1408.  I’ll watch anything Cusack is in. This one is a fun ride with some really cool effects and a high jump factor, but ultimately leaves you empty.
300.  I had a hard time getting past all the makeup-enhanced Spartan abs. That drawn-on definition got to be a joke after a while, although I read somewhere that they actually did that back then. Plus how feminine all the women were versus the understated homoeroticism of it all. The snappy visual style wore off about as fast for me as it did in Sky Captain.
3-WAY.  The lurid description in the on-screen cable guide lured me in, and then the amateur writing blueballed me with worse plotting than on Cinemax After Dark (with the good parts edited out). The main character has a "dark past," which he seems contractually obliged to mention every couple of minutes. Ali Larter is convincing, but there's not much for her to do. Gina Gershon's brief appearances are wasted, and even Dwight Yoakam's general badassness can't salvage this gig. A three-way trainwreck, maybe. I've had three-way conference calls with better cinematography. It sent me directly into a three-way with regret and slumber. Please stop me.
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE.  Yes, it's hokey and forced and idealistic and overly theatrical, and I loved every second of it. It will draw the inevitable comparisons to that horrid Bee Gees movie (it's also a tad Forrest Gump-ian), but this one was about as well-made as something like this could be (I hate when characters break into song during a film). Some great song interpretations (most vocals were recorded live on the set, not in studio); Jeff Beck's version of A Day in the Life just slayed me. I often felt my eyes rolling at some head-slapping lyrical connection to the story, but then I also had to awe at how difficult that must've been structurally in the big picture. And nary a Gallagher brother in the entire cast! I'm going to be humming Beatles songs for a week now.
ADAPTATION.  The most clever script I've ever read. And possibly the most self-absorbed, considering that the writer injected himself into the story (as well as his parasitic imaginary twin) in a desperation move, and did so using his own name. The theme works on the literal level as the screenwriter struggles to adapt novel into script while his subject Mother Nature evolves in the birds-n-bees sense, but also metaphorically, as the screenwriter breaks free of his indie pride and the novelist expands her button-down world. And it's all basically true, except maybe for that last part. The ultimate irony is that the third act of the film is loaded with all the Hollywood conventions that in the opening scene he insisted be absent. This film is the very definition of metafiction. For some, it may pull the curtain too far back on the creative process to be enjoyable, but I loved every second of it. Nic Cage's portrayal of the twin screenwriters (who are both credited) is brilliant, as are the allusions to Being John Malkovich and the parodies of the creative fringe.
A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. I've always felt this film was underappreciated. It's not for everyone, and it's certainly not for kids, which may have been its greatest mistake commercially. But it manages to fuse that early-Spielberg warmth and magic with Kubrick's detachment. The cinematographer's trademark lens diffusion bathes everything in an effective dreamlike glow. In A.I.'s future, people use robots to replace companions, whether it's a son, a teddy bear, or a piece of guilt-free ass. And apparently Ministry will continue to rock mecha flesh fairs for years to come.
ALPHA DOG. A lot of fun to watch, with several really powerful scenes and showy acting all around (Sharon Stone in a fat suit?) by a wicked cast. The neo-nazi character was off the charts – hell that guy's intense in every role he plays, going back to Six Feet Under. Emile Hirsch is a good actor, but he was miscast in this one, even if he does get reunited with another leg of "the tripod." The cute daughter from Big Love gets some, and even a tatted-up Timberlake is really good. It's in the vein of Brick, maybe Kids. Based on a true story, and some uneven moments, but well worth watching for the performances alone.
AMELIE. It took me years to get around to this one, because the cover screams chick-flick. And now it’s an all-time favorite. Jeunet loves his wide-angle lens distortion and color tinting (“Amelie green” is now a staple of my cinematic vocabulary), and the production design is gorgeous as well. All this stylized imagery moves along quickly, and the editing/timing is just perfect. While the title character is saccharine sweet, there’s a lot of mischief at the center of this film about a compulsive do-gooder.
AN AMERICAN CRIME. Based on the same events that inspired Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door and its film, this takes a less subjective viewpoint, without lingering as much on the depraved details (what made Girl more effecting), and is a better-made film overall, but the execution is still clunky. Were it not actually true, this would be laughably-bad storytelling, as there's no motivation and little humanity from any angle of its absurd abuse. A snark-free Ellen Page plays "the girl" (and narrates – I don't need to explain why this is a problem), and Catherine Keener shows a lot of range despite her monstrosity. The awful title appears to serve only to capitalize on the success of all cinematic things American.
AMERICAN GANGSTER. I'm still waiting for Denzel to play a role you can outright despise. As hardcore as some of his characters may be, he always gives you something to identify with, something that makes you question his guilt at the moment of truth. Such is drama when the antagonist/protagonist line blurs. I'd never have guessed this to be directed by Ridley, other than the casting of two Scott staples. Russell Crowe is also excellent as the nerve-wracked upstart DEA agent. It's a tense film that looks great and oozes a '70s vibe. What else could you want? Eh, maybe to trim another 30 minutes off the running time.
AMERICAN ZOMBIE. My expectations were low, and exceeded, even if it never really escalates the way I'd hoped. This is a mockumentary on the zombie lifestyle (or a satire of Los Angeles living, depending on your viewpoint), a subculture portrayed as marginalized in the same sense as homosexuals, immigrants, or the homeless. The film is well-thought-out, with many layers, and the acting is convincing enough to bring the profiled charaters to life. Erm, back to life.
ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES. Very impressed. I grew up in James territory (my bank was the one they were supposed to rob at the end), so all that shit's fascinating to us folk around here. I love how Pitt played his death scene, given the unlikely facts of it, and the aftermath scenes were a welcome surprise, including the Nick Cave cameo.
ATONEMENT. One of the best films I've seen this year (okay, so that's not saying much, but I'm including last year). There's one epic Boogie Nights shot that had to be about half its budget. Several times they used a very effective flash-forward-then-back technique that really highlighted the importance of point of view, especially through the naive eyes of a child.
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