7/10 - Small Time Crooks has some very high highs, but does drag at spots. Thus, it is not amongst Woody Allen's best works, though it does sport his classic wit, charm, and humor. The film's first half hour soars and is truly hysterical. With good supporting turns from Michael Rapaport, Tony Darrow, and Jon Lovitz, through this opening part, Small Time Crooks is a phenomenally funny comedy. After this, it begins to drag until its second act finally begins to hit its stride at which point it returns to being hysterical. However, due to this dragging portion immediately after the film skips ahead a year, Small Time Crooks is held back from being a better film. As it stands, however, it is a fun blend of crime and comedy while also being a good statement about staying true to yourself, marriage, and class structure. Overall, Woody Allen has better films, but Small Time Crooks' failures certainly do not derail the film and it remains a charming, funny, and entertaining film.



7/10 - Fair Game is a film that angered me so damn much. Incredibly passionate and well acted, Fair Game paints a bleak picture of the Bush administration and their irresponsible and downright despicable actions taken in the lead up to the War in Iraq. Naomi Watts is very good in the lead role while Sean Penn is perfectly cast as her ambassador husband. Together, they have great chemistry that adds an air of authenticity to this film about a very important topic. Additionally, the film can be a truly entertaining political thriller that never gets too complicated, which can be a problem encountered by many a political thriller. Instead, this one showcases director Doug Liman's trademarks (using TV footage prominently) and mastery of the spy/political genre. Overall, Fair Game may be a bit heavy on the politics even if I agree with the film. For that, it is held back and certainly requires further research before assuming everything it said is true. That said, it is very well made and incredibly entertaining.



6/10 - Chronicle is certainly an interesting film. With good acting from Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, and Michael B. Jordan, Chronicle certainly delivers in that arena. It is also very well directed and makes good use of its found footage approach, which is actually used quite uniquely with many different cameras and people behind the camera being utilized, which allowed us to get a variety of perspectives. The first hour of this film is very good and incredibly engaging as this group of friends begins to learn what they can and cannot do with their newly discovered superpowers. However, that last half hour was horrendous and nearly ruined the entire film. Everything really hits the fan here and the film veers violently off-course, which is really too bad as it was really good beforehand. The film, instead of being a fun superhero kind of film, instead becomes a journey into the mind of the mind of a truly broken kid. This really hurt the overall tone of the film and disappointed me since it was just poorly handled and over-the-top. Overall, Chronicle when from being good to being nothing more than slightly above average.



7/10 - Kill the Messenger is a passionate and truly tragic tale of how the media and the CIA murdered a man who exposed them for their egregious sins. A truly engaging and entertaining biopic, Kill the Messenger has a solid blend of drama and thrills through its story, even if it is a conventional biopic. Jeremy Renner turns in a very good performance here. Director Michael Cuesta does a good job balancing the facts and the entertainment and the end result is a largely tight film with just a few scenes that are more of the filler variety. Additionally, it is a really passionate film that will really make you mad if you let it. I watched it a day ago as of writing this and I am still fuming at the injustice of it all. Overall, Kill the Messenger is a solid film that follows the biopic narrative arc, but is a really good example of how to make real life compelling.



8/10 - A heart wrenching display of how the economic downturn really proved detrimental for Americans from all areas of life, both blue and white collar. Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, and Kevin Costner, all turn in thoroughly sympathetic performances as their lives are thrown into disarray with the economic turmoil around them. In addition to their general acting ability, director John Wells does a good job making us feel compassion for the three highly privileged characters and turns them into really tragic figures for a variety of reasons. Additionally, the story has been called mundane, but to me, it was very briskly paced and never really slacked. It did a good job generating drama and, honestly, thrills, as you waited to see what occurred in certain scenes. Essentially, The Company Men is a mildly uplifting, but largely moving display of how we need to shed the shackles placed on us by our jobs and find something that we are truly passionate about. Overall, The Company Men is a very good film from director John Wells.



8/10 - A film with a truly stunning use of color that it blends wonderfully with themes such as violence, sexuality, racial diversity, and change, all blended with religious symbolism through the garden of Eden, Pleasantville is a true joy. With strong lead performances from Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon, as well as the rest of the cast. Really the true star here is the people who handled the color, which is just unreal. The blending of color and black and white....just wow. When it transitions in a scene so seamlessly, it is truly something to behold. Director Gary Ross does a good job blending the social commentary with sheer family values demonstrated by this stereotypical 50's television show that blends with the real world in this film. The pacing is good and the storytelling keeps everything clear even as things steadily get me complex. Overall, Pleasantville is decidedly pleasant, even if the characters begin to believe that things in their little bubble are becoming unpleasant.

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5/10 - I appreciate the philosophical musings based on "Crime and Punishment", as well as the thoughts offered on luck, love, lust, and fidelity, but Match Point is simply dull. It occasionally hits the accelerator, but far too often Woody Allen's pacing of the film just fails to deliver anything of interest. Plus, the film is far too subtle. Obviously, I picked up on all the thematic elements and what not, but as it stands, the film's pacing is just off kilter. That said, Jonathan Rhys Meyers is very good here and Scarlett Johansson also does quite well here. However, the problems of the film all come back again to the lack of intrigue and dramatic entertainment. I appreciate slow burns and slower films, but even though this one has a solid pay-off, it just does not save the film and, even worse, the sequence immediately proceeding the ending makes no sense given the tone and approach of the film before this. It just does not fit, even if the very ending does do a good job tying up all the thematic elements. Overall, Match Point hits the net and bounces back onto your side.



8/10 - A great indie character study, Half Nelson paints a heartbreaking picture of two people from different worlds that find themselves in tough times. Together, they rely on one another with mutual respect and compassion. Without one another, who knows what would become of them. Ryan Gosling and Shareeka Epps turn in very good performances here in this really sad and moving film. Well-written and well-directed, Half Nelson does a great job creating multidimensional characters that help to bring their stories to life. With good pacing, it really keeps your attention as you watch these two fall down the rabbit hole into more and more trouble. Plus, I really like the ending. Will they change? Will they stay the same? It is up to you based on what you know of these characters and I enjoyed that ambiguity. Overall, Half Nelson is an engaging and realistic film of addiction in the inner city.



8/10 - Thrilling, moving, and all-around stunning, Apocalypto is a spell binding tale of survival set during the fall of the Mayan civilization and on the cusp of European discovery. A truly haunting and, at times, scary film Apocalypto thrills with ease thanks to the great direction from Mel Gibson. Though it can be historically inaccurate and disrespectful towards the Mayans at times, it does paint a sympathetic portrait of some factions of the civilization, including that which our hero belongs. The film really paints a mysterious picture of the current events plus those to follow, with there being a significant swell of unease amongst the people in the film as they are unsure of what their future will hold. Additionally, the film has incredible mise en scene with great use of lighting and, similar to Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, a film that can be told through the eyes and the visuals. The subtitles are needed, but not required in this relatable table of survival and fear. The costumes and make-up are fantastic, as is the camera work and production design. Gibson really ensures that the beauty of this scenic location is brought to life against this backdrop of sheer horror. Gibson does a great job keeping a hold of this film from going off the rails with the complex situations of the society and with the excessive violence. Overall, Apocalypto is a thrilling and exciting film that really does become moving at times with its portrayal of desperation, but above all, entertains and delivers artistically.



8/10 - While not quite as good as the original, Finding Dory is still yet another wonderful addition to Pixar's filmography. With fantastic voice performances yet again from Ellen Degeneres and Albert Brooks, as well as great turns here from Ed O'Neill, Idris Elba, and Dominic West, Finding Dory is a film packed to the brim with childlike wonder and emotion. A beautifully universal tale of the connection between family members and between you and your friends, Finding Dory is a heartfelt and moving animated tale of Dory trying to find her parents after having a memory of them. While the film can be kind of silly at times, it is obviously an animated film about fish talking, so I cannot really complain too much. That said, it is moving and really funny at times, especially when the sea lions are on the screen. Overall, Finding Dory is a fantastic film from the minds at Pixar and a worthy sequel to the nearly perfect original.