SAVE THE GREEN PLANET!  A total surprise, dark and hilarious, even as it lifts ideas from several other popular films. Paranoid dude kidnaps a corporate fat cat in an effort to stave off what he thinks is an alien invasion. Did I mention he was paranoid? Yeah. Things go horribly wrong and the balance of power shifts many times. Not as harsh as a Takeshi Miike film, but it might make a nice palate cleanser between them.
SAW 3.  An okay watch (if you liked the others) until near the end. They insulted the viewer, when, after "the big reveal" they felt the need to montage back through the film and show you every single example of why they're oh-so clever. The visual explanation was unnecessary, as it was a fairly simple concept and the logical conclusion to what they had already explained. I thought it was okay when The Sixth Sense did it, but this went way beyond. Felt like a tacked-on studio ending for people who might not "get it." If there's a dime to be squeezed, they'll keep making these. At least they had the original guys involved until now. Hey, remember when "The Final Chapter" of Friday the 13th came out in 1984? Yeah.
SAW 4. I don't even remember this coming out theatrically, I'm so numb to the money-making franshisery of it now. The scenarios are still oh-so-clever, but they should've labeled this one "fans only," cuz it's really hard to follow unless you've recently boned up on its predecessors. Entertaining but shitty. And the director comes off like a douchebag. I think the big surprise trap in the next sequel will be that 150 people get lured into a movie theater and tortured for 90 minutes by what's on the screen, ultimately realizing the error of their ways, but not before they've each been robbed of $9.50 and their dignity. All while Jigsaw continues to make more recordings from beyond the grave than Jimi Hendrix.
THE SAVAGES. This was funnier than expected; some great comic timing against the heavy themes. Sister and brother deal with their father's dementia and the resulting nursing home. Hoffman's good, of course, but it's Laura Linney's movie. And they managed to make poop funny again.
THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP.  The box cover is pretty appropriate, for better or worse. It certainly had its memorable moments, and I'm a huge fan of Gondry's visuals and Bernal's acting, but . . . this thing is pretty ridiculous overall. I can't recommend it to most people, although some will enjoy its whimsy. To me, it was almost maddening, and would've worked better as a short film.
SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND. People wax nostalgic about the 70s, but this was the part of the decade that I remember: pin-up idols with huge teeth, cheesy sci-fi, and finally being rescued from disco by Van Halen. This movie should've been called Career Suicide as it did just that to most involved. It doesn't quite ascend to that so-bad-it's-good mythos, but almost. Definitely worth watching for the kitsch factor if you dig Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park. You've got deus ex machina, Billy Preston shooting lasers from his hands while he boogies in the sky, and of course the staggering (and non-speaking) talents of The Bee Gees and Frampton wiping their asses with The Beatles catalog. Do a shot of Jaeger anytime someone appears who ended up in their own E! True Hollywood Story, and you'll be under the table. I ran out of fingers and toes counting the non-sequitur cameos.
SEMI-PRO. This is not a good movie. The plot is clichéd, and it adheres to the formula of Ferrell’s string of ’70s antiheroes. But it’s filthy, and that’s a good thing. The first half contains some hilarious one-liners that make it worth the watch if you’re a wind-him-up-and-let-him-go Ferrell fan. And this is the kind of acting that Andre 3000 should stick to.
SEVERANCE. It’s The Office meets Hostel. A corporate teambuilder goes awry when they realize they’re not alone at the site of the secluded retreat. I was expecting it to be funnier, yet to their credit they also don’t really temper the horrific moments with humor, either. Some good characterizations and interplay, but not much in the way of explanation. Shit just gets bloody. Definitely worth a watch on a long lunch hour.
SEX AND DEATH 101. A man receives list of every woman he ever did and ever will have sex with, fulfills the gamut of prophesied fantasies, then fatalism kicks in as he nears the inevitable encounter with Death, who's locked into her own path. It's of course a ridiculous premise, and not fully realized, but the picture is much smarter than folks will give it credit for, and there's a lot more complexity about male/female courtship going on below the surface of what appears to be a textbook sex farce. The dark tone is similar to Heathers, as it's also by Daniel Waters, known for his snappy dialogue if not always great films.
SHERRYBABY. It's really not much more than a Lifetime movie, if Valerie Bertinelli couldn't keep her dick in her pants. But Maggie Gyllenhaal is just so damn good, it rises above. So much so that I was actually rooting for her to put her clothes back on after awhile.
SHORTBUS. From the Hedwig guy. Provocative is an understatement; it made Happiness look like Disney. Good god! I'd be lying if I said it wasn't interesting, though, and hilarious, but I actually had to turn my head away a few times, and I usually enjoy having my buttons pushed. The first five minutes alone had me feeling like I needed a shower. Okay, point made. But it really was a pretty good film with some heart/truth, in all its Caligulean excess. Some kickass animated New York City sequences, too. And I will never hear The Star Spangled Banner the same way again. . . Gotta go wash this one down with an episode of Full House or something.
THE SIGNAL. Disappointed, because the buzz around this horror flick elevated my expectations. A promising premise, wherein all of our transmissions (TV, phone, etc.) are pervaded by a scrambled signal that triggers zombie-like rage against those in proximity. But it fades after a while, so you never know who to trust. Three different directors tackle each of the acts, and there's some good social humor, but it's ultimately confusing and uneven.
THE SIMPSONS MOVIE. I dug the hell out of it. Had a few PG-13 moments. I don't like going to the theaters much these days (there were 8 minutes of "commercials" after the start time before even the previews, for 20 total minutes of pre-feature crap -- but I guess this is what the home entertainment boom has reduced them to), but this begs to be seen on the big screen with a howling audience. I'd like to have seen Apu get more than one line, but Flanders reprazented, yo. Any complaints would just be too cynical fanboy of me.
SINGLES. This is another one of those comfort-food films. A Melrose Place for the grunge set. You must own this soundtrack if you buy nothing else from the decade. It helped bring the "Seattle sound" to prominence more than merely capitalizing on it, for which you can credit Cameron Crowe's impeccable musical tastes. As always, he creates characters who wear their emotions on their sleeves, with scenes that are both heartbreaking and hilariously-realistic in their analysis of relationship minutiae. I especially dig the dating service videos and Citizen Dick's lead singer's utter vacancy.
SLIPSTREAM.  Sir Anthony Hopkins's baby. This movie tongued donkey balls more than any in recent memory; it's a total mess. An editor's wet dream but a producer's suicide. He was trying way too hard to be Tony Scott, but the story (what story?) is beyond confusing and ultimately weak.
SLITHER. A very worthwhile addition to the campy horror genre. Some classic lines, especially from the obscene mayor character. It couldn't decide if it wanted to be a comedy or not, but I dug it. Pretty scary in spots, too. Nathan Fillion from Serenity brings a lot of charisma as usual. I will never hear Air Supply's "Every Woman in the World" the same way again. . .
SMART PEOPLE. There's much to like here, but the overall tone will leave most people cold with its intellectual smarm, which somehow seeps from the actors into the filmmaking itself. I prefer the way The Squid and the Whale covered similar emotional ground. Brilliantly handled are the abundance of awkward moments punctuated by some terrific quips, mostly from a pre-Juno Ellen Page. Thomas Haden Church plays the sole voice of room-temperature-IQ reason, but it's a very plugged-in role, underscoring that in many ways this reads like a student script.
SMILEY FACE. One of the dumbest movies I've ever seen. Anna Faris walks around really stoned for 85 minutes, avoiding her dealer. It got some surprisingly-good reviews, but I dunno what I was thinking. I always liked Gregg Araki's films (Doom Generation, Mysterious Skin, etc.) even if I didn't always understand them the first time. Maybe I was just interested to see one that wasn't about ambiguous sexuality for a change.
SMOKIN ACES. It was hip and adrenaline-soaked, and some fuckin razor-sharp dialogue, but it left me hollow like a sugar rush. Hated the ending. Shame, because Carnahan's a really talented action director, he just needs better material. I thought he might fill the void Guy Ritchie left, but they're both in a slump.
SNAKES ON A PLANE. I never would've given this a passing glance were it not for Samuel Motherfucking Jackson's involvement. Then again, neither would the studio, I bet. As others have said, just good fun. It's relentless, which keeps you guessing and expecting. Was that the bad-guy nephew from Karate Kid II (: Okinawa Boogaloo) playing the villain?? The first ten minutes I thought it was gonna suck with all the societal stereotypes being introduced; I mean it's really a microcosm of society in an overblown way. Then again, I did security at the airport for two years and it pretty much is true. Still, for the material they were working with I think they made a cool flick with lots of creepy/suspenseful moments. The tongue was planted in cheek at just the right amount without descending into self-parody.
SOUTHLAND TALES. I'm, uh . . . confounded. I wanted to like it, really. And I was giving him a lot of rope due to the multiple viewings Darko required of me. It was visually interesting. Quirky-ass casting (with at least five former SNL players). Memorable one-liners. And definitely great music. But I didn't read the graphic novel prequels and was totally lost through all but the last 45 minutes or so. Kelly sure loves his fourth-dimension tales, doesn't he? Oh, and if you're gonna cast Gellar as a porn star, don't tease us, sir. I would imagine some studio jobs were lost over this one.
SOUTH PARK: IMAGINATIONLAND. The "movie" (it's just a three-episode trilogy) didn't do it for me at all. Never been much of a fan anyway, but it was cool to see the massive number of fictional characters with a lot of rewind moments where you want to verify that you did in fact just see Twinkie the Kid braining a Cylon with a tire iron. (I'm not saying that happened.) The satire was fairly clever, and there was a hilarious scene with Michael Bay and Shyamalan, but the story felt like they threw it together between bong hits one weekend.
THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES. Surprisingly violent for a PG flick ("for scary creature action" and "peril" according to the MPAA). The story didn't do much for me (though I'm not eight), but the animated creatures and voice cast are a lot of fun. The twin boys are played by a single actor, which I did not know until later, so that's impressive technically and actorly, especially when you consider that it's often the other way around for children on set: they're only allowed to work four-hour days (unless on vacation), so twins are often substituted the same way you'd send your clone to the office so you could stay home and watch movies. Mary-Louise Parker sells no sherm in this role, but I was delighted her Milfweed character hasn't excluded her from family-oriented fare.
SPLINTER. Standard creature feature with all the usual conventions. A splintery woods-dwelling organism takes over the bodies it infects. High marks for a fairly original monster and a bad guy with an interesting (if unbelievable) character arc. And it's got the hottie from those Lincoln-Mercury commercials.
STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS. The target audience is younglings, so gate-check your expectations. I really like the animation style (polygonal 3D as opposed to the cel used in the TV show), and for the most part, the replacement cast does a good job with the voices. The script, plot, and dialogue are groaningly lame and oversimplified (Anakin trains a padawan while rescuing Jabba's kidnapped slug of a son), but just watch this for the eye candy and battle sequences and it's an enjoyable 90 minutes.
STARDUST. Neil Gaiman knows how to craft a fairy tale, and this one breathes a healthy gust of fresh air into the genre, yet I was still surprised how conventional the writing was in spots, given Neil’s other material. They didn’t shy away from some of the adult themes like kids who wanna get laid and not raise the resulting child, and the characters had more dimension than usual. Cool effects, some good one-liners, and a magically fun time.
STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING. A brash, persistent grad student shakes up an elderly author's life and puts his bad heart to the test while researching his work for her thesis. I'd love this film even if it were only about the writing life, but there's so much more below the surface about the human condition: familial sacrifices, loneliness, selfishness, narrow-mindedness, insecurities, etc. In the meantime, the publishing industry/culture has changed, broadening the gap with the old literary guard. I couldn't help but feel echoes of Six Feet Under with the reunion of Lauren Ambrose and Lili Taylor, who are both great, along with Frank Langella. Cool title, too.
STRANGER THAN FICTION. About a man who realizes he's a character in a book and subject to the narrating author's whims. They took it some interesting places, but it's a pretty average flick overall. Nice to see Dustin Hoffman continue his string of quirky roles. Makes me wonder how much of that is his own creation to humanize the characters, or if it's on the page.
STUCK. A high-concept what if? about the opposite of a hit and run: pedestrian victim's stuck in the windshield, its ecstasy-glazed driver frozen with paranoia. Despite the absurd situation, it's "inspired by" true events, and the humor doesn't play well, except for the opening montage of nursing home routines set to gangsta rap. The movie would've been better staged either as a serious moral dilemma, or with the comedy amped up. It also needs an epilogue.
SUNSHINE.  Goddamn. This had better get an Oscar® nod for best cinematography. All that light had to be extremely difficult to photograph properly. I'm sure a lot of it was done in post, but man, most of us have trouble even getting a campfire scene exposed well on celluloid. Some wicked stylistic effects, inventive POVs, cool sound design. . . Just loved everything about this film.
SUPERBAD. I caught this on vacation in CA with my long-time best friend and it hit close to home as a mirror of our younger selves. Loved it all around, and picked up some new vocab words. It was a bit surreal watching a movie with Michael Cera while in Newport Beach. Of course I'd gone on a fruitless search for a Bluth frozen banana earlier that day (though not on a Segway).
SWEENEY TODD. I’m a Depp fan, I admit. But I do tire of Tim Burton’s predictable casting choices between Depp and Mrs. Burton/Bonham Carter. These songs kick bloody ass and it’s a visual feast as expected, including fantastic production design. Sacha Baron Cohen even has a role that few will recognize. Don’t expect a happy ending, however, which came as a pleasant yet predictable change of pace, as little sense as that statement makes.
SYMPATHY FOR LADY VENGEANCE. Not quite as intense as the other two in the Oldboy revenge trilogy, but still very well made and a good watch. I love the editing and clever use of compositing, like the others. They took a totally different approach to the third act than in the previous films, but it works. Even though there's lots of violence, for the main character it's more about redemption this time than vengeance, which actually comes from an unexpected place.
SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK. Challenging, emotionally-wrenching, meta-fictional/-physical, and hilarious. That could be the review for any Charlie Kaufman-penned film, but this one – his directorial debut – pushes each element further except for the laughs. An all-star cast features Philip Seymour Hoffman as a neurotic, hypochondriac theater director who stages an eternally-evolving-but-never-performed life-sized production of his own life, with actors portraying his inner circle who evolve and often interfere with the story, blurring the lines. In spite of its fantastical structure, the performances are painfully naturalistic, capturing the sparks that ignite relationships and the flaws that doom them.
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