2009

Sugar is a young man from the Dominican Republic. Like so many others in his hometown, he is chasing a nearly impossible dream, to play baseball in the American Major Leagues, to help his family out of poverty. He gets his first big break when he is invited to spring training, and then lands in rural Iowa to play for a Kansas City farm team.



The film follows Sugar as he tries to adjust to his new life. Along with the pressures of the game and being the best, he is completely isolated from his family and friends back home. The language barrier is especially difficult to get over. He has trouble ordering food in a restaurant, and even though he wants to, and is encouraged by his incredibly patient host family, he can't carry a conversation at the dinner table.



Algenis Perez Soto delivers an inspired performance as Sugar, which is all the more remarkable considering he's never acted before. A former aspiring ballplayer himself, Soto was discovered by the filmmakers among six hundred others in auditions and scouting across the US and Dominican. We get to know Sugar on a profoundly intimate level, even with very little dialogue, thanks to Soto's expressive eyes and presence.



The rest of the cast is just as outstanding, it's hard to single out any one of them. Some are professionals, but many of the baseball players and smaller roles are actual prospective or former players rather than actors, which adds authenticity to the scenes on the field.



Writer-director team Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden have developed artistically since their feature debut, 2006's Half Nelson. Considering how great that film was, any improvement is most impressive. They have honed their skills just tiny bits here and there, but have maintained the overall style of their first film. They continue to use lots of focus pulls and vibrant colour, a nice touch that adds punch to their very naturalistic stories. Though with their storytelling talent, it's impossible for audiences to lose interest, it's still nice to have that little extra something that reminds us visually we are watching a real movie and not an amateur home video. It's kind of the opposite effect of the Dogme movement. As far as the writing is concerned, the script deftly avoids clichés and never goes where you expect it to.



Sugar is easily the best film of 2009 so far. I know it's only April, but it's going to be very difficult to top this one.

Sam, Dean, and Harry enter their hotel room in downtown Sydney. Three sailors on shore leave for the night before shipping off to Iraq in the morning, they each have a goal to accomplish. Sam is considering going AWOL after a horrifying incident on his last tour of duty. Dean is planning to meet up with his fiancée and her parents for dinner. And Harry just wants to drink, play cards, and get laid. After dumping their bags in the room and ordering some hookers to come back to later, they head out on the town. But the night doesn?t go as planned, and as the sailors get separated from each other, they come across a little more than they bargained for, and learn a lot about themselves along the way.

Now, there are good performances, and there are great performances. Then, every once in awhile, an actor comes along who is so natural, you forget he is playing a character in a movie, and you feel like you are watching someone's real life unfold before your eyes. These types of performances rarely come from Hollywood, as almost every recognizable star betrays whatever character they are playing at some point in every movie they play simply because their face is too familiar. But Matthew Newton is a rare talent. And if that isn't enough, he's also a gifted writer and director, and he manages to get equally authentic performances from his entire cast, making Three Blind Mice a perfect film.

Newton, along with Ewen Leslie and Toby Schmitz, are effortless in their ability to portray the sailors, each delivering a raw performance that you rarely see among young, overly-trained talent. These three Aussies look and feel genuine with every look and every line of dialogue. The smart script certainly helps, and perhaps the actors? longtime friendship does as well, as we really believe the sailors have a history and that they know each other better than they know themselves. I?m excited to see what each of them does next, and hope they have big futures. Even if they become recognizable stars, they each have the skill to deliver fresh and new performances for years to come.

A gorgeous, subtle little film with a deceptively simple story, but with great ambition and ideas about growing up, first love, deception, and loss of innocence. Post-war, pre-Swinging-60's England is captured beautifully by Danish director Lone Scherfig, and she manages to get great performances from her cast. That's no biggie for the always perfect Peter Sarsgaard, but the real revelation here is newcomer Carey Mulligan as young Jenny. I'll be shocked if I don't hear her name called out on that cold January morning when they announce the Oscar nominees.

Without a doubt the most emotional and most difficult movie I've ever watched.

This is a sweet political thriller that is much more than a crazy plot with the actors simply being used as pawns to get through all the twists and turns. Indeed, there is a LOT of plot here, I still haven't wrapped my head around all of it, but the characters are what make it so much fun. Russell Crowe is fantastic in the lead, adding lots of nuance to what could have been a dull reporter getting to the bottom of a story. Rachel McAdams and Helen Mirren are great as his eager and cynical colleagues. Ben Affleck proves once again that he's not just the punchline of a joke, and Jason Bateman ROCKS, almost stealing the show with his small role, playing against type as a sleazy PR guy. Among all the action and drama, there is plenty of biting humour to spice it all up. Definitely a highlight for 2009.

A thoughtful drama, if a little too earnest at times. Though a tad slow at the start, the story finds it's feet as soon as Peter Sarsgaard arrives, saving grace of indie film once again. He breathes life into a dull script with a character that is flawed and immensely fun to watch. Not having read the novel, I'm led to believe that his character is a hybrid of two different characters from the source material, and it works beautifully, I can't really imagine how the story would go if he was split into two people. The three main characters, each a point of a twisted love triangle, build tension that simmers slowly to a boil. Jon Foster and Sienna Miller aren't quite as interesting to watch individually, but play important roles in a story that belongs entirely to Sarsgaard. Why this man doesn't get more lead roles is the biggest mystery here. The secondary plots involving Foster's overbearing father and sort-of-but-not-really girlfriend are forgettable and horribly acted, but even a few of those moments have some so-bad-it's-good value. While I won't call this top-notch cinema, it's definitely an overlooked gem and worthwhile for Sarsgaard alone.

A sweet and simple film that plays like a love letter to Canada. Though cancer plays a small role, the real story is a young man's personal journey across the country on his motorcycle.



The subject matter is held fairly lightly, and there is plenty of humour thrown in among a few more serious moments. Joshua Jackson proves to be an enormously appealing actor and delivers a subtle and fresh performance as Ben. I hope this is the beginning of a lot more lead roles on the big screen for him. I know he spends a lot of time on TV, but he's too good to be wasted there.



Not sure if it would play well internationally, but the many distinctly Canadian icons are fun to look at and might even make you want to hit the road as soon as you leave the theatre.

I was in Cairo earlier this year, and I can say first-hand that it is probably one of the craziest cities in the world. Easily the craziest that I've ever been to, and I've been quite a few places.

Here, Patricia Clarkson plays Juliette, a woman who arrives in Egypt to meet her husband for a long-delayed and much-deserved vacation. But Mark, a UN ambassador, is held up in Gaza, and nobody knows how long it will take for him to get to Cairo to meet her. So she is picked up at the airport by Tareq, an old friend of Mark's, and he gets her safely to her hotel.

When Juliette starts to go crazy from staying indoors -- Mark warned her not to wander the streets on her own, as it's not safe for women -- she takes up Tareq's offer to show her the city. Slowly, they build an unlikely friendship, and perhaps even love, but neither one is prepared or willing to act on it.

Without so much as a kiss, we witness a beautiful affair, captured perfectly by Clarkson and Alexander Siddig, who plays Tareq. Both performerances are richly nuanced and subtle, and very little dialogue is needed for the actors to get their emotions across. It's the smiles, the stolen glaces, the innocent touches, and completely silent scenes that speak volumes.

The third character here, the city of Cairo, is captured authentically. While I was left unimpressed after leaving Egypt -- it took me over a month to shake off the food poising / virus I picked up there -- it only takes this tiny Canadian film a few frames to find the beauty among the chaos. We see the main highlights of course, the pyramids, the mighty Nile, and the camels. But we also get to see the smaller details, like Juliette sharing a shisha pipe with Tareq, trying an exotic tea, wandering a busy bazaar, and being stared at and followed by packs of strange men. The culture shock is at first too much for Juliette, but as time passes and Mark remains absent, she gets used to the city, even growing to like it.

We know from the start that Juliette and Tareq's romance isn't meant to be, and that even their friendship is a fleeting one, but for the time that we are with them, we get incredibly attached, and it's as sad as it is a relief when Mark finally shows up.

This is a brilliant little film that says so much in the simplest ways, and it *almost* makes me want to give Egypt a second chance myself. Almost. If I ever do go back, I want my own Tareq there with me.

In Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, all the fun is in the details and the performances. The story is somewhat familiar, but it defies all of the cliches, and is anything but tired, with the very original choice of setting the action on a roller derby rink.

Ellen Page leads the ensemble in a role that completely seperates her from Juno (the role that made her famous, but could also have typecast her). Both the stylized dialogue and the confidence are gone, and she proves that she can pull off the part of a shy and introverted teenager just as well as a snarky pregnant one.

Other standouts include Kristen Wiig as one of Page's teammates and Alia Shawkat (Maeby Funke, where have you been?) as her best friend. Oh, and there's a fun little cameo that I won't spoil.

Despite occasionally having an overly feminist vibe, Barrymore has created a colourful and fun world that is suitable for everyone, but is especially good for young girls. She also shows that she has the chops to make a bright future for herself behind the camera.

The most shocking thing about this movie is that I didn't hate it! Despite the presence of Kristen Stewart, it was was not only watchable, but totally sweet and funny. The coming-of-age story wasn't too juvenile, and the acting was great. It's too bad Jesse Eisenberg is so often compared to Michael Cera, because Eisenberg is far and above a better actor. Ryan Reynolds continues to impress with an understated role, making me further wonder why he keeps doing stupid superhero blockbusters when he's capable of so much more. The details of the script, from the music selection to the little slices of life as a carnie, made the whole experience almost perfect.

Drew Barrymore is adorable and always fun to watch, but who knew she could actually act? Fascinating stuff. Anything involving the Kennedys usually is.

Way better than expected, thanks to a smart and funny script (based on Noel Coward, the master of British comedy), and great casting. Colin Firth, at first under-used, is nonetheless brilliant in his sarcastic timing, and the character gets more screentime in the end. Jessica Biel, amazingly, doesn't ruin the whole thing, but actually plays the lead role with wit and empathy.

This is the surprise awesomeness of the year. Yes it's silly with a ridiculous plot and some really awful dialogue, but if you can let go for just a few hours, this is pure action thriller fun. And the single reason it works is Liam Neeson. How no one saw his action star potential sooner is beyond me. He has the goods to deliver some serious punches, and also the intelligence to be believable when using his more refined spy skills. On top of that, he can carry the emotional weight the role requires -- a father searching for his kidnapped daughter -- without taking it over the top. A simple film with a complex leading man that very few actors today could pull off. There's simply no better way to say it: Liam Neeson kicks ass.

A movie you need to watch closely, as there is a ton of plot, but there are many rewards for paying attention. The locales are gorgeous, playing just as big a role as the actors. Three key scenes set in Milan, New York, and Istanbul are worth the price of the rental alone.

Cute, amiable, innocent story of a group of college kids in the 50s who decided to break into Westminster Abbey and take back the Scottish Stone of Destiny for the pride of their country. The fresh young cast is fun to watch.

A modern take on If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium. Misunderstood and panned by critics, this isn't trying to be anything new, and it's not trying to offensive with it's humour. The stereotypes presented are poking innocent fun, and many of them are true, particularly the line early on about not being able to understand Australians, haha! I've traveled on several group bus tours, and this is a very accurate portrayal. Nia Vardalos may not be the best actor, but she has plenty of charisma, and sometimes that's all you need. Makes me want to jet off to Greece and find my kefi right now!

We've seen this story revived thousands of times. With elements of Back to the Future, Big, and Freaky Friday, 17 Again doesn't really offer anything new. The ingredient that sets this one apart is its adorable star, Zac Efron. A product of Disney's mega-popular High School Musical franchise, Efron appears to have everything it takes to be Hollywood's next leading man.



The script is mostly drivel. Efron plays Mike, a basketball star who gives up on his college ambitions when he impregnates his girlfriend. Twenty years later, he's miserable and played by Matthew Perry. Then, with "magic," he is transformed to being a high school senior again, with a chance to do it all over.



While most of the jokes should fall flat, Efron has the charisma to deliver them with honesty and integrity to his character. The rest of the cast has little to do, and all of their characters feel underwritten. Then again, this is clearly designed to be Efron's vehicle, and an experiment to see if he can successfully open a film. Yes, he can.



Next, Efron needs to diversify. He definitely has the acting chops for more challenging, grown-up material, but he doesn't want to alienate his tween fan base. A transitional project will be tricky to find, but if anyone can do it, it's this kid. If he plays his cards right, and so far he has, I predict very big things for Zac Efron.

Cute movie. The script could have used a little polishing, but the characters win you over even in the weaker moments.

Special effects and fight scenes do nothing for me, but finally understanding the Wolverine character after putting up with the the enigma of three previous movies is kinda cool. Extra half-star for Hugh Jackman being pretty to look at and another half-star for him actually caring enough to deliver a performance instead of just phoning it in. The rest of the cast weren't bad either, way above average for a tentpole action franchise.

If you've seen the trailer, you've seen the movie. There's basically no acting here, which is a sad waste of Anne Hathaway's talent, but I guess you can't make all dark, brooding dramas or eventually you'll snap (see: Christian Bale). For a January flick, this is a decent, if mindless, break from Oscar season. Excellent Valentine's date movie, if your date wants to see more cat fights than romance. Candice Bergen plays the same character she always plays, but luckily she only has three or four scenes. A refreshing change from the usual montage cliche is the use of still photos instead of video clips. Nice touch. If there's ever going to be any evidence of me having a ridiculous straight crush on Anne Hathaway, the $13 I spent to see this movie is it.

It had a lot of potential, but it turned out to be one big mess of a movie. None of the characters are terribly interesting to watch. Most of them, in fact, are vapid and unlikeable. The few that actually deserve screen time are wasted in underdeveloped storylines, none of which by the way are connected except superficially. And yet for some reason, I'm still intrigued by the whole thing, and I can't say I completely hated it. The performances, considering what little material the actors were given, are great.

Too many cliches to keep track of, but the movie works because the acting is better than the script deserves. Each of the characters are alternately annoying and defiant, and most of them end up where they belong. Predicable and silly, but certainly not the worst romantic flick out there.

Trying desperately to be the next Crash. Has all the problems of multi-story ensemble dramas, with underdeveloped storylines that tie themselves up way too neatly and too quickly. The acting however, is top notch here, making the end result a little more satisfying, and certainly less mind-numbingly overthetop than Haggis' creation.

While Michelle Williams delivers yet another top-notch performance, she and the rest of the talent involved are completely wasted in a film that isn't sure how to handle itself. Williams plays a woman who loses her husband and son in a suicide bombing at a London soccer match. She wasn't at the game herself because she was having an affair with a sleazy journalist she met in a bar, played by Ewan McGregor.



Even with a concept that is a little far-fetched and perhaps a little more than trashy, this is the least of the film's problems. From the point of the bombing in the first act through the rest of the movie, the story completely loses itself to it's own overambition. It tries to get into heavy political and religious issues, but it doesn't delve as deep as it wants to, instead treading in safe, but unsatifsfying shallowness, and seeming unable to focus on one theme for more than a few minutes.



Several plot points are completely unbelievable, not to mention ham-fisted, like the tribute the city sets up for the dead, consisting of a thousand blimps hovering over London, each one with a photo of one of the bombing victims. The image looks like a scene out of Blade Runner or Children of Men, while no other shot in the movie comes close to resembling these futuristic dystopias. What, could they not find enough marble to build a simple, elegant memorial statue?



Other unsubstantial points include Williams' forged friendship with one of the suspected bombers' sons and she tracks him down and meets him on a commuter bus, and her "dear Osama Bin Laden" voiceover monologues, where she addresses the Al-Qaeda leader directly, searching for a reason for her son's death.



Ewan McGregor, the "other man" in the scenario, is almost completely forgotten in the second half of the story. His journalism background provides a logical reason for him to investigate the attacks, but his character isn't given enough screentime to show his process, and his discovery of one of the bomber's identities feels too coincidental. His relationship with Williams takes a backseat, while another man comes into the forefront.



Matthew MacFadyen, playing the cop assigned to the case, spends more time pursuing Williams' character romantically than actually working. He and Williams apparently knew each other previously, as her husband was also a cop, but this previous relationship is never explored, only mentioned in passing. McGregor is far more likable and seems more interested and capable in getting to the bottom of the attacks to provide Williams with some closure than MacFadyen does, and a new, honest romance could have blossomed between the two of them, but the film remains too unfocused to be a subtle character drama, choosing instead to go big and all out with it's agendas.

This is what you get when you pair a lousy-mediocre script with a decent cast. Isla Fisher proves to be a fun and refreshing romantic lead, with great timing, particularly with physical comedy. She just needs better material to work with. The fashion scenes are fun, but there isn't nearly as much eye candy as there was in The Devil Wears Prada.

Okay, so it was a little flat. I was hoping for some silly retail humour (I practically grew up in and currently work in a mall), but most of it was silly cop humour. I can't tell you how refreshing it is to see a new release comedy where every other word isn't profane. I thought the PG movie was extinct. It's still an endangered species, but at least there's hope.

Another sexy, funny, spy thriller. Lots of technobabble and witty banter. Plenty of beautiful international locales. Impossible to follow plot. Same old, same old.

Tepid and overwritten script that doesn't really go anywhere. The amazing Peter Sarsgaard wasted in a pointless role once again.

Trying to be quirky and funny and touching like Little Miss Sunshine, too bad it fails miserably by just being kind of dull and miserable to watch. While the performances are good, the characters aren't terribly likeable and it's hard to root for them. The subject matter of death, not a personal favourite, doesn't really improve the situation.

While I admire Steven Soderbergh for venturing out into more experimental territory between his glossy studio films, this is not one of his stronger efforts. Casting adult film star Sasha Grey in the lead role as high-priced Manhattan escort Chelsea, we follow her around in the week leading up to the election. She has a boyfriend who supports her career choice, but when she appears to have developed a closer relationship with a client, he freaks out a bit. Great concept, it's too bad Soderbergh put zero drama into the script. Every scene is just a pair of people talking. The conversation subjects are dull, repetitive, and instantly dated because so much of it is related to the 2008 election and the economy. Not very exciting in the first place, let alone after it's all anybody has been talking about it in our everyday lives for a good two years. The resulting movie is incredibly flat, and it doesn't show us at all whether Sasha Grey can actually act, which is surely one of the reasons why so many people are so curious to see this. She's only playing a version of herself here.

Might have gone somewhere really sweet and beautiful. Not enough "grown-up" romantic dramas are made these days. But none of the characters were identifiable or relatable. They seemed somewhat underwritten, and despite decent performances, we never really got to know them. In the end, Gwyneth Paltrow and Joaquin Phoenix end up completely unlikable, while Vinessa Shaw is the sad loser stuck in the middle, and she doesn't even know it. Didn't buy it for a second.

Severely disappointing turn from a director I usually really admire. While the concept is intriguing, it didn't work at all for me cinematically, and may have been better suited as a novel or a play. A virus of sorts being spread by the English language? That's a plot born for the page or the stage. Steven McHattie is interesting to watch for a few minutes, but the character isn't very compelling beyond the half hour point when he's given nothing to do but talk. Bruce McDonald is a visually stunning director, I don't know why he chose to limit himself to a genre flick set entirely in a dreary basement.

Quirky in the worst sort of way, smug, and clearly trying too hard. Everyone is irritating and unlikeable, none more so than Allison Janney and Maggie Gyllenhaal, two performers I generally enjoy. Not sure what the movie is trying to say, except that compared to everyone else, you're probably normal. I knew that already. And though it doesn't really count as part of the movie, the "green filmmaking" featurette on the DVD is absolutely grating.

Trying to be quirky, maybe? But with a really bad script and actors with no presense whatsoever? Didn't make past the first ten minutes.

Should I really be surprised that Bruno doesn't live up to all the hype? The trailer was sure promising that Sacha Baron Cohen's sort-of sequel to his 2006 satire Borat would be a success, but alas, it is just a different character with the same old tricks.




This time playing a gay Austrian fashion reporter, Baron Cohen travels to America to make fools out of celebrities and republicans alike. He gets himself into some dangerous situations, and indeed some funny ones, but most of it feels recycled or forced. Call me a cynic, but it wouldn't surprise me if many of the "victims" shown here were actually professional actors, or if not that, at least in on the joke.




While Bruno does go farther than the average comedian to get a laugh, it often feels like he's trying to be shocking just the sake of it, rather than asking himself "is this truly funny?" I laughed a few times, particular the final scene involving a wrestling match, but for the most part, it just wasn't as funny as I'd hoped it would be. The best bits, as often happens with comedy, are in the trailer.




I admire Baron Cohen for being able to stay in character even when the situation appears to be getting out of his control, but it seems as though he only has one trick up his sleeve.

There's no way it'll be as good as the Danish original, but I'm still curious. It's been awhile since Jake Gyllenhaal has done a good movie ...

The book did nothing for me (I only made it half way), but I have a hope that Viggo, a ton of Oscar buzz, and the very cinematic landscapes will make this more exciting to see on the screen than on the page.

Musical entry of the year, can't live without that.

The Devil Wears Prada: The Documentary! I'm so there.

Heath's final performance. Knowing Gilliam, it's going to be trippy ...

Colin Farrell ... that's all I need to know.

Colin Farrell? Okay!

All I know at this point is the two-line plot summary and Ryan Gosling. And that's enough to get my interested.

First dismissed this as yuppie propganda (based on the description below), but the trailer actually doesn't look that bad. At the very least, there should be some decent acting.

A whole movie about air miles? I'm so there.

It looks so stupid, but I will see just about anything with Peter Sarsgaard.

One of the most thought-provoking documentaries I've seen in ages, filmmaker Brett Gaylor investigates illegal downloading of music and movies, remixing of other artists, and numerous other subjects in a thorough history and breakdown of American and international copyright law. The main focus is on Girl Talk, a Canadian DJ who uses samples from as many as 21 songs to create often unrecognizable new works. How are his creations different from the "found art" of Andy Warhol? Or Walt Disney? Did Napster change the world? Should intellectual property be protected or accessible to everyone to use in their own way? If you've ever downloaded or ripped a song in your life, you need to see this movie.