RAMBO.  At least it was short. Seriously, though, I liked the relevant concept, but there was very little plot to speak of. Not that I was expecting one. The coolest explosions I've ever seen, body parts flying everywhere. But it still annoyed me that they didn't call it John Rambo, and technically they already used this title (Rambo: First Blood Pt. 2).
RATATOUILLE.  I think it's Pixar's best yet. I liked that they didn't use superstar voices. Sure, they're known actors, but none that would distract. Yet when I saw Will Arnett's name in the credits I wished I'd listened for him. Not much to say; it's everything you'd expect, from top-notch character animation to great sets and good lighting/camera, and of course their legendary airtight plot structure.
REALITY BITES. This would be my time-capsule film for '90s culture. I can't say that I prefer it to Singles, and not much really happens to bite upon, and the characters are stereotypes (the world is but slackers and yuppies and those trapped between), but the actors have charisma that's impossible to deny. Though Ethan Hawke's unwashed, brooding artist has forever seared my image of him onto each subsequent role.
[REC]. I hadn't been truly "scared" by a movie in a long time before this one, which nearly made me close my eyes in a couple spots. I'm already numb to the POV-cam horror trend that Cloverfield, Diary of the Dead, and Blair Witch popularized, but [REC]'s sound design and visual style emulate reality very well, as told through the eyes of a news photog following his cute reporter's ambitious lead. It's claustrophobic, frenetic, and inventive, with a terrifying third act.
RENO 911!: MIAMI. Funnier than I’d expected, and much dirtier, as I’d only seen the show a few times. There’s a scene where Lt. Dangle is preparing his squad to roll a whale over, and his countoff goes “five, six, seven, eight!” Just about pissed myself laughing. Otherwise this is pretty forgettable. Liked the ending, though.
RESCUE DAWN. I just love Herzog's documentary-style filmmaking philosophy. Great acting that seemed very grounded and realistic. Man, Jeremy Davies, just scary. Looked like he was still in his Manson mode; he's come a long way since Spanking the Monkey.
REVOLVER.  Guy Ritchie's attempt a return to form. Pretentious as hell. From the very beginning the film never stops trying to convince us how clever it's going to be with all these narrative psychological statements. I felt like a child. It's visually over-stylized as well, but lots of fun to watch, maybe with the sound off. Some interesting "characters." Liotta and his henchmen were good. Andre 3000 has a long way to go with his acting coach, though. Charismatic guy, but very measured delivery. Can't recommend this one for anything but eye candy.
ROCKET SCIENCE. About a kid with a maddening stutter who joins the debate club to woo a cold-hearted bitch. The tone reminded me of a less-aloof Wes Anderson or a warmer Todd Solondz. Many laugh-out-loud moments and interesting characters. They were trying too hard to be quirky, though.
ROMAN. Starring the director of May and directed by its star, in a little role reversal. I enjoyed it. Creepy and tense, to be sure, and it had a bit of that same May vibe, but in sort of the opposite way, and a lot lower-tech (shot on video). Some great songs. A very slow movie, but a lot better than his Masters of Horror episode.
ROCKY BALBOA. Bordered on melodrama in a few spots, less boxing talk overall, but a decent enough movie. The stuff with his kid coulda been developed better. It was kinda nice how it wasn't all about him focused on his bad-guy opponent. That guy wasn't even the antagonist. It was more about him simply getting into the ring again. I like how they handled the match itself, totally HBO style. It added to the realism, and they didn't use as many of the "theatrical" boxing (cheat) angles. I also appreciate how they handled its outcome. As with most Rocky flicks, I wanted a longer epilogue.
ROMANCE & CIGARETTES. An all-singing, all-dancing tale from the mind of John Turturro (Coen Bros. producing) that slipped under my radar. Poetic and weird and filthy and hilarious. Gandolfini, Winslet, Sarandon, Buscemi, Izzard, and possibly the oddest girl-band ever concocted: Janice Soprano, Milfweed, and Mandy Moore. I'd say it's more interesting than good, but any chance we get to see Chris Walken dance is worth a look in my book.
THE RUINS. Strangely, it's not the supernatural elements of this film that are horrific, it's the difficult choices the characters must face to survive. And most of the terror occurs in broad daylight. To their credit, it's got some good turns that go against formula, and the performances are pretty decent. There is an element of that trendy Touristas/Hostel-ness about it, but mainly just because they're strangers in a strangle land. I mean strange. Damn txpos.
RUNNIN' DOWN A DREAM. The Bogdanovich rock-doc on Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. I've never been much of a fan (that vocal timbre...), it's four hours long, and yet I could barely leave my seat for the bathroom. Especially the first half. Just a phenomenal rock'n'roll tale with everything you could want. Not flashy or stylish, but painfully honest and gritty and funny. And Petty's got that great storyteller timing in his interview sequences. Recommended for any fan of popular music.
RUNNING SCARED (2006). The thing had more tension-per-minute than I can ever remember seeing; it just does not let up. I thought I was gonna have a friggin heart attack by the time it ended. Lots of completely-unbelievable things that went too far, though. All the fairy-tale allusions were pretty cool. Also, I'm almost positive they had to have topped Lebowski for the most F-bombs.
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