The Dancer Upstairs (R) 7.5

The Dancer Upstairs (2002): A police detective in a South American country is dedicated to hunting down a revolutionary guerrilla leader. (6.9)

Director: John Malkovich
Writers: Nicholas Shakespeare (novel), Nicholas Shakespeare (screenplay)
Stars: Javier Bardem, Laura Morante and Juan Diego Botto

Layers. Its got layers of stories, confusion, humor, violence by the guerrillas, the disregard for the law or the people by the dictatorship government, etc. In the midst of all of that Bardem's character has internal conflicts. It is said that the story is inspired by true events in Peru in 1992. A great screenplay and it has the right amount of action, humor and intense drama. [Since it was a directed by Malkovich, I thought that it is an English movie; I should have watched it in Spanish w/ English subtitles. I'll do that I watch it again.] My Rating: 7.5

Astro Boy (PG) 6.0

Astro Boy (2009): Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist in the image of the son he has lost. (6.3)

Director: David Bowers
Writers: Osamu Tezuka (manga), David Bowers (story)
Stars: Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage and Kristen Bell

A father-son story, sort of like Pinnochio. This is from a Japanese/HK animation studio, but in the same mold as the US ones. (I guess, I'm seeing that as a slight weakness because I just watched Secret of Kells and saw how an animation could be made differently and uniquely.) I haven't see the original anime series, so I can't compare it. As a cgi movie, it stands on its own. My Rating: 6.0

The Secret of Kells (G) 8.0

The Secret of Kells (2009): Young Brendan lives in a remote medieval outpost under siege from barbarian raids. But a new life of adventure beckons when a celebrated master illuminator arrives from the isle of Iona carrying an ancient but unfinished book, brimming with secret wisdom and powers. (7.5)

Directors: Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey
Writers: Tomm Moore (original story), Fabrice Ziolkowski (screenplay)
Stars: Evan McGuire, Brendan Gleeson and Mick Lally

The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin but I don't know how much of this story is real, myth or just made up for the movie (it doesn't matter to me). This is a beautifully drawn animation. The drawing style is unique for this format, and perfectly suited for the subject matter. (As an aside, this movie tells the story of Norsemen or barbarians invading and destroying the poor defenseless christian churches, but the spread of Christianity did the same to other groups/religions.) Overall, a nice story, nice animation, nice colors, etc. A good contrast against the styles of Pixar and other like animation companies. My Rating: 8.0

HP: Deathly Hallows 2 (PG-13) 6.5

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011): Harry, Ron and Hermione search for Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Dark Lord. (8.2)

Director: David Yates
Writers: Steve Kloves (screenplay), J.K. Rowling (novel)
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint

This is the second part of the final book of the series. As expected the epic battle between good and evil is depicted. The movie script sticks pretty much to the book, but that doesn't diminish the enjoyment of it. The high rating on IMDB, I think, is because it is a popular movie. It isn't one of the greatest ever; and in time, that rating will go down. My Rating: 6.5

HP: Deathly Hallows 1 (PG-13) 6.5

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1: As Harry races against time and evil to destroy the Horcruxes, he uncovers the existence of three most powerful objects in the wizarding world: the Deathly Hallows. (7.6)

Director: David Yates
Writers: Steve Kloves (screenplay), J.K. Rowling (novel)
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint

As a story, the whole series is superb. But, as a movie, this is okay. The actors have grown to become better as the series has gone on. As expected, this is not a stand-alone movie; a lot of magical things are explained in previous movies. Enjoyable, nonetheless. My Rating: 6.5

Winter's Bone (R) 7.5

Winter's Bone (2010): An unflinching Ozark Mountain girl hacks through dangerous social terrain as she hunts down her drug-dealing father while trying to keep her family intact. (7.2)

Director: Debra Granik
Writers: Debra Granik (screenplay), Anne Rosellini (screenplay)
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes and Garret Dillahunt

An excellent depiction of a teenage girl in the poor south growing up fast under the weight of responsibilities. Along the way, she learns to be tough or quiet or take it on the chin when required. Acting is superb. Story is believable and the screenplay is right on the mark. At times, the action may be slow, but there's lot going on just beneath the surface. My Rating: 7.5

The Tree of Life (PG-13) 6.0

The Tree of Life (2011): The story centers around a family with three boys in the 1950s. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence. (7.2)

Director: Terrence Malick
Writer: Terrence Malick
Stars: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain

Um, there's no story in this movie. The cinematography is good; some of the pictures and scenes have been borrowed from elsewhere. The title is all wrong; there's no tree of life here. This is just the author trying to inject his pesky god into the nature. Look, all of the piddly little religions with creationist gods have described silly little stories in their religions but they don't stand up to today's science. This movie is just an attempt to inject something (dinosaurs, asteroids hitting the earth, galaxies, etc.) back into some religious story that some man keeps asking where you were. This makes absolutely no sense. If the director/writer wanted to make a movie about how the universe is elegant AND meaningful AND follows nice patterns etc, just make something about the works of today's physicist like Stephen Hawking or Brian Greene or the evolutionary biologist or something. There's no reason to try to mash up dinosaurs with a 50s Texas family and soap bubbles. His attempt reminds me of this quote from Arthur C. Clarke: "The greatest tragedy in mankind's entire history may be the hijacking of morality by religion." I'd give this 4.5 if it weren't for the beautiful pictures. My Rating: 6.0

The Machinist (R) 7.5

The Machinist (2004): An industrial worker who hasn't slept in a year begins to doubt his own sanity. (7.8)

Director: Brad Anderson
Writer: Scott Kosar
Stars: Christian Bale, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Aitana Sánchez-Gijón

A really good psychological thriller that kept me guessing right to the end. They've changed the color hue with filters and I think they got it right. Not sure how they made Christian Bale look like that, but boy that was eerie. If I say more, I'd spoil it but suffice it to say that this is a good movie. My Rating: 7.5

Happythankyoumoreplease (R) 7.0

Happythankyoumoreplease (2010): Captures a generational moment - young people on the cusp of truly growing up, tiring of their reflexive cynicism, each in their own ways struggling to connect and define what it means to love and be loved. (6.8)

Director: Josh Radnor
Writer: Josh Radnor (screenplay)
Stars: Josh Radnor, Malin Akerman and Zoe Kazan

The story is sort of like the "Thirty Something" series from late 80s but without a whole lot of cultural (or counter-cultural) references. Good songs too. (spoiler) heh ... I want to exchange my universe with that of this movie where everything works out for everybody. Sweet, but not overly so. Josh Radnor has written, directed and played the leading role; that couldn't have been easy. My Rating: 7.0

Spring, Summer, Fall ... (R) 8.0

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003) Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom (original title): This film takes place in an isolated lake, where an old monk lives on a small floating temple. The wise master also has young apprentice with him. And, we watch as seasons and years pass by. (8.1)

Director: Ki-duk Kim
Writer: Ki-duk Kim
Stars: Ki-duk Kim, Yeong-su Oh and Jong-ho Kim
Language: Korean (w/ English subtitles)

I didn't plan to watch two movies by Ki-duk Kim back-to-back. They are similar in the sense the dialog is quite minimal and a lot is said with scenes and acting. They are both beautiful in the cinematic sense. This one, however, has that "old world" feel. Basically, the circle of life story told in a unique way. Loved it. My Rating: 8.0