Vice

Bale’s Dick and Rockwell’s Bush don’t rock well enough to bail out Mckay’s Big concept which falls Short as present day politics Anchor down one Man’s character study. Stylistically opposed of its titular character, Vice’s vice is its reliance on heavy-handed set-pieces to set up its inherently obvious unitary message.

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St. Vincent

McCarthy plays it pleasantly straight while Watts fulfills her earlier Promises, but both take the backseat in this drunkenly driven Murray vehicle.  Cute premise and fascinating central character suffer from utterly unresolved obstacles.  Though endearing the finale is far from final and though amusing the film isn’t worth the Bill.

Birdman

Black-Swan-man embraces gravity with style despite feather-ruffling from Norton’s Norton and stoned Stone.  Watts electrifies with return to Mulholland while Galifaeioukis galls by emerging from comedic ferns.  Inairitu’s mockery of editing and soundly designed sound design give wings to a film that seemed like a long shot and still does.

Movie 43

Outstanding cast of A-listers assemble to breathe life into SNL rejected short scripts… and fail. Stolen jokes, weak performances, and senseless frame story further ensure disaster.  Like ‘Funny or Die’ but mostly the latter as each segment manages a moment of humor, then milks it to painful and poisonous death. 

The Impossible

White people were hurt by the tsunami?  Impossible!  Severe racial skew aside, the entire British (not true-story Spanish) cast deliver literally breath-taking performances.  Devastating devastation effects and a fifty-fifty blend of gut-wrenching physical realism and rarely forced soul-stomping emotional punches create an effect, which isn’t impossible, but is still impressive.

J. Edgar

Dicaprio dons Benjamin’s buttons for this sprawling depiction of bureaucratic sneakery. Essentially an unreliable sister movie to the even more tedious Good Shepherd, with a stronger performance from the Departed lead. Watts shines light on well-handled controversial elements, essentially Leo’s resistance to getting nailed by a perpetually young sounding Hammer.

I Heart Huckabees

Either an excellent satire or a laughable exploration of alternative mode of thought. Watts and Wahlberg take comedic turns while Schwartzman plays himself and Hoffman inhabits role that’s stranger than fiction. Contrived plot and quirky humor establish tone perfectly. Surely did for exercise balls what E.T. did for Reese’s Pieces.

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.

Mulholland Dr.

Experimental film that improves dramatically with each viewing. Difficult to criticize terrible performances, particularly from Watts, as they were intentionally bad. Attempting to comprehend the plot is waste of time that will make you want to Lynch the director. Look forward to equally dissatisfying blue box and lesbian sex scenes.

Stay

Borderline experimental film that absolutely requires a second viewing. Similar to a smoothly cut variation on Mulholland Dr. complete with a peculiar performance from Naomi Watts. McGregor and Gosling do their jobs adequately but the editor definitely deserves a raise. Brilliant title and transitions add to this thought provoking masterpiece.

21 Grams

Title refers to the amount of extra brain tissue needed to fully comprehend this film. Basically, take a shotgun to a good drama and treat the falling confetti as a shooting script. Seemingly random non-chronology proves intensely clever on second viewing. Brilliant performances from lead players solidify film’s emotional power.