Les Amours Imaginaires (2010)

At the risk, and with no guilt my tag line for this film: He's just not that into you, meets Jules and Jim.
This film was fantastic, I loved it every bit about it. I wish more films were of this caliber. Dolan beautifully captured the essence of being in love with someone who is for the most part ambivalent about your feelings. The cast did a great job.

I also really liked the coloring and composition of the film. The pillow talk, although redundant in explaining the feelings of the character, really emphasized the sadness they felt.

The scenes of the expository interviews really added depth (and that's where the He's Just Not that Into you analogy comes from).

Overall amazing film, definitely recommend it. Now if only J'ai Tue Ma Mere was available outside of Quebec I'd be set.

Cheers.

127 Hours (2010)

From when this movie started the only thought I had was "oh god, when is he going to saw his arm off", and I think that might have been the general thought in the theatre. Once the sawing started to go down we were all squirming in our seats, ha.
That being said 127 Hours was alright. I didn't feel like it was a masterpiece. The editing, pacing and general character development was very much done in a music video/ fast-paced style, which albeit worked with this concept, I just feel like it inhibited this film from being a classic.
The film is enjoyable, but it's not a film that will require more than one viewing to get the gist of it.
Definitely a good performance by James Franco, but not the best performance I've seen of the year. I can't take him completely seriously, maybe as a result of his earlier work, but he definitely is working toward getting some dramatic chops. Rock it, dude.

Worth checking out, it is inspiring, Danny Boyle knows how to put together a film, overall.

Sympathy for the Devil (1968)

If you're looking for a clean transition between art cinema and classic rock 'n roll, look no further. A grand combination of The Rolling Stones' hit Sympathy for the Devil, and Jean-Luc Godard zany political monologues, this film really makes you scratch your head, and go huh. I can't say I enjoyed it much past the recording sessions of The Rolling Stones. I zoned out, and websurfed during the political scenes.
It was cool to watch, but probably not something I would revisit.

Knight and Day (2010)

I'm not even done watching this movie and I already need to say it's shit. I was hoping for some ridiculous "crazy" scenes of Tom Cruise. Oh wait, Paul Dano showed up. Nah, he wouldn't be able to contribute enough to save this sinking ship. Weak. Only benefit to this excursion is the business I gave Bay St Video when I rented it.

Stop Making Sense (1984)

I really liked this movie. David Bryne and the rest of the Talking Heads are very talented. I thought the movie was very well shot and the band's performance was really good. Byrne's crazy dancing were really cool, and I like his big suit outfit.

Overall very enjoyable.

Tron: Legacy (2010)

I enjoyed this film. I saw it about a week ago, and it's not like the film particularly resonated with me, I just found it entertaining. It's the 2nd film I've seen in 3D now (the first one being Avatar, which I detested) so I'm still a lightweight when it comes to this medium. I thought the 3D was really appropriate for this film, and was used well in the story framework.

Components that stood out: Daft Punk's OST - wicked choice of group, and definitely made a point to listen to the OST before the film came out, and after watching the film.
Michael Sheen's performance as a backstabbing badass. In the same vein as Alan Rickman as Snape in Harry Potter, Sheen steals all his scenes, I only wish there was more of him.
Awesome scene with the motorcycle game - I think this was meant to be the scene that carried the film. Definitely the scene that I remember most.

Lacking Components: CGI Jeff Bridges - He looked like a friggin Benjamin Button, I hated looking at it.

Couldn't have been bothered to try and connect Legacy with the original Tron from the 80s. I thought Legacy stool by itself. I've seen parts of the original, and had no problem following Legacy with my limited knowledge of the on going story.

Cheers.

Black Swan (2010)

This movie was freaky deaky, and also exceeding my expectations, which is awesome.

Cinematography was amazing. I felt the gritty camera work really brought Natalie Portman's character's inner turmoil to the forefront. Also the quality of the film was exceptional (it probably helped that I was watching a special "digital" print, or whatever it's called).

My favourite performance was Winona Ryder. She's in the film for a total of 10 minutes, but all those minutes are amazing, and I wish there was more. She really plays "crazy" well.

Overall, all performances were great, and I felt like this film had no major flaws. I definitely recommend it. I'm sure I'll want to see it again in a few months.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

I don't know how many times I've seen this film now (a decent number), but this was the first time that I had seen it in the theater, and I have to say the viewing based on this fact alone makes it a stand out screenings.

As always this movie has a profound effect on me, but each screening also has a fractional diminished effect. Truly enjoyable this screening was.

Scenes that stood out: When Dr Heywood talks to his daughter on the video phone, I had only noticed on this screening that there is a moon orbiting Heywood's head in the background (every other time I watched this film, I was focused on the daughter).

Also for the first time was able to appreciate the space traveling sequence right before the end. The visual effect are amazing, and truly meant to be experience on the big screen. Love when they intercut Dave's face randomly, ha.

It's cool that after so many years from when I first saw this film, that I can still enjoy it, and get something out of it. I know it won't be the last time I see it.

Kind Hearts & Coronets (1949)

Very British, very dry. I chose it because it was labelled a black comedy. Check. Enjoyable, but because I've never been the biggest fan of British humour I didn't like it as much as I hoped. I really like how Alec Guinness played half a dozen different characters including a woman, reminded me of awesome Peter Sellers' performances. I'll be watching another Alec Guinness film "Last Holiday". I hope I like it.

Cheers!

Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage (2010)

I enjoyed this film, and it really got me more interested in listening to Rush. I have not too long ago converted my mind, that Rush was a weird band, to Rush is an amazing band. As others will say Rush is different, but they take their own cues, and never sold out. The documentary portrays the band as living legends, and almost revolutionary rock'n rollers. I guess this is true. Maybe it's because I'm not that into the band, but I feel the portrayal was a little too congratulatory. But I imagine that was the purpose of the documentary to begin with.
The presentation of the story was pretty standard fare when it comes to documentaries. It doesn't discuss the band members' personal lives too much, and mostly focuses on the music, as it set out to.
I feel like more time could have been spent on illustrating their unpopular albums, in order to get a more objective view of their career, but the band probably vetoed it out.
Overall a documentary worth checking out if you want to learn more about Rush, and maybe even classic rock in general. Rush has some amazing songs, content alone makes it cool.

This Movie is Broken (2010)

This was a cool movie, and keep in mind that doesn't necessarily mean it was a particularly good movie. This Movie is Broken is a tribute concert/feature film to Toronto and it's hipster native band Broken Social Scene. Now I enjoy Toronto, and Broken Social Scene is one of my favourite bands, so for me, this movie was really cool, and really enjoyable, but it's also not one that I would recommend to everyone I know and meet. It's the kind of film where you need to have an appreciation for the subject matter in order to leave the film feeling satisfied. I definitely left the film with satiation.
I guess to explain myself when I say that the film cannot be rated as particularly good, is that it's unabashedly a low-budget film, with a weak script, and an editing pace that would annoy 90% of people out there. But then again this is mostly a concert film, and then there's a love story that was kind of thrown in there to fill time/make the film more accessible to audiences, and make an excuse to shoot scenes around Toronto's trendy west side (insert gratuitous shot of The Drake Hotel).

Sex and the City 2 (2010)

This movie was what it was. It was no cinematic achievement, but that was hardly what I was seeing the film for. Sex and the City 2 at the most can be seen as an extension of the lives of the characters that millions of people fell in love with during the series. The film hardly does the characters justice though, as it was more of a farce of conspicuous consumption. It was not as over-the-top as I was expecting and hoping for. I was really hoping the film would be completely illogical, and that the characters would not resemble normal human beings (as at this point, they could do anything with the Sex and the City label, and still sell seats). I think this film did what a lot of film sequels end up doing. The story is not as strong as the original film, or the original series for that matter.
I did find myself swept away in the escapism of having more luxury than you need or handle.
In a way Sex and the City 2 resembled a large budget film such as Cleopatra (1963) with Elizabeth Taylor. I can't remember if I have sat through the entire Cleopatra, but the extravagance of that film, and the superficiality that was attached to the film can be transferred onto Sex and the City. I don't find it to be a flaw if the film consciously acknowledges the ridiculousness of itself.
Sex and the City 2 isn't necessarily a horrible film, but it's not something to just walk into with complete ignorance. One should know the cultural relevance of this film, in addition to a vague understanding of the character's back story.

Iron Man 2 (2010)

I was initially very excited to see this film, going into it I had mixed feelings after hearing reviews from friends.
At least the first half of the film excited me. The dynamic and cinematography of the courtroom scene was a surprising standout scene, given that there is no crazy action going on. The dynamic and push and pull tension between Stark and Potts, Stark and his nemesis, and Stark and the senator had a refreshing feel to it. I also enjoyed how this scene was shot in also a cinema verite style. The camera was fluid rather than traditional cut and paste style. I found myself really drawn into the scene. Also the scene where Mickey Rourke and Downey Jr. battle on the race track in Monaco was really cool and well paced.

Around the three-quarter mark though my attention started to wain. I really kind of gave up on a come-back when Rockwell's character is doing the public presentation of his iron man droids. It's funny because during this scene I couldn't help but think how the iron man droids could be seen as prequel weapons to James Cameron's Terminator, except Iron Man is "quirky". Where's Arnold for a cameo when you need him.
The film really fell apart when Downey and Cheadle are preparing for their battle against Rourke. It just seemed like the filmmakers at this point had run out of ideas on how to end the film, and were just looking to wrap it up in a neat package. This fight scene just didn't seem necessary.

Overall, sadly this film really isn't worth seeing. I can say the first half is enjoyable, but the ending neutralizes any recommendation I would have given to this film.

New Moon (2009)

This movie was enjoyable and a crowd pleaser. I feel like I need to comment on the fact that New Moon is part of a successful series of novels turned into films that is getting a lot of positive fanfare, but a lot of criticism directly because of it's positive fanfare. For years I was a teetered elitist cineaste, which when I reflect on now, was pretty lame because I was preventing myself from participating in the grandiose of big-budget blockbusters. I would not have given New Moon a second's glace because it is part of "mass-culture", and therefore of lesser quality. But the past recent years I've been able to at least respect what these big films do, at least for the industry; films like New Moon carry the industry, and in a way are assisting the smaller budget, art-house films, that I for a short time exclusively associated myself with.

I know it's a valid argument that big-budget films are detrimental to small art cinema projects because they take funding away from filmmakers who see cinema as an art form over the fantasy spectacle that has become our dominant cinema experience. But at the same time you need to have a contrast in quality and values in order to fully appreciate what both forms have the offer (and all films in between).

I think New Moon is a good example of a bigger-budget film, that takes advantage of it's mainstream popularity to make good money at the box office. I think the main reason I was deflected from blockbusters for that time-span was because I wasn't acknowledging cinema as a money-making industry. At the time I could only see cinema as an art-form that was supposed to expand your mind and reveal soul-defining revelations. So during that time I did see a good amount of films that followed that criteria, but in the ends, there's not as much "enjoyment" from that type of cinema.

To get back to New Moon as a single entity, separate for the spectrum of movie blockbusters, it was easy to watch. It was digestible, and had good characters and a good story line working for it. I really like the contrast between Bella two lovers; Cold-blooded vs hot-blooded. I think that, even though the contrast is very obvious and seems contrived, it suits the story it is serving.
New Moon is worth seeing if you're willing to invest just over 2 hours in something that's not profound, but decently entertaining. I personally had to pause it a few times over an afternoon. Cheers.

Capitalism: A Love Story (2009)

This film just reinforced how much I dislike Michael Moore films. Besides Roger & Me, all of his films are horribly one-sided, narrow-minded, and unintelligent. He seems to be getting worse the more he makes.
This movie looks like it was just slapped together at the last minute; he even includes scenes from Roger & Me as filler.
His most common tactic of pursuing interviews for his film is he walks up to big buildings with a loudspeaker, and asks for the chairmen to come out. Dude, if you were a professional and had any self-integrity you would go through the proper channels to arrange these interviews.
He is trying to make it seem like all the important people are ignoring him because they are greedy, but really he likely never called any of them, and he knows he's not going to get a respond from them because he doesn't want a response from them.
Michael Moore presents himself as the "common man", but he comes across as a really "stupid man" who does no research, and thinks he can convince his viewers to change the world by running around the outside of a building with police tape.
Real documentarians actually do research and organize their interviews. You would never see Errol Morris doing what Michael Moore does.

Greenberg (2010)

I rather enjoyed this film. I have taken a shine to Noah Baumbach, and feel like I learn something new about the human condition every time I watch one of his films. At the same time every time I watch one of his films I feel recognizably irritable because the characters are really realistic, so it feels too true to real like.
Ben Stiller plays a 41 year old layabout, who has no direction in life and no plan ahead of him. He seems to leach off of friends and family, who are all very motivated, and he lives in the past. My interpretation is not that the character is a slacker, it's that he can't decide what he wants. It seems like his whole life he's on the edge of making a decision, but does not have the will to make that decision. Ben Stiller's performance is alright, but it's out of his range.
His love interest played by Greta Gerwig is someone who is a little more solid, but she is still in a funky transitional phase of her life. We learn that she is just getting out of a long-term relationship, so she is suffering emotionally, and Greta exhibits this very well in her performance. I enjoyed her character because I can somewhat identify with her lack of ability to ask for what she wants. She is definitely a pushover, and she doesn't change throughout the film, because anyone who has this trait knows that it is pretty hard to get over this behaviour, because it is comfortable.
Like all Baumbach's films, this films portray very awkward characters, who have trouble expressing themselves to other people. For this reason, they can sometimes be difficult to watch. Regardless, Greenberg is worth seeing. It's easier to watch than some of the other Baumbach films. It also may be the first film Jennifer Jason Leigh doesn't take her show her boobs. In my opinion Margot at the Wedding was the hardest to watch.

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

I didn't mind this film. It was The Never Ending Story meets The Wizard of Oz; Dr Parnassus meets Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Going into the film I had heard more negative reviews than positive. I think this version of Wizard of Oz needs to be regarded as a separate entity from the cartoon. Just like Tim Burton's version of Charlie and the Chocolate factory is quite different than the Gene Wilder version.
It also took me 4/5 of the duration of the film to realize that this Alice in Wonderland is more of a Alice: Part Deux. The character is 13 years older than the cartoon version.
What I found strong about this film was the visuals. While heavy on the CGI, the overall effect was pretty cool. This is the latest 3D film to be released. For budgetary reasons, and preference I went for the 2D, but I can see how the film would offer a lot to the 3D audience.
I don't think I can recommend this film because it is very much a Disney movie, and the PG rating shines very bright. Unless you premeditate an open mind walking into this film, you will probably be disappointed.

Dr Strangelove or: How I learned to Stop Worrying, and Love the Bomb (1964)

This is definitely one of my favourite films of all time. Just everything about it is awesome. The soundtrack, the acting, the cinematography, and the script.
I've seen this film a number of times now (as I own it), and every time it rocks my socks.
My favourite scene is when Peter Sellers as the president has a conversation with the Russian president over the phone. You never hear or see the Russian president because the entire scene is from Peter Sellers point of view. So good I have to now quote the entire monologue:

[to Kissoff] Hello?... Uh... Hello D- uh hello Dmitri? Listen uh uh I can't hear too well. Do you suppose you could turn the music down just a little?... Oh-ho, that's much better... yeah... huh... yes... Fine, I can hear you now, Dmitri... Clear and plain and coming through fine... I'm coming through fine, too, eh?... Good, then... well, then, as you say, we're both coming through fine... Good... Well, it's good that you're fine and... and I'm fine... I agree with you, it's great to be fine... a-ha-ha-ha-ha... Now then, Dmitri, you know how we've always talked about the possibility of something going wrong with the Bomb... The *Bomb*, Dmitri... The *hydrogen* bomb!... Well now, what happened is... ahm... one of our base commanders, he had a sort of... well, he went a little funny in the head... you know... just a little... funny. And, ah... he went and did a silly thing... Well, I'll tell you what he did. He ordered his planes... to attack your country... Ah... Well, let me finish, Dmitri... Let me finish, Dmitri... Well listen, how do you think I feel about it?... Can you *imagine* how I feel about it, Dmitri?... Why do you think I'm calling you? Just to say hello?... *Of course* I like to speak to you!... *Of course* I like to say hello!... Not now, but anytime, Dmitri. I'm just calling up to tell you something terrible has happened... It's a *friendly* call. Of course it's a friendly call... Listen, if it wasn't friendly... you probably wouldn't have even got it... They will *not* reach their targets for at least another hour... I am... I am positive, Dmitri... Listen, I've been all over this with your ambassador. It is not a trick... Well, I'll tell you. We'd like to give your air staff a complete run-down on the targets, the flight plans, and the defensive systems of the planes... Yes! I mean i-i-i-if we're unable to recall the planes, then... I'd say that, ah... well, ah... we're just gonna have to help you destroy them, Dmitri... I know they're our boys... All right, well listen now. Who should we call?... *Who* should we call, Dmitri? The... wha-whe, the People... you, sorry, you faded away there... The People's Central Air Defense Headquarters... Where is that, Dmitri?... In Omsk... Right... Yes... Oh, you'll call them first, will you?... Uh-huh... Listen, do you happen to have the phone number on you, Dmitri?... Whe-ah, what? I see, just ask for Omsk information... Ah-ah-eh-uhm-hm... I'm sorry, too, Dmitri... I'm very sorry... *All right*, you're sorrier than I am, but I am as sorry as well... I am as sorry as you are, Dmitri! Don't say that you're more sorry than I am, because I'm capable of being just as sorry as you are... So we're both sorry, all right?... All right.

So many other things I could go into detail. I will save them for my next screening/criticism. See it.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

I've seen bits and pieces of this film so many times, but I believe this was the first time I saw it in it's entirety. It is truly a great film. I found it hard to finish however, because of the tragedy of Jack Nicholson's character. Watching him up-close go through electro-shocks, was painful because it was so realistic.
The film really makes you question what is sanity. Jack Nicholson went into the institution clinically sane, but did not make it out alive because he tried to control his environment too much.
That aside, the film is very well acted. I love the supporting roles played by Danny DeVito, Christopher Lloyd, and Vincent Schiavelli.
Definitely a movie to check out, as it is a quintessential classic.

Deliverance (1972)

My second time seeing Deliverance, I got a lot more out of it than the first time. The story is really strong, and the chemistry between Burt Reynolds and Jon Voight is second to none.
What I like about this film, is that it has the feel of a low-budget film, but has the quality of something of higher value. They're obviously out shooting the film in the wild, with minimal luxuries, but they come out with remarkable results.
I recommend this film, and even though some scenes are harsh to watch, it at least never becomes too graphic.