Lars and the Real Girl

Saw Lars and the Real Girl at the regular theater Sunday, 28 October 2007, at 220pm.  What a real gem of a movie!  Excellent acting from Ryan Gosling, Paul Schneider, Emily Mortimer and Patricia Clarkson.  Screenplay is flawless!  I also loved the musical score.  Perfect movie.  What more could you ask for?

28 Weeks Later

Saw 28 Weeks Later on DVD via Netflix Friday, 26 October 2007.  Unfortunate waste of my time.

Gone Baby Gone

Saw Gone Baby Gone at the regular theater Monday, 23 October 2007, at 645pm. Not a bad effort from first time director Ben Affleck. Kept me guessing all the way. Excellent acting by Casey Affleck, Amy Ryan, and Ed Harris. Looking forward to future films from the two Afflecks.

Into the Wild

Saw Into the Wild Sunday at the regular theater, 21 October 2007, at 235pm. Well-made film by actor-writer-producer-director Sean Penn. Emile Hirsch was outstanding. Excellent performances from other supporting actors (William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Jena Malone, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, Hal Holbrook.) Everything just went blended together perfectly -- editing, pacing, camerawork, soundtrack from Eddie Vedder, flashbacks, voiceovers. I went into the theater fearing that I might get bored watching a nature documentary, but was relieved in the end, having seen one of the most beautiful pics of the year. (Minor thing -- I didn't like the color and the font that Mr. Penn used in the opening credits. I wished he used the same typewriter font when displaying the chapter titles.)

Reign Over Me

Saw Reign Over Me on DVD via Netflix on Friday, 19 October 2007. I didn't like how this movie got resolved. I found the ending -- the implied pairing up of 2 characters (won't spoil the ending for others who have yet to see the movie) -- too convenient. In the end, I thought that this wasn't a very good movie. Luckily, I didn't have to pay for it aside from my Netflix subscription fee.

Michael Clayton

Saw Michael Clayton at the regular theater Sunday, 14 October 2007, at 2pm. Excellent directorial film debut from veteran screenwriter Tony Gilroy. The leading roles were wonderfully acted by George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack and Tom Wilkinson. At the very least, I think this movie should get an Oscar nod for original screenplay. Kept talking about this movie long after it ended. Looking forward to see more Oscar-caliber movies.

Jindabyne

Saw Jindabyne on DVD via Netflix on Saturday, 13 October 2007. I felt unsatisfied by the ending of this movie. Worse, I felt cheated. Also, the pacing was uneven; some parts were "dragging." Good thing I didn't spend more than a subscription for this film.

Beyond the Gates

Saw Beyond the Gates on DVD via Netflix on Sunday, 7 October 2007. Another contemplative film about the Rwandan genocide (the other being Hotel Rwanda.) Well-acted performances from Hugh Dancy and John Hurt. (Hugh Dancy could be the next James McAvoy.) Great way to start October. Can't wait to see more great films out there right now.

the Valet

Saw The Valet on DVD via Netflix on Sunday, 30 September 2007. This French comedy film was a joy to watch! I last saw Daniel Auteuil in Cache. He was great there and he's also great here (proves to show that he can be good in both serious and funny movies.) Probably the best French film I saw this year. What a way to end September. Looking forward to what October has to offer.