February 2011
A list of films I've had the opportunity to see for the first time in February 2011, plus my opinions.
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31 titles
- DirectorJames WanStarsKevin BaconJohn GoodmanKelly PrestonNick Hume is a mild-mannered executive with a perfect life, until one gruesome night he witnesses something that changes him forever. Transformed by grief, Hume eventually comes to the disturbing conclusion that no length is too great when protecting his family.Though the excellent camerawork and great fight choreography give it some life, the film is, for the most part, standard revenge movie fare. [D-]
- DirectorJean-Pierre DardenneLuc DardenneStarsArta DobroshiJérémie RenierFabrizio RongioneLorna, a young Albanian woman living in Belgium, has her sights set on opening a snack bar with her lover Sokol. In order to do so, she has become involved in a scam conducted by Fabio, a gangster.A brilliant little low-key piece of storytelling, another great picture from the Dardenne brothers. [B+]
- DirectorMike LeighStarsJim BroadbentRuth SheenLesley ManvilleA look at four seasons in the lives of a happily married couple and their relationships with their family and friends.The work of a filmmaker at the top of his game, "Another Year" is compelling, touching, funny, and everything else a trip to your local art house should be. [A]
- DirectorAlexandre AjaStarsElisabeth ShueJerry O'ConnellRichard DreyfussAfter a sudden underwater tremor sets free scores of the prehistoric man-eating fish, an unlikely group of strangers must band together to stop themselves from becoming fish food for the area's new razor-toothed residents.As far as movies about growling man-eating fish go, you could do a lot worse. [C+]
- DirectorJean-Pierre MelvilleStarsRoger DuchesneIsabelle CoreyDaniel CauchyAfter losing big, an aging gambler decides to assemble a team to rob a casino.It's a bit dated, a bit outclassed by Melville's later work, but nonetheless an important and hugely enjoyable film. [B+]
- DirectorJoe CarnahanStarsMike MaasNick FenskeMark PrioloA Cherry Pontiac Lemans Convertible...Two Days...Two-Hundred & Fifty Grand. When your lemon lot hits the skids you glom the gig no matter what the smell. For Bob and Sid, two slicked-back burnouts, bum luck runs in spades. With a goose-egg for cash flow and a fore-closure falling fast, they take the gig. The Upside: Fat Cash...The Flipside...Every Thug, Crook, Punk and Mercenary on the planet looking to get rich.A cheap student-film imitation of the kind of filmmaking that made Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez famous. [F]
- DirectorMark NeveldineBrian TaylorStarsJason StathamAmy SmartCarlos SanzProfessional assassin Chev Chelios learns his rival has injected him with a poison that will kill him if his heart rate drops.An especially stupid Guy Ritchie knockoff, with all the drugs and violence, but none of the style or storytelling. [D]
- DirectorTyler PerryStarsJanet JacksonAnika Noni RoseWhoopi GoldbergEach of the women portray one of the characters represented in the collection of twenty poems, revealing different issues that impact women in general and women of color in particular.A tasteless, talentless adaptation of one of the greatest pieces of feminist literature of the 20th century, yet more proof that Tyler Perry is an incompetent filmmaker. [D-]
- DirectorSteven R. MonroeStarsSarah ButlerJeff BransonAndrew HowardA writer who is brutalized during her cabin retreat seeks revenge on her attackers, who left her for dead.A nasty, violence-fetishizing exploitation film without any of the exploitation needed to make it at least bearable. [F]
- DirectorWilliam LustigStarsJoe SpinellCaroline MunroAbigail ClaytonA psychopathic man goes on a killing and mutilation spree in New York City.This what I'm talking about. It's hasn't aged terrifically, but it's still an innovative and enjoyable flick. [B-]
- DirectorSean EllisStarsSean BiggerstaffEmilia FoxMichelle RyanAfter a painful breakup, Ben develops insomnia. To kill time, he starts working the late night shift at the local supermarket, where his artistic imagination runs wild.It's blatant rip-off of many other films, notably "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", but there's something sweetly endearing about it that makes it watchable. [C+]
- DirectorTimur BekmambetovStarsKonstantin KhabenskiyVladimir MenshovMariya PoroshinaA fantasy-horror set in present-day Moscow where the respective forces that control daytime and nighttime do battle.Basically a tale of Russian mythology told through an action picture, "Night Watch" is great fun while it lasts, but when the crdeits roll and your brain starts working again, everything falls apart. [C]
- DirectorOlivier AssayasStarsAsia ArgentoMichael MadsenKelly LinA beautiful woman, Sandra, seduces a wealthy businessman, Miles Rennburg. Little does he realise that she has been sent to kill him at the behest of her boyfriend/crime partner, Lester. Controlling all this is Sue, Lester's wife.I've tried, and I've tried hard, but I can't find one thing that went right in this movie. [F]
- DirectorAndrei TarkovskyStarsAlisa FreyndlikhAleksandr KaydanovskiyAnatoliy SolonitsynA guide leads two men through an area known as the Zone to find a room that grants wishes.A brilliant, hallicinatory tale and a startlingly insightful social commentary, truly a film like no other. [B+]
- DirectorNeil MarshallStarsRhona MitraBob HoskinsAlexander SiddigA futuristic action thriller where a team of people work to prevent a disaster threatening the future of the human race.A fine piece of pulp trash. [B-]
- DirectorJulian GilbeyStarsRicci HarnettTerry StoneCraig FairbrassThe life of career criminal Carlton Leach.Ugly, boring, pretentious garbage. [F]
- DirectorJaume Collet-SerraStarsLiam NeesonDiane KrugerJanuary JonesWhen a man awakens from a coma only to discover that someone has taken on his identity, he teams up with a young woman to prove who he is.It's sad that this kind of stupid, unorignial action flick is what has been most closely associated with mainstream American cinema. [F]
- DirectorWilliam LustigStarsRobert ForsterFred WilliamsonRichard BrightAfter his wife and son got brutalized by a street gang, and a corrupt criminal justice system puts the perpetrators back on the street, a NYC factory worker teams up with a vigilante group to find some measure of bloody justice.Wonderfully over-the-top '80's revenge flick. [C+]
- DirectorDavid TwohyStarsMilla JovovichSteve ZahnTimothy OlyphantTwo pairs of lovers on a Hawaiian vacation discover that psychopaths are stalking and murdering tourists on the islands.It barely passes as a below-average TV film, let alone a real movie. [D-]
- DirectorElia SuleimanStarsMenashe NoyElia SuleimanBaher AgbariyaAn examination of the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 through to the present day.A lovely, touching, and often laugh-out-loud funny humanist saga. [A-]
- DirectorRob ZombieStarsSid HaigSheri Moon ZombieBill MoseleyThe murderous, backwoods Firefly family take to the road to escape the vengeful Sheriff Wydell, who is not afraid of being as ruthless as his target.There are good ideas somewhere in this movie, but a sloppy execution results in a tonally retarded mess of a film. [D]
- DirectorPaul W.S. AndersonStarsMilla JovovichAli LarterWentworth MillerWhile still out to destroy the evil Umbrella Corporation, Alice joins a group of survivors living in a prison surrounded by the infected who also want to relocate to the mysterious but supposedly unharmed safe haven known only as Arcadia.This is as stupid as movies get. Perhaps the only thing more depressing than having to sit through this *beep* is learning about the 300 million dollars it bagged worldwide. [F]
- DirectorAndrea ArnoldStarsKatie JarvisMichael FassbenderKierston WareingEverything changes for 15-year-old Mia when her mum brings home a new boyfriend.Despite it's graceful storytelling and revelatory acting, "Fish Tank" doesn't really work because it never connects emotionally with the audience. [C+]
- DirectorMiguel ArtetaStarsMichael CeraPortia DoubledayJean SmartWhile his trailer trash parents teeter on the edge of divorce, Nick Twisp sets his sights on dream girl Sheeni Saunders, hoping that she'll be the one to take away his virginity.It could do without the adolescent musings on the meaning of everything, but it's inventive and clever enough to succeed as a whole. [B-]
- DirectorPascal LaugierStarsMorjana AlaouiMylène JampanoïCatherine BéginA young woman's quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tormented her as a child leads her and a friend, who is also a victim of child abuse, on a terrifying journey into a living hell of depravity.Like "The Devil's Rejects", there are some good ideas behind "Martyrs", but a confused deliverykills the film. [D]
- DirectorBobby FarrellyPeter FarrellyStarsOwen WilsonJason SudeikisChristina ApplegateRick and Fred, two husbands who are having difficulty in their marriages, are given a Hall Pass by their wives: for one week, they can do whatever they want.Just another sex comedy. Nothing new. [D-]
- DirectorPatrick LussierStarsNicolas CageAmber HeardWilliam FichtnerA vengeful father escapes from hell and chases after the men who killed his daughter and kidnapped his granddaughter.It's not for everyone, but if you're in search of a great grindhouse throwback (IN 3D!!!) (WITH NICOLAS CAGE!!!), look no further. [B+]
- DirectorJavor GardevStarsZachary BaharovTanya IlievaVladimir PenevMoth is freed on parole after spending time in prison on wrongful conviction of murder. Jailed shortly before the Bulgarian communist coup of 1944, he now finds himself in a new and alien world - the totalitarian Sofia of the 60s. His first night of freedom draws the map of a diabolical city full of decaying neighborhoods, gloomy streets and a bizarre parade of characters.I could go on and on, but this is simply the finest contemporary noir I've seen in a long, long time. [A]
- DirectorGeorge MihalkaStarsPaul KelmanLori HallierNeil AffleckA decades-old folk tale surrounding a deranged murderer killing those who celebrate Valentine's Day turns out to be true to legend when a group defies the killer's order and people start turning up dead.A guilty pleasure kinda movie, not a horror classic, but there are worse ways to spend an hour and a half. [C]
- DirectorMark L. LesterStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerRae Dawn ChongDan HedayaA retired Special Forces colonel tries to save his daughter, who was abducted by his former subordinate.Hilariously awful '80's action picture. [D]
- DirectorNeil JordanStarsBob HoskinsCathy TysonMichael CaineA man recently released from prison manages to get a job driving a call girl from customer to customer.This is definitely a sentimental favorite, only confirming my belief that Neil Jordan is one of the greatest directors of the last few decades. [A]