Deception

1 out of 5 Stars
There is just so much that is wrong about this movie that I don't even know where to begin. This film should be titled 'When Good Actors Make Bad Scripts'. The plot is contrived and ridiculous (occasionally laughably so). Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor attempting 'New York' accents is amusing, Michelle Williams is beautiful but she phoned her performance in. I cringed several times. The good? Hugh Jackman is hot. And some of the shots of Manhattan were really beautiful.

Enchanted

4 out of 5 Stars
Finally! I saw this movie the entire way through! And I *loved* it. I really did. I smiled the entire time. Amy Adams should have been nominated for an Oscar!

Behind the Mask : The Rise of Leslie Vernon

4 out of 5 Stars
Yay for Nathan and Angela! I thought this film was very well written, very well acted (yay Vassar and Juilliard!) and at times I laughed hysterically. Definitely worth watching!

Eraserhead

4 out of 5 Stars
Industrial wasteland. Alien baby. Jack Nance with crazy hair. More David Lynch brilliance.

Turistas

2 out of 5 Stars
A very unoriginal story basis -- innocent tourists find themselves in a remote part of Brazil and despite numerous signs warning them to get the hell away, they are stupid enough to isolate themselves in a remote house where Brazilians attempt to take their organs to sell. A much better version of 'organ stealing' has been depicted in X-Files and Law and Order. My main frustration was toward the characters and just how gullible they were. Okay, they are young. Perhaps they haven't done much traveling. But please. If I was ever in this situation (which really is entirely possible as I have often found myself wandering through South African townships and jungles in Thailand), I would know how to get away and find an embassy, or help, or something! Still, I give this film two stars. One star for Josh Duhamel being hot and one star for the cool (albeit brief) underwater cave scene. I'm referring to the one shot in the daylight -- the last 30 minutes of the film were very dark and I had a very difficult time distinguishing the 'good guys' from the 'bad guys'.

The Ten

4 out of 5 Stars
I held off on seeing this seeing this film for a while (including avoiding watching it when I came across it on a cable network in Istanbul!) because I had heard it was bad. WRONG WRONG WRONG! I laughed throughout the entire film. This is completely my sense of humor. Especially 'The Goof' and the musical montage at the end.

War of the Worlds

1 out of 5 Stars
Oh no! Aliens! Tripods! Watch out! Wait, Boston is safe. And Tim Robbins is weird.

Dumbland

Director - David Lynch
2 out of 5 Stars
I love Lynch but this just isn't my thing. Very grating but the dancing ants in the last short (and the fact that Lynch is behind it) allow me to give this 2 stars.

Arizona Dream

4 out of 5 Stars
Young Johnny Depp. Young Lili Taylor. Accordians, fish, the desert and Dunaway. I love this film.

Twin Peaks : Fire Walk With Me

4.5 out of 5 Stars
This film holds it own as a prequel to the series (though should be watched after seasons one and two). I love that Heather Graham has a brief appearance as Annie in Laura's dream. Sheryl Lee makes up for the lack of Sherilyn Fenn but I missed Lara Flynn Boyle as Donna. I actually think this film makes quite a bit of sense and Lynch does a fantastic job of using his unique style to take on some pretty heavy subject matter.

Autism : The Musical

4 out of 5 Stars
A truly honest and fantastic documentary. I hope Elaine Hall continues gaining enough funding to keep the Miracle Project running! Though I was disappointed that the only children pictured in the film were a) upper middle class kids and b) (with the exception of Elaine's son) the kids were all very high functioning. I found the difficultly in the parental relationships very insightful -- loved that the film captured the difficulty raising a child with disabilities has on marriage. Though the documentary seemed very very edited (ie. no way was what was shown the 'first' rehearsal, more like the 8th or 9th!). I wanted to see the entire musical. Perhaps that can be found in the bonus footage.
Enough of me being critical. These children are beyond delightful and inspiring.

Benny's Video

4 out of 5 Stars
I remember watching this film in the early 90s and being absolutely riveted. Years later, I still find this to be my favorite of Haneke's films. All of the characters are so cold and unfeeling and their interactions with each other are, while scary and upsetting, still very typical. Perhaps it's time for Haneke to make an American version (a la his 2008 'Funny Games') and set in Manhattan. I can't even begin to describe the chills I get when I watch Benny's video footage of Egypt. Especially the scene of his mother in the bathroom.

The Final Destination Trilogy

Final Destination
2 out of 5 Stars
It gets two stars from me for the shower death scene.


Final Destination 2
2.5 out of 5 Stars
Oh Ali Larter. I actually think this is my favorite of the Final Destination movies.


Final Destination 3
2 out of 5 Stars
the roller coaster scene is awesome

My Blueberry Nights

1.5 out of 5 Stars
I contemplated whether this poor excuse for a script deserved even one and a half stars. And the film poster annoys me almost as much as the inane dialogue that wasted close to two hours of my life. The 'spiderman-esque' upside down Jude Law/Norah Jones kiss was so embarrassingly cringeful that I almost closed my eyes in agony right before the credits rolled. Still, I will give praise where praise is due. Kar Wai Wong is a good director who made a few minutes of really, really bad script (I cannot stress this enough) almost watchable. Any other director and I may have walked out after the first 10 minutes. And Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, David Strathairn and Natalie Portman gave very impressive performances despite the bad dialogue. Norah Jones didn't stand a chance when placed in scenes with actors of that caliber. But overall, this may so far rank as the worst film I've seen in 2008.

The Namesake

2 out of 5 Stars
A bit rushed and a lot was cut out from the book. But the shots of India were stunning.

1408

3 out of 5 Stars
Where did this movie come from all of a sudden? I remember a few months back when I came home late at night and my doorman was watching a bootleg copy on his portable DVD player. He told me I would like it and then I forgot all about it until it came up under Netflix new releases in the horror genre. I was very pleasantly surprised that this film didn't suck (unlike the last film based on a Stephen King short story -- you know, that crappy one with Johnny Depp--something involving 'window'). John Cusack really kept this film going. And Samuel L Jackson's one liner about 1408 being a 'scary fucking room' was priceless. Definitely worth renting.

Premonition

1 out of 5 Stars
The bloody mary on the airplane made me enjoy the first half. But then I remembered that I had a premonition *not* to see this film so I never finished it. Actually, I did finish it. But it lost me.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

2.5 out of 5 Stars
I think the films keep getting better mostly because the books get better as the characters age. I was disappointed in the portrayal of Luna Lovegood -- they made her in a creepy horror movie kid -- she might as well have been riding around on a tricycle humming 'tra-la-la-la-la-la-la'. I LOVED Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix. She needed more screentime. Actually, she needs her own spinoff film. And Daniel Radcliff is getting hot. Can't wait to see him as Alan Strang in Equus on Broadway.