Thread: Justin's Review Thread

I think the safest bet is Nobody knows.

Huh?

Justin has his own review thread now, cool. I'll be sure to check it out periodically. Too bad about them Penguins, though.

No, it's worth seeing, especially if you like Noah Baumbach (assuming you've seen any of his work). Stiller is good and makes the film pretty watchable.

I imagine that Yoda agrees.

Sorry for the delay. I've been pretty busy.

Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010) [rating]4.5[/rating]



What could I say that hasn't already been said? It's an excellent film with strong directing. Nolan cleverly intertwines a classic heist film with the subconscious, and it works wonderfully.

Get Low (Aaron Schneider,2010) [rating]2.5[/rating]



Despite the presence of Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, and Robert Duvall, the film falls short. Schneider seems unsure of himself, so a lot of the weight falls on these actors -- who are excellent, no question. But the tone is off, and the film loses momentum particularly towards the end of the second act, where it plods along to the conclusion.

Mother (Joon-ho Bong, 2010) [rating]4.5[/rating]



Bong's directing is top-notch with terrific cinematography and storytelling. Good acting, with a nice, slow-burning pace that never stalls. It ultimately leads to a very satisfying ending. Not to mention, Hye-ja Kim is superb.

The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko,2010) [rating]3.5[/rating]



Good, but pretty forgettable. Cholodenko's directing is solid and moves the film along nicely, but it is missing something more -- it fails to make an impression. Though the film isn't memorable, the acting is great, though; Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo are definitely the strong points of the film. But that isn't to say that Annette Bening doesn't shine, as well. It's unfortunate that there are so many good things about the film, and yet it doesn't quite make it there.

Green Zone (Paul Greengrass,2010) [rating]2[/rating]



Not as good as I had hoped, but it was decent, aside from some clunky moments; e.g. the ham-handed "message" at the end. Acting was spotty in some areas, like Amy Ryan, who was completely unbelievable. Greg Kinnear was quite good, however. The film has great action sequences, particularly the one towards the end, which just about made the price of admission worth it. I've heard some negative remarks regarding the handheld aesthetic, which are certianly valid opinions, but personally, I've always liked it. Handheld provides the film with a quality, that while may seem sloppy, took months to prepare in order to get it right. Greengrass proves, yet again, that he might be one of the best (aside from Michael Mann) at choreographing action sequences.

Farewell (Christian Carion,2010) [rating]4.5[/rating]



With Polanski-esque suspense and strong performances, it's undoubtedly my favorite film of 2010 so far. Much of the actual espionage is kept off-screen, so we only see the meetings between the two protagonists. Thanks to Carion's directing, we learn a lot about them, and who they are outside of their jobs -- they never come off as one-dimensional. This is definitely a must-see.

I can't help you there. I've only seen Still Walking, though I do plan on seeing more.

I watched Nobody Knows, and I know people who thought it was the best film of its year, so it probably comes as no surprise that I gave it [rating]2.5[/rating].