The Burrowers (J.T. Petty, 2008)

3/10
I thought a horror Western sounded like an interesting if potentially disastrous proposition, and unfortunately The Burrowers leans towards the latter. Most of the acting is acceptable, the sparse Western scenery is nice, and the soundtrack is pleasantly understated, but those are about the only good points. The plot is lame and advances at a snail's pace, the scares are unoriginal and repetitive, and the biggest flaw of all are the "burrower" creatures themselves. More laughable than scary and often vague blurs on the screen (due to CGI budget constraints I assume), they're a real letdown when they finally make their appearance and a comedy act in the final scene. Credit to writer/director J.T. Petty for trying something new, but, like his previous film S&Man, it just doesn't work.

Mother (Bong Joon-ho, 2009)

9/10
Very interesting, very clever film directed and written by Bong Joon-ho. The film is about a mother trying to prove her mentally-challenged son innocent of a terrible crime, and that may sound plain but the movie is anything but. Bong has an uncanny way of simultaneously framing his scenes with tragedy and comedy so you're really not sure whether to laugh or feel depressed. The "murder mystery" aspect is also well done and the outcome is handled with great care when it might feel cheap in the hands of a lesser director. Two scenes as beautiful as any I've come across all year bookend the film and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Kim Hye-ja, who is sensational in the role of the mother.

Crazy Heart (Scott Cooper, 2009)

8.5/10
Probably only the second Oscar-hype movie I've really enjoyed this year behind An Education. Crazy Heart doesn't bring any new storytelling innovations but it's a movie that does just about everything right and it's easy to overlook its few missteps. The hype surrounding Jeff Bridges' performance is 100% deserved, he is unbelievable. Basically this movie is everything last year's The Wrestler should have been and more. Also the soundtrack is fantastic.

The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, 2008)

7/10
I think I need to stop reading about movies. I've been consistently underwhelmed by almost all the movies in the Oscar race this year and THL wasn't an exception. It was a good movie, but I expected more. I only felt the much-lauded tension at a couple of points, and at others I felt virtually nothing at all. I also thought it was a bit cheap to (spoilers) introduce random/very minor characters (the specialist at the beginning, the cameo crew with the flat tire, the colonel, only to instantly kill them off as if the movie was too afraid to take out anyone who mattered to the plot - although with only 3 main characters, there probably wasn't much else they could do. The movie was beautifully shot and directed though, and it was at least a very "real" look at what I imagine the life to be like.

The Room (Tommy Wiseau, 2003)

10/10
As a "so bad it's good" movie, The Room is as bad as it gets. A Plan 9 for the 21st century? I didn't laugh this much at most intentional comedies I've seen lately. Written/directed/produced/starring Tommy Wiseau (who bears a striking resemblance to Phil Hartman's Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer from SNL and talks like a foreign stroke victim impersonating Christopher Walken), The Room is best described as a film made by aliens trying to approximate what humans would do when making a movie, because that's what it feels like. It's almost unfathomable that somebody (Wiseau) could have thought any of this was actually halfway decent, yet the movie is so genuinely inept on every level there's no possible way it was intentional, despite Wiseau's current claims. A lot of "so bad it's good" movies don't live up to the hype, or they get tedious as the film wears on and become less enjoyable - not this one.

The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke, 2009)

8/10
I was probably way too tired to have watched this properly but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. A veery subtly unnerving and disturbing film with great performances all around from non-pro (as far as I know) child actors. Highly recommended.

A Prophet (Jacques Audiard, 2009)

7.5/10
I have to say, after all the monstrous hype and acclaim this movie is receiving, I was let down. I kept waiting for "that moment" where everything would coalesce and hit me and it didn't come. The movie's strongest points are the performances by its two main characters played by Tahar Rahim and Niels Arestrup, they really are the film. The first hour is incredibly engrossing but by the second half (of a 2h35m movie) things were dragging for me and at the end I was left impressed with the story but underwhelmed on the whole.

The Lovely Bones (Peter Jackson, 2009)

7/10
There's a lot not to like about this movie but I myself enjoyed it for the most part. The directing and the cinematography are easily the best parts, as the movie is always a joy on the eyes, and the acting is mostly above par, Stanley Tucci and Saorise Ronan in particular. Mark Wahlberg I could take or leave but I didn't find him to be a problem here.
However the movie suffers from some bizarre rhythm and pacing issues, the CGI constantly toes the line between fascinating and distracting, and there are more than a few cornball moments to make you roll your eyes. I'm not sure how the book went but the ending was definitely mishandled as well. But despite all this I was entertained and interested throughout.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Terry Gilliam, 2009)

7/10
I absolutely hated the first 20 or so minutes but it has such a naive sort of charm to it that it eventually won me over and I wound up really enjoying it by the end. It's definitely an uneven movie though. The sets are beautiful and the acting is top notch (Tom Waits is a particularly inspired casting choice) but the plot is unnecessarily convoluted and there's a general sense of trying too hard...though maybe that's part of the aforementioned charm. And having just come off seeing Avatar, some of the special effects can look downright hokey. All in all a pretty fun, interesting experience.

Kalifornia (Dominic Sena, 1993)

7.5/10
This movie deserves a better fate than what it's been relegated to. Okay it's not particularly genius or innovative and the story is pretty cliché-laden but Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis are excellent and it always holds your interest (though 2 hours may be stretching it for some). I dunno, I thought it was fun.

Avatar (James Cameron, 2009)

7/10
The 3D effects are amazing, the story is tripe, and the various political allusions are hilarious and out-of-place. But those effects are enough to make me recommend it to anybody.

35 Shots of Rum (Claire Denis, 2008)

8/10
A lovely, quietly moving family drama focusing on a father and his daughter, the ties that bind them, and the eventual letting go. Writer/director Claire Denis manages to say more with glances, smiles and embraces than most can with pages of dialogue, and the acting is tremendous in an understated way all around. Thoroughly satisfying.

La Soufriere (Werner Herzog, 1977)

7/10
Nice-looking documentary about waiting for an inevitable catastrophe (the eruption of a volcano on top of an almost-deserted town) that doesn't come.

How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck... (Werner Herzog, 1976)

4/10
Hearing the world's best auctioneers go ahead to head is impressive at first but starts wear on the nerves. Completely mechanical direction.

The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner (Werner Herzog, 1974)

8/10
Very enchanting, fun to watch, and a couple of breathtaking moments from the world of ski-flying.

Up in the Air (Jason Reitman, 2009)

3/10
I've only seen two but I'm starting to think that Jason Reitman movies aren't made for me. I hated Juno and wasn't much more impressed with this one, although it was an improvement. The script, actors, music, directing, is all good, I just didn't feel any kind of connection to anything happening. Boring, predictable, and terribly unadventurous, someone's going to have to explain the appeal because it flew right by me.

Stalker (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979)

10/10
I don't even know what I could say to possibly do it justice. I'll be the first to admit I don't understand everything but I've rarely been so fully entranced by a 2h30m movie. This is cinema as art in its highest form. Still under its spell. I got nothing.

The Hangover (Todd Phillips, 2009)

8/10
Some really funny moments, some jokes that fell flat, but I had a good time watching it with a bunch of friends post-New Years (how appropriate). Definitely not as funny as the hype but then again, none of the comedies I'm seeing these days are. I liked the "buddy movie" aspect to it (second to only Pineapple Express in recent memory) and Zach Galifianakis' character practically steals the movie. Fun stuff.