Lust, Caution (2007)

At a glance:
Lust, Caution is Ang Lee’s lavishly tragic story of a woman who sacrifices her heart and her body to aid the Chinese resistance of the Japanese during World War Two

Our review (with spoilers):
Wong Chia Chi (Wei Tang) is a young woman who becomes deeply involved in the Chinese resistance movement against Japan during World War Two. She begins as an actor, depicting patriotic plays and rallying support for the cause. Then, led by the passion of Kuang (Leehom Wang), she and a small band of actors turn to undercover work in an attempt to isolate and assassinate Mr. Yee (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), who is spying for the Japanese. Wong eventually gets close enough – and intimate enough – to expose him, but her proximity exposes her emotions to his intoxicating power – and each of them are influenced by the undeniable power of love and lust. In this beautiful, lavishly filmed epic tragedy, Wong makes perhaps the ultimate sacrifice, allowing herself to fall in love with a man whom she knows is condemned to death by her own actions.

Rating: 3 of 4

Other reviewers said:
"A beautifully rendered, long, drawn-out but ultimately very satisfying story of betrayal and revenge in an uneasy setting of wartime paranoia."
- Damon Wise (Empire Magazine)

 

Girl 27 (2007)

At a glance:
The corruption of 1930s MGM studios is revealed in detail in this story of a young dancer who is violated at a stag party

Our review (with spoilers):
In 1937, in the midst of a crushing recession, the fiefdom called MGM studios was still turning a huge profit. They rewarded their army of salesmen with a lavish party. Besides liquor and entertainment, the salesmen were gifted with hundreds of dancing girls, many of them underage. The girls, who thought they were answering a stage call for a movie set, had no idea that they were also expected to entertain these gentlemen. One of the girls, seventeen year old Patricia Douglas, was raped by a salesman named Don Ross. This in itself was probably not that unusual at the time in this male-dominated, studio-dominated corner of the world. But Douglas chose to fight against the studio. She faced an uphill battle, with so many people in the area either employed by or dependent upon MGM (including the district attorney, her own lawyer, and the man who discovered her and her attacker and later recanted his testimony).

Her life was derailed dramatically by this incident. Three loveless, frigid marriages produced a daughter whom she could not talk to or be close to at times. She hid her story for 65 years until documentarian David Stenn patiently wooed it out of her, and with his persistence brought her friendship – and the vindication of truth. Using archival footage and personal interviews, Stenn places the incident in the context of the time, when a woman’s reputation was ruined completely by rape.

This style of personal, one-on-one documentary (as also seen in Winnebago Man) provides a truly fulfilling film experience. The documentarian’s relationship to the subject becomes a secondary but important player in the story.

Rating: 3 of 4

Other reviewers said:
"This stunning expose of Hollywood's buried scandal is a revelation about the movie industry's influence, and a well-documented backgrounder on Hollywood's 'casting couch' attitude towards women."
- Jennifer Merin (About.com)

Wind Chill (2007)

At a glance:
The chill wind whips through the assorted plot holes in this well-acted, entertaining yet flawed thriller/horror film

Our review (with spoilers):
A young college student accepts a ride from an eccentric guy who has been at least partially stalking her. When he takes a snowy shortcut, they are side-swiped by an oncoming car and get stuck in a drift. Soon, other problems arise when they are visited by a parade of ghosts, some of whom are malevolent.

Wind Chill tries to be so many things. It is a weird love story (despite the fact that the guy exhibits some stalker tendencies). It is a thriller, a murder mystery, and a horror story. There’s a bit of philosophy thrown in. Despite its flaws, it’s still a mostly enjoyable, worthwhile film, and this is a credit to the lead actors (Emily Blunt and Ashton Holmes), both of whom are solid in difficult, illogical roles. The supporting cast is also very good.

The girl is a good example of a character written to further the plot. Who is she anyway? She starts as an aloof slackpacker who accepts a ride from a stranger. Her whole attitude is haughty and unconcerned. Then, after he has done nothing other than act a bit eccentric, she starts calling him a psycho. This is not the type of person who should be accepting rides from strangers. And if she truly believes he is a psycho, she should not be telling him she feels that way. She should just get out.

Here are some other nits/illogical behavior:

1)    The guy says he is going to walk back to the gas station, then returns soon after, saying it was closed. It’s obvious that he did not walk all the way there, yet the girl accepts his story. Later, he reveals that he turned back because he was coughing up blood and realized that he would never make it, then didn’t tell her because he didn’t want to worry her. How about telling her so she can walk to the gas station instead?

2)   Ghosts and apparitions sometimes appear in the waking world, sometimes interrupt dreams, sometimes just look and ignore, and other times seem able to actually inflict physical damage.

3)   It is explained how the guy knew the girl was taking the bus to Delaware – he looked at her phone over her shoulder – but how did he get the message to her phone suggesting that she look on the message board? Wouldn’t she have known that this message was from someone else? And it is never explained how he knew all about her favorite foods.

4)   A few hours after they are stuck, the engine dies. The girl looks underneath and sees that the car has been dripping gas from a cracked tank. Gas is really smelly and they have a permanent window open on the car. They would have smelled gas leaking long before this.

Rating: 2 of 4

Other reviewers said:
"Despite its failings, Wind Chill represents a road rarely taken by 21st-century American horror films: Original (in the non-remake sense of the term), subtle and restrained."
- Maitland McDonagh (TV Guide's Movie Guide)

Quench (2007)

At a glance:
Writer/director Zack Parker takes a miniscule budget and wrings a captivating story of a grieving young man who may find solace within a tightly knit circle of Goths

Our review (with spoilers):
There is no peace for the grieving Derik (Bo Barrett). His film-opening visit to a grave informs us that someone close to him has died. But we don’t know who or how close, since he chooses not to share this with anyone. He doesn’t even tell Jason (Ben Schmitt), an old school friend who he visits now because he doesn’t want to go home and has no one else to turn to. To Derik, Jason has changed so much since the two of them were close in high school. Ben now is a full-fledged Goth, having been influenced by his live-in Goth girlfriend, Veronica (Samantha Eileen DeTurk). Jason and Veronica are part of a very tight knit group of Goth friends who attend weird, dark parties where drugs and sex are exchanged. Derik is only partially accepted into these circles. Eventually, Derik’s lethargy and inability to deal with his grief causes conflict between he and Jason, and Derik moves out.

As Derik is about to board a bus to anywhere, fate intervenes; he crosses paths with Gina (Mia Moretti) a Goth girl who has taken a fancy with him. Derik moves in with Gina, and, again, is accepted into the group. This time, however, the extremes of the group’s practices cause Derik to reject them, which leads to disastrous consequences.

Quench is a quiet, thoughtful, slow-paced film, with many moments of silence. This is no Gilmore Girls patter; the characters think, and the story is intriguing enough that we don’t mind wondering, in those silences, what they are thinking about. Since the movie is classified as ‘horror’, horror fans looking for gore may be disappointed (this might account for the 3.9 of 10 rating on IMDB). Conversely, virtually all reviews of the film are overwhelmingly positive. The acting is occasionally amateurish, but Mia Moretti is very good. Bo Barrett proves that though it is difficult to play the role of an almost comatose grieving person without appearing truly wooden, it is not impossible. I’m looking forward to more from Zack Parker.

Rating: 2.75 of 4

Other reviewers said:
"Usually when dealing with darker subjects, movies will take a wild turn into fantasy or horror, Mr. Parker keeps his movie firmly grounded in reality, and the horror of that is more than enough…"
- Brian Morton (Rogue Cinema)

"A chilly examination of decaying hope, Zack Parker’s Quench exemplifies the drive and spirit that embodies truly independent filmmaking."
- Collin Armstrong (Twitch)

"Quench" is a rich tapestry of sub-genres, moral questions, and undertones that ends as a great indie horror picture that works against being another typical horror entry."
- Felix Vasquez Jr. (Cinema Crazed)

Freezer Burn (2007)

Movie quotes:
Virgil: Oh! Hey! It’s a tiny wooden moose!
Blake: It gave me a whittle cramp.
Virgil: Oh! You got a whittle cwamp?
Blake: A whittling cramp, a whittling cramp, ‘cause I was – I was up all night whittling!

Virgil: Alright, I’ll see ya – later.
Rex: Fifteen years.
Virgil: Fifteen years.

Gary: Here are your fuckin’ French Fries.
Rex: They’re Freedom Fries, Gary.
Gary: Yeah, sure.
Rex: You’re letting the terrorists win!

Rex: I’ll give you the rundown. A few years back, terrorists attacked us, fucked shit up royal – so, now we’re back in Iraq, and we’re asking for help, and the Frenchies are like, ‘No!’. So we’re all, like, ‘Bye, French Fries; hello, Freedom Fries’.
Virgil: Sounds…stupid and convoluted.
Rex: Yeah, and we got Freedom Toast, Freedom Bread, Freedom Dip, Freedom Kissin’…it’s a different world now, Virg – welcome to it. Need some ketchup – Gary!

At a glance:
An entertaining concept and some enthusiastic acting make Freezer Burn’s tale of cryogenic love a low-budget sci-fi gem

Our review (with spoilers):
Virgil Stamp (Robert Harriell) is a scientist whose goal is to prolong the ability to freeze donor organs. Buoyed by his success with monkey hearts, he makes the jump to believing he can freeze an entire living thing. A terminally ill dog is his first test; when that succeeds, he looks for another subject. In the meantime, his devotion to his work has caused tension between him and his wife, Blake (C. C. Seymour). This isn’t helped when he takes a liking to the paintings of Emma (Ella Rae Peck), a comely 14 year old student of Blake. When Blake finds out that he purchased one of Emma’s paintings behind her back, she destroys his frozen specimens, ruining his upcoming presentation. With his funding and his marriage terminated, Virgil realizes his feelings for Emma are true love. To prove his theories are correct, and to set up a legal meeting between Emma and himself, he freezes himself, leaving instructions for his assistant Rex (Michael Consiglio) to thaw him out in fifteen years. He also leaves instructions for Mendelson (Ivo Velon), a dodgy criminal who owes him a favor, to keep track of Emma. Eleven years later, a failure to pay notice means Virgil climbs out of his freezer in the middle of a dump, homeless and in his underwear. He has no friends, no money, and no outer garments. He eventually finds Rex, who is now homeless, and Mendelson finds him. Mendelson’s news is that Emma died in a car crash, but as he tells his story, we see that in reality, Mendelson fell in love with Emma and married her (this plotline is a bit similar to There’s Something About Mary).

There are moments of amateurish writing and acting in Freezer Burn, but not many, and not nearly enough to reduce the enjoyment of the clever concept, entertaining story, enthusiastic acting, and the general ‘feel-good’ mood of the whole project. Robert Harriell is particularly good in a demanding role that requires he is on-screen almost all the time, often by himself. Some of the fall foliage location filming in Connecticut is also beautiful. I’m hoping to see more from writer/director Charles Hood.

Rating: 2.75 of 4

Click here to order Freezer Burn on DVD

Other reviewers said:
"If you can look past the lack of polish, there are some very fun and entertaining bits in here."
- Curse of Greyface

Joshua (2007)

Movie quotes:
Brad (Sam Rockwell): I think you're sick, Josh.
Joshua (Jacob Kogan): I don't feel sick. Not at all.

At a glance:
A nine-year old boy reacts badly when his parents welcome a new baby girl into the world, in this subtle psychological horror film, worth seeing for Jacob Kogan’s creepy turn as Joshua

Our review:
When the Cairns welcome new baby daughter Lily into the world, their prodigy son Joshua (Jacob Kogan) reacts negatively. So does Lily’s mom Abby (Vera Farmiga); initially thrilled, she plunges into post-partum depression (just like she did with Joshua) when Lily never seems to stop crying. But why is Lily crying? Like many horror films, there are ludicrous aspects of the script that need to be ignored; your tolerance for these moments will determine your opinion of the film. For the most part, the film inhabits that middle area; it tries to pass itself off as a serious psychological thriller, and so is unwilling to go over the top; but, like Flight Plan, this makes the script implausibilities stand out all the more. Still, it’s a solid little nail-biter, with Kogan’s performance as a kind of Stepford-wife variation well worth seeing – and it’s always great to watch Sam Rockwell squirm – he just seems to deserve it.

I haven’t watched one of these ‘Children of the Corn’ movies since my daughter was born over 5 years ago, but since I was babysitting her and her two cousins tonight, I thought this would be the ideal time for a good kiddie scare; fortunately for my heart, none of them woke up and showed up at my door unexpectedly while I was watching. Rating: 2.5 of 4

Other reviewers said:
"The stress that mounts throughout this strangely tame and quietly spooky horror thriller has a masterfully palpable asphyxiating mood to it that the director exploits for maximum audience discomfort and unrelieved dread."
- Prairie Miller (NewsBlaze)

"If you strip away all the meddling that Joshua does, it's clear to see the family is dysfunctionally psychopathic from the start."
- Kevin Carr (7M Pictures)

Into the Wild (2007)

Movie quotes:
"I read somewhere... how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong... but to feel strong."
- Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch)

"I'm going to paraphrase Thoreau here... rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness... give me truth."
- Christopher McCandless

"The core of mans' spirit comes from new experiences."
- Christopher McCandless

At a glance:
The true story of a young man who travels led him to seek truth in the harsh Alaskan wilderness is presented artfully by director Sean Penn, and features a stunning and emotional performance by Emile Hirsch and Chris McCandless

Our review:
I’m an advocate of compacting storytelling, and I believe that most stories can (or should) be told on film in under two hours. Almost any yarn can be improved with proper paring and editing.

Into the Wild is an exception to this rule. Director Sean Penn waited ten years to gain permission from the McCandless family to film the true story of their son, whose long journey to truth began as an escape from a dysfunctional family and ended in the harsh Alaskan wilderness. You as a viewer will spend almost 2 ½ hours to make the same journey, and by virtue of Emile Hirsch’s remarkable acting transformation (he lost 40 pounds while making this film), and Penn’s artful direction and deep understanding of the subject, you will feel like you have traveling within and without this incredible young man. This is not an expose of mistakes; instead Chris McCandless is treated almost as a deity. The film is at its best when it concentrates on the inner workings of McCandless’ mind and motivation, and at its worst when it attempts to make the story more interesting by introducing a parade of eccentric, overly dramatic fictional ‘characters’ for McCandless to meet along the way (but this diversion is brief). Based on Jon Krakauer’s best-selling book. Rating: 3 of 4

Other reviewers said:
"Sean Penn deserves huge credit for the gentle hand he has used in telling this incredible story. "
- Brian Webster (Apollo Guide)

"Often too concerned with how smart he's being, Sean Penn gets the quiet moments right while some of the more dialogue-intensive come off poorly."
- Wesley Lovell (Oscar Guy)

"Penn's best movie to date rests on a brilliant performance by Hirsch, who gets under the skin of the fascinating character at the centre of the piece."
- Jamie McLeish (Channel 4 Film)

You Kill Me (2007)

Movie quotes:
Laurel (Tea Leoni): What do you do?
Frank (Ben Kingsley): I’m in personnel.
Laurel: Hiring?
Frank: Firing, more like.

"It isn't that I'm sorry I killed them; it's that I'm sorry I killed them badly."
- Frank

Stef (Marcus Thomas): Look, I know you think you know Frank pretty well, but there's probably a few things you're not gonna wanna hear.
Laurel: Like that he came back to Buffalo to kill Edward O'Leary so he could stop him and the rest of the Irish from getting into bed with some Chinese sugar daddy and wiping your family off the map? Oh, and he's a really big drunk.
Stef: [pauses] Wow. He's really opening up.

At a glance:
Ben Kingsley adds value to this light, slight, but extremely effective and enjoyable black comedy about an alcoholic hit man who is forced to change his ways

Our review:
Frank (Ben Kingsley) is an alcoholic hit man who finds drink is starting to compromise his job performance. When he sleeps through an important hit and it leads to the downfall of the Polish snow plowing mob he works for, he is banished to San Francisco to get sober. His path back is aided by his gay mentor Tom (Luke Wilson) and by love interest Laurel (Tea Leoni). There’s an almost clumsy divide between Kingsley’s quieter scenes in the film (he’s in a separate city for the most part, with Leoni and Wilson) and the inferior ‘mob’ scenes, but this just enhances Kingsley’s status as outsider. This would be a forgettable film if Kingsley and Leoni were not in it…but they are. Bill Pullman reappears as a sleazy, face-screwing real estate agent; if you’re accustomed to his charmingly bland roles from ten years ago, you’ll be impressed. Director John Dahl even evokes a beautiful, naturalistic performance from Luke Wilson. Rating: 3 of 4

Other reviewers said:
"An uneven black comedy-thriller that’s nonetheless worth catching for Téa Leoni’s bracingly sharp performance and the inspired idea of putting hit man Ben Kingsley into AA. Just focus on the well-etched characters and don’t worry too much about the plot."
- Tom Charity (Total Film)

"The film isn't without its flaws, but in defying Hollywood convention, it manages to reach parts other comedies cannot reach."
- Stella Papamichael (BBC)

"Not a masterpiece, mind you, nor the funniest thing you could see on a lazy summer afternoon; but a fine motion picture."
- Tim Brayton (Antagony & Ecstasy)

My Winnipeg (2007)

Movie quotes:
"Every day, the show runs at noon. The same over-sensitive man takes something said the wrong way, climbs out on a window ledge and threatens to jump. And every day, his mother appears at the nearest window and tells him to remember all the reasons for living. By the end of each episode, the son is convinced to come into safety. But the next day, he is back out there again."
- Narrator (Guy Maddin) describing the fictional Winnipeg television show ‘Ledge Man’

At a glance:
Guy Maddin’s semi-autobiographical documentary of his home town, Winnipeg, doesn’t always work, but there are some incredible gems of history and insight

Our review:
This documentary by writer/director/star Guy Maddin features archival and recreated footage of old Winnipeg, as Maddin documents his supposed attempt to leave his place of birth, despite the strong psychic ties that keep him from doing so.  In black and white, and combined with linking segments of a nodding-off man on a train ride, Maddin delivers the narration in a sleepwalking monotone. Some viewers may think he is trying to put them to sleep, too, but every time you start to nod off, there is a flash of outrageous history or modern wit to jar you back awake. Highlights include: Ledge Man, Sleepwalkers with keys, the Drowned Horses, Maddin’s ability to film in the style of old cinema, and the true (and somewhat true) history of Winnipeg. Meant to be seen not on home video, but in the darkened hollow of a theater, amid an open-minded film festival audience. Rating: 2.75 of 4

Other reviewers said:
"(1) Shot for shot, Maddin can be as surprising and delightful as any filmmaker has ever been, and (2) he is an acquired taste, but please, sir, may I have some more?"
- Roger Ebert

"Given its unusual blend of fact and fiction, the film is a real head-scratcher. Like most -- if not all -- of Maddin's films, it's as bewildering as it is visually arresting. And yes, that means it's an acquired taste."
- Jeff Vice (Deseret News, Salt Lake City)

"It's sometimes uneven, but it's glorious, too, with constantly churning invention and the guarantee that you have never seen anything like it before -- unless it came from Winnipeg and Guy Maddin."
- Shawn Levy (Oregonian)

White Noise 2: The Light (2007)

"If you save, you must kill."
- Henry Caine (Craig Fairbrass)

At a glance: Nathan Fillion stars as a man whose near-death experience gives him the power to tell which people are about to die, in this stylishly entertaining but uneven supernatural horror film

Abe (Nathan Fillion) watches his wife and son die at the hands of a deranged gunman. Distraught, he attempts suicide, but is pulled back from the dead. Afterward, he sees strange auras around some people. Realizing that these auras mean the people are about to die, he finds purpose in life again by saving them – but it’s not as straightforward as all that. Fillion is a powerful actor who runs from scene to scene, saving lives, and does his best with a script that occasionally dips into silliness. Katee Sakhoff (Starbuck from the new Battlestar Galactica series) is wonderful to look at and does an admirable job as Abe’s love interest. Nothing bad can be said about the imaginative, stylish direction by Patrick Lussier; he sets the mood perfectly and allows his creative camera angles and beautiful (and beautifully gruesome) images to shine. The scares are mostly generated by the occasional appearance of gruesome walking corpses. They seem incongruous (but effective) in a movie that is mostly a serious attempt to look at the phenomena of near-death experiences. Trivia: Listen closely to find the tiny reference to Fillion’s work as Captain Reynolds in the television series Firefly. Rating: 2.5 of 4

"...Fillion's stellar work ensures that one can generally overlook the film's various inadequacies..."
- David Nusair (Reel Film Reviews)

"A few cheap jolts, a handful of clever ideas, and just enough energy and creativity to make it across the finish line."
- Scott Weinberg (FEARnet)

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007)

Nurse (Willow Geer): Doctor! Doctor!
Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly): I'm so cold.
Doctor (David Doty): We need more blankets.
Nurse: We need more blankets!
Nurse: Doctor!
Dewey Cox: I'm so hot!
Nurse: I think he has too many blankets.
Doctor: Fewer blankets!
Dewey Cox: I'm hot and cold at the same time!
Nurse: He needs more blankets and he needs less blankets.
Doctor: I'm afraid you're right.

At a glance: This mockumentary about a fictional Johnny Cash-like musician has high production values and some good quality music, but the jokes are a little thin

In the world of the ‘mockumentary’ (Mock Rock Documentary), This Is Spinal Tap set the bar very high. Walk Hard attempts to compete (in my psyche, anyway) with the great Tap, and comes up a little short. Sure there are great songs and period attire as we follow Dewey Cox’s musical career and personal life from the 50s to the present, but not much of it is laugh-out-loud funny. Dewey (John C Reilly) does do one hilarious duet with Darlene (Jenna Fischer) (called Let’s Duet) where the double entendres slip out due to pauses. But for an unusually long 2 hour comedy, the jokes are few and far between. Too much time is spent trying to lend believability to the story of a very Johnny Cash-like country singer who rips the nearest sink out of the wall whenever he gets upset. I’m not sure if this movie doesn’t work because the script isn’t funny enough, or because John C. Reilly, a talented supporting player, does not have the screen presence for such a demanding role. Or it could simply be that I’m not Judd Apatow’s number one admirer. Rating: 2.25 of 4

"Walk Hard runs down quickly, and suffers further from having the wide-eyed and weightless Reilly as its star."
- David Denby (New Yorker)

"This burlesque of biopic cliches flounders from one setup to the next without the engine that drives the genre: a strong central character."
- Jim Ridley (Village Voice)

"The one area where ‘Walk Hard’ does manage to hold its own against classics of the genre such as ‘This is Spinal Tap’ or ‘Sweet and Lowdown’ is the music, all of which is expertly written and performed."
- David Jenkins (Time Out)

Zodiac (2007)

Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal): Did he say they got a print?
Paul Avery (Robert Downey, Jr): A partial.
Robert Graysmith: Whoa. Dude, he wears his gun like Bullitt.
Paul Avery: No, McQueen got that from Toschi.
Robert Graysmith: Does he think that Zodiac's gonna send another code? 'Cause I think Zodiac's gonna send another code.
Paul Avery: Jesus Harold Christ on rubber crutches, Bobby, what are you doing? You're doing that thing. The thing that we discussed, the thing that I don't like, starts with an L...
Robert Graysmith: Oh, looming.
Paul Avery: Yeah.

"Do you know more people die in the East Bay commute every three months than that idiot ever killed? He offed a few citizens, wrote a few letters, then faded into footnote... Not that I haven't been sitting here idly, waiting for you to drop by and reinvigorate my sense of purpose."
- Paul Avery

At a glance: Director David Fincher’s docudrama about the Zodiac serial killer runs just short of 3 hours, and uses that time recreate a highly detailed, often intense criminal investigation slash period piece

In 1968 and 1969, a serial killer who called himself the Zodiac and ‘distinguished’ himself by writing letters accompanied by coded ciphers, attacked 7 people in Northern California, killing 5. Over the years, the letters continued, with the Zodiac claiming to have killed more than 37 people, although no other murders were confirmed to be done by him. The murder investigation went on for years and yielded some promising suspects, none of whom could be linked to the killings by any more than circumstantial evidence. Zodiac the movie is a docudrama that focuses on three people who tried to track the killer: reporter Paul Avery (Robert Downey, Jr), Inspector David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) and cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal). The screenplay is based on Graysmith’s book. Talented director David Fincher takes on much more than just doing a doco of the Zodiac killer: he creates a period piece populated by fleshed out characters where the Zodiac killing is the glue in their stories, but, even without it, the movie would still be a good movie. Carefully captures the history of the period, through sets, music, and topical references (for example, a characters discusses Melvin Belli’s appearance on Star Trek and its subsequent cancellation – which is a nice little homage to Trek, I must say). Rating: 3.5 of 4

"[W]here Se7en, with its stygian gloom and theatrical executions, inflated the serial killer genre to gothic proportions, Zodiac lets the air back out. It is methodical rather than macabre, clinical rather than cruel."
- Christopher Orr (New Republic)

"Not until well into its second hour does it settle on a theme: the need to know the truth, and the dismal toll of that futile obsession."
- Peter Keough (Boston Phoenix)

"David Fincher's sixth feature potently blends the dynamics of the newsroom drama with those of the police procedural."
- Graham Fuller (Sight and Sound)

The Visitor (2007)

Mouna (Hian Abbass): Which one is she?
Walter (Richard Jenkins): The one closest to us.
Mouna: The black one? That is Zainab? She’s very black.

Walter: Tariq is teaching me the drum.
Mouna: How is that going?
Walter: Well, I sound a lot better when he’s playing with me.

At a glance: Richard Jenkins understated performance as a grieving husband who reaches out to casual acquaintances in a time of need touches on larger, global issues: immigration law, fear of terrorism, and the need for solidarity amongst peoples of varying backgrounds

Walter (Richard Jenkins), a stodgy professor who is caught within the web of his own grief, has a life-changing experience when he inadvertently becomes involved with a young couple from Syria/ Senegal, both recently arrived in New York. When their life changes for the worst, he tries to help right the wrongs. It starts as a redemption story for a grieving man, and even on those modest terms, it is fantastic, then suddenly the story becomes about so much more: an examination of how the arbitrary boundaries of countries are used to validate atrocities of justice done to innocent people. I was reminded of another, larger idea when watching this film: although the leaders and extremists in various cultures (western and eastern) tend to stress the differences between people and their ideologies, at the heart of it, whether you wear a kufi or a cowboy hat, you basically want and need the same things: food, shelter, and safety for your family, friends and neighbors. Miraculously, writer/director Tom McCarthy is able to present these ideas within the framework of a movie that gently and poetically portrays the bonds of love that bind us. Quiet, powerful, small, and beautiful. Rating: 3.5 of 4

"The beautifully restrained performance by [Richard] Jenkins is the anchor of a film built around complex characters and quiet moments."
- Robert Davis (Paste Magazine)

"Cuts across one of the West's most contentious political issues without ever getting political. And it features a terrific lead performance from Jenkins."
- Rich Cline (Film Threat)

Next (2007)

"Every once in a while what we think is magic is the real deal hiding behind a $50.00 trick, because the alternative is impossible for others to live with."
- Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage)

"There's an Italian painter, named Carlotti, and he uh, ahem, defined beauty. He said it was the summation of the parts working together in such a way that nothing needed to be added, taken away or altered, and that's you. You're beautiful."
- Cris Johnson

"I've seen every possible ending. None of them are good for you."
- Cris Johnson

At a glance: Nicolas Cage’s screen persona has to fill in the gaps in this sometimes-clever, sometimes weak action film about a man who can see 2 minutes into the future.

Cris (Nicolas Cage) is a second-rate Vegas magician with a first-rate talent: he can see two minutes into the future – but only his own future. Callie (Julianne Moore) is an FBI agent who has the temperament and gender of Scully but with Mulder’s love of the paranormal. She sees Cris’ power and brings him in to solve the Case of the Missing Bomb. Nicolas Cage is looking a little worse for wear, but he’s still a smooth operator, and I find his screen energy captivating (even when the film he is in is perhaps not top notch). The beauty of the film stems from Cris’ knowledge of the future, and how that lets him effortlessly slide through dangerous situations, the highlight of which is his choreographed avoidance of a large number of security people in a Vegas casino. Director Lee Tamahori (who helmed the brilliant Once Were Warriors in 1994) does as much as he can with a script (and script structure) that is not as good as it could have been. Jessica Biel is good, and Moore is used to playing these kinds of parts, although this one isn’t written so well for her. Some pretty goofy CGI special effects add nothing to the story, nor does the shoot ‘em up finale and the needless ‘extra’ ending. As for those reviewers who found it unbelievable that the young, nubile Jessica Biel could fall for the old, ageing Nicolas Cage? You need to look at this from the perspective of this male, over 50 reviewer, and realize like I did, that oh yes, absolutely, it could happen! Rating: 2.5 of 4

"The premise is wildly preposterous, yet Nicolas Cage makes Next fun to watch."
- Urban Cinefile Critics (Urban Cinefile)

"Not a bad film if you can overlook the basic silliness of the plot."
- Robert Roten (Laramie Movie Scope)

"While Next has a few fun and inventive moments sprinkled throughout, mostly revolving around the use of Cris' power, it collapses into an exhausting litany of action movie clichés before exposing itself as a total mindjob in the end."
- Stax (IGN Movies)

"Until its trigger-happy, metaphysically-impossible-to-decipher, and anticlimactic copout of an ending, the movie is a successful entertainment -- albeit a minor, disposable, and completely forgettable one."
- Mark Dujsik (Mark Reviews Movies)

Die Hard 4: Live Free or Die Hard (2007)

Matt Farrell (Justin Long): Did you see that?
John McClane (Bruce Willis): Yeah, I saw it. I did it!

Matt Farrell: You just killed a helicopter with a car!
John McClane: I was out of bullets.

Matt Farrell: Oh, great! There goes the cell phone.
John McClane: They knocked the satellites out?
Matt Farrell: No, your battery ran out.

Lucy McClane (Mary Elizabeth Winstead): Listen, will you just take a minute, and just dig deep for a bigger set of balls because you’re gonna need ‘em before we’re through.
Matt Farrell: Wow! I know that tone, it’s just weird hearing it from someone with…hair.

Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant): McClane? I thought I killed you already.
John McClane: I get that sometimes.

At a glance: Bruce Willis returns in glory for the 4^th- and perhaps the best – of the Die Hard movies. Over the top action builds to an even more over the top climax as John McClane fights to defeat a cyber-terrorist – and rescue his daughter.

When the FBI gets hacked, the put out a directive to round up the A list of top suspect hackers. John McLaine (Bruce Willis) is interrupted while stalking his daughter to get one of them, Matt Farrell. When a group of heavily armed thugs try to kill Farrell just as McLaine gets there, it’s probably because Farrell knows something about who and why someone is trying to shut down all vital US computer systems. Top-notch action film moves at breakneck speed right from the start to the exhilarating finale, leaving the audience with no time to think about how preposterous most of the movie is; in short, the perfect action movie! Willis was 52 when this was made, but still seems right at home in a very physical setting – and I’m not ashamed to admit I loved his passionate joyous responses whenever he kills a particularly evil bad guy. A personal favorite of mine, Justin Long, who was terribly nerdy as the teen fan of Galaxy Quest, is now 7 years older with facial hair and a disarmingly Keanu Reeves quality – and he’s still great. Timothy Olyphant also does a nice turn as a super-smart and polished terrorist. And Maggie Q is fun to watch. Director Len Wiseman allows his personal fandom of the Die Hard series to influence – and improve – the end product. Rating: 3.5 of 4

"With an infectious laugh when he blows up the bad guys and the power to stay alive no matter what, Bruce Willis' John McClane is a welcome sight back in theaters."
- Kevin A. Ranson (MovieCrypt.com)

"It is is about as realistic as a Tom & Jerry cartoon, but then again, this is a Die Hard movie…"
- James O'Ehley (SA Movie & DVD Magazine)

"Hugely enjoyable action flick that delivers likeable characters, a decent plot, plenty of wisecracks and more breathtakingly ridiculous stunts than you'll know what to do with."
- Matthew Turner (ViewLondon)

The Fountain (2007)

"Our bodies are prisons for our souls. Our skin and blood, the iron bars of confinement. But fear not. All flesh decays. Death turns all to ash. And thus, death frees every soul."
- Grand Inquisitor Silecio (Stephen McHattie)

Izzi (Rachel Weisz): Will you deliver Spain from bondage?
Tom Verde (Hugh Jackman): Upon my honor and my life.
Izzi: Then you shall take this ring to remind you of your promise. You shall wear it when you find Eden, and when you return, I shall be your Eve. Together we will live forever.

 "Death is a disease; it’s like any other. And there’s a cure…a cure. And I will find it,"
- Tommy Creo (Hugh Jackman)

At a glance: Darren Aronofsky’s ambitious tale of life, love, death, and immortality spans the ages and provides some unique visual imagery, but it drowns in a sea of its own murkiness and inaccessibility.

Tommy Creo (Hugh Jackman) is a surgeon who redirects his work and risks his career to try to find a cure for his wife’s Izzi’s (Rachel Weisz) cancer. 500 years earlier, a conquistador fights to save his queen, and supports her in her quest to find the Tree of Eternal Life and the ancient Mayan Fountain of Youth. Muddled, uninvolving, and inaccessible until past the halfway point, it finally begins to gain some traction with its core story of love, death, redemption, and immortality – but most viewers would have turned out by this point. There’s no doubting director Darren Aronofsky’s prodigious talent (check out Pi) but he just can’t get his massive message across. It’s as if Aronofsky is channeling a metaphysical David Lynch. Clint Mansell’s always-wonderful music, the visual imagery, and the warm, dark sets are almost enough to compensate for the murky narrative. Note that this film originally had double the budget it ended up with; when Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett pulled out, Aronofsky recast and restructured the film. I thought Rachel Weisz lacked the ability to portray the depth this story required; as Roger Ebert mentions in the quote below, a director’s cut might be interesting as well. Rating: 2 of 4

"And yet I believe we have not seen the real film. When a $75 million production goes into turnaround and is made for $35 million, elements get eliminated. When a film telling three stories and spanning thousands of years has a running time of 96 minutes, scenes must have been cut out. There will someday be a Director’s Cut of this movie, and that’s the cut I want to see."
- Roger Ebert

"I don't pretend to fully understand Darren Aronofsky's latest film, to unravel its knots of time and character, or its oozing realities. But at its core there is the unmistakable essay on the way love is cheated by death, just as death is cheated by love."
- Urban Cinefile Critics (Urban Cinefile)

"This film raises an interesting question: How far is a viewer willing to follow a talented filmmaker down a rabbit hole, when it becomes clear that said filmmaker has lost his way?"
- Steve Biodrowski (ESplatter)

"There is a strange deadness in the film, together with a callow self-importance and self-pity which become more stultifying with every minute that passes."
- Peter Bradshaw (Guardian [UK])

"If only all reputed turkeys gave us such a trip."
- Tim Robey (Daily Telegraph)

Blades of Glory (2007)

"The only skater to win four national championships and an adult film award."
- Co-anchor (describing Chazz Michael Michaels)

"No exaggeration, I could not love a human baby more then I love this brush."
- Chazz (Will Ferrell)

At a glance: Will Ferrell and Jon Heder star as feuding Olympic figure skaters in this comedy that is sometimes hilarious, sometimes raunchy, and always inventive and inspired.

Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder) and Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) are the two top skaters in the world, regularly going head to head for Olympic Gold. Jimmy is graceful, gentle, and effeminate; Chazz is rough and raunchy. They hate each other, and when they tie for Gold and get into a fight while podium-sharing, they are both banned from ever skating again. However, through a loophole, they find a way back in, but only by skating in pairs – with each other!

Figure skating is the perfect parody target; the skating scenes and up-close-and-personal videos are just hilarious; the fight-and-insult scenes much less so. The pairing of two men in an atypical Olympic setting harkened back to the days of Saturday Night Live, when Martin Short and Harry Shearer combined to do a hilarious synchronized swimming skit.

I was personally impressed with the obvious care and time that went into the making of this film. It was obvious, while watching, that Ferrell and Heder had to train extensively to make their skating look legitimate, and indeed they did: they trained with Michele Kwan's coach, Sarah Kawahara. Heder even broke his ankle while training.

Although occasionally on the vulgar side for laughs, Blades also has a sweetness to it, most of that gained by Ferrell’s redemption arc. Peppered with lots of cameos by real skating stars (Brian Boitano, Peggy Fleming, and many more). Rating: 3 of 4

 "Blades of Glory will have Will Ferrell fans dizzy with laughter. Silly, uneven, but hilarious when it's funny, the show might remind his fans of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."
- Linda Cook (Quad City Times [Davenport, IA])

"Hilarious comedy with superb comic performances from Heder and Ferrell and some impressive digital trickery during the ice skating scenes."
- Matthew Turner (ViewLondon)

Waitress (2007)

Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion): I want to talk to you, somewhere outside of here. Maybe we can have a coffee or something?
Jenna (Keri Russell): I can't have coffee, it's on the bad food list you gave to me. What kind of doctor are you?

"I was addicted to saying things and having them matter to someone."
- Jenna

At a glance: This mildly quirky slice-of-life drama/comedy about a young, reluctant mom and her pathetic husband beats to its own drummer, relying neither on too many jokes or too much heavy drama, and instead is carried solely on the strength of Keri Russell’s tour-de-force performance, and the supporting work of Jeremy Sisto, Nathan Fillion and Andy Griffith.

Meet Jenna (Keri Russell). She’s a waitress with a talent (more a gift, really) for making unique and delicious pies to fit any mood. But her life is not happy: she’s married to the overbearing Earl (Jeremy Sisto), and despite her hatred of him, he got her drunk – and pregnant, and she just found out about the pregnancy part. It’s no wonder that she practically attacks her sexy, sensitive local doctor (Nathan Fillion). All the while, she has her strange friendship with Joe (Andy Griffith) and her bonding friendships with fellow waitresses Becky (Cheryl Hines) and Dawn (Adrienne Shelly, who also wrote and directed). Interesting film is happy to float along, presenting serious situations with a natural flippance. There are plenty of potentially wrenchingly dramatic moments, but they are all played out on the surface. Nor are there many moments of hilarious comedy. But in this case, that isn’t such a bad thing; it just adds to the feeling that this is a film that isn’t trying to dot the I’s and cross the T’s. Instead, the performances are allowed to stand out for themselves, particularly that of Russell, who brings a comedic sincerity to the role. The ‘pie’ theme is used throughout: every dramatic moment is punctuated by a pie recipe (with visual) that suits the moment (like, for example, the "I Hate My Husband Pie"). This is a unique, top-notch entry in the romcom, chick flick genre. A sad postscript: writer/director/actor Adrienne Shelly was murdered in New York just after the completion of this project.Rating: 3 of 4

"Keri Russell sparkles in this story about a piemaker who longs for something more filling."
- Wesley Lovell (Oscar Guy)

"I dare you to sit through Waitress and not fall for Russell.Her face is open like a baby's and sculpted like a goddess'."
- Jordan Hiller (Bangitout.com)

"Its almost-bedtime-story delivery heightens its design as a parable about finding focus and clarity after enduring much chaos and wading through the mud."
- Jeffrey Chen (Window to the Movies)

Teeth (2007)

Dad; There’s dinner – if you want a bite.
Dawn: I ate.

Bizarre horror film manages to combine a straight-up teen coming of age story with an outrageious, gore-filled concept, and its heart is always in the right place (although its teeth definitely are not).

Dawn (Jess Weixler) is a teenage girl who makes rousing speeches for The Ring, a group dedicated to getting teens to abstain from pre-marital sex. Straight-laced and angelic, she is the opposite of her heavy-metal, tatooed step-brother Brad (John Hensley).  Despite her burgeoning relationship with Tobey (Hale Appleman) she refuses to give in to sexual fantasy – let alone sex. When she does – unwillingly – the result is…painful for her, but so much more so for him. Strange film feels almost like a standard teen angst story, interepersed with occasional moments of pure blood-spurting (and sometimes hilarious) gore; most scenes have the added backdrop of twin nuclear smokestacks. It’s what every girl needs – the ultimate defense mechanism. Rating: 3 of 4

"Star Jess Weixler, exerting the command and persona of a young Meryl Streep, grants enough earnest innocence that instead of fearing Dawn, you fear for her."
- Phil Villarreal  (Arizona Daily Star)

"Extremely funny, very clever and still packs some cover-your-face bloody thrills that top any Saw or Hostel movie."
- Peter Hartlaub (San Francisco Chronicle)

"B+ A smart and convincing film with a lot to say about the power of female sexuality and the cultural forces that try to stifle it."
- Shawn Levy (Oregonian)

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)

Hank (Ethan Hawke): Well, Bobby said that he needed to rent a car, but that he did, uh, this was Friday night, and he didn’t have a credit card, so I told him that I would rent him a car and – I owed him some money – that’s, that’s it, I swear – I’m so sorry.
Chris (Aleksa Palladino): So what – so, you’re lieing? If Bobby wanted a car, he would have fucking stolen one!

Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman): The thing about real estate accounting is that you can, you can, add down the page or across the page and everything works out. Everyday, everything adds up. The, the total is always the sum of its parts. It's, uh, clean. It's clear. Neat, absolute. But my life, it, uh, it doesn't add up. It, uh... Nothing connects to anything else. It's, uh... I'm not, I'm not the sum of my parts. All my parts don't add up to one... to one me, I guess.
Justin (Blaine Horton): Get a shrink or a wife.
Andy: Uh, I got a wife.
Justin: Get a shrink.

At a glance: Veteran director and legend Sydney Lumet returns at age 83 to direct this torrid, unappealing, but highly rated crime drama, where perhaps the world’s most dysfunctional family gets to smother the screen for 2 hours.

(SPOILER ALERT) Hank (Ethan Hawke) is a divorced dad with money issues. His brother Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) hatches a plan to rob their parent’s jewelry store. Hank has never done this kind of thing before, so he enlists the help of Bobby (). Bobby has done this kind of thing before; he brings along a handgun and an attitude. When he sees Hank’s disguise, he says he will do the heist alone, just asking Hank to drive instead. We learn early that the robbery is a failure; later, we find out just how much of a failure it is on so many levels. Then, through trips back in time, we see why people did what they did. Hank seems like the one with problems, but although Andy looks like he’s got it all under control, it is he that is embezzling, using hard drugs, and trying to save his failed marriage to Gina (Marisa Tomei). The deliberate pacing may not appeal to all viewers, nor will the fact that there is not one character with any redeeming quality (other than perhaps how good Marisa Tomei looks when she is topless). This is my first exposure to Hoffman, although I have had Capote on my to-view list for some time. And I wish I had watched it before this, as I believe Hoffman’s acting may be somewhat of an acquired taste that may come off as overacting at first glance. On that subject, virtually everyone overacts and pulls faces, especially Hawke – this is not subtle direction for the most part. By the way, Hawke has matured less than gracefully and and is looking very Nick Nolte-ish. There are moments and styles that I liked about the film – for example, the way Justin (Blaine Horton), Andy’s waifish heroin injector, is always filmed from a distance, with his face turned at an angle to the camera, to emphasize his status as a non-entity. Generally, however, I found it too distasteful and overwrought. Note that this film has generally received excellent reviews, so I’m going against the norm by rating it so poorly. Rating: 2 of 4

"Marisa's bored and frustrated sexpot trophy wife is pretty much kept around in the movie just for occasional guy sexual satisfaction, in Sid Lumet's human cesspool of murky madness."
- Prairie Miller (NewsBlaze)

"Marked by hammy performances and outlandish revelations, Sidney Lumet's film can barely hold a candle to his greatest work."
- Wesley Lovell (Oscar Guy)

"Bleak, brutal and quite possibly brilliant, this is a triumphant return to form for Lumet and further proof that Hoffman is on an incredible winning streak."
- Helen OHara (Empire Magazine)