Meek's Cutoff (2010)

Whew. This is a desolate film with some great performances, but man is it ever desolate. A group of settlers are traveling west and depend on their guide, Meek, to get them over the mountains with enough time to beat winter, but even more important, before they run out of supplies. Some people in the party doubt Meek's ability.

A western without bad guys.

Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)

This is a really unique documentary that kind of fell into the lap of Banksy, the notorious graffiti artist. A very amateur documentarian asks to film graffiti artists who are actually engaged in social commentary and gets caught up in the culture so much that he decides he is an artist as well. What is so remarkable is that the film becomes more about the videographer and his hours and hours of footage and what his art represents than the amazing art we see him trying to emulate.

Biutiful (2010)

Leave it to Iñárritu (21 Grams; Babel) to deliver yet another gut-wrenching drama. This time we're in Barcelona peering into the life of a man having difficulties financially, relationally, physically - and yet, moments of lightness (very few of them) give us a reason to believe that even at the lowest moments in life, we can shine.

Restrepo (2010)

A documentary chronicling a platoon of American troups in the mountains of Afghanistan who are tasked with winning over the region by both building relationships with the community leaders and repelling Taliban cells. It will keep your attention as there are real lives at stake, but the reality of the soldiers' losses is nearly eclipsed by the meaninglessness of it all. Plus some of the tension feels a bit manufactured since it has an essence of reality TV.

It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010)

A teen checks himself into the psych ward at a local hospital due to depression (girl and family problems). He is placed in the adult ward since the youth one is under renovation. There, he encounters real mental patients and gains a healthier perspective on life.

The film is worth watching just for the dream sequence / music video of Queen's Under Pressure. But it's also a really enjoyable and touching film.

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Rabbit Hole (2010)

This play adaptation plunges viewers into parental grief. The acting is superb and not surprisingly, the dialogue is rich and layered.

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The Way Back (2010)

I often fear that film interpretations of fact based epics will default towards the emotional rather than take pains to help the viewer enter the pain of the protagonist. The Way Back tackles the incredible trek of gulag escapees from the Soviet north down into northern India. It becomes clear that while they can not spend time on each of the characters, they do not default to a soft retelling. The harsh realities are depicted unfettered by too much orchestral dazzle.

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Animal Kingdom (2010)

This film is too over the top I think, but maybe I just don't know the Australian trailerpark crime culture well enough. The crime and the response to crime seems cartoonish without trying to be.

An orphaned teen cousin ends up living with his criminal uncles and ringleader grandmother. The police will go to any lengths to get them and they will do anything to avoid getting caught. Some rather horrific stuff really.

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L'illusionniste (2010)

The Illusionist is a lovely tale from the makers of The Triplets of Belleville - this one is far more melancholy and far less violent.

A French illusionist ends up on the road in a rustic and remote island off of Scotland. There he picks up a loyal fan who has is urbanized slowly when they settle in Paris. The film centres on his resourcefulness, her quaintness, and their devotion to each other.

The animation is lively which is good because the film is rather slow. Great story telling though and you will find yourself responding out loud with the emotional movement.

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Fair Game (2010)

Here is an important movie making personal the effects of overreaching political power, namely the Bush/Cheney administration. Fair Game is the true story of CIA operative Valerie Plame who is outed by the administration when her recommendations are contrary to what the executive branch demands. By publicizing her name, her covert (and noble) operations put in jeopardy and she becomes a target of hawk Republicans.

The film is upsetting on multiple levels, but the most troubling is the fact that Mrs. Plame and her husband are not able to defend themselves in any arena. Top notch acting from Naomi Watts and Sean Penn.

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Barney's Version (2010)

Mordecai Richler's semi-autobiographical book is performed by Paul Giamatti and some lovely ladies. The story tells of Barney, a TV producer in Montreal, the women of his life and how he loses them. He is riddled with faults and still draws a lot of empathy because of his fierce love and honest confessions.

I enjoyed this quite a bit, mostly due to the emphasis on character, but also for the rich dialogues throughout.

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Never Let Me Go (2010)

This terribly moving film begins at the edge of sanity where children are raised in an idyllic setting and then harvested for their organs once they reach adulthood. The organ donors live out their purpose without questioning why or without really believing that they have any other purpose. Aside from the heavy sentimental reaction I got from watching their young lives get snuffed out, I was pushed to consider the idea of free will as it was presented in the film - and I always appreciate that opportunity!

As I often do, I really appreciated the gentleness in the film and the easy pace as it massaged the fate of the characters into our minds.

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Inside Job (2010)

This is the detailed account of how the wealthy financial sector is robbing the world. The details are calmly presented in a clear, well connected way to draw us to a very dismal conclusion. In fact the film is absolutely infuriating. It covers a lot of the same ground that Michael Moore covers in Capitalism: A Love Story, but it is perceived as much less polemic.

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The Two Escobars (2010)

When I saw the opening credits state that this was an ESPN Film, my hopes dropped. Wow! Was I ever impressed. This documentary chronicles the lives of two of Columbia's most prolific men: Pablo Escobar the drug lord and Andrés Escobar the soccer star and the amazing symbiotic relationship they both had with their nation and each other.

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Tangled (2010)

I enjoyed this modern, musical, Disney-fied take on the Rapunzel story. With such high returns on animated features these days, they typically gather a stellar crew of writers, animators, and producers.

As is typical, the side characters are the funniest and most interesting (the horse, the chameleon, the tavern crew, etc.). Some of the songs are fun, but a lot of them are sentimental crooning which, you know, get stuck in your head and will likely be memorized by young girls.

My pastor preached a sermon on this movie, likening it to a modern parable about identity and going home.

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Hesher (2010)

Very crude and very sensitive film about loss and honesty. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays an anarchist headbanger who invades the lives of a boy, his father and grandmother. He violently shakes up their sorrow (the boy's mother has recently died) and spurs them onto a path of recovery.

It's a fun film, though many parts will make you cringe. The message of redemption and healing is so poignant that it really does capture the "beauty from ashes" theme from OT prophets.

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Hereafter (2010)

While I think this is terrific film making, I'm pretty dismayed with the message it promotes: we can hear from the dead. If we believe this, then we open ourselves up to extortion, theological heresy, and a life that can be interfered with by the dead.

The film itself tells of the struggle of three individuals all connected to this otherworldly dimension. One is a medium who wishes he could turn off his dead person sense. Another is a boy who tragically loses his twin in an accident and longs to hear from him. The last is a woman who dies momentarily and comes back to life and seeks answers to the things she remembers seeing.

Kudos to the tsunami creators - stunning sequence.

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Winter's Bone (2010)

Authentically tense with some raw strength in both the characters and the gripping narrative.

Ree has to track down her dad who is out of prison on bond. If he doesn't show up for his court date, she loses the family land and house. The back hills of Arkansas aren't the most welcoming place to be poking around, in fact it's quite terrifying. Blood is thicker than water.

Jennifer Lawrence is fantastic, but who is this director? Debra Granik? She's awesome!

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You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010)

Woody Allen offers up another comedy about the insane consequences of participating in serial relationships and the constant hope and openness toward meeting someone more satisfying. We have two couples who become four couples.

There isn't much else to say, if you like Woody Allen, you'll like this one. It's silly, but riddled with truths (and debunked lies).

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TRON: Legacy (2010)

Oh Tron. So unbelievable, but oh, so luminescent. Disney cashes in on 3D, Jeff Bridges popularity, and a cult classic by releasing this souped up version of a movie based on an arcade game.

Kevin Flynn's son enters the videogame a couple decades after his father disappeared only to find that the dominant microchip force is bad and is looking for a way out of the videogame world and into the real world where they can take over! Yikes!

Not a great film. Probably fun to watch on the big screen with glasses.

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