the Reader

Saw the Reader at the regular theater Sunday, 1 February 2009, at 145pm. Great way to start February. Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes were both great in their roles. Worth of an Oscar nom for Best Pic, but I don't believe it will win. Definitely better than the Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Milk.

the Wackness

Saw the Wackness on DVD via Netflix Saturday, 31 January 2009. Felt like there was no overarching plot. Was the film really shot this way? The colors were washed out. Ben Kingsley, as usual, was excellent.

Frost/Nixon

Saw Frost/Nixon at the regular theater on Sunday, 25 January 2009, at 110pm. One of the best movies of 2008. Much better than the Curious Case of Benjamin Button or Milk. Definitely deserves an Oscar nom for Best Pic. I think all of the major actors -- Frank Langella, Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, Matthew Macfadyen, and Michael Sheen -- were excellent.

Transsiberian

Saw Transsiberian on DVD via Netflix Saturday, 24 January 2009. Some of the events were implausible. Couldn't see how people in real life would behave the way the characters in the film do. Good, but not great. Excellent acting from all the major actors though, especially Ben Kingsley.

the Wrestler

Saw the Wrestler at the regular theater Sunday, 18 January 2009, at 250pm. Excellent little film from Darren Aronofsky. Wonderful performances from Marisa Tomei and Mickey Rourke. I want Mickey to win the Oscar for Best Actor.

the Duchess

Saw the Duchess on DVD via Netflix Saturday, 17 January 2009. Pretty good biopic. Ralph Fiennes was exceptionally good.

Gran Torino

Saw Gran Torino at the regular theater on Sunday, 11 January 2009, at 120pm. Clint Eastwood is back in fighting form. I have no plans of watching Changeling, and I thought that Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima were both subpar. His acting, direction and music were all excellent. I doubt if Clint will get a Best Actor Oscar nom, but if he did, then I think it would be much deserved. As with Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby, loved the plot twist.

Ghost Town

Saw Ghost Town on DVD via Netflix Saturday, 10 January 2009. Excellent comedy. At one point I questioned how it was going to end. I'm glad it ended the way it did. Loved the last two lines at the very end.

Man On Wire

Saw Man On Wire on DVD via Netflix Sunday, 4 January 2009. Excellent way to start the new year! I'm not a big fan of documentaries per se, but I have to say that it is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. Hopefully, it'll get the Oscar for Best Doc.

Doubt

Saw Doubt at the regular theater Sunday, 28 December 2008, at 240pm. While the performances by all the major actors (Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis) are worthy of acting noms, the movie itself doesn't deserve to be nominated for Best Pic -- it still felt more like a play than a fully fleshed-out movie for me -- same feeling I had after watching The History Boys. However, having said that, I'd rather this get the nom for Best Pic than the Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Hamlet 2

Saw Hamlet 2 on DVD via Netflix, Saturday, 27 December 2008. I really enjoyed this much-ado-about-nothing movie. Loved the performances from all the major actors (Steve Coogan, Elizabeth Shue, Amy Poehler, Catherine Keener and David Arquette!) Very funny. Totally recommended.

the Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Saw the Curious Case of Benjamin Button at the regular theater Thursday, 25 December 2008, at 630pm. I didn't think it was as good as other people claim it to be. I actually liked Zodiac more. The CGI was flawless, though. Screenplay wasn't so good. While I hope that David Fincher will get an Oscar nom for best director, I really hope that this movie will not get a Best Pic nom because I think there are 5 other deserving movies out there.