158 - Local Color

I think there really was a great story that was the basis for the film, but the presentation fell somewhat short.

Armin Mueller-Stahl felt like good casting, but either the script needed more interpretation or directing may have kept it too tight, I honestly don't know. Perhaps in order to preserve moments that inspired the film, a lot of the storylines or dialogue took a back seat. Trevor Morgan, in a role that would be a good fit for either Tobey Maguire or Elijah Wood, doesn't really bring that much to the character. I'm biased about Samantha Mathis, but here again it feels like the script has kept her from doing anything meaningful.

The film does have its merits in its commentary about art, which I found both amusing (way to go Ron Perlman ;) ) and insightful.

157 - Blade of the Immortal

I've followed the graphic novels for quite some time and while the artwork is faithful to the original, watching it was somewhat weird when you've gotten used to following the story in comic form. I think I'll stick to the graphic novels.

156 - The Girlfriend Experience

I admire Steven Soderbergh's explorations or turns in his filmmaking profession (like "Bubble"). In The Girlfriend Experience, he uses a semi-documentary style mixed with a wild card casting of Sasha Grey...who, in real life parallels the lead. My curiosity in Sasha Grey lead me to a little bit of her porn resume, and believe me, dumb prey she is not (submissive prey you are, if you dare). I like the details Steven highlights in the film, such as Sasha's high-maintenance and repetition (and patience) with clients. But what I appreciated most was that unseen effect that goes on between Sasha and her clients. It's that undescribable air that can probably be seen as nervousness most times. It just manifests differently depending on the person. The fact that Sasha's life does have its sad turns wouldn't surprise anyone, but it's her toughness that cracks a little at some point that actually brings some normalcy, believe it or not.

155 - The Piano Teacher

Let me get this out of the way first.....Isabelle Huppert reminds me of Amy Madigan. It's that serious pout. Anyway, the film is a very interesting observation of a deprived or denied emotion.....and sadly, the consequences. Isabelle simplifies it in the interviews as an examination between love and seduction or loss of control, but I saw much more of its complexity on screen.

154 - Sunshine Cleaning

Depending on how your adolescent years went, there is a part of you that either wants to hang on or completely look away to what once was.... You continue to move on, but mostly in directions that probably were never in the "master plan". Amy Adams really projects a lot of that...evertime she's not smiling. Emily Blunt supports well...and her character is realistic. Adding Adam Arkin and Jason Spevack kinda looks formulaic, but they are more part of the background than anything.

153 - Julia

Tilda Swinton morphs from ice queen to drunk rat flawlessly :). The film drags a bit though, and I think there would have been more "efficient" ways to tell the story.

152 - Ashura

While this film has the usual elements of asian fantasy, it also comes with some very interesting segments such as the kabuki theater. I like the sense of humor and how the story incorporates the scribe (or screenwriter) and how he sees events unfold and will later depict the story for theater.

151 - Anamorph

It's Willem Dafoe's Davinci hairstyle, I guess :).....I like the unique concept of anamorphosis as used in the story. I wonder if this had been made a little darker (if say.....given to Jonathan Demme, Alfonso Cuaron, or.......David Lynch ;) ).

150 - Religilous

When you try to cross scientific fact with religion, you set yourself up for trouble. And that's pretty much how all of Bill's "victims" fall to his inquiry.....mostly to those who really take religion to its extreme. And if you're in that "extreme", this film will not make you happy. Otherwise, it's very informative and funny(!).

149 - The International

The scene above is where Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) gets run over by an escaping suspect...which is one of those moments that made me pause a bit. I mean......usually the lead is able to jump out of the way....but here she actually gets run over (she's ok by the way). Anyway, I think there wasn't enough in the film to support Eleanor or Louis' (Clive Owen) reputations. While Tom Tykwer presented action well like he did before (Run Lola Run), I think there was a lack of depth in the story. A bonus is seeing much of the Autostadt (quite a treat) that was used for the bank's headquarters.

148 - The Wackness

Squires and Shapiro, that's a funny tandem especially when you see that it's Ben Kingsley and Josh Peck......oh, and my apologies, Sir Ben Kingsley. He really pulls it off, hits his spots, and just has the facial expressions and nuances to match. The story is in the neighborhood of Wonder Boys....where in place of the mentor and student you have the shrink and the patient. The dynamic between Squires and Shapiro are both funny and geniune.

147 - The Go Getter

The story had promise and it had a supporting cast that can really carry it with Zooey, Jena, Maura, and Bill (Duke).....but the film falls short. Lead Lou Taylor Pucci has the innocent face, but just does not seem to be able to bring the character needed for the story.

146 - Comedy Central Roast: Denis Leary

I do actually like Denis Leary's film and tv work more than his standup.....despite the opposite of which was a common punch line in the roast.....but this was comedy central so that shouldn't be a surprise. While some film choices I'm sure were more for fun, I think he was good in films like Ref and his supporting roles in Suicide Kings and Ice Age (as Diego)...and what more can be said about The Job and Rescue Me? This roast was funny and entertaining and being on DVD was uncensored and you get a lot of surprises.

145 - Waltz with Bashir

This may be beginning of an era where animation is used instead of live action to tell a story. At first it feels like the film was a rotoscope like A Scanner Darkly, but it isn't. It was wonderfully done and the story was very compelling.

144 - Hana

Ok ok let me put this out first that I primarily got this to feed my Rie Miyazawa hunger. The story is actually in the same path as her other film (The Twilight Samurai), that of a reluctant Samurai. This film offers a lot and you appreciate the supporting characters, the life in the row houses, and the people that inhabit them.

143 - Tigrero

I follow Jim Jarmusch as much as I can and watching him with one of his influences (Sam Fuller) was a treat to witness. Jim came with Sam to revisit the location in Brazil for Tigrero, a film that never saw the light of day because the studio couldn't get it insured. There's a lot to be learned in the discussions between Jim and Sam. One discussion that sticks for me is Jim asking Sam about shooting on location and where Sam talks about what you don't plan for that you might see when you're on location. Happy accidents. Priceless.

142 - Fishing with John

"fishiiiinnng......with John...." is the hypnotic opening track from each of John Lurie's episodes. It's a neat collection of what I'd consider vacation videos with friends...not your usual friends of course, as they include Tom Waits, Jim Jarmusch, Willem Dafoe, Matt Dillon, and Dennis Hopper. The casual talk is fun to listen to and using a "National Geographic"-like narrator (Rob Webb) makes it even more amusing (and funny).

141 - Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Initially, I thought my attention would have been following Cristina. But Vicky was a bit more interesting and I think its because of the conflict she had to go through. Woody Allen has written dialogue that is very smart and fun to follow. His use of the narrator here actually helps fill in a lot in the story.

140 - Wendy and Lucy

There wasn't a lot said about what triggered this journey or what life was before, but I think the little clues in conversations tell a lot about what she's been through and who she is. I particularly liked that Michelle Williams didnt portray this character as an obnoxious rat driven to succeed (or something like that anyway) that would have been the trap that some actors have taken before. She plays Wendy realistically as a troubled, yet balanced person. That there was nothing extraordinary in this story is what makes it work.

139 - Body of Lies

It's somewhat like Spy Game (Redford & Pitt).....though this time with Crowe and DiCaprio. One performance that stands out though is Mark Strong, who portrayed Hani Salaam. Quite a cool character.