Genre: Drama, Mystery

Year: 2009

Country: Austria, Germany, France, Italy

Rating:

Starring: Christian Friedel, Ernst Jacobi, Leonie Benesch, Ulrich Tukur, Ursina Lardi

Director: Michael Haneke

My Review: This movie takes place just prior to WWI, in a quaint unassuming German village. Odd things are happening here. While a good harvest follows a bad, and teachers fall in love with local girls, the children are persecuted, ignored, and possibly responsible for some heinous crimes. The children? Nonsense, our children can do no harm. They are pure and innocent. The acting is great, the cinematography excellent and the direction splendid. Unfortunately, the story is a bit too disjointed, a bit too ephemeral. It takes quite a bit of effort and time to tie together all the disparate events happening in this one small village. Could these events have something to do with Germany's larger role within the European community? I give it a 3 out of 5.

Summary:

Genre: Documentary

Year: 2008

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Joshua Tickell, Barbara Boxer, Richard Branson, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter

Director: Joshua Tickell

My Review: An 11 year journey - The director of this movie (Josh Tickell) has a passion, and he wants to share it with everyone who'll listen. Get off oil or suffer the consequences. This documentary ties oil dependency to every woe our nation faces. At first, it seems that Josh proposes bio-diesel as the miracle cure to all our problems. Thankfully, as the film progresses, we come to see that bio-diesel is just a small part of a larger solution. It's an extremely well crafted argument in logical terms, and it's hard to argue with the numbers presented. The only thing this film fails to address are the political realities of our current economy. How dependent we've become, how powerful the oil industry is, how our political system has been compromised by the co-dependency cycle created by oil. Very well produced and edited. Covers every angle with depth and sincerity. 4 out of 5.

Summary: Director Josh Tickell takes us along for his 11 year journey around the world to find solutions to America's addiction to oil. A shrinking economy, a failing auto industry, rampant unemployment, an out-of-control national debt, and an insatiable demand for energy weigh heavily on all of us. Fuel shows us the way out of the mess we're in by explaining how to replace every drop of oil we now use, while creating green jobs and keeping our money here at home. The film never dwells on the negative, but instead shows us the easy solutions already within our reach.

Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller, War

Year: 2010

Country: France, USA, Spain, UK

Rating:

Starring: Yigal Naor, Said Faraj, Faycal Attougui, Aymen Hamdouchi, Matt Damon

Director: Paul Greengrass

My Review: Matt Damon plays Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller in this action, thriller directed by Paul Greengrass. Based on a book by Rajiv Chandrasekaran's (Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone), the movie portrays events inside Iraq just after the initial days of invasion (2nd Iraq War). A search for WMDs, a conspiracy, an attempted cover-up and the struggle to politically unite the new nation. The action was excellent, the acting fair, but the script was a bit too predictable. There really wasn't anything unexpected here, and the bad guy is a pencil pushing politician with an altruistic agenda. The props, costumes and locations (filmed primarily in Spain and Morocco) made for a very convincing setting. I really liked the way the backstory and narrative stayed true to historical fact. The shaky cam footage wasn't quite as bad as that in some of Greengrass' other films, and I didn't get nauseous. It's a good action flick, with excellent editing and production, but it doesn't go beyond that. Another hollywood blockbuster with a big budget. I give it a 3 out of 5.

Summary: Following the American invasion of Iraq in 2003 Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller and his men are charged with finding the so-called weapons of mass destruction, whose existence justified American involvement, according to the Pentagon and their man in Baghdad, Poundsgate. Veteran CIA operative Marty tells Miller that there are no weapons, it is a deception to allow the Americans to take over the country and install a puppet leader. Also suspicious of Poundsgate is Wall Street Journal reporter Lawrie Dayne, who lets slip to Miller that Poundsgate told her he had secret talks in Jordan with an important Iraqi, code-named Magellan, who told him about the weapons, though it now seems likely Magellan's true information was to the contrary. So begins a hunt for the truth. Who's playing whom?

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Year: 2009

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Jeff Daniels, Lauren Graham, Lou Taylor Pucci, Olivia Thirlby, Kat Dennings

Director: John Hindman

My Review: Jeff Daniels plays a reclusive author who's drawn out of self imposed isolation when he happens upon romance (with Lauren Graham) after he throws his back out. The story is a quirky, indie, romance with some heart and a few laughs. Everyone is looking to Arlen Faber for advice, but who does the author of 'Me and God' turn too? The acting is fair, the writing average, but the characters and feel good sentiment carry the movie, and I have to admit that I liked this charming little feel-good drama. 3 out of 5.

Summary: Everyone wants to meet Arlen Faber, the world famous author of the best-selling spiritual book "Me and God", but crotchety, disgruntled Arlen simply wants to be left alone - and so far he's been successful in keeping his identity a secret. But all that changes when troubled bookstore owner Kris Lucas discovers his home address and barters books for Arlen's words of wisdom, and a back injury leads the reclusive writer to begin dating chiropractor and overprotective single mother Elizabeth. As Arlen's relationships with his newfound friends begin to grow, he must come to terms with his past and the realization that he doesn't hold all the answers.

Genre: Documentary

Year: 2004

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Carlos Larkin

Director:

My Review: This movie consists of 50 film clips separated by lame remarks such as 'Another horrible movie featuring a man in a gorilla costume'. Supposedly, this was supposed to be a 'Documentary'? It wasn't. It didn't discuss the films in much detail. It didn't talk about studio constraints, budgets, production problems or other issues that contribute to these 'gems' of the silver screen. The exact same three second laugh track is plugged in at the end of every interstitial commentary, and this documentary itself is a good contender for a 'Worst Documentaries' list. The production, commentary, graphics, and video quality are all sub-par. The commentary for each film is not supported by the trailer footage, and there were very few examples where anything other than the trailer was used as 'evidence' for the films ranking amongst the 50 worst. Finally, another issue which offended me was the lack of any movies beyond the mid 80's. It's as if there haven't been any bad movies since the 80s… The only redeeming feature is some trivia content. 2 of 5.

Summary: There are some movies that are so bad they're good. And there are some movies that are so bad- that they're just bad! Really bad! And there are people out there who love these horribly bad films, like us! Welcome to The Fifty Worst Films Of All Time. From armless kung-fu fighters, ear-eating midgets, and crawling hands to just about everything Ed Wood did. This is the finest collection of bad films ever compiled. The budgets are cheap, the acting is terrible, and the plots are nowhere to be seen. It's The Fifty Worst Films Of All Time!

Genre: Drama, Horror, Romance

Year: 2009

Country: Ireland

Rating:

Starring: Ciarán Hinds, Iben Hjejle, Aidan Quinn, Billy Roche, Valerie Spelman

Director: Conor McPherson

My Review: While the acting (by Ciarán Hinds and Aidan Quinn) was superb, the writing in this movie was boring as spit. A supernatural thriller where a recently widowed middle aged man starts seeing ghosts. Coincidentally, he becomes involved with the author of a book on ghosts. The supernatural angle in this movie is completely blunted when one becomes convinced that the man is simply dreaming or wrestling with feelings of guilt over the loss of close family members. The location of rural, coastal, Ireland lends atmosphere to the movie, but that and the great camera work don't do much for the lackluster plot. This movie lacks everything in entertainment value. It's sole redeeming feature is the outstanding acting. The convergence of three primary characters provides slight respite late in the movie, but I can't muster more than a ho-hum for this supernatural snooze fest. 2 out of 5.

Summary:

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Year: 1958

Country: France

Rating:

Starring: Jeanne Moreau, Maurice Ronet, Georges Poujouly, Yori Bertin, Jean Wall

Director: Louis Malle

My Review: A fantastic, fatalistic, suspenseful, drama. Filled with characters full of life and vigor, the writing in this Film Noir masterpiece was excellent, but the character development and direction was masterful. It's a crime of passion, perfectly planned, sublimely executed, but it ends in catastrophe. This whodunit doesn't dote on the details of the crime, instead it operates on a different level all-together. It's the characters inner monologue, the tense, personal convictions of all concerned that pushes this movie beyond your typical crime drama with romantic involvements. This film is the first directed by Louis Malle, a master of the psychological drama, and his debut speaks of deep insight on the human condition, surely here there is a director with much to offer. The music by Jazz legend Miles Davis was great as well. The only draw back was the slightly messy ending, with a bit of confusing dialog. 4 out of 5.

Summary: Florence Carala and her lover Julien Tavernier, an ex - paratrooper want to murder her husband by faking a suicide. But after Julien has killed him and he puts his things in his car, he finds he has forgotten the rope outside the window and he returns to the building to remove it...

Genre: Adventure, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Western

Year: 2010

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, Jennifer Beals

Director: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes

My Review: Denzel Washington plays the drifter Eli. Eli is on a holy mission through the scorched lands. A post apocalyptic landscape of devastated America. As he travels westward he encounters a variety of victims, violent malcontents, and an evil mastermind with a plan to rule the world! THe plot involves a powerful relic from the past. A device so powerful it can rule the minds of men and mend the wounds of this blasted world. The acting was o.k. (Gary Oldman as the aging evil mastermind was great, Mila Kunis as the tasty young thing was cast for well, her non-acting assets. Denzel walked through the shoot - literally) The post apocalyptic production - from scenery to props, costumes and lighting were all superb. The problem with this movie was the anemic script and time worn scenarios of the day after. I give it a 3 out of 5.

Summary: In a violent post-apocalyptic society, the drifter Eli has been wandering to west across North America for the last thirty years reading a unique book that he brings with him. He survives hunting small animals and seeking goods in destroyed houses and vehicles to trade in villages for water and supplies. When he reaches the village ruled by the powerful mobster Carnegie, the man offers a job to Eli to join his gang. Carnegie presses his blind lover Claudia to send her daughter Solara to convince Eli spending the night with him. The girl sees the book of Eli, and when Carnegie beats up on Claudia, she reveals that Eli has the sought book. Carnegie sends his gang to take the book from Eli, but the man is up for protecting the book with his life.

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller

Year: 2009

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes, Vincent D'Onofrio

Director: Antoine Fuqua

My Review: Another 'many stories equals one' production. The plot tries to draw together the stories of three separate cops. Set in a Brooklyn housing project, the lives of these three cops coming crashing down on one insane night of violence, consequence and judgement. The casting was pretty good, and the acting matched. Unfortunately, the story contained some very stale and overused cop cliches. In this movie every character is a highly polished example of caste and type. There's the cynical washed up cop - Played by Richard Gere. The cash hungry cop who's trying to build a better life for his family - Played by Ethan Hawke. And finally, the conflicted undercover cop who can't figure out who's worse the cops he works for or the crooks he's charged to compromise. The social nuance is well done, but this highly violent cop drama lacks one important thing. A reason to watch it. There's really nothing new to see hear. The production, lighting, editing and camera work were awesome. Too bad they were wasted on a story that's already been told a thousand times. 3 of 5.

Summary:

Genre: Adventure, Western

Year: 1954

Country: USA

Rating:

Starring: Alan Ladd, Shelley Winters, J. Carrol Naish, Hugh O'Brian, Robert Douglas

Director: Raoul Walsh

My Review: This film may be named 'Saskatchewan', but it doesn't have anything to do with that Canadian province. Filmed in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. In the Rocky mountains, hundreds of miles away. The movie starts out with racist caste setting. O'Rourke the Canadian Mounty demonstrates the white mans superiority over American Indians by besting his Cree 'half brother' Cajou in shooting and riding. With the racist stereotyping out of the way, the movie goes on to tell the story of how the Canadian Mounties prevented massacres of innocent white settlers by the marauding forces of 'American' Sioux. The Sioux have crossed the border into Canada after a series of successful attacks on the U.S. Seventh Cavalry. In the end, it's the efforts of a mutinous O'Rourke, and his 'Friendship' with the tribe, that convinces the Cree to turn against the Sioux and ally themselves with the Mounties. This movie was a classic case of racial stereotyping, poor writing and cliche characters. The acting by all involved was pretty bad. Alan Ladd (playing Sub-Inspector Thomas O'Rourke) was a wooden example of poor acting and extreme type casting. The only good acting came from Robert Douglas as the naive new Mounty commander. The best thing about this movie? It's location. The long shots and scenery of the Canadian Rockies was awesome. Do yourself a favor. Watch this movie with the sound muted, or play to your favorite classical music. 2 out of 5.

Summary: O'Rourke and his Cree half brother Cajou are returning from a northern Canadian trapping trip when they encoutner a burned wagon train and sole surivor Grace. Naive Mountie commander Benton believes it to be a Cree attack. The Sioux from across the border are trying to force the Cree into being allies in their struggle with the U.S. seventh cavalry. O'Rourke must mutiny to save the men. He must also aid Grace, in whom Marshal Smith has both official and unprovoked amorous interests.