Peter Sarsgaard (just because)

Just fantastic, and I wouldn't change anything; I even like the abrupt ending. Peter Sarsgaard and Patricia Clarkson are magnificent. Review soon.

A very thoughtful, sometimes funny film, sort of Todd Solondz meets Alexander Payne. Molly Shannon is, surprisingly, very good in a dramatic role. Peter Sarsgaard is, frankly, amazing. Is it possible to be both asexual and sexy at the same time? Apparently so. Review soon.

The 'plot' is complete and utter bobbins, but Flightplan remains relatively exciting stuff and keeps the interest despite the ridiculous twists and over-reliance on chance and co-incidence. This is mostly thanks to skilful direction, a superb, Panic Roomesque performance from Jodie Foster and the involvement of the ever wonderful/fuckable Peter Sarsgaard. Just don't try to think about all the contrivances or you'll get annoyed (and why do we have to have yet *another* 'vengeance is good' ending).

Depressing as hell and rather self-contained, The Center of the World is a dull, dreary story, shot on the cheap with an ugly, hyper-real aesthetic but a somewhat unbelievable starting point. Richard, a successful but socially inadequate computer engineer, meets Molly, a drummer in an aspiring rock group, iand decides to talk to her. Molly (very) soon tells him that for money, she works in a strip club, and one night he goes there to meet her and gets a lap dance. Apparently under pressure from his friends to 'get laid' (well, there's one scene anyway), he offers Molly a substantial amount of money if she spends a three-day weekend with him in Las Vegas. Of course, eventually she agrees, though inevitably there are conditions: she's only 'his' from 10 PM until 2 AM, there's no kissing on the mouth, and definitely no penetration. Guess what happens? The bleak ending is a bit disrespectful to one of the characters, but is certainly powerful, and the strong sex scenes are far more effective than say, those in 9 Songs.

Though there's really no new ground covered here, writer Ellen Benjamin Wong and director Wayn Wang clearly have good intentions, and what elevates this into watchable, sometimes perceptive territory is the stunning lead performance from Peter Sarsgaard (and to a lesser extent, the performance by Molly Parker). Whenever films are shot on hand-held camcorders/home-video equipment, something about the way it looks highlights that people are acting. It all looks too 'fake' and static, mannerisms become exaggerated and it becomes quickly obvious that the whole thing is, well, fictitious. But Sarsgaard is never anything less than utterly believable; he is supernaturally talented here - there's no artifice, and though the entire film is really quite underwritten, his is the only character here who feels like he has lived before the film starts and will continue to live after it is over.

I had low expectations on this one, given lukewarm reviews and, especially, the horrible "just tell me where HE IS?!?" sound bite of Reese Witherspoon screaming in the upper octaves that blasted over commercial radio stations when it was released theatrically. But Rendition is a very intelligent, beautifully filmed and, for the most part, well acted film, making very valid points without 'preaching to the converted' (I hate that term). The A-List stars actually have the smaller parts but play them well, Witherspoon excepted (her part is thankless and alternately dull and shrill). Gyllenhaal especially impresses, leaving his trademark goofiness behind, instead playing his part with a mixture of numb passiveness and founded self-righteousness; he probably has the biggest 'character-arc' - although technically it's not really his story. Speaking of the story, Rendition hinges around (spoilers here) a subtle messing of the perceived time-frame, delivering a brilliantly understated but excellently executed twist that sees all the pieces coming together in a satisfactory way. Unlike the insipid, insulting and frequently stupid way in which torture is represented in say, the TV series 24, Rendition makes a compelling argument with subtlety and integrity. Recommended.

"An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind." - Mahatma Gandhi

For me, Dead Man Walking is the most compelling and convincing film I've seen against the death penalty. It is also incredibly fair, balanced and unbiased, continually flashing back to the horrific crimes committed, and showing the points of view from the victims' families. In fact, every possible point of view is shown, it never panders to one argument, it never explicitly says that the death penalty is wrong, and it won't necessarily change someone's beliefs. The later The Life of David Gale worked as a thriller but it was anti-intellectual in tone despite some strong writing and good performances. This film by contrast doesn't get bogged down in snappy one liners or statistics, and instead with conviction and simplicity tells one story. Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn are both magnificent, as are the supporting cast (watch out for early performances from Jack Black and Peter Sarsgaard). A masterpiece.

Fascinating biopic of university researcher Arthur Kinsey, who for much of his adult life, documented the sexual histories of men and women. Kinsey's revolutionary research showed that sexual acts such as masturbation and oral sex, as well as homosexuality and bisexuality, previously considered 'perverse' or 'deviant' (or even harmful), were in fact far more common than thought, .

Ahead of his time in a sexually repressed society where the majority considered, or were thought to consider, that only marital sex (primarily for purposes of reproduction) could be considered moral, the film Kinsey shows how his research opened people up to talk about and explore their own sexuality, but also shows a fundamentally flawed (and real) person. Kinsey's initial belief that sexual urges should be explored and should not be connected to feelings of emotional attachment, or love, does not hold up; when he explores a same sex relationship with Clyde (a nicely subtle performance from Peter Sarsgaard) which he then confesses to his wife Clara (Laura Linney), it appears he doesn't understand why it hurts her feelings - it's just sex afterall. Only later, when he overhears Clyde confess to Clara that he is becoming disinterested in the sexual relationship, does it register to Kinsey what his wife had meant, as very briefly, we see that Kinsey is also hurt. It's a telling moment, and very well acted.

Later, the film shows Kinsey's rise and inevitable fall, and though he never fully recovers from the backlash, his ever understanding wife sticks by him - the overriding message seems to be that love is what matters most.

Kinsey is not without its faults - the ageing makeup is unconvincing and it doesn't really feel that 15 years worth of research elapses. The sequence involving superimposed talking heads on a map of the States goes on for too long, and some of the supporting characters don't have enough depth or screen time to care about. But overall, this film, shot in just 37 days, is excellent and sensitively handled.

It's A Home At the End of the World all over again - i.e., one of my most favorite books (which coincidentally also centres on, but is not limited to, a complicated love triangle) is simplified so much that not only are almost all sub-plots removed, but the main plot is so diluted that nothing much of any consequence seems to happen. Even though, in actuality, a lot does happen. Simply put, this is a mediocre adaptation of a superior novel. What elevates this slightly above A Home are some excellent performances. Peter Sarsgaard handles his ambisexual (my term) character with skill, and Jon Foster comes close to matching this, although his monotone delivery can be hard to follow. It's little wonder this failed to set the box-office on fire but it still remains a big disappointment, particularly since Michael Chabon's works lend themselves very well to adaptation (Wonder Boys is evidence of that).

"It can't hurt you if you don't believe it."

Actually a lot better than I remember, and the ending means that there is re-watch value, The Skeleton Key is solidly - if unremarkably - directed, has a stellar cast (Sarsgaard, Rowlands, Hurt, and, erm, Hudson), good locations, and is, for the most part, well written. Ehren Kruger, who has written, amongst other things, the underrated Scream 3 and the overrated Ringu remake The Ring, has a gift for back-story and exposition, but he also frustratingly uses lazy shorthand to further the plot, making this an odd mix of great ideas and hack-worthy clichés. To her credit, Kate Hudson plays her role very well - her character makes some questionable decisions sometimes but the lack of passivity is refreshing in this kind of horror film. Meanwhile the film gets right the difference between Voodoo and Hoodoo and plays on the idea that magic will only work on those who believe it. The twist is a doozy, though it's sure to split viewers pretty much down the middle as to whether it satisfies or not. More important than that is that it is 'fair' and fits in with the story perfectly.

aka Kitchen Privileges. This is a lethargic, deathly slow-paced take on the Roman Polanski classic Repulsion, only bereft of imagination. Marie's agoraphobia is played in a bizarre, totally unrealistic fashion, and Katharina Wressnig's performance alternates between sleepwalking and shrillness. Very little works here except an occasional inspired visual moment (most of which are taken from Repulsion), and I can't even recommend this for die-hard fans of Peter Sarsgaard, as this is easily his weakest performance - though given the quality of the material he's given that's hardly a shocker. Definitely safe to skip this.

That this works so well is a testament to the VERY strong performances from the three leads, and to the clever reveal of the bonkers - and (almost) plausible twist. More soon.