films that try to do this. Not too shabby, not too shabby at all."

Citizen Dog

2004 / Wisit Sasanatieng > Take Amelie, increase the color saturation, replace Paris with Bangkok and add some crack. That about sums up Citizen Dog: a quirky, oddball romantic comedy that has its own fair share of imagination to keep itself from simply being dubbed a copycat.

Its most unfortunate act may be that it starts off so strong (in terms of original content, witty storyline and sheer pacing) that halfway through it fails to keep up. Once that steam runs out, the style no longer works or fits, and the viewer is left stalled, even bored. Moreover, the peculiar subplots work fine when in small doses, but the whole "plastic" storyline was dead at arrival. However, this remains a wonderful watch if only because one gets to witness the further maturation of Thai cinema as well as some very memorable characters in their habitat.

Running Scared

2006 / Wayne Kramer > This film is absolutely ridiculous—and that's exactly why it works. Every style point you can think of in an action flick, whether from Guy Ritchie, Quentin Tarantino, David Fincher or Tony Scott, it's all here. In fact, throw Paul Haggis into the mix, because the manipulation that goes into the plot is just short of the "genius" behind Crash. Thankfully (or I'm giving it too much credit), the film knows what it is and abuses it it. It doesn't try to be more than that.

Kramer should essentially be credited for two things: First, utilizing eye candy in a functional manner, as many of the sequences actually had some rhyme and reason. And second, creating a movie for guys. In some ways, this DVD ought to complement Wedding Crashers in every frat house in the country.

Funny Games

1997 / Michael Haneke > The controversial tale of two well-dressed boys who take a family of three hostage, it's hard not to be polar about Haneke's commentary on violence and the audience: From a technical perspective, the film is well-made, but it lacks the fundamental punch necessary to be blindly accoladed. From a dialectical perspective, one can go on and on about whether he flipped the boat into the land of arrogance and pretense.

The biggest problem by the end may seem that the whole setup of the film is contrived into a nice, neat package for him to manipulate the viewer as he wishes. This could either be looked at as skill or simply an easy way out. Either way, it's hard to recommend or advise against Funny Games, as it purely depends on one's tolerance of bullshit.

Love is a Crazy Thing

2005 / Oh Seok-geun > Mismarketed as a romantic comedy, Love is a Crazy Thing follows the journey of a downtrodden woman with an incompetent husband (whose face we never see), two young sons and a stackload of debt into the wonderful world of Korean "karaoke." Oh does a good job in not getting carried away with sex industry cliches, balancing properly the woman's inner emotions with her outside influences. Played impeccably by Jeon Mi-seon, there's a subtle radiance that grows on her throughout the film. It successfully builds multiple layers around her character and then peels them away. Moreover, the script grounds itself in reality until the climax, so the plausability of the storyline is not questioned until it needs to be. By the end, there is little doubt that the title of the film, unlike its marketing, was indeed on the spot.

Over the Hedge

2006 / Tim Johnson & Karey Kirkpatrick > While nowhere near Miyazaki or even Pixar quality, this most recent animated offering from DreamWorks is perfect fodder for 80 minutes of summertime. The storyline is simple, but not always plausible. The humanity involved, as often in animal-laden animations, is cliche and at times uninteresting. But with strong voicings by both Bruce Willis and Gary Shandling (plus a hilarious Steve Carell), Over the Hedge is an exercise in filler, biting off from its peers and chewing it successfully.

District B13

2004 / Pierre Morel > Finally released in the United States, this Luc-Besson produced, parkour-driven action flick is short, sweet and packed with entertainment. The film stars parkour (commonly known as "freerunning") co-founder David Belle as a resident of District B13, a crime-ridden area of Paris where the film is set in the year 2010. Much of the film is watching him jump around in it (and that's a good thing). Those who can look past the blatantly shallow storyline and fairly two-dimensional characters will be rewarded with what is essentially an ADD-proof eighty minutes.

Zero Effect

1998 / Jake Kasdan > Two things that this film brings to the forefront: Bill Pullman is underrated, and Ben Stiller needs better scripts. The whole neurotic, private detective role is played to the pin here by Pullman, one that he obviously embraced quite a bit more than the President of the United States (i.e., Independence Day). As for Stiller, I still miss his foray into films such as Permanent Midnight, which lacked the slapstick and had considerably more heart (and a little bit of darkness).

As entertainment, Zero Effect is a fairly good example of how a film can hold your hand but still not patronize you. The detective's Doogie Howser-like journal entries keeps you in the game, yet keeps the modern-day noir feel in check. I imagine this is a film that has largely been ignored at the rental stores, but it's one that is definitely worth a shot. It probably won't hold up against your Vertigo, but then again, there isn't much that will.

V for Vendetta

2006 / James McTeigue > I generally tend to like 1984-esque storylines, especially when done with such high production value on multiple fronts (i.e., not Equilibrium, which wasted both Bale and Watson's acting talent). V, fortunately, was good at worst on most fronts, but fairly disappointing due to the not-too-subtle liberal ideologies that permeate it. Yes, I understand this was written to criticize Margaret Thatcher, not George W. Bush, but the comparisons, in this day and age, are absolutely inevitable. And while there are amazing possibilities in fusing social commentary with entertainment, V fails primarily because the story becomes so one-sided that it loses its credibility as time goes on. Thankfully, if you can turn a blind eye to its hard-handedness, the film does stand well on its own as bonafide, if fleeting, entertainment.

Lucky Number Slevin

2006 / Paul McGuigan > I'm not sure why I've heard so many complaints about this film "tricking" the viewer, since it was fairly obvious from the opening sequence that something fishy was going on. But as I let myself delve into the fantasyworld that was occupied by a very revived Josh Hartnett, I found time slipping past me. Well edited with gorgeous cinematography, Lucky Number Slevin is hands down the biggest surprise (on the upside) I've had in a film this year. This is not for those who always want to know what's going on, but perfect for those willing to give in and indulge what the new Hollywood has to offer. A perfect antithesis to megabores such as Poseidon, LSL is definitely worth a watch for its creativity and no-nonsense mindset.

Everything is Illuminated

2005 / Liev Schreiber > I didn't read Jonathan Safran Foer's novel, on whose fictionalized real-life experience this film is based. And although both Liev Schreiber's directorial debut as well as the the primary narrator Alex 's choice of words ("Many girls want to be carnal with me because I'm such a premium dancer!) both intrigued me, the catalyst for me to watch it was Matthew Libatique's cinematography. As expected, therefore, the film is absolutely gorgeous which a few memorable scenes (including the top-down views of Alex's bedroom at the beginning and bathroom at the end).

The story is interesting as a Jewish-American returns to Ukraine to find the woman who saved his grandfather's life from the Nazis, and in this journey, he and his guides discover their past. The ending is arguably too ideal, too cheesy, too clean but nevertheless still above par. I look forward to more work from Schreiber.