Lord, Save Us From Your Followers

Documentary in which a Christian attempts to persuade other Christians to be more Christian.

Though I'm more of the Bill Maher school, I appreciated this for its moments of humor & beauty, especially the filmmaker's confessional booth at a Portland Pride event.

The Joneses

What could have made a cute TV series absolutely tanks as a movie, as things take a most ill-fated and incongruous attempt at a turn for the serious at the midway point.

Most perplexing moment: when a song that hints things are serious & dramatic plays over one of the most hilarious death scenes I can recall seeing on screen.

2.5/5

Green Zone

A non-stop jerky camera does nothing to replace actual direction.

Early on in the movie, a character says, "this is a disaster"-- I should have taken his advice & left right then.

Brooklyn's Finest

Largely excessive & unnecessary, but the good news is, it didn't ALL fall down the way I predicted.

If you can only see one American cop drama:

make it "The Departed."

Saint John of Las Vegas

Steve Buscemi has a gnawing gambling addiction, and to make matters worse-- he's sweet on Sarah Silverman.

Funny bits build up to a "what just happened, & why" ending.

Ghost Writer

Suspenseful and cogent throughout, this’ll be winning some awards next year if there is any justice.

I might not have liked the way the film ended, but it’s a great ending.

The Secret of Kells

This animated legend from Ireland is beautiful to look at, and very witty (but not a comedy).

Not necessarily for kids (but not necessarily not), this is a piece of art worth seeking out.

Academy Award Nominated Animated Shorts

Disappointingly, only one of this year’s nominees are traditionally-animated—and that one is terrible.

My favorite from the batch is “The Lady and the Reaper,” a hilarious Spanish film with quite a shocking ending.

Valentine's Day

Funny fluff from Garry Marshall, but with at least one plotline (okay, let’s call it two) needlessly dragging down the film.

During the airport scene, be sure to look for the limo drivers awaiting their clients.

Cop Out

Bruce Willis & Tracy Morgan play Gibson & Glover, or Chan & Tucker, or whoever.

Only much—MUCH—better.

From Paris with Love

John Travolta wears scarves to hide his bulk—but nothing to hide his crazy—in what seems to be an attempt to begin a new buddy cop franchise.

It’d be really nice to see Travolta try a different kind of role (or maybe none at all).

The Most Dangerous Man in America

This documentary about the release of the Pentagon Papers is mostly a talking heads fest, but it’s certainly educational.

And Tricky Dick “Foul Mouth” Nixon is always good for a laugh or six.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Trying to capture the “Harry Potter” lightning, even using the same director.

It’s not the same, of course, but it’s pretty good--& even succeeds in the goal of making me interested in reading the books.