• Orphan (2009) 3/5

  2009-12-19 09:44

  This film had a twist that I did not expect and made it rise above the more recent "evil child" films. Still, it's not as good as some past films using the "evil child" idea, such as the Good Son with Macaulay Culkin or the original Omen. The girl who plays Esther, the adopted child, was the best thing about the movie. She pulled off creepy very well even though the film never actually made it to outright scary. One thing I don't understand, how did such a dysfunctional family manage to adopt a child? The parents did not get along and the father was particularly vicious towards the mother because of her past alcoholism, which tied in with her losing a child in the past.

  0.3

• The United States of Leland (2003) 3.5/5

  2009-12-19 09:30

  Not a perfect film but certainly an interesting one. Leland, played by Ryan Goslin, is an emotionally detached young man who delivers a few "truths" about the world even though he says he has no answers about the crime he committed, which was killing his ex-girlfriends mentally disabled younger brother. I enjoyed the film but felt the questions Leland asked were an attempt to make him seem a "deep" person when, in fact, he was a young person harmed by his parent's divorce and his father's detachment. You see his father (played by Kevin Spacey) trying to exploit what he can out of Leland's crime and see where Leland's emotional detachment comes from. All in all, interesting little film but not as significant as it attempts to be.

  0.3

• Funny People (2009) 3.5/5

  2009-12-19 09:23

  Felt more like a drama about comedians that had a couple funny lines because of this. It wasn't the usual Apatow fare but I liked that he wasn't afraid to break from his usual and go in a more serious direction. As a comedy it tanked, as a drama it was an interesting look at the lives of comedians.

  0.3

• I Love You, Man (2009) 4/5

  2009-08-29 23:58

  Funny and moving 'bromance'. I adore Jason Segal and look forward to seeing him in other films. I was glad to see the friendship between two men being the centerpoint of a film without making the females of the film unimportant. Well, at least Zooey, who played Paul Rudd's girlfriend, actually mattered.

  0.3

• Up (2009) 5/5

  2009-08-29 23:43

  By far, my favorite Pixar movie. I haven't beem so moved by a children's film in years. I think this movie hit all the right notes and wasn't afraid to stray into more realistic territory without sacrificing the story. It was heartwarming. I must say I was a bit shocked to see blood in a Disney movie! Then again, I haven't kept up with Disney/Pixar flicks in the past few years so maybe I'm missing something.

  0.3

• G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009) 1/5

  2009-08-22 22:58

  Terrible movie. Too much reliance on gimmicky technology. I'm surprised they didn't have special gadgets to hold their hand as they crossed the road. Even with all that amazing technology they had a pathetic news van while their arch nemesis had a superpowered Hummer?! I'd never watched GI Joe as a child so the canon changes didn't bother me. Was nice to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt again, especially since I'd seen (500) Days of Summer a few weeks prior to watching GI Joe.

  0.3

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