The Merry Gentleman ***

Michael Keaton's directorial debut is a praiseworthy success. Too bad this film was not available to many audiences. It's a story about Kate, a woman who has left her physically abusive husband and begins a new life in Chicago. One night, as she's leaving work, she spots someone in shadow standing on the ledge of a building. Thinking he is about to kill himself, she cries out, and he falls backward onto the roof. That man is Frank Logan, a professional hitman who had actually just shot someone a few stories above her. Frank and Kate meet face to face on another occassion and develop a strange bond to one another. Then Kate's husband returns. I will not reveal anything beyond this point except that my initial impression was that the ending disappointed me. When I thought more about it, however, it was probably the only conclusion that made any real sense.

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus **1/2

There are some directors that are so gifted, so talented with their imaginations, that they end up alienating the audience rather than taking them for a ride. David Lynch got too excessive with his Inland Empire and Terry Gilliam does it here. Not that the visuals are not a marvel to look at. They certainly are and I would recommend interested viewers see it just for that. The problem is that I often had no idea what was going on and not following stories for lengths of time frustrates me. One problem that could not be undone was the death of Heath Ledger. Instead of scrapping the film, Gilliam decided to replace Ledger with Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell whenever the character steps through the other worldly Imaginarium mirror. Okay, it's another world, but there is no explanation why Ledger's Tony looks so different when he steps into this universe. He just does. Christopher Plummer has one of the most unique roles I've ever seen him play as the title character, who is competing with a devilish character named Mr. Nick for people's souls. What a strange film.

You, The Living ***1/2

What a quirky movie! There are some films that are so absurd you can't help but laugh. The filmmakers did not do this by accident and it pays off. The film follows vignettes of different characters, all self-absorbed and depressed, but in such a ridiculous way it's comical. There's also plenty of dreams and randomness in this movie; most of these scenes you have to watch to see why they're funny. I haven't described a plot here because there isn't one, just a series of sketches of different people. I hadn't seen any Swedish black comedies before this one, but it's certainly been a promising introduction.

Passing Strange ***1/2

Spike Lee filmed the last three performances of this Broadway production about a young black musician who rebels against his mother's middle-class, church-going upbringing and travels to Amsterdam and later Berlin to experience "the real." Stew, who wrote the lyrics and music to this show, is also dynamic as the musical's narrator. While I first had to adjust to the idea that I was watching the filming of an actual Broadway performance, I was soon absorbed by the incredible music of this production. The actors work their butts off in this show, understandably working up quite a sweat throughout. Unlike some musicals in film that rely on flashy special effects, this one holds its hat on great music, acting and choreography. Thank goodness Spike Lee saw the greatness of this show to capture it on film. I liked this film a lot.

Departures ***1/2

A very well done film with an emotional ending done with great tenderness and respect. The Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film of 2008, this film did not see limited release in the United States until May of 2009. If you like foreign dramas, this one is worth your while.

Brothers ****

Jim Sheridan directs Tobey Maguire in what I think is Maguire's best performance so far of his career. He plays Sam Cahill, a family man who's well-liked and cheerful. A Marine about to go on his fourth tour of duty in Afghanistan, Sam welcomes his brother Tommy back home, who has just been released from prison for armed robbery. Tommy is resentful that his father prefers Sam over him, especially when his father states this at the dinner table in front of the family. Then Sam goes overseas, and his family soon receives word that he has been presumed dead from a helicopter crash. Tommy quickly steps up to the plate to support Sam's wife Grace and two girls. A romantic attraction begins to develop between Tommy and Grace just as the family discovers that Sam is not dead after all. He returns home, but after a horrendous experience involving the death of his fellow soldier and good friend Private Joe Willis, Sam is not the same man. Here's where the real drama starts and takes the movie from good to great. Natalie Portman plays Gracie and Jake Gyllenhaal plays Tommy in fine supporting performances in their own right. I liked The Hurt Locker, whose protagonist at the end of the movie also has a difficult time adjusting to real life. Brothers goes one step further, showing the guilt a man must bear when forced to murder a friend for the sake of his family.

Food Inc. ***

Robert Kenner directs this documentary on large-scale agricultural food production in the United States. The film received controversy because of its negative depiction of the industry, displaying hidden costs and the unhealthy and harmful practices inflicted on animals, workers and consumers. I'm convinced that eating healthy, organic food is a much better choice for meals any day of the week. The problem, as the documentary notes, is that the best choices are also the most expensive ones. Thus, we continue to compromise. Food Inc. is a good film that encourages consumers to get on the band wagon and make wiser decisions with the food we purchase. Eventually, businesses will notice.

Trucker ***1/2

It's indie films like this that I just eat up. Michelle Monaghan plays Diane Ford, an independent truck driver who enjoys one night stands with men and drinking all night with her friend Runner (now there's a role reversal for ya.) Suddenly, her estranged eleven year-old son Peter is dropped at her doorstep. Diane is not interested in bonding with Peter, but is forced to take care of him while his dad's in the hospital. What could have been a movie fit only for Lifetime and the Hallmark Channel is raised to greatness by some great performances and a smart script by James Mottern. Nathan Fillion, who I enjoyed watching in the Firefly series, gives a strong supporting performance as Diane's neighbor who would prefer to be more than just a buddy to Diane. The story is fairly simple, but the feel of this movie really sucked me into this world.

Up in the Air ****

I have loved all three of Jason Reitman's feature films. Thank You For Smoking I saw because there was nothing I wanted to watch in particular and turned out to be my favorite film of 2006. Juno was my second favorite film of 2007, virtually tied for first with Once. Reitman is such a great writer, melding a terrific sense of humor with some powerful dramatic moments. Here comes another film destined for my top ten list. My pastor commented in a sermon last Sunday that people are constantly moving and have no patience to wait for anything. George Clooney's character Ryan Bingham thrives on moving, taking flights all around the country to fire employees for corporations with bosses too scared to do it themselves. Ryan's constant travel makes it impossible for him to have any personal relationships, and he likes it that way. When his company decides to conduct their layoffs over the internet instead of in person, Ryan is furious. He's not actually concerned this new method will make the firings less personable, he's mad the lack of traveling will force him to have a life where relationships will now be a necessary part of his life. Along the way, he realizes he does indeed want a more meaningful relationship with Alex, a woman he often hooks up with for sex while traveling. He also must train a young female hotshot how to do his job right, as he's convinced she knows nothing about firing people. The interactions he has with these two women are fantastic and the ending to this film took me completely by surprise. Of the films nominated for Golden Globes this year, this is my favorite. Reitman is one of the most talented filmmakers I have seen emerge in the twenty-first century.

Avatar ***

There have been some really awesome visual experiences in film this year. Avatar, currently the box office winner of 2009, is no exception. Cameron actually had the script ready to go ten years earlier, but decided to wait for technology to catch up with the vision he had in mind. I saw the film in 3-D, although I think it would work perfectly fine in two dimensional format. In 2154, humans have come to the Pandora moon to mine a mineral known as unobtainium. In the process, they are pushing a blue-skinned humanoid species known as the Na'vi off their homeland. In order to improve relations with the Na'vi, the humans transfer their consciousnesses and motor functions over to Na'vi-looking bodies known as avatars. Because it's science fiction, there is no need to question how the technology actually works to accomplish this. Hey, it's the future. Jake Scully, one of the avatar operators, is rescued in the jungle one night by a Na'vi named Neytiri. Jake slowly begins to develop a relationship with the Na'vi and even closer with Neytiri. It's amazing how technology has come so far as to show such powerful expressions of emotion by Neytiri, played by Zoe Saldana from Star Trek. Some critics of the film dismiss this story as being told before and therefore not worthy of the hype it has received. It may have been told before, but I think almost every story has been told before in some format. What changes are the characters and the details. And the details (especially the technological ones) of this film are well forth the acclaim it has received.

Precious ***

It seems that there's an anger trilogy of films I've seen this year: Where The Wild Things Are, Lymelife and Precious. Precious may be the darkest of them all. This is about an overweight sixteen-year-old girl who has been raped since childhood by her father, being impregnated twice because of it and is now living with an extremely resentful and verbally abusive mother. On top of that, she has been moved to an alternative school for students struggling in the public school system. And you think you have it rough! While much of this film is layer upon layer of sad scenes and events, the film provides two characters who take the time to reach out to Precious, played by Paula Patton and Mariah Carey. These two ladies don't suggest to the audience that Precious will now have it easy, but they send the message that they love and care about her. I would recommend Oscar nominations for all of the actresses in this film, including Mo'Nique who plays Precious' abusive and defeated mother. This is not one of those films you'll rush out to see in theaters repeatedly. It's too sad to generate that reaction. But someday I may see this again, as it's a reminder that there are those in the world who are mistreated everywhere they go and need someone to reach out and love them.

Lymelife ***

I had Lyme Disease back in 2007, a very frightening two months of my life that included ten days of hospitalization. For many people, the symptoms can last much longer and can be irreversible. Lymelife is not really about the disease per se, but the outbreak of Lyme upon the town of Syosset and specifically with neighbor Charlie Bragg sets the tone of darkness and anger upon a suburban family. Alec Baldwin plays Mickey, a man devoted to his job of developing a large subdivision but completely undevoted and unfaithful to his wife. His youngest son Scott (played by Rory Culkin), learns about this first hand when he realizes his father is having an affair with Charlie's wife Melissa. Scott goes through a lot of emotions here: love and anger at his dad and infatuation with Charlie's daughter Adrianna, played by the very attractive Emma Roberts. It's also nice to see Rory's older brother Kieran playing his brother in the film with some very emotional scenes as well. This is quite an unpleasant movie for a comedic drama, but I did understand the pain the characters in this film go through.

An Education ****

I love movie titles that have more than one meaning behind them. An Education is one of them. Jenny Miller has high aspirations for herself. She's a good student and hopes to attend Oxford University upon graduation. One day she's given a ride home by a middle aged man named David Goldman. Jenny finds David very charming, especially when he uses this charm to persuade Jenny's parents to allow him to take her to concerts, clubs and eventually to Paris. I don't know any parents who would let a man in his early thirties take their seventeen year-old daughter anywhere, but these parents do. They are persuaded the culture and a presumably well-off man like David is a good thing for her. Jenny is swept away in this new world until she witnesses David and his friend Dominic steal expensive belongings from a house up for sale. She has second thoughts but is so enamored with her new life that she is willing to overlook this and the concerns from her teacher and principal at school. Jenny receives an education outside of the classroom that she will never forget. Whether she decides to abandon her potential inside the classroom I will not reveal here, but there is a twist at the end that Jenny never sees coming. Peter Sarsgaard has had a very good year, though the general public has overlooked this film and the disturbing horror film Orphan. I continue to enjoy seeing him in films; he makes very good choices with the roles he picks and doesn't sell out to appear in the latest blockbuster. This is a great film that hasn't been seen by that many people, but I encourage you to find a theater that's playing it while you have a chance. It's worth your while.

Big Man Japan ***1/2

Christopher Guest did some great mockumentary films with This is Spinal Tap, Waiting For Guffman and Best in Show. This film, written, directed and starring Hitoshi Matsumoto, is the first I have seen devoted to the life of a superhero. The film's premise is a documentary on the life of Daisoto and his alter ego, Big Man Japan. Big Man Japan protects Japan from various monsters that threaten the nation, all very humorous looking and very imaginative. The special effects in this film are intentionally cheesy, poking fun at the Godzilla movies and perhaps the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Daisoto we find out is a man who really has a crappy life given what he does for a living. His living quarters are unremarkable, he is separated from his wife and daughter and the average person would probably identify him as a bum. Matsumoto plays his role straight, which is what makes the film so funny. I laughed out loud when Big Man is holding a baby monster who then bites him in the nipple. He drops the monster, who dies and is dramatically taken up to heaven. There are many other funny moments which I won't reveal here. Just see this film. It's so strange you can't help but laugh.

500 Days of Summer ****

I really identified with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character Tom Hansen in this film. Levitt and screenwriter Scott Neustadter paint such a realistic portrait of a guy going through the emotions of being involved with a girl he absolutely adores, while she doesn't quite feel the same way. Sure Summer Finn likes Tom alright, as she's willing to be physical with Tom, but it's not enough to change her negative thinking about committed relationships. Often you see the girl's point of view in films like this and they usually have a cliche ending in which the guy and the girl end up together. This film makes it clear at the start that this will not happen. It's heartbreaking at the end of the picture as Summer admits her thinking to Tom as she's about to marry another man. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention how funny this film is. Tom's scene of excitement at the beginning of his relationship with Summer is so humorously fantastic, yet very realistic on an emotional level. If you did not see this in theaters, rent it asap. I enjoyed this movie from start to finish. This is one of the top ten films of 2009.

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Welcome movie lovers! This is a site devoted to film, both current films and films of the past. I invite you to read my reviews, comments and essays. Feel free to leave any comments you might like to add, I'm always anxious to get feedback from my readers.