Drag Me to Hell (2009)

Horror Rated R

Sam Raimi must have really missed demonic vomit, bursting eyeballs and other such gory delicacies. After directing three Spider-Man films, Raimi returned to the outrageous (comic?) grotesqueries of his early career (The Evil Dead) with Drag Me to Hell. It was vastly overpraised as a piece of auteurism, but then again my enjoyment of said

Informant!, The (2009)

Drama Rated R

You have to stick with The Informant! to appreciate it, an effort that is made especially difficult by the cruddy, digital cinematography (thanks to director Steven Soderbergh, once again shooting under the pseudonym Peter Andrews). But if you can get past that, you’ll witness a deceptively brilliant performance by Matt Damon, one that gets better

Precious (2009)

Drama Rated R

“…an exercise in despair.

Brothers Bloom, The (2009)

Drama Rated PG-13

I now know what it’s like for those buzz killers who complain about Wes Anderson films. All the adjectives they use to denigrate delights such as The Royal Tenenbaums and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou – fastidious, mannered, production designed to death – apply, in my mind, to this deliberate quirkfest. Adrien Brody and

9 (2009)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

Another stunning animated entry from 2009, this fantasia from director Shane Acker, an extension of his 2005 Oscar-winning short, is as visually intricate and detailed as anything Pixar has ever done. The storytelling may not be as strong, but you almost don’t care. Acker has envisioned a post-apocalyptic world in which exquisitely detailed rag dolls

Avatar (2009)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

"A tiny detail among the bonanza of visual wonders in Avatar convinced me the movie had achieved not only technical mastery, but something more…"

A Serious Man (2009)

Drama Rated R

“Despair drips from the screen…”

Fighter, The (2010)

Drama Rated R

“All Wahlberg does is stand quietly in the corner, delivering the most authentic, nuanced performance in the film.

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Action/Adventure Rated PG

“Did no one bother to mention to Burton that Lewis Carroll’s 1865 story was not a Lord of the Rings primer but, in fact, a comedy?

Wendy and Lucy (2008)

Drama Rated R

Stark yet deeply hopeful, this minimalist, independent drama from director Kelly Reichardt struck a chord among critics and art-house audiences but didn’t go much further than that. Michelle Williams plays Wendy, a twentysomething vagrant on the way to some vague sort of new life in Alaska. She’s something of a wounded animal, so it’s appropriate