The Visitor

ALMOST: (Thomas McCarthy) This film sums up the essence of my "Almost" categorization. It literally almost gets the mark for being a great film, but instead, carried out a monotonous solemnity for almost two hours, offering plenty of rising action but zero ending. The film starts off with whimsical intrigue, giving us quiet and dorky Professor Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins). He arrives to his Manhattan apartment to find its been lent out to two illegal aliens. They're nice people, interesting even, so Walter decides it's okay if they stay there. (Um, can we say, not on your life!!) Sure enough, (aka, predictably) Walter and his new roommate, Tarek share an interest in music, so Walter takes lessons on the djembe and before you know it they're on the streets playing for change together. Walter, the professor, who since widowed, has slothed his way through a meaningless life, is now a street drummer playing 4/4 beats like his dred-locked amis. It's the beginning of a life turned around--so much so that he even meets another woman, who he subtly affects with tickets to plays and again, offering room and board. Unfortunately, a chain of American events happen, taking both Tarek and his wife away from Walter, and ultimately his new girlfriend, leaving us, where? No conclusions are drawn. Will he go back to school? Will he keep drumming? Lots of questions in the end of a potentially fantastic story. Unfortunately, the melancholy is the overarching factor here, leaving me both fidgety and bored. Plus, Jenkins one-face role in this film seems a far-fetched nod over some other notables in this year's awards. DiCaprio nudged out of the running for this guy?

Frozen River

MUST-SEE: (Courtney Hunt) Now here is a film of true originality. Indians shipping aliens over the Canadian border with the help of a single mom looking for easy money to buy her boys a double-wide for Christmas. (??) Well, the bottom-line is that this movie is fantastic. So rarely is a truly raw light shed on American families that this story is almost painful to watch, harder to accept and leaves a deep tread on the heart for the struggles many people don't even have a clue about. (Me, one of them). Melissa Leo plays a single-mom, whose husband ran off with her money, three days before Christmas. She can't catch a break at work, and toys for her youngest are the last chance she has to avoid disappointment from her oldest. He (Charlie McDermott) questions her backbone, but out of empathy takes matters into his own hands, giving Leo's character stress and regret for a son having to grow up too fast. As "fate" (we'll call it) would have it, Lila Littlewolf (Misty Upham) steals her car. So, at her wits end, a (although illegal) subtle way to earn money arrives. Although at first, her morals stand strong, Hunt reveals that even the strongest person has their breaking point. She makes the money and can't avoid the simplicity thereafter. From your chair, you watch the inevitable downfall take place, holding your breath she makes it across the icy border, finding yourself completely on her side of the law, in 100% sympathy. It is an intense ride into the other side of right and wrong, taking motivation as justification instead of black and white legality. Leo rocks. I didn't even feel like I was watching a film--it was like real people showing you what their real life is all about. And then she was nominated for an Oscar. Enough said.

Vicky Christina Barcelona

MUST-SEE: (Woody Allen) Bravo to this stupendous film! Penelope Cruz, who never disappoints me, enters this film and 100% steals the show--much to my satisfaction (and her own, Congrats on the statue). Her rapido Spanish eloquently fills in the lines of a love story much unlike anything in the eyes and/or experience of a traditional sap. Take two American grads, on the summer vacation of a lifetime, living free (literally) in Spain before their real lives begin. One is a sane, rational and engaged practical played by Rebecca Hall (The Prestige) and her best friend (and counter personality) is Scarlett Johanssen, playing her God-given roll as the seductress--this time paired with qualities such as "dreamer" and "muse." She and Hall's girlfriends both find themselves in the middle of a whacked-out love triangle, or in this case, maybe more like a rhombus, as the lines often sway. Penelope is wildly appealing as a mentally disturbed ex-wife. Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) juggles multiple women with such aire and nonchalance that his bowl-cut killer is long forgotten. His voice has a dark chocolate milk quality to it that both soothes and intrigues, easily placing him as the master of the fiery trio in this story. The film is fun, quirky and a little abstract, but proves life is lived at its utmost when you can forget yourself for a minute. Vicky Christina opens new doors and illustrates a fascinating liberation that our brilliant Woody Allen executes in uniquely romanticized ways.

The Wrestler

ALMOST: (Darren Aronofsky) In a word--disappoint. In more words--I hate that this movie gave Mickey Rourke the platform to come back into film as none other than himself, glorified. The Wrestler is the story of Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a wrestler who reigned in his day, but has since lost it all , living in a trailer park, fighting for peanuts and working the deli at the local grocer. No one knows him anymore, and he can't find his niche outside of the ropes. When a heart attack threatens his comeback indefinitely, he finds himself on a downward spiral, through which he grasps at a last minute relationship with his daughter and desperately strikes up romance with a loyal stripper. The story is well-told, a perfect mirror to the dazed and confused existence Ram is forced to live out. The story is disconnected, hopeless and a perverted glimpse into the world of wrestling. The story (bravo, Robert D. Siegel) is certainly not wherein the problem lies with this film--it is with Rourke. Sure, he was good in Sin City, but who really had to act in Sin City. Casted perfectly to play up his brusque personality, the film needed nothing but brawn and an ugly face. In Wrestler, he plays the same character--out to mend the things in his ragged world, but getting the shit kicked out of him along the way. Rourke holds onto this role as his comeback, but in my opinion (and certainly just an opinion) he hasn't come anywhere. He plays out his sad, real-life story in the form of a wrestler. Bottom line, to make Aronofsky's work shine as it should, someone credible should have been picked. Evan Rachel Wood plays her five minutes in the spotlight well, but I do wish we had seen more from her. (Blast that parallel of disconnect). Marisa Tomei literally puts herself out there here, showing us she still has a rockin' bod at age 45 (ding ding, another great casting). The Wrestler was a well-told story, directed flawlessly, and packed with pristine, unique shots. Unfortunately, Rourke does nothing but drag it down (along with its audience), making it a grotesque illustration, rather than illustrating the grotesque.

Sunshine Cleaning

WORTH-IT: (Christine Jeffs) Amy Adams and Emily Blunt star in a pathetically sad story about helplessly sad people trying to make it in a cruel cruel world. As a cleaning lady, Adams' Rose is unhappy, unfulfilled and ultimately convinced it is the only way to climb the social and professional ladder (Yet, into what world exactly, we are left unconvinced as this community is overridden with high school has-beens and primadona Betties). Unfortunately, as life has its way with the unfortunate, Rose finds herself in need of something bigger, something delivering a larger buck which apparently is none other than crime-scene clean up. (Big jump, I guess?) She recruits her screw-up sister, pawns off her kid (who was kicked our fo school) on grandpa, and hits up the bloody mess left in various spots of town. It's gross, but its funny, and because its desperate, its heartening. Plus, listening to Rose convinve herself in front of her old cheerleading buddies that she actually enjoys it is all the more reason to fall in love with this group of hillbillies. All in all, this film makes sad people a little more entertaining, one, by perking up the eccentric factor, and two, giving us characters played by lovable quirks themselves. Blunt is at her best, playing troubled sister Norah, tormented for the last 20+ years at never knowing her mother. She is vibrant in a quiet character and carries emotion all over her body, so much so that just seeing her face makes up endless words (that thankfully, this script doesn't compensate for). Alan Arkin pops up again (this time alive for his character's scenes) as the weirdo grandpa. A remix to Little Miss Sunshine, Cleaning delves once again into familial motif, and this time spares no unfriendly details. From the guts the sisters disinfect to the tragedy behind this family's lonely uprising, we discover a group of people who aren't happy with who they are become post-adolescence, or post-grown-up for that matter. It's a constant struggle between emotion, self confidence and self worth, all while trying to survive and raise a family. It'll wear you out; but in a "guilty pleasure" sort of way, you can't take your eyes off of them, and your heart leaks sympathy. All in all, a refresher for the sadness in the world and the eclectic peace that some find within it.

Tinker Bell

WORTH-IT: (Bradley Raymond) For anyone that enjoys Disney classics (and this director has done 4 of them), you might as well keep the fairytale alive and see all of the sequels . Most are a fine justification to the original and actually exactly what the doctor ordered for a story that you just can't let go of. For me, that is Peter Pan (and it was also Aladdin). Tinker Bell is the story of Tink--how she came to be and what her fairyness really means. For instance, did you know she was born out of a dew drop? And that once she was born she was intrinsically meant to be one particular kind of fairy (including five played by Angelica Houston, Raven Symone, Lucy Liu, America Ferrera and-wah!-Jesse McCartney). I won't ruin J.M. Barrie's continuation for all of you about to put it on your queue, but she is good at tinkering! Watch her add her special talent to a world of fairy magic, all who claim responsibility for our changing of seasons. Clearly this film won't satisfy the lot. But if you enjoy Tinkerbell and have always wondered more about our silent glittery friend alongside Peter Pan, then catch this one. It's magical and warm and honestly, it's hard to say anything bad about a perfectly made for 5-8 year olds cartoon :) Enjoy!

Kung Fu Panda

WORTH-IT: (Mark Osbourne/John Stevenson) Nominated for one of 2008's best Animated Films by the Academy, Kung Fu Panda epitomizes a good cartoon. In fact, it's a pretty apt warning as Jack Black opens the film with a warning to "Prepare for awesomeness." Complete with subtle morale and role models, the story is of a noodle-selling Panda bear named Po who dreams of Kung Fu fame but remains stuck in a career through questionable genetic default. Nervous to disappoint his bloodline and ultimately fail otherwise, Po second guesses himself all the way to being shut out of the celebration ceremony when the city's mystical overseer chooses the official Dragon Warrior (one who would know the deepest secrets of Kung Fu combat and be able to save their town from its arch enemy, Tai Lung). It gets predictable from here on out (assuming it wasn't up until then), but despite that, a genuine originality emerges from a story of a Panda who just wants to make friends and fight Kung Fu. Reaching deep within himself he finds a constant urge to make people laugh (thank you Jack Black) and make people proud. Count on characters played by Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, Angelina Jolie and David Cross to bring their own personality to the plot and a classic like Jackie Chan makes it credible (I guess?). All in all nothing really matters in this film except it is a cute story with perfect humor and enough action to deem it a success. Icing on the cake is the brilliant animation, mixing Chinese artwork and stop-speed fight scenes to replicate the finest of Asian filmography in a kid's flick. I loved it. Impossible not to.

Watchmen

MUST-SEE: (Zack Snyder) Again, I claim ignorance to the true character that is "superhero movies." I never read the comics--or in this case graphic novel (but I plan to!)--and I certainly didn't grow up watching the cartoons (not sure this is even relevant here). So honestly, the film is the blank canvas on which my mind develops an opinion--and in this case, an affinity--regarding the infamous Watchmen. To start, the film enlists a fascinating cast. No one makes this a must see simply due to their stardom. Sure, the cast have their credits, but Laurie Jupiter's resume (Malin Akerman) really only consists of 27 Dresses (not your usual ladder towards a superhero scene). Patrick Wilson, Night Owl 2 has starred in several independent successes, but again, nothing proving his ability to fight crime in a latex suit and night vision goggles (e.g. Little Children, Hard Candy). Little Children's Jackie Earle Hayley plays the film's most identifiable character, but is unrecognizable for 85% of the film due to his Rorschach's ink blot mask. Billy Crudup is blue-man Dr. Manhattan, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Grey's Anatomy, P.S. I Love You), Carla Gugino and Matthew Goode make up the rest of the cast. But they make it work, and they do it well. In retrospect, nothing seems better than to cast a bunch of nobodies in the genre industry to play rejects and retirees from the fictional industry. Genius. The story is fine-tuned with intelligent humor, realistic nonsense and just enough action to leave us wondering how the hell these nobodies learned to fight (but ultimately accepting it and enjoying the show). The Watchmen goes by in one colorless and mystifying swoop, yet it lingers on for what seems like infinite. It takes an approach that asks you to accept the surreal as a possibility and the impossible as reality. It won't color in the lines for you, but instead assumes you're okay with the stated conditions and dives right into the story. That done, it's a wild ride of action, mystery, camaraderie and politics all rolled into a comic book and slapped onscreen. It plays like a comic thanks to Rorschach's narration and lack of circular dialogue, but succeeds as a stand-alone (my own acceptance, proof of this). I've seen nothing like it and can't express more how different it is from anything within the genre: A refreshing take on a popular hobby. Give this a chance and no doubt, you'll be pleased. Blockbusters don't need Brad Pitt.

Rachel Getting Married

ALMOST: (Jonathan Demme) When Anne Hathaway was nominated for an Oscar, I choked on the words and gave it my damnedest to think of how an ugly duckling turned Princess of Genovia turned NY magazine bitch turned rodeo slut could have managed a role that let her develop something enough to call her own and deservedly claim that nom. Yes, she has conquered quite a long list of varying personalities, some extremely memorable; yet none have left a lasting impression of character. She is beautiful and she is talented, and I truly believe she is on her way, but alas I still haven't come to forgiveness terms with the Academy for this. A flagrant script not quite ready for the screen, it seems, leaves Hathaway struggling to find an identity. Kim is a recovering addict, mentally disturbed and coping with the fact that she is an outcast amongst her family. And what brings everyone back together like a good old fashioned cant-find-an-ethnic-tradition-to-go-with wedding(in this case, her sister, Rachel)? This film is heavily based in dialogue, but a real-time rehearsal dinner re-enactment is not why we see movies. Neither is an hour-long ceremony completely filled with dancing and speeches. We would grasp the same point in 5 minutes. Nothing correlates. Story lines are left hanging. Characters are in and out. One might compare the chaos with the aftermath of recovery, but in this situation we are left disconnected, disengaged and utterly unmoved by the emotion that clearly eats away at this dear Kim. I 100% believe Hathaway has potential after seeing her delve into a real person for once. She has fury, she has attitude and she is unique. Yet, this script left her poorly prepared to let it all hang out via her potential. Even in the most intense of scenes I remained untouched and instead burdened by the continually increasing tally of unfinished scenes each new story brought me. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to ever comes to terms with the warble that is Rachel Getting Married. I would call it Festival-quality, but also wouldn't question its forgettable-ness. The end credits were a relief and although I look forward to Hathaway's next plot I keep remembering Bride Wars came after Rachel... so is there any hope?

Synechdoche, NY

WORTH-IT: (Charlie Kaufman) A plethora of good acting and bad karma, Kaufman's writing and directing the candy shop of a story, Synecdoche, NY is everything you ever expected of Kaufman, just more pitiful. It is meant only for his truest fans. Philip Seymour-Hoffman stars as Caden Cotard, the depression-wrought playwright recently given a grant to produce the play of a lifetime. Except he fears his lifetime is shortly ending, using this chance to prove his self-worth. Thus begins a 30+ year production of a title-less onslaught of the woes and heartache within each person in NYC Cotard calls his play. Cotard aims to reveal a starring role and leading story amongst each of his characters, along the way uncovering painful truths about himself. Kaufman spares no unspoken in his script, touching on everything from green poop to suicide to narcissistic hypochondria. Grimy personalities merge with unique stories, equalizing a world of otherwise opposing icons of Michelle Williams' starlet Claire Keen and Catherine Keener's hippie mom, Adele Lack. Kaufman forces ugly truths of stardom to emerge out of previously adored characters and tragic sacrifices. It's messed up. But, it's actually Kaufman exposing the world for what it hides (according to him). Suck it up as he drags your emotion and sensibility through an infinitely burning house and an endless-acreage warehouse for over 30 years, through numerous deaths, through reality and back, to the very bottom of the pit where Hoffman's character sits, left to see himself, isolated in the things in life that confuse, hurt, and surprise. Nothing makes sense until the end--and it's even questionable then--but the common thread holding it all together regains strength here, making everything add up, clear up and look a more and more like a reflection. Expect Kaufman's usual hyperbole, but look for his literal nudge.