The International

Tykwer’s Perfume cinematography and Edit Lola Edit stylization aren’t enough to mask the convoluted plot of this political thriller. Clive Owen finally gets his chance to play James Bond, and does well during the one worthwhile shootout. Otherwise a run of the mill conspiracy film with little to distinguish it.

Choke

Clark Gregg adapts Palahniuk’s novel with the finesse of a high-school film-student. Over-played jokes, over-acted performances, and twisty attempt to pull one over on the audience leave everyone waiting for the film to be… over. Rockwell and MacDonald perform characteristically well, but even they can’t breathe life into this film.

Drag Me to Hell

Raimi returns to his Evil roots with this B-movie of epic proportions. Hybridizes laugh-out-loud funny with piss-yourself terror and completely avoids pulling punches. Occasionally goes too far with obviously digital Acme anvil and silly eye-spray. Long impresses while Lohman is simply tolerable. Saved by pleasantly simple plot and surprises galore.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Wes Anderson finally dives in a bit over his head. Murray reprises his Royal Rushmore character and Dafoe, Goldblum and Blanchett make splendid additions to the Anderson team. Stylized cross-section shots work fantastically but Selick’s stop-motion fish feel a bit out of place. Overall fun film drags in final act.

Alpha Dog

From the director of The Notebook comes this unusual approach to a true crime story. Young stars Yelchin and Hirsch easily outshine Willis and Stone. Perhaps one of the only films to leave audience feeling sorry for every character. Not great, but not terrible, earning it the title, Beta Dog.

W.

Alarmingly objective and seemingly fair representation of recent controversial events. Brolin’s performance is incredibly compelling without becoming a caricature. Supporting cast are for the most part impeccable as well, thought Wright and Newton are a bit hard to accept. Objectivity hindered by amusing and unrealistic compilation conversations of so-called Bushisms.

Terminator Salvation

McG tries to reboot Terminator franchise with gritty Batman Begins treatment. His attempt is hampered by the absence of (real) Schwarzenegger, a decent plot, or any semblance of loyalty to original films. Bale and Yelchin inhabit their characters well enough, but Worthington’s strong heart can’t make up his weak character.

Law Abiding Citizen

Film seems to argue in favor of whatever morally reprehensible and deluded message Leonidas is attempting to teach Jamie Foxx. Tonally similar to reworking Saw to glorify Jigsaw into Batman. Plot feels clever for a while, but the ‘witty twist’ completely undermines the cleverness of everything else. Can’t fight fate.

Transsiberian

If Hitchcock directed Hostel, this film would be the result. The plot is a bit farfetched but loaded with viable twists and palpable suspense. Harrelson, Mortimer, Mara and Kingsley lend credibility to the piece with phenomenal performances all around, and Noriega steals the show with his sublimely ambiguous creepy foreigner.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Fincher uses a gimmick to make slow-moving mundane story enjoyable to watch, and the result is exquisitely beautiful, both visually and emotionally. Blanchett and Pitt both shine through not quite satisfactory makeup and visual effects. Hurt slightly by occasional moments of excessive screen-writer cleverness and by similarities to Forrest Gump.