Inglorious Basterds

There is the constant torrent of movies that make one want to pound out sarcastic vitriol (note this blog), and the more rare flick that makes one want to be immersed in studying great cinema.

My one-word review of Inglorious Basterds: perfect.

Adam

What in less-talented hands could easily have been a Lifetime movie of the week material here becomes a work which is at turns hilarious & gripping, and well-done throughout.

Worth driving way out of the way to see--which is what you'll likely have to do.

New York

Bollywood gets quite serious & thoughtful--without losing any style--as it contemplates being brown in the U.S. post-9/11, with one take on how a non-terrorist may become a terrorist.

And of course, dependably as always, all of the white actors are just plain awful.

Love Aaj Kal

Couple doesn't fully realize what they had until they end it and move to separate continents.

At least they threw a hella cool breakup party first!

District 9

Wow, what a steaming heap of poo that was-- so does every pseudo-stab at allegory on hate and xenophobia get a free pass, no matter how lame in the attempt?

And to add insult upon insult--why the Transformer, WHY?!?

Kaminey

Hot twins, cocaine, bloodbaths, dancers in condom hats, and unprotected premarital sex--yup, just another day in Bollywood!

Lots of style, even a little substance in there somewhere, and at a mere 135 minutes, it's short enough to be a good starter film for the uninitiated.

In the Loop

Some people think a "comedy" full of British accents is hilarious, especially with the incongruity of Tony Soprano in there someplace, threatening to crap on someone's desk ("Ha Ha Ha!").

After hanging out through three-quarters of this mess eagerly awaiting the possible last-minute surfacing of a plot, a character to give a damn about, a laugh, a "hmm" moment, or a snippet of dialogue more clever than a string of f-bombs, we chose to be out of the loop.

RiffTrax LIVE: Plan 9 from Outer Space

A one-night Fathom Event broadcast featuring the cast of Mystery Science Theater 3000 on stage lampooning Ed Wood's anti-masterpiece, this had everyone present howling from start to finish.

I wish they'd do a film a week.

The Goods

This is direct-to-DVD kind of stuff.

The kind of release that would come free with the purchase of a six-pack.

G-Force

Before being dragged to this CGI rodent fest, I was convinced that a movie about guinea pig spies could be nothing but execrable.

I was most disappointed to be proven correct.

Julie and Julia

The truth as I see it: the worse the movie, the more fun the blog.

Julie & Julia was fun from beginning to end--and thus a real bore to write about.

Paper Heart

As the movie soldiers on, the questions pile up: who is this woman, is she receiving help, what is the whole point, and would ANYONE care without the involvement of Michael Cera?

I say no, but I still kinda enjoyed the puppets and (even more so) Yi's brief vocal impersonation of Cera.

Ponyo

The most fun & cute (I am meaning this in a good way) Miyazaki film in years, I loved every minute of this and will watch it again.

The only problem I had with Disney's otherwise-excellent dub of Ponyo is the use of Betty White, whose voice is so instantly-recognizable that it effectively distracts the viewer from the film's action.

500 Days of Summer

Summer is hot & overpowering & life-changing--but of course, not here to stay.

It's fleeting, but well worth seeing--a movie this well-written, directed & acted is a rare thing (and a great thing) to see.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

What happened to the whole mystery of the Half-Blood Prince?

What happened to a cogent narrative that could be followed without previous exposure to the books & movies?

Funny People

Not all that funny at all, even the best bits were so much better in the preview.

That gives me an idea: releasing movie DVDs in a "Preview Editor's Cut" edition.