Catfish

very absorbing documentary

on the surface catfish seems like a very slight story of an internet romance, but while watching this documentary unfold you get sucked in and it turns into more of a mystery/thriller than anything else. nev is a photographer whose pictures strike the fancy of an 8 year old Michigan artist who starts to paint many of them. the two form an online friendship and her family befriends nev. eventually nev forms a relationship with abby's older sister also online and on the phone. as the movie plays you realize that something isn't quite right about the whole situation. i went into this film knowing almost nothing, and i think that's why i enjoyed it so much. excellent film about facebook relationships, internet life and love, and much more.

The Town

ben affleck showcases his talents

the town is an excellent crime drama/thriller written by, directed by, and starring ben affleck. he plays doug, an amazing bankrobber in Charleston Massachusetts (the town). along with his gang of experts they pull off jobs like clockwork. doug ends up falling for a hostage (rebecca hall) he takes and they form a relationship. all the while the FBI is on their case and trying to use any resources they can to catch them. the film is very well made, and it's not some silly CSI style crime drama. this film is intense and realistic in almost every way. the romance and stuff is predictable, and the narrative shifts from affleck to jon hamm (FBI leader), and it's hard to tell who we should root for. imagine a better version of heat, that's more realistic. that's the town.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

awesome

i'll admit i hadn't heard of scott pilgrim before this film, but it was awesome nonetheless. michael cera plays scott, a canadian twenty-something year old who's in an indie band and having girl troubles. he's in a relationship w/ a 17 year old asian girl, but he's secretly in love with a new mysterious dream girl. in order to date the new girl he must overcome her seven evil exes. the film plays out like a video game stylistically. it's awesome and fun overall. i loved it.

The Social Network

david fincher directs the interesting true story of facebook

mark zuckerberg created facebook and lied/cheated his way to the top in many ways... the story is played out rather well in this film. i don't understand why it got praised as one of the best films of all time though. it's interesting to be sure, but not as thrilling and dramatic as i was expecting. well written and acted, the film was quite good, just not quite as amazing as i was expecting.

Get Him to the Greek

good buddy comedy with heart

get him to the greek is a hilarious comedy about jonah hill trying to get russell brand to the biggest concert of his waning career at the greek theater. through lots of sex, drugs and rock & roll the two become close, although brand nearly destroys hill's entire life. the film is hilarious in a lot of scenes, especially the music lyrics, and there's a fair amount of poignancy as well towards the end that doesn't kill the lulz.

Cyrus

The Cat Returns (Neko no ongaeshi)

Gentlemen Broncos

How to Train Your Dragon

Youth in Revolt

Kick-Ass

Sex Drive

Hot Tub Time Machine

The Slammin' Salmon

another good broken lizard film

i personally love broken lizard (even though i've only seen super troopers and beerfest) and their comedic style. sure there are some misfires here and there, but overall the characters are usually likeable and funny. the 5 guys are waiters at an upscale restaurant named after and owned by 'the slammin salmon' a former heavyweight boxer. he ends up owing $20k that he doesn't have on hand, so the restaurant has to earn that amount in one night or else! lots of funny stuff, even if it's a lot like the film waiting. slight but funny stuff here.

Defendor

good mix of action, comedy and drama

woody harrelson stars as arthur poppington, a 'slow' adult who believes he is a superhero fighting crime. at night he dons the persona of defendor and uses his skills and gadjets to bring petty criminals to justice. he is in constant search of 'captain industry', the man whom he believes sells drugs to the city, and that killed his mother. despite his limited mental capacities, defendor is actually successful as a crimefighter, although he keeps getting hurt and into trouble. the movie is very original, and i always love woody harrelson. the filmmakers don't make many mistakes and there aren't loads of cliches like in traditional superhero movies. highly recommended.

North Face (Nordwand)

amazing action, incredible true story

north face is the true story of a german mountain climbing team trying to be the first ones to clmb the north face of the auger mountain during world war II. friends toni and andreas are extremely skilled alpinists who decide to make the attempt, along with other climbers from other countries. their childhood friend luise is a journalist assigned to cover the story. her role was kinda over-emphasized, but not too damning. the real treat in this film is the action and intense edge of your seat thriller moments. the film is intense and gripping, and it's a story i wasn't even aware of. great stuff all around.

Eastern Promises

cronenberg's most "mature" film

david cronenberg is one of my favorite directors. ever since i saw existenz (probably one of his worst films), i was hooked. he's fascinated by human skin and gore and awesomely unique things you don't see featured in good films often. eastern promises is an awesome russian mob movie with viggo mortensen at his usual best. he's a gangster working his way up the ladder, meanwhile naomi watts is a midwife trying to find out the past of a 14 year old patient who arrived at the hospital beaten and bruised and in labor. the woman died and left a diary with important information about the russian mob boss and how he raped her. the mob is desperate to get the diary from naomi, and viggo gets involved. it's pretty impressive stuff. the big part of the film is the tattoos that the mobsters all get as part of the ritual, and how accurate they are and everything. good stuff from one of my favorite actors, and directors.

Up in the Air

great performances, and unique perspective

going into 'up in the air' i was expecting another hollywood type movie with little plot and some quirkiness. i was pleasantly surprised by this film however. george clooney plays ryan, a guy who's job is to fire people. he travels all over the country firing people who get laid off. he loves travelling, and is a loner with no real home. his life is great, until the company he works for decides to keep him grounded and have the people do the firing through teleconferencing. ryan hates this idea, but is forced to take the brainiac woman who came up with it on 'tour' with him to see what he does. the plot seems really thin, but it's actually really interesting. the film is sometimes funny, poignant, and often sad. there is no hollywood ending, and that's a great thing. overall this is a great sleeper film with some great performances, especially from george and the 2 female leads.

Porco Rosso (Kurenai no buta)

another amazing hayao miyazaki animated feature

i simply love good anime films. especially miyazaki's masterpieces. porco rosso is the story of porco, a seaplane fighter in the 1920's who looks like a pig-man. he ends up in need of repairs to his plane in order to challenge curtis,an american pilot, for his honor, and ends up meeting a young girl engineer named fio. the plot is simple and not that important. the animation is amazing and the action is great. just a wonderful animated film that is more mature in nature.

Where the Wild Things Are

good dramatic adaptation of a classic kids book

where the wild things are is a reimagining of the classic maurice sendak kids book. the film is almost nothing like the book, other than the monsters look amazingly similar. max is a rambunctious kid who is having a rough time growing up. he is kinda a loner with few friends, and he feels like he's being ignored by his mom and sister. one night he goes 'wild' and runs away... he sails to a new land where the wild things are. he meets carol, douglas, kw, ira, the bull, and others. they eventually make him their king and all is great, until max starts playing favorites and doesn't rule properly (he is a kid after all). he finds out that carol (voiced by james gandolfini) is in love with kw, but wants everything to be a certain way. he eventually finds out that max isn't a real king, and flips out, forcing max to hide. he realizes that life isn't all fun and games, and that he misses his mom. the dramatic elements are amazing in this film. i teared up watching carol the monster express his feelings. it's quite impressive. it may not be how the book goes, but this version of the classic childrens book is a very good artistic achievement.