In the Valley of Elah

Saw In the Valley of Elah at the regular theater on Wednesday, 26 September 2007, at 720pm. Tommy Lee Jones could be up for another Oscar nom for his performance in this movie. What a great actor! Unfortunately, I'm not sure if this will get an Oscar Best Pic nom, especially with A Mighty Heart and Eastern Promises in the running. Paul Haggis could get a nom for the screenplay.

Transformers

Saw Transformers at the IMAX theater on Sunday, 23 September 2007, at 330pm. Although it was great to see it on an IMAX screen, I felt that Live Free or Die Hard was a better summer popcorn flick. I probably should have waited until it reached the bargain theater or on DVD.

Stephanie Daley

Saw Stephanie Daley on DVD via Netflix Saturday, 22 September 2007.  Tilda Swinton and Amber Tamblyn were excellent in this movie.  I liked the way different scenes from the past and present follow each other randomly (you don't know if what you're watching happened in the past or is happening currently.)  I thought that this was an extremely well-done film.  Could have seen this at a regular theater for full price.

Eastern Promises

Saw Eastern Promises at the regular theater Friday, 21 September 2007, at 645pm.  Finally, I have seen another contender for Oscar Best Pic (the other possibility I saw earlier this year was A Mighty Heart)!  A lot of people liked A History of Violence more, but I liked this movie more than David Cronenberg's previous effort.  His direction was flawless.  Camera work, screenplay, cinematography are perfect.  If Viggo Mortensen doesn't get an Oscar Best Actor nom for his performance in this film, I don't know what else he needs to do to get one.  Armin Mueller-Stahl should also get a Best Supporting Actor nom.  As of today, if this picture wins for Oscar Best Picture, I will not be disappointed.

the Astronaut Farmer

Saw the Astronaut Farmer on DVD via Netflix Sunday, 16 September 2007. This was actually an extremely good movie. Virginia Madsen proves to us again that she deserves her supporting actress nom for Sideways. Also, I didn't expect a cameo appearance from one of Billy Bob Thornton's co-stars in Armageddon. I loved the scene in the gym with the two of them, plus J. K. Simmons and Tim Blake Nelson. Surprisingly, one of the better movies I've seen this year.

Talk to Me

Saw Talk to Me at the budget theater on Friday, 14 September 2007 at 650pm. Although I thought that the ending was a little bit overextended, this was a great movie, with fine performances by the two leads, Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Martin Sheen also shined in his role as the radio station's chief.

Old Joy

Saw Old Joy on DVD via Netflix Wednesday, 12 September 2007. I have neither good nor bad things to say about this movie.

3:10 to Yuma

Saw 3:10 to Yuma at the regular theater on Sunday, 9 September 2007, at 4pm. Up until probably the last 20 minutes of the movie, I thought to myself that it could be one of this year's Oscar Best Pic nominees. It had everything going for it -- story, cinematography, screenplay (hopefully the screenwriter will get a nom), acting (Russell Crowe, Christian Bale and Ben Foster deserve noms for their performances), and directing (another great film from James Mangold). Unfortunately, like others in the forums of Rotten Tomatoes, I felt that the ending didn't make sense. Worse, I thought it felt cheap. Nevertheless, it was a good start to the Oscar season and I look forward to other movies coming up in the next few weeks.

Broken English

Saw Broken English on DVD via Netflix Saturday, 8 September 2007. Intriguing indie film; kept me interested the whole time. Amazing performances by Parker Posey and Melvin Poupaud (whom I just saw a few weeks back in Time to Leave.)

Live Free or Die Hard

Saw Live Free or Die Hard at the budget theater Friday, 7 September 2007, at 710pm. What an excellent summer popcorn flick. The only regret I have is that I should have seen it back in June! It had a great story (according to the opening credits it was adapted from an article); the dialogue was well-written; the action and stunt sequences were just elegantly done (very little CGI compared to the other flicks these days); and awesome acting from the two leads (Bruce Willis and Justin Long). Kudos to director Len Wiseman!

1408

Saw 1408 at the bargain theater Saturday, 1 September 2007, at 2pm. Started September with a bang! I was determined to see this movie after seeing that it got a fresh tomatometer from Rotten Tomatoes. It was much more than what I expected. Another movie that I could have seen at a regular theater and wouldn't have been disappointed.

Year of the Dog

Saw Year of the Dog on DVD via Netflix Friday, 31 August 2007. Ended August with a bang! Great film from Mike White (who also wrote and starred in School of Rock.) I look forward to watching more movies written by him. Wonderful acting from Molly Shannon, Laura Dern, Peter Sarsgaard (somebody give this guy a long-overdue Oscar nom), John C. Reilly and Regina King. Could have seen this at a regular theater and wouldn't have been disappointed.