No Direction Home: Bob Dylan
(5 stars out of five)
--An incredible examination of the legendary singer. Martin Scorsese crafts an exhilarating 3 ½ hour film from hours of never-before-seen footage and interviews, and succeeds in doing the seemingly impossible: to present the sometimes-reclusive Dylan as honestly and truthfully as possible, while also placing the man, and his impact upon the world, within the context of his era. The film ends abruptly, but Scorsese was only given license (and the footage) to tell the story up until 1966, so hopefully someday we will get another film that chronicles more of his life.

Corpse Bride
(3 ½ stars out of five)
--I'll readily admit that these sort of films are not usually my cup of tea (animated films with musical numbers), but this is one of the better of the bunch. Of course everyone remembers The Nightmare Before Christmas, the other Tim Burton stop-motion animated feature, but the thing that separates this film from that one is the sheer beauty of the animation. It is, without a doubt, a magnificent looking film - the best stop-motion animation ever done. Burton has created a beautiful Gothic world here, and the story is actually quite poetic, recalling the touching, almost mythic quality of Edward Scissorhands. In my opinion, however, the film is held back by the goofy musical numbers that really feel out of place with the rest of the picture. You have Burton's darkly funny sense of humor (eyeballs hanging out of sockets, limbs falling off, talking maggots) contrasted against the overly-cute, Disney-like musical numbers. It's something that didn't work for The Nightmare Before Christmas, and it certainly doesn't work here. I understand why they're there, of course; this is animation, and so it has to be marketed as a kid's movie. I would have much preferred that Burton return to the days when being dark and twisted meant pushing the limits.

November
(4 stars out of five)
--I still don't quite understand what was going on in this movie, but that's a feeling that I really don't mind having, and in the case of this movie, it's a completely satisfying one. It only lasts 73 minutes, but it feels longer, because it moves in a steady, unhurried pace. It feels just long enough, and it's a rare case in which I feel that an extremely short running time was justified.
The movie is confusing as hell, but it's also bold in how confusing it actually allows itself to be. The audience is literally lost as to what's going on until the last few minutes, and even then it's unclear as to what is actually going on - in a literal sense, at least. Philosophically, we are given many clues, and we are actually left with several different possibilities for us to consider at the end. I'm being purposely vague here; if I described anything beyond the basic opening plot, it would give away everything. To tell you the truth, I don't really know if I even could explain it to you... Needless to say, it's deftly executed, well acted, and is sure to leave you with a hell of a brain teaser long after you've seen it.

Saraband
(5 stars out of five)
--An enormously affecting film. The fact that this is also Ingmar Bergman's final film makes it all the more emotional. Bergman, now 87 years old, flirted with the idea of retirement back in 1982, when, with the release of Fanny and Alexander, he declared it would be his last film. Now, over two decades later, Bergman has finally given us his last film. It is a startling achievement. Bergman examines - as he has in his past films - life, death, and love. But Bergman's last opus focuses on something that hasn't always been examined in his films: himself. This is a film about the ties between parents and children, the process of aging, and the terrible feeling of long lost love. Bergman dedicates the film to his wife, who died years ago: The film opens with a simple "To Ingrid", and the title card. Simplicity is something that's always been a part of Bergman's work, a sort of deceptive simplicity. I kept thinking, as I watched the film, as I watched this great filmmaker's final film... what would be the last shot? What would be the last image he would choose...the last shot that he would ever commit to film? It seems fitting that the last image Bergman would choose to film would be of a face, in close-up, looking into the camera. It is that almost oblique thing, the human face, that Bergman has devoted his life to studying, in close-up, in his attempt to go beyond it into something more beautiful, complex, and truthful than mere words could ever express. He is the world's greatest living director, and this is a beautiful swan song...

Lord of War
(4 stars out of five)
--Right from the opening sequence of this film (an inspired montage, following a single bullet as it is created, packaged, sold, and finally, shot into the head of a young man -- all set to Buffalo Springfield's classic anti-war song "For What It's Worth"), you know it means business. It does not shy away from its opinions and messages. I assure you: don't be scared away by the awful trailers for the film... the marketing people obviously had no idea how to market this movie, and as a last-ditch effort, made it appear to be an action film. It couldn't be more the opposite. It leaves hardly anyone unscathed in its open disgust of war and violence: entire countries are taken to task, and a nicely-written text at the end of the film informs the viewer that the biggest weapons dealers in the world are also the permanent members of the UN... the film is saying, in so many words, that the U.S. and other countries are no different than the despicable arms dealer that Nicolas Cage plays in the film. The movie's message is quite dark, but true: things go round and round, people will die, the soldiers will get younger, and as long as money is involved, nothing will change. It's quite unsettling, but the film has a sense of humor that keeps things going. Andrew Niccol (writer of The Truman Show) writes and directs the film with wit and intelligence, and the cast is first-rate. It's one of those films where the message of the picture - and how clearly and effectively the filmmakers get that message across - is almost more important than the film itself. We don't always get the feeling that the movie has a firm hold on its story, but the message of the film comes across as clear as day... with startling effect.

Junebug
(4 stars out of five)
--For the first hour of this film, we are watching one of the best films of the year. Clear, memorable characterizations, great dialogue, sure-footed direction... we feel like we are in the hands of great storytellers. Then, about 3/4 of the way through, the film loses its momentum, and stops almost completely in its tracks. It feels like a totally different movie. It's a big misstep, but what came before it is so good, it can almost be forgiven. The actors are uniformly great, but Amy Adams particularly stands out in her wide-eyed, energetic performance which practically steals the show. In fact, the biggest reason why the last fourth of the film suffers is because she's offscreen. It may not be apparent at first, but a big reason for Junebug's success is Adams.
Overall, a promising first feature for director Phil Morrison. Winner of a Special Jury Prize for Acting (Amy Adams) at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.

Mysterious Skin
(3 stars out of five)
--A frustratingly inconsistent film. Starts out beautifully, but something doesn't feel quite right, and it's apparent early on that director Gregg Araki (The Doom Generation), in his first "serious" film, doesn't have the emotional maturity as a director to pull it off. The best thing about the picture is the acting: Joseph Gordon-Levitt tackles the material head-on, completely becoming his character in every word and mannerism. Just as good is newcomer Brady Corbet, who plays the second lead character. These actors have great moments to shine in the film, but ultimately the movie just feels muddled and unsure of itself. It hits home the graphic points with great power, but Araki isn't quite sure yet how to handle the more fragile, quietly emotional sequences. They feel hamfisted, and, at their worst, cartoony. I thought it was a long shot, but I was hopeful that Araki might be able to turn himself around with the great material he was given. Oh well... It's still a must-see, just for Gordon-Levitt's performance.

Grizzly Man
(4 ½ stars out of five)
--A constantly entertaining and intriguing film. Filmmaker Werner Herzog uses found footage to tell the story of Timothy Treadwell, a man who lived among the bears in Alaska for many years, only to be killed by one of them in 2003. What's amazing about the film is how many beautifully sad moments Treadwell was able to capture over the years: a bumble bee, dead on a flower, somehow died as it was doing its work; a baby bear, killed and eaten by his mother, because a summer drought has stopped the salmon run... Through all of this, Treadwell is openly and honestly emotional at what he is seeing: mourning the death of a young fox killed by wolves, or calling upon whatever God may be up there to make a heavy rain so the bears will stop eating their young. It's also amazing to see Treadwell at work: he's making a film, and so he does multiple takes of some scenes, and we see the contrast between who he is in his film and who he is in reality. Although some of Herzog's interview scenes seem suspiciously staged and scripted, the Treadwell footage is what makes this film what it is, and he is able to make us understand, even in some small way, why this man would live the way he did. Winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.

Song of the moment:
Against Me - "Sink, Florida, Sink" (MP3, 3 MB)

The Exorcism of Emily Rose
(1 star out of five)
--Terrible, terrible movie... A film that tries to mix two wildly different genres (courtroom drama, horror film) and ends up with painfully unsuccessful results. The people who came to the film expecting horror will instead find themselves watching a human drama, and the people who came to see this drama will find its impact shattered by way too many unnecessary "scare" scenes. Fine actors like Tom Wilkinson and Laura Linney should know better.

Song of the moment:
Against Me - "Cavalier Eternal" (MP3, 3 MB)

(Big thanks go to Mike for introducing me to this band...)

The Constant Gardener
(4 stars out of five)
--A strange bird, this one is... Of its 130 minute runtime, the first hour or so is almost completely just a setup for the last hour. Strangely, even though this first hour lags at times, becoming repetitive and even bordering on boring, the movie still manages to create a startling impact in the last half. Patient audiences may end up being very happy they stuck with it. The violent aspects of the story are not shied away from, and this can almost definitely be attributed to the brutal force of Fernando Meirelles' (City of God) direction. One of those films you admire more than enjoy.