Black Swan

— Saw "Black Swan" and, well, it was really, really dark and really good (and really had a lot of ballet). Riveting, but with a constant uneasiness, like being among the first people to come across a roadside accident and knowing not everyone survives.

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[2010. 108 min. Directed Darren Aronofsky. Starring Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, and Winona Ryder.]

easy A

— Watched "easy A" last night and liked it. Much funnier than expected. Of course, I expected a teen angst film and got a witty, well-acted, comedy.

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[2010. 92 min. Directed Will Gluck. Starring Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgley, Dan Byrd, Thomas Haden Church, and Patricia Clarkson.]

The Tourist

— Saw "The Tourist" last week. Hmm. Only so-so and probably should have saved it for my Netflix queue.

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[2010. 103 min. Directed Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. Starring Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, and Timothy Dalton.]

True Grit

— Joel and Ethan really know what to do...and this time it was fun again. "True Grit" and it's actors deserve the praise they've been getting.

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[2010. 110 min. Directed Ethan Coen and Joel Coen. Starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld, and Josh Brolin.]

The Fighter

— I agree with Ann Hornaday who, writing about "The Fighter", said "If you think 'Rocky' and 'Raging Bull' define the alpha and omega of boxing movies, think again."

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[2010. 116 min. Directed David O. Russell. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams.]

Fair Game

— Saw “Fair Game” yesterday. Naomi Watts & Sean Penn both excellent. Always hard to know where truth lies when movies are made about events from the recent past, but always good to root for truth winning out.

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[2010. 108 min. Directed Doug Liman. Starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn.]

Who is Harry Nilsson (and Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)

— I liked "Who is Harry Nilsson (and Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)." Worth renting.

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[2010. 116 min. Directed John Scheinfeld. With Gerry Beckley, Lee Blackman, and Perry Botkin Jr..]

RED

— Saw "RED" yesterday and it was almost exactly what I expected. That’s not a bad thing.

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[2010. 111 min. Directed Robert Schwentke. Starring Bruce Willis, Mary-Louise Parker, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren.]

The Social Network

— Aaron Sorkin sure can write! Yes, I saw "The Social Network" and really liked it.

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[2010. 120 min. Directed David Fincher. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, and Rooney Mara.]

The Secret In Their Eyes

— I finally watched "The Secret In Their Eyes" over the weekend and keeps remembering scenes from it. Really an amazing thriller from Argentina.

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[2009. 129 min. Directed Juan Jose Campanella. Starring Ricardo Darin, Soledad Villamil, Carla Quevedo, and Pablo Rago.]

The Kids Are All Right

— "The Kids Are All Right" was good and Annette Benning was wonderful. Unusual audience.

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[2010. 106 min. Directed Lisa Cholodenko. Starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, and Josh Hutcherson.]

Inception

— "Inception" really was worth seeing, and not just for the special effects.

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[2010. 148 min. Directed Christopher Nolan. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, and Tom Hardy.]

Salt

— I saw "Salt" this weekend. Perfect Summer action film. Got to see previews for "Red Panel Report" too--love those star-studded casts where everyone just seems to be playing with their friends instead of making a movie.

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[2010. 100 min. Directed Phillip Noyce. Starring Angelina Jolie, Live Schreiber, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.]

I Am Love

— Went to see Luca Guadagnino's "I Am Love". Very Visconti-esque. Tilda Swinton was amazing.

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[2009. 120 min. Directed Luca Guadagnino. Starring Tilda Swinton, Flavio Parenti, Edoardo Gabbriellini, Alba Rohrwacher, and Pippo Delbono.]

Winter’s Bone

— Saw "Winter's Bone" and recommend it. Nice to see something so well done filmed in Missouri. Just hope non-Midwesterners don't think the film's a slice of typical Missouri life!

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[2010. 100 min. Directed Debra Granik. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Garret Dillahunt.]

Please Give

— Back from seeing "Please Give". Interesting, dark, comic drama. A bit more complicated and slice-of-lifey than expected, but that's probably a good thing.

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[2010. 90 min. Directed Nicole Holofcener. Starring Catherine Keener, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall, and Amanda Peet.]

The Ghost Writer

— Saw "The Ghost Writer" last night. Really well written, acted, directed. The story's somewhat anti-American (and anti-Bush and anti-Blair), but I hope even those on the right can appreciate Polanski's filmmaking skill.

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[2010. 128 min. Directed Roman Polanski. Starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, and Kim Cattrall.]

A Serious Man

— I finally watched "A Serious Man." I liked it a lot, but I need to reread Job and get a Jewish dictionary!

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[2009. 106 min. Directed Ethan Coen and Joel Coen. Starring Michael Stuhlbarg, Ricahrd Kind, and Sari Lennick.]

The Last Station

— I loved "The Last Station". Helen Mirren and Christopher Plumber are unbelievable. Definitely makes me want to know more about Tolstoy's last years to get a better feeling for what's truth and what's fiction. At its heart is a love story, of love evolving and changing but remaining, and its hard not to be captivated by that thread.

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[2009. 112 min. Directed Michael Hoffman. Starring Helen Mirren, James McAvoy, and Christopher Plummer.]

Waste Land

— "Waste Land" was absolutely wonderful on so many levels. I wish everyone could see it. Lucy Walker is my new hero!

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[2010. 99 min. Directed Lucy Walker, Karen Harley, and Joao Jardim. With Vik Muniz.]

The Red Chapel

— "The Red Chapel" was wonderful...much better than I'd hoped. Still evaluating my stamina for the day...

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[2009. 88 min. Directed Mads Brugger.]

Waking Sleeping Beauty

— Just saw "Waking Sleeping Beauty" and was fascinated. Q&A with Peter Schneider was great. It opens in NY, LA and Chicago later in March.

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[2009. 86 min. Directed Don Hahn. With Roy Edward Disney, John Lasseter, and Michael Eisner.]

The Hurt Locker

— Finally saw "The Hurt Locker". Wow! Really, really good. Felt more like a documentary than some documentaries I've seen. Very intimate story, unfolding at a perfect pace.

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[2008. 131 min. Directed Kathryn Bigelow. Starring Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, and Ralph Fiennes.]

Crazy Heart

— After seeing "Crazy Heart", I now know what all the Jeff Bridges hubbub is about!

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[2009. 112 min. Directed Scott Cooper. Starring Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Colin Farrell.]

A Single Man

— Colin Firth is fantastic and “A Single Man” is a gorgeous film to look at—kind of a series of perfectly thought out still images that reminds you Tom Ford is one heck of a designer. Both Ford and Firth deserve high praise for their roles in this story of a 1960’s gay, British professor in California after his lover dies. Oh, and Julianne Moore is perfect too.

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[2009. 99 min. Directed Tom Ford. Starring Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, and Matthew Goode.]

It's Complicated

— Back from "It's Complicated". Meryl's wonderful, of course. Even pulled off the obligatory, humorous mention of vaginas by women at lunch! Men are largely sad creatures while more evolved women lead full and meaningful lives.

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[2009. 120 min. Directed Nancy Meyers. Starring Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, John Krasinski, Lake Bell, Mary Kay Place, and Rita Wilson.]

The Young Victoria

— Emily Blunt is very good in "The Young Victoria". I’m always a sucker for historical dramas about the monarchy. Not sure why we're fascinated by the royals, but I'm reminded to watch "Mrs. Brown" again sometime. Then maybe "The Queen", "Mary Queen of Scots", "Elizabeth" and "Elizabeth, The Golden Age" and "Elizabeth R" and "Elizabeth I"...

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[2009. 105 min. Directed Jean-Marc Vallee. Starring Emily blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent, and Thomas Kretschmann.]

(500) Days of Summer

— I watched “(500) Days of Summer” last night and was impressed. Kind of like reading a diary after someone ripped out the pages and threw them in the air. Nice to see believable people navigating a perilous and believable romance, but there are a few too many gimmicks from music video and the narrator could tone it down a notch. Even with its flaws, it is a really worthwhile film.

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[2009. 95 min. Directed Marc Webb. Starring Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Geoffrey Arend, and Chloe Grace Moretz.]

Nine

— It’s hard to imagine anyone who grew up watching Fellini movies not being intrigued by “Nine”. Rob Marshall knows how to ooze pizzaz, but I wonder about the women in his life. The music doesn’t hold a candle to “Chicago” but the cast does & the “look” is wonderful. Probably more scenes with lingerie than you’ll find in any other mainstream film. More interesting than expected, but not sure it achieved what was intended.

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[2009. 119 min. Directed Rob Marshall. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penolope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, and Sophia Loren.]

The Blind Side

— Went to see "The Blind Side". Perfect for a cold, end-of-a-three-day-weekend afternoon with slightly slick roads. Nice to feel good sometimes!

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[2009. 129 min. Directed John Lee Hancock. Starring Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, an Jae Head.]

Sherlock Holmes

— saw "Sherlock Holmes" today. Robert Downey, Jr. & Jude Law are both really good (they almost always are), but there are a lot of other films out there worth seeing first.

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[2009. 128 min. Directed Guy Ritchie. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, and Rachel McAdams.]

Avitar

— Back from "Avitar". Cameron sure knows how to tell a story. Can't believe how involved I was. And how entertained.

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[2009. 162 min. Directed James Cameron. Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang.]