Almost There....

Ok so the Sundance micro-reviews are done.  Here is what's left:

Just go with it
Gnomeo & Juliet
Unknown
Of God's and Men
Limitless
Lincoln Lawyer
Source Code
Arthur
African Cats
Fast Five
The Victim
Thor
Something Borrowed
Bridesmaids
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
The Hangover Part II
The Conspirator
Bad Teacher
X-Men: First Class
Cars 2
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

I'll be caught up by this weekend -- PROMISE.

Yelp

A documentary on what it means to be connected in the 21st Century.

Really funny!!

*** Must See


NR

The Woods

A group of young yuppies knowing that the world is coming to an end take to the woods to start over.

OK this is possibly the most random and bizarre movie I have seen in a long time.  The first half is really really funny and then it just gets long, weird and boring.  The idea was fun and this would have made a much better short.

* 1/2 Rentable 


NR

Troubadours

A documentary on the Troubadour and how it propelled the careers of the singer songwriters.

Really interesting and entertaining if you are at all a fan of the likes of Carole King or James Taylor.  A lot like watching a VH1 special but still the music alone is worth watching it.

*** Must See for Music fans


NR

The Son of No One

A police officer attempting to distance himself from his past is assigned to the precinct in the neighborhood he grew up in.

Despite having a commanding cast this thriller falls short.  About 30 minutes too long and a lot of spoon fed dialogue leaves everyone unsatisfied.

* 1/2 Rentable?


NR

Prairie Love

A vagrant assumes the identity of a man he stops to help after discovering the man was on his way to pick up a woman from prison whom he had never met.

Did that make sense?  Yeah the movie doesn't either.  It is absurd and tries to be quirky but is just odd.

* 1/2 I guess you could rent it.


NR

Perfect Sense

Two people begin to fall in love as an epidemic robs the world of it's sensory perceptions.

Although slowly paced and inevitably predictable, it is somewhat charming in a horrifying way.

** 1/2 Rentable


NR

Pariah

A young teenager trying to find herself hides her lesbian lifestyle from her parents.

I saw this as a short at Sundance in 06 and although wasn't terribly impressed by it then -- it works much better as a short than a feature.

*1/2 Rentable


NR

Page One

A documentary on the New Times and how it and other newspapers almost became extinct.

Entertaining and somewhat sad as it reveals how technology has changed our world.

** 1/2 Rentable


NR

Miss Representation

A documentary on how women are betrayed by the media.

This was my favorite film this year.  It is amazing how much the media shapes our values and priorities.  What we presume to be beautiful and the pressures women place upon themselves and those around them to be "perfect."

**** Oscar Worthy


NR

Margin Call

Two young investment bankers stumble upon the upcoming financial crash of 2008.

This is actually a very interesting look at the those that were involved in the fire sale on Wall Street.  It has an provocative twist leaving the audience to decide who is the villain.

Quiet flick that has an excellent cast.

*** Must See


NR

Mad Bastards

A wayward man returns to his home town to find his own son following in his footsteps.

This is a random biopic of the lives of many young men in rural New Zealand. Extremely slow paced and predictable but the characters are bizarrely endearing as non of them are actors.

* 1/2 Rentable


NR

Lost Kisses

A young girl redefines faith in her town after having a vision of where to find the head of defiled virgin Mary statue.

This is a quirky foreign film that is kind of all over the place.  It stretches to find heart and desperately wants to make the viewer think about the validity of religion but it falls short.

** Rentable


NR

The Lie

A man tired of his mundane life continually calls in sick to work. When he is eventually questioned by his boss he tells him that his daughter died, a blatant lie.

Really odd.  Oddly paced, oddly cast, oddly told.

* 1/2 Maybe rentable?


NR

I Melt With You

Four dysfunctional friends meet up at a beach house to have their annual reunion and things go terribly wrong.

Quite possibly the worst thing I saw.

* Not-A-Chance


NR

Hot Coffee

A documentary about tort reform in our justice system.

LOVED IT!!!

**** Oscar Worthy


NR

Here

A geologist and a photographer randomly meet in Armenia.

Ummm.... this was horrid.

* Not-A-Chance


NR

Gun Hill Road

A man returns home from prison to find his son is someone that he doesn't know and can't understand or accept.

Very interesting and sad.

** 1/2 Rentable


NR

Flypaper

Multiple gangs attempt to rob the same bank at the same time.

It was like watching Clue only in a bank.

** I guess you could rent it. 


NR

The Flaw

A documentary on the economic break down of the late 2000's in the United States of America.

A watered down version of Inside Job.  This was made to keep the attention of teenagers, with it's cartoons and charts. However it hesitates to place blame on any one in particular.  It was entertaining.

** 1/2 Rentable


NR

Excuse Me

A couple threatens to end their relationship on what may or may not have been said in the heat of passion.

Funny.

***


NR

The Details

A young couple in a strained marriage are pushed to the edge by raccoons.

This was soooooo disappointing. Not funny.  Long, painful, and predictable.

* Not-A-Chance


NR

Circumstance

Two young women desperately trying to find themselves are trapped by their country and culture.

One of my favorites this year!

*** 1/2 Must See


NR

The Cinema Hold Up

A small group of Mexican teenagers looking for a brighter future plot to rob a movie theatre.

Slowly paced and deliberate but really good performances.

** 1/2


NR

Cedar Rapids

A naive and hopeful insurance salesman represents his firm at the annual Two Diamonds conference in Cedar Rapids.

Funny but a tad crude.  Memorable dialogue and engaging storyline.

***


Rated R (for language and sexual content)

Being Elmo

A documentary following the life of the man behind Elmo.

Surprisingly entertaining as I can't stand Elmo.

***


NR

Another Happy Day

A dysfunctional family comes together for a wedding and makes sloppy attempts to heal the years of hurt.

Very entertaining, yet horrifically frustrating to watch.

***

NR