Winter's Bone ***

Director: Debra Granik

Year: 2010

Book by: Daniel Woodrell

Adapted by: Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini

Cinematographer: Michael McDonough

Didn't like the script very much, felt very forced, like it came from an outsider trying to imagine what these people might be like. I didn't like much of the acting, most of the lines were delivered too unnaturally. Maybe its because I'm from the ozarks, but I felt like so many lines in the script were trying too hard to be authentic and ended up sounding forced. I got bored by the unimaginative scene transitions... walking through the woods to someone else's house. It had the quality of a good student film... reminded me of my film school projects where I just wanted to go out and find locations and use them instead of focusing on the arch of my story.

Not a bad movie, just didn't feel like it was a great work, and certainly didn't live up to some of the hype it received from critics.

Into Great Silence ***

Original Title: Die große Stille

Writer/Director: Philip Gröning

Year: 2005

A documentary on the contemplative life of prayer as observed by the Carthusian Order in France. No voice over explaining why, or what, or how... instead, the great decision by this director was to simply observe, to follow, in silence... and it makes sense. You don't need explanation... by simply observing, the contemplative life reveals itself to the audience. Beautiful, and meditative, but it can be difficult to sit through without falling asleep.

The Kids Are All Right ****

Director: Lisa Cholodenko

Year: 2010

Writers: Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg

Cinematographer: Igor Jadue-Lillo

Most real family interaction that I've seen in a movie, great family-affirming drama. The one thing I found to be a distracting stretch was how eager the film was to wrap up. I felt that it resolved the cheating spouse issue a little too quickly, I didn't believe that Annette Bening's character would be able to get over that betrayal. It tried to explain it, and I almost believed it, I wanted to... but it was just too soon, too fresh a betrayal to believe that she could start moving past it already. Aside from that instance, I think Cholodenko deserves praise for her realistic understanding of human emotion in her writing parts for teens (who are almost never depicted realistically on screen) and family tensions. Annette Bening is the stand-out performance here, but not quite enough to take the oscar in my opinion.

The Social Network ****

Director: David Fincher

Year: 2010

Book by: Ben Mezrich

Adapted by: Aaron Sorkin

Cinematographer: Jeff Cronenweth

If Aaron Sorkin doesn't win best screenplay, I'll be shocked. The dialogue was so much fun, the way the story was woven did so much more than avoid being boring, it was completely engrossing. It was fascinating. I liked Jesse Eisenberg a lot in this, but was really blown away by supporting actors Andrew Garfield and Armie Hammer. Andrew Garfield would get my best supporting actor this year. As always, Fincher's moods and glossy cinematography were beautiful. Great use of music.

Black Swan *****

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Year: 2010

Writers: Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, John J. McLaughlin

Cinematographer: Matthew Libatique

Visceral. I was unsettled. I flinched. I got lost in it, yet the precise use of symbolism was, like in The Fountain, not complicated, but simple, logical, clean. Every single decision Aronofsky made here made sense to me. I like that he let the audience experience her psychosis, her fear of the endless series of little pricks that put her and us on edge, fearing little things, making us feel stress and anxiety... just, perfect I thought. Another great film from Aronofsky who for me has really solidified himself as one of the best directors working today... he is consistent and I have loved every single one of his films; there aren't many directors of whom I can say that. I hope he gets the best director nod this year. And Natalie Portman blew me away. Until now I was always on the fence about her acting, but wow, she really deserves the best actress for this. I bought her in every scene, every emotional transition, from the "white swan" innocence, fear, anxiety, frailty in a dangerous world surrounded by dark figures... to her psychotic transformation into the "black swan" who embraces and becomes part of the dark world of the ballet company... I was really impressed. This will join my dvd collection someday.

The Spirit of the Beehive ****

Original Title: El espíritu de la colmena

Director: Víctor Erice

Year: 1973

Writers: Víctor Erice, Ángel Fernández Santos, Francisco J. Querejeta

Cinematographer: Luis Cuadrado

Airplane! ****

Directors: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker

Year: 1980

Writers: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker

Cinematographer: Joseph F. Biroc

True Grit ****

Directors: Coen Brothers

Year: 2010

Based on the novel by: Charles Portis

Adapted by: Joel and Ethan Coen

Cinematographer: Roger Deakins

World's Greatest Dad ***

Writer/Director: Bobcat Goldthwait

Year: 2009

Cinematographer: Horacio Marquínez

Felt like it was written and directed by slightly above average film students. Not a very tight script, but I liked some of the risks taken thematically in this dark comedy. Not a predictable story really, not a Hollywood film for sure, but didn't quite execute with a bang.

Nightmare teenagers who are hard to think of as human, and good guys who are awful dads.

I like that its human, and yeah, there's some truth in it... but if I have to sit through another entire song trying to speak the emotions of the characters I'm going to scream.

Synecdoche, New York ****

Writer/Director: Charlie Kaufman

Year: 2008

Cinematographer: Frederick Elmes

Kaufman's dexterity in writing some of the most complex plots ever filmed is almost equalled by his ability to film his own stories. In his directorial debut, the greatest screenwriter of our generation creates one of his trademark surreal dreams, and affected me personally. I walked away dazed and depressed, fearing life and swearing to myself that I had to take advantage of the few years I have left to live. But I felt a bit manipulated. I felt kind of sickened by Kaufman's pithy genius and felt that I could hear a slight self disgust not only coming from the character he co-created with P. S. Hoffman, but from the writer himself. I felt it was a personal work, Kaufman's own inner muck shoveled onto the screen... but done in such an elegant and precise way that it shames all other pity-party "semi-autobiographical" screenplays. That, or Kaufman himself imagined the piece coming from a Hoffman-like character and wrote the screenplay in character.

Either way, his genius as a writer is indisputable.

But.

I didn't get a spark. Great cast. Great performances. Good movie all around, but I'm no where near genius enough to put my finger on what this movie lacked. All I know is I liked it, but that it falls short of being a great film. The effort put forth is certainly award-worthy, but somehow the final product falls short of Kaufman's high watermark film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Maybe it was Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry's fun, playful spirits in the directors chair that lightened the weight of Kaufman's brilliantly depressing works.

It reminds me of Woody Allen. His films are great whether comedy or drama. But where he really shined was with a little light touch amidst his self-loathing psychosis, like in Annie Hall.

True Grit ***

Director: Henry Hathaway

Year: 1969

Based on novel by: Charles Portis

Adapted by: Marguerite Roberts

Cinematographer: Lucien Ballard

John Wayne won best actor Oscar. Glen Campbell could have won the worst actor. A good script with great potential not capitalized upon by the director. Perfect candidate for a remake if put in the hands of skilled directors... I'm looking at you Coen Bros.

Some funny bits, some classic John Wayne lines like "I was aiming at his upper lip." A cameo by a young Robert Duvall. Some really interesting characters, but what should have been the heavy hitting almost ending was almost comically tragic... and then a much too comforting denuement indicate sloppy directing. During the first 2 acts, the scenes are hit and miss, even lines and shots within scenes are hit and miss. An inconsistent direction.

But a good movie none-the-less, on the force of the characters and story, and John Wayne.

RED **

Director: Robert Schwentke

Year: 2010

Based on graphic novel by: Warren Ellis, Cully Hamner

Adapted by: Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber

Cinematographer: Florian Ballhaus

Japón ***

Writer/Director: Carlos Reygadas

Year: 2003

Cinematographers: Diego Martínez Vignatti, Thierry Tronchet

Un mundo maravilloso ***

Director: Luis Estrada

Year: 2006

Writers: Luis Estrada, Jaime Sampietro

Cinematographer: Patrick Murguia

Valhalla Rising ****

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

Year: 2009

Writers: Nicolas Winding Refn, Roy Jacobsen

Cinematographer: Morten Søborg

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World ***

Director: Edgar Wright

Year: 2010

Based on graphic novel by: Bryan Lee O'Malley

Adapted by: Edgar Wright, Michael Bacall

Cinematographer: Bill Pope

Che: Part Two ****

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Year: 2008

Writers: Peter Buchman, Benjamin A. van der Veen

Cinematographer: Steven Soderbergh

Che: Part One ****

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Year: 2008

Writer: Peter Buchman

Cinematographer: Steven Soderbergh

Very well made movie, a movie that shows, doesn't tell. It refuses an ending with closure, instead opting to give another anecdote showing Che's character. He is not said to be an idealistic hero, the scenes and screenplay and performance show him to be an idealistic hero.

Reminds me of "Z", "The Battle of Algiers", and "Army of Shadows". Soderbergh is not doing a Hollywood biopic, and that really works in his favor. This is an interesting movie, and I feel like I am learning about a character without being rushed through his whole life story. I like that it meditates on two periods in his life, the military campaign in Cuba (depicted in gritty, real, color), and the political campaign set in New York (depicted in sexy black and white) in and around the United Nations.

Not really concerned with setting up clear character arcs and Hollywood-like entertainment... this film has a very mellow, meditative tone, a documentarian sense of attention to detail... and yet it is not tedious or heavily philosophical.

Let the Right One In ****

Director: Tomas Alfredson

Year: 2008

Novel by: John Ajvide Lindqvist

Adapted by: John Ajvide Lindqvist

Cinematographer: Hoyte Van Hoytema

I really enjoyed this film, the cinematography harkens back to 70's and 80's films. A couple of distracting visual effects involving cats, but I easily forgive it for that. There are some stunning visual touches in this film, and the confidence of the director to leave space and quiet really excited me.

I don't normally watch scary movies, especially not ones that use kids as scary images (exception for The Shining of course) and I can't say I'm a van of vampire themed things... but I really liked this movie. I want it in my DVD collection.

The acting is really nice from these two young actors, and the screenwriting is pretty damn good. Not a perfect movie, I didn't like the second to last scene very much, but the last scene was good. I don't want to give away why I don't like it that much, because I don't want to push anyone away from this movie. I think this is absolutely worth watching.

There is this beautiful balance between innocence and violence, and a thin line between violence and malevolence, and apparently a big gap between misanthropy and being a vampire.

Vampires are cast as sympathetic creatures, victims of their disease... and yet the film doesn't just give them an excuse to commit murder in the name of survival... in one important subplot, a character who has become a vampire instead chooses suicide over murder.

I like the arcs of the characters and the themes and conflicts the story explores, I think the film will reward a second viewing, and I'm excited to revisit it someday soon.

Food Inc. ***

Director: Robert Kenner

Year: 2008