This year we saw the films:

*Blue State
*A Slim Peace
*The Lives of Others

(and North by Northwest outside)

Blue State is a fairly entertaining comedy about a disaffected political activist who plans on moving to Canada. It's a little obvious at times (and gets lazy at times, using caricatures instead of real people) and it is surprisingly offensive to Canadians, but the overall message is okay and there is good chemistry between Breckin Meyer and Anna Paquin.

A Slim Peace was a touch disappointing--the basic idea was great, Israelis and Palestinian women getting together to join a weight-loss program. But the film seemed less interested in genuine interaction and more on coaching the women into saying predictable "I learned to love other nationalities" speeches. It would have been better to see the characters as real people and not as stick figures to represent their ethnicity.

The Lives of Others is marvelous. Superb. A few days later, it's still moving me. See this movie.

Here's my (belated) list:

THE LIVES OF OTHERS: What an amazing film. I raved about it up top, but it's all true--don't be a moron and let the "foreign film" tag scare you off. A+

3:10 TO YUMA: A great action film which benefits from two brilliant star performances as well as a rather moving point. Russell Crowe just dominates the screen, but Christian Bale is right there. Plus great supporting work from Peter Fonda, Alan Tudyk, Ben Foster, and...Luke Wilson?! A

JUNO: Brilliant comedy with fine performances. The sheer hipness of it can get a touch grating (especially at the beginning), but it has a relaxed charm about it that I adored. Ellen Page was awesome. A

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN: Hmm...I don't know if it was the Best Picture of the Year, but it certainly was one of the most suspenseful experiences at the cinema in a few years. I didn't have as big a deal with the ending as some had, but I can see why it bothered some. A good attempt at adapting an unadaptable book. B+

MICHAEL CLAYTON: A fine piece of "traditional" moviemaking. There's really not a lot of surprises (really!) in the film, but terrific performances carry this corporate suspense film along, especially Clooney's old-timey "star" role. The film gets a little mannered at times (like with the Clayton family), but it works. B+

THE SIMPSONS MOVIE: Really entertaining film that is in the tradition of the best of the show. It wisely avoids trying to be a kitchen sink of show jokes, settling for telling a good story with some true sentiment. Best part: Tom Hanks...or Spider-Pig. B+

AMERICAN GANGSTER: Compelling work by Denzel Washington, a fine gritty script, but the script, while long, occasionally gets patchy and rambles (what's the deal with Cuba Gooding Jr.'s role?). Solid piece of filmmaking. B

GRINDHOUSE: As an experience, this is a neat thing with two films and a host of entertainingly fake trailers. Of the films, Robert Rodriguez turns in a silly but iconic and action-packed flick, while Tarantino does less of a parody and more of a homage...which means it's a little less entertaining...until the end. Standouts: Rose MacGowan and her gun leg, Kurt Russell, Josh Brolin pulling off a solid trifecta of screen roles (the doctor here, the bad cop in American Gangster, the main character in No Country). B

LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD: Better than should be expected, what with the usual Die Hard formula of action, villainy, and explosions. The film is certainly the weakest of the four movies, but it still is a lot of fun. It really could have used a stronger bad guy though. B

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END: An admirable attempt to rectify the excesses of the last film, but it still lacks the sense of good fun and cheer from the first. Some neat set pieces, but it's not good when the film feels like it's becoming a bit of drudgery to wrap everything up. B-

SHOOT 'EM UP: A goofy piece of fluff that is best enjoyed with one's brain turned off. The trio of stars is in good form, there's ridiculous action galore, but the whole thing gets a bit too much at times. Luckily, the film ends before it wears out its welcome. B-

BLADES OF GLORY: Typical Will Ferrell silliness. It's actually not as balls-out as it could have been, which is either good or bad. One wishes a stronger hand was at the tiller to trim out some of the indulgences and give more screen time to a very capable supporting cast (Will Arnett!). B-

SPIDER-MAN III: Disappointing third act hampered by way too many plots. The actors are game, the special effects are good, but it's just too stuffed. Also there are laughs at what should be real emotion. Try again, Spidey. C+

TRANSFORMERS: Lots of explosions! Entertaining as spectacle at times or as shlockly Spielbergian comedy at others, but wildly uneven. The ending would be more impressive if we knew what was going on. C+

BEOWULF: A fine experience in 3-D to be sure, but not a very good movie. The script is sort of asinine taking the basic idea of the story and adding a predictable morality story. The performances are solid, I guess, but the whole thing is more of an experience than a film. C

FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER: A very dumb film that is entertaining in a way based on the extreme good will of the cast. But a film with Galactus as a pink cloud, an ending that makes no sense, and (again) Doctor Doom as a playboy-cum-villain is borderline heresy. D+

Remember "Epic Movie" the 2007 American parody film , that
Movie was terrible