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The Edge of Seventeen, directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, is an entertaining, funny, and also rather enlightening coming of age story, starring Hailee Steinfeld. In her best performance I’ve seen from her post-True Grit (actually, it’s the only performance I’ve seen of hers since that Academy-Award-nominated role, which should have been for lead and not supporting actress, but still she’s really good here) Steinfeld is Nadine, a socially awkward teen whose long-time best friend Krista, played Haley Lu Richardson, becomes romantically involved with Nadine’s older brother Darian, played by Blake Jenner. They’re found out by Nadine during their first time together, and that sets the tone for the animosity that builds in the aftermath as she lashes out at them and others. There’s also strong supporting work by two quality veteran actors in Woody Harrelson as one of Nadine’s teachers, and Kyra Sedgewick as Nadine and Darian’s single mother, their father passing away a few years before. This is very good dramedy about teenage conflict and romance, if not quite as poignant as a certain other film I saw around the same time dealing with similar issues of adolescent awkwardness and attractions, The Spectacular Now (though the latter is more on the dramatic side of the dramedy scale, while Edge is more on the comedic). The way things turn out, by in large, feel real (with some proper comedic exaggeration along the way), and the conclusion is an even powerful one. I give it my solid recommendation.

The Beguiled directed by Sofia Coppola is a romance drama and period feature set during the latter days of the U.S. Civil War at a girls’ boarding school in Virginia. The place has been abandoned other than a handful of students, one teacher, and the headmistress. One day a girl there discovers a seriously wounded union soldier played by Collin Farrell, and helps him to the school where the headmistress, portrayed by Nicole Kidman, the lone teacher played by Kirsten Dunst, and the female borders, among them ones played by Elle Fanning and Oona Laurence, attend to him and his injury. Allowing him to stay to rest until the leg heals, at one point protecting him from capture, the ladies become enamored with the handsome and charming man, and act on it privately in different and revealing ways. Not long after the head declares that the man should soon be well enough to leave, a sudden turn of events causes utter chaos among the residents, in a third act for which the less said the better. This is a well-paced film that builds nicely on the strength of the talented cast, and even more so on Coppola’s direction and the script which she adapted from the 1966 Cullinan novel of the same name. I think it’s by some margin her best film since Lost in Translation (with the caveat that I’ve not yet seen her most recent film Priscilla) and an understated gem most worthy of any film fan’s ninety minutes.

Kelly Reichardt, who has had a strong directorial track record of small, high-acclaimed, understated, character-driven films—for me a notable standout being a terrific little western from 2010 called Meek’s Cutoff—added to her career resume in 2015 with another impressive feat: Certain Women. With this film she has solidified herself as one of the best American, female directors—or maybe of either gender—of independent films out there right now. The plotline involves three loosely-interconnected stories of women depicting their struggles within their work, their life goals, their romances etc. High-class female talent in Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart, and the always fantastic Michelle Williams are put to wonderful use, not really with huge dramatic scenes (though some characters around them provide us that element) but with solid, realistic, and non-showy portrayals of women in life’s twists and turns. If you haven’t yet seen a Reichardt movie, this would be an excellent first experience. Along with Meek’s Cutoff, I’d also recommend her Old Joy; and I look forward to seeing her most recent release First Cow, just released earlier this year.

Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi is in my view the best Star Wars film—and the first great Star Wars film—since The Empire Strikes Back was released nearly forty years ago (though some fanboys out there seem to disagree with me and the majority of critics who love the film; that’s fine, but I won’t bother addressing their gripes specifically as I don’t find them the least compelling). The array of female performers, maybe more than any Star Wars film to date, in particular shine in Episode XIII, the late Carrie Fisher getting a more substantial and interesting role than in Episode VII, and Daisy Ridley as Rey continuing her strong-willed, fascinating arc into potential Jedi-hood. And out of a nice array of new characters in important parts two are female. This film is well pieced together with drama, humor, and wonder, and both with freshness and familiarity. It’s an exciting, intriguing journey the whole way through. The Last Jedi tops The Force Awakens in many respects, and ranks among the best science fiction films I have seen in recent years.

Theeb, directed by Naji Abu Nowar, is a powerful drama about two Bedouin brothers and the bond they share during their struggles during the first World War within the chaotic mess of the splintering (and soon to no long exist) Ottoman Empire. The elder brother Hussein agrees to help a white British soldier reach a certain secret destination, while as the trip begins the considerably younger brother Theeb (meaning “Wolf” in Arabic or Turkish), without invitation, opts to tag along on, and then must join the perilous journey which will force him to grow up beyond his years. It is a lawless land with bandits and warlords, and a particularly perilous situation turns all on its head, and leads to gut-wrenching choices. The two performances by Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat as Theeb and Hussein Salameh Al-Sweilhiyeen as Hussein are very good. There are other standout roles, including that of an unnamed bandit who gets involved with Theeb, played by Hassan Mutlag Al-Maraiyeh; in this latter relationship an interesting and tense dynamic is created between the two males contrasting much more in lifestyle, personality, and age than between Theeb and Hussein. This film’s journey is combines emotionally powerful scenes with incredible tension-filled ones, next to one another or blended almost seamlessly. The story in not a conventional coming-of age one, and you can’t really guess where it takes you next. Add to these strengths the terrific acting, and some beautiful cinematography, and you have a film more than worthy of its efficient 100-minute running time. Nowar in his directorial debut and also as a co-writer does an impressive job. Theeb, though not perfect, really should be seen as it is a stunning experience.

Difret, directed by Zeresenay Mehari, is film about an old, cruel tradition that was still practiced into the early 2000’s in some more rural parts of Ethiopia: abductive marriage. In the film a girl named Hirut Assefa, just fourteen years old, is the victim of this practice, kidnapped and ****, and then held to be forced to marry to someone she’s doesn’t know. In the process of a daring escape she kills the man, and ends up being charged with murder. Meaza Ashenafi, a lawyer who works for an NGO makes it her duty, legal and moral, to fight for the girl’s fate. The performances of Hirut and Meaza, by actresses Tizita Hagere and Meron Getnet respectively, are nicely done, with both power and subtleties. They each realize this tradition is backwards and wrong from their own point of view; but as Hirut is banished by the tribe’s elders from her village, and as Meaza makes difficult choices on how to proceed that conflict with her NGO. Difret is neither about false hopes nor constant despair, but telling a real story that should open eyes to this and similar practices around the world, even as this particular custom is no longer allowed. It's a powerful, well-acted, important film.

"Girlhood" is a French film by director Céline Sciamma about the coming of age of black girl in Paris under tough circumstances, and decides to go in a more sinister direction with a new group of friends, and she has to prove herself, but there are family complications, and a romance is involved too. Yes we've seen movies like this before; this film, unlike "Boyhood", won't be talked about as some kind of cinema revolution in decades to come (the two films really are so different they shouldn't be readily compared, though they have similar titles, came out at close to the same time, and deal with the experience of youth). But that's perfectly fine, because the craft is exceptional. The story is interesting the way it builds, the acting is great, particularly by Karidja Touré in the lead as she physically transforms once, and then again completely believably. And what's more, this has the most memorable use of an American pop song in a foreign film I have seen in a very long time. Just great.

The Babadook, directed and written by first-time director Jennifer Kent, is one of the best horror movies of recent years, possibly even of recent decades. In her stunning directorial debut, Kent shows not merely promise as a filmmaker, but the kind of rare talent that seldom comes through this strongly in a debut film. The two lead performances, a worn-out, distant mother and her difficult son, are also very strong. Creepy, tension filled, and mostly free of basic horror-film clichés, it is something special.

For me Beverly Hills Cop has age far from perfectly. Compared to other Murphy 80's hits like Trading Places and 48 Hours, both which still hold as some of the better mainstream flicks from early in the decade, this film, which was a massive box office hit, shows it's weaknesses in originality and intelligence. Murphy is very good, and it's certainly funny enough to recommend, but it lacks a certain wit, and the ending is really cliche.

"The Magdalene Sisters", directed by Peter Mullan centers on four girls—Margaret, Bernadette, Rose, and Crispina, played respectively by Anne-Marie Duff, Nora-Jane Noone, Dorothy Duffy, and Eileen Walsh—who in puritanical mid-20th century Ireland are, after certain so-called sinful indiscretions causing the rejection of their families, sent to a strict Catholic reformatory. Also very much should be noted is the role of the head at this place, the very strict twisted Sister Bridget played by Geraldine McEwan. The performances by Walsh and McEwan deserve particular mention, one a kind and unbalanced victim, the other as deliberate, cold victimizer. “Fallen women” they are supposed to be, but I certainly never saw them as any more than victims of high-and-mighty, ignorant, and often sadistic attempts to take anyone who dare stray the least from societies way (even if may be no fault of their own, as in at least one of the cases) and put them in their place. The stuff found within this movie, disturbing and sometimes strange as it is, and though we’re talking about only the mid-20th Century, historically not that long ago, never came off as the least bit unbelievable to me. It forces one to look at these tough images, never making it easy in the discipline and punishments imposed by the institution. Even one comical scene of apparent levity turns suddenly into a most disquieting unjust sequence for one of the characters. It’s a place where one often needs to fend for themselves, and can even encourage them to turn on each other. Painful as it is, there is some hope as well. I highly recommend this film.

All is Lost is a tense, isolating and emotional experience, about a man stranded on a boat in the middle of the Indian Ocean. As things go from bad to worse, one cannot help thinking, as when watching a film like Gravity as well, "How would I feel, and react, in such a hopeless situation?" But what all holds this together more than anything is the performance of Robert Redford, who is completely believable and does a remarkable job at showing his emotions without largely the use of dialog. As one who doesn't sail I didn't always understand what he was doing, but always I understood the purpose of what he was doing it for, so never felt too disengaged. It's a pace film, but patient viewers will find great reward in this harrowing tale.

The House of the Devil is one of the better done homages to 80's horror films I have seen in the modern era. The story builds in a very deliberate manner, introducing the characters and it's simple but engrossing story in a deliberate build that surrounds you in creepy atmosphere and increases over time the tension. The film follows a sweet college girl desperate to make some money, gets involved in something she didn't expect; it may not seem like the most original plot, but the way it plays out in not too cliché ridden. Periodically the movies hits with a bang, but mostly it's a gradual climb to the gripping final act. The middle act certainly will frustrate some viewers with it's pace, and it that may make it tedious on a re-watch, but for me the first time through I really enjoyed it.

In the House is a French film by director Francois Ozon about a student teacher relationship that starts off oddly, and as it evolves gets stranger along the way. The trigger of their connection involves a paper the student writes for an assignment about his weekend, which involves a visit to a family’s house, one of a classmate who he’s tutoring. Then he writes another paper and then another, all about his stories in this house, and it becomes as if he’s part of their family, the kind he would like to have. The teacher is hooked reading the stories, and encourages more writing, thus requiring more visits, trying to get him to improve his writing technique. The student along the way gains a crush for the classmate’s mother. One of the keys to the effectiveness of the film is a woman played by the actress Kristin Scott Thomas, the wife of the teacher. She observes and comments interestingly on this situation, for which her sole connection is listening to or reading the stories the kid has written. She too wants to see more, but also seems to be with the distance she maintains the most sensible one; though she’s not beyond certain judgements. In essence she looks at the unreasonableness of both her husband and a student in their actions much as the audience does. If it seems a little complicated don’t worry: explaining the entire premise of the film is much more exhausting than watching it occur. It’s entertaining, equal parts funny and dramatic, how it all plays out. In the House is an original film, and while it does have a premise that slightly stretches plausibility, and a few minor issues hamper it’s ending, it will make one think and reexamine many parts and allow one the experience that makes its flaws more forgivable.

I only saw two prior version of this long-running British documentary series before this one: 28 UP and 49 UP. I liked those both quite a bit, and I was even more uniquely satisfied with this episode, even though most characters did not have super dramatic life changes in the last seven years. How almost every character grows and evolves is just so interesting. The main downside remains the unfortunate demographic imbalance with the subjects being about 75% male and with only one character of a minority racial status. That can't be changed, but otherwise this is a fascinating human study. I'm encouraged to go back and watch the "Up" films I have not seen yet.

“The Act of Killing” is one of those few documentaries that you can watch once (and most who see it will prefer to watch only once) and never, ever forget. It is the best, most powerful, and one of the most unique documentaries I’ve seen this decade, and maybe in the 21st century. To tell the under-reported story of the genocide of presumed communist communities in Indonesia of 1964 and 65 the filmmakers here did something brilliant, which probably produced more insight and history than any number of hours of interviews would have: they ask those who participated to reenact violent scenes of what happened during those purges. They, the former "gangsters" as many proudly refer to themselves, are very happy to oblige in sometimes darkly comedic, but more oven just plain grisly sequences. This is a tough watch, but equally fascinating as it is disturbing. Different people handle this situation differently, and for a few the emotion becomes overwhelming.

I was skeptical if Michelle Williams, strong actress as she is, could really pull off Monroe, but she doesn't here with flying colors: arguably it's her best performance to date, you never doubt here that she is Marilyn in her sexiness,and spontaneity. Kenneth Branagh is somewhat less successful as screen legend Laurence Olivier, but he's quite good and entertaining to watch as well. The weakness of the film is in the slightness of the plot's arch, along with having to follow the lead character who isn't near as interesting as those around him. He's played by Eddie Redmayne who recently won an Oscar, but here the script just doesn't give him the ability to compete with the actors around him. It's a good film, worth seeing for Williams' and Branagh's performances.

The fight against the powerful takes bravery, such as shown Edward R Murrow and the people he worked during the witch-hunts of McCarthyism. "Good Night and Good Luck" displays that fight brilliantly. George Clooney gives his best directorial work and David Strathairn as Murrow gives his best performance to date, in one of the best films about journalism since "All The Presidents Men". It may not be high flying sensationalistic twists and turns, but all the little details, the beautiful black and white cinematography, and the great cast of a number of known names, add up to a compelling piece, and a timeless story about what it takes to stand up for what's right.

E-Team is a documentary about workers for Human Rights Watch who travel to go hands on to investigate abuses and atrocities of governments inside the countries of Syria and Libya (and in the past Bosnia) and report back to the world what they have seen. There are a number people who undertake work who we see at various stages in the process, highlighting of course the most important and potentially dangerous on-the-ground interviews and collection of data. Do not expect an in depth documentary about any of these brutal and often complex overseas crises. You see snippets about what’s going on, but it gives far from a clear picture. The point isn’t these events in themselves but how an organization may go about trying to piece together potential criminal violations within them so they can disseminate that information. On that latter basis it’s a very well done, if not perfect, documentary.

Secrets & Lies is my favorite film from a terrific director in Mike Leigh. It's about intricate and rocky relationships evolving around a family, and at it's heart a woman finding her real mother becoming introduced into this family. It's not just another "searching for birth parent" film, but one of real emotion and complexity. It has a host of terrific performances especially, from the great Brenda Blethyn as the mother struggling in her relations with one daughter, while coming to terms with another she never knew. This is one of my favorite films from the 1990's; just terrific!

This is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. It's absolutely fascinating the story and evolution of these two kids through their basketball lives in high school. It's about life pure and simple with it's twists and turns that catch you off guard, the surprises both pleasant and heartbreaking. The two aspiring basketball stars engage you like few characters you will see in any documentary. And for the filmmakers to have such dedication over these years, the highest credit and thanks to them.

Mulan came out towards the end of Disney’s peak era of animated musicals, which began in 1989 with The Little Mermaid and ended in 1999 with Tarzan. The company released 9 major feature films of that genre in that period, and I rank Mulan is somewhere about 5th or 6th in that pack: a quite entertaining, beautiful film, with very good musical numbers, which only lacks in a few story elements and a central heroine not quite as well-rounded as the likes of Ariel, Belle or Jasmine from past films. On balance the good stuff in this film far outweighs the minor issues I had. Mulan, even if it isn’t one of the better Disney musicals, is certainly one that should satisfy those of all ages looking for a rousing and inspirational tale. The strangest thing though is the first song in the closing credits: I'm not sure what they were thinking with that; doesn’t fit at all with the film.

One of Martin Scorsese's three masterpieces along with Raging Bull and Goodfellas, Taxi Driver just stuns me every time I watch it, and I've seen it at least eight times. It's a dark psychological drama about a cab driver named Travis and his descent into isolation and madness, attempting to live "normally" but finding that ultimately impossible. Robert De Niro gives what I think to be his second best performance only behind Raging Bull, and in some ways this role is even more complex than that of Jake LaMotta was. This film, outside being excellent in it's craft from the direction and score and all the very strong supporting performances, is very entertaining though in a way that's sometimes hard to watch. Just amazing.

Loved it. Yes it has some excruciatingly awkward moments, and yes the main character played by Hathaway can be an unlikable spoiled brat. It's also completely authentic from beginning to end, with not a single performance that's bad, and even in Hathaway's snotty character, played most brilliantly of them all, there is at least some to find admirable in the end, and we can still find sympathy with her dealing dark drug addicted past even if we don't really like her that much. I also like that the interracial marriage aspect of the film is treated as no big deal, as it should in this day and age.

This documentary about the amazing process in how a very compelling man managed to tight rope walk from one World Trade Center building to the other decades after the event is my favorite documentary of the entire decade from 2000 to 2009. The whole sequence of events is fascinating, and every character, not just the main one, is interesting to watch. A must see.

Chasing Ice is as strong a documentary as I have ever seen concerning the issues of global warming, and that includes Al Gore’s terrific Oscar winning Inconvenient Truth. It centers on a man named James Balog, a National Geographic photographer, who with a team sets an array of advanced cameras focusing on various glaciers in Greenland, Iceland and Alaska in order to see the change in the ice coverage over periods of months and years. At first the complex and fragile nature of such a program leads to great technical difficulties, but eventually they do get the program on track, and the results are no less than stunning. The film is not overtly political. It begins with a montage of “skeptics” of human caused climate change. Balog, who claims to have himself once been a skeptic, ends up getting deeply involved in the project to the detriment of time with his family and the numerous surgeries he gets on his knees. Throughout the film the science of global warming and it’s general effects on the planet is tiptoed into, but primarily it lets the visuals do the talking. This film is beautiful and disturbing literally at the same time with treks across ice sheets viewing the melting in real time, images of glaciers breaking off into the sea, and the main focus the time-lapse footage.

Zero Dark Thirty is an incredible achievement, and in my mind candidate for best film made so far this decade. It has brought about an important debate, but more significantly it covers ten years of the war on terror in prime fashion. Chastain's Maya, a breathtaking performance of sheer will and determination, is one of the best of modern film acting male or female. Bigelow plays for high realism but she also knows how to create great drama by stretching but never breaking those confines. Every scene belongs for a purpose and never does it feel like one is missing; that in itself is an incredible achievement. Credit her direction, the cast, and the great script by Mark Boal.

I certainly wasn't blown away as others apparently were. It's often powerful, well-acted, and entertaining, but also a little melodramatic at points and very predictable. The whole winner-take-all element I found to be a little gimmicky, but it also made it dramatic I guess. Nick Nolte as the father gives the film's best performance. Edgerton as one brother and Morrison who plays his wife are good too. Tom Hardy as the other brother is fine but a bit over the top. The fight scenes are well done, though they overdo the reaction shots of various people watching. I'm mixed, but on balance there's more good than bad, so a generally positive review.

This is a very well done documentary about young aspiring ballet artists competing in a world class competition. It's fascinating and at least somewhat dramatic, and watching all this kids dance for their passion is really a treat.

Slither is one of the better examples of its kind from the last ten years or so. That may not say a whole lot because B movies about ugly creepy crawly things that do disgusting things more often than not are not very pleasant to sit through; not to me anyway. But this one has enough humor, thrills and neat tricks to make it worth sitting through for non-hardcore horror fans, in spite of a somewhat weak ending. Nothing remarkable, just a fun and disgusting good time.

The **** of Europa is a fascinating documentary that tells of the story of the theft, destruction, and in some cases saving of art during World War II. Narrated by Joan Allen the film takes you through the **** plundering of paintings in Poland, France and other countries (especially by **** art collectors like **** and Goering) to the efforts by citizenry to save museum pieces in Paris and Leningrad, to the unfortunate destruction of Renaissance architectural wonders during allied bombings in Italy and the German army demolishing various important Russian structures in the east. It also goes into efforts that are still going on to track down pieces since missing, and tells of efforts to give back personal effects to families of Jews, items the **** stole without thinking twice from people they considered inhuman. All this is told with a delicate balancing act, reminding the viewer of the far greater tragedy of the war: the tens of millions of lives lost, most of them civilians. The misfortune of art during the war is not even close to that level of tragedy, but that doesn’t mean it should be ignored. Art is part of one’s culture and means a lot to great number of people. This is a story that deserves to be told, and though maybe this documentary goes in a few too many directions I found it quite interesting to see this perspective of the War that people rarely talk about.

This film is not going to be for everyone, but I loved it. From a crazy wedding party where hardly anything goes right, to the potential coming of the end of the world, it hooked and shook me like very few films have in recent years. It deals with the relationship of two sisters, played by Kirsten Dunst, in a career best performance, and Charlotte Gainsbourg who is also terrific. Kiefer Sutherland is also very good as the husband of the latter. It's disturbing, beautiful, and emotionally resonant. It's not slow, but well paced. A Von Trier film will always be a bit polarizing. Personally I really disliked his previous film Antichrist, but I loved this.

This is simply an amazing thriller/drama about the French resistance movement during world war 2. There are some scenes so tense they are hard to watch, and other scenes that are brilliantly poignant, and all of it is incredibly well acted. Melville at his top form.

When watching an original wildly entertaining smart film like the Descendants one wonders why more films can't feel like this. Alexander Payne really does it again, in both writing and directing, and hits just the right note all the way through, in of a story about a man played by George Clooney who deals with the conflicting emotions that his wife is in a comma and has also been unfaithful to him and his relationship with his rebellious daughters. There's not a single performance that doesn't work, and the film though perhaps less of an outright comedy than some of Payne's previous films has it's share of funny moments. Easily one of the five best movies of Clooney's career, possibly top three, and my second favorite Alexander Payne film behind Sideways.

Inarritu, in the last two films of his that I have seen, is clearly fascinated by two things: intercontinental relationships, and tragedy; though perhaps a bit too much so. Both films are in my opinion flawed pieces of work saved mainly because of their haunting images and strong performances. I actually prefer the more recent Biutiful over the Oscar nominated Babel because it seems to have a stronger center, or should I say itâ

Honestly I don't know if five years from now I'll consider this the next 2001: A Space Odyssey (which compared to this movie is actually straightforward) or if I'll be wondering what the heck I was thinking falling for Malick's pretentiousness. But my feeling right now is that I was enlightened by watching this movie totally unlike anything I've see before. It's one of the most visually astounding films I've ever seen, well acted, and incomprehensible but not in a frustrating way, at least not me. Don't try to understand it all, just absorb it.

The Dealthly Hallows Part2 is the best of the Potter series and the best fantasy film since the Lord of the Rings series. It's wonderful entertainment, but also it's surprisingly strong storytelling and acting. The performances of the three main caracters are terrific, but it's really the adult roles of Alan Rickman as Professor Snape and Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort that are almost award worthy. The rides of emotion and suspense this movie gave me is nothing I thought possible from a Potter film, as much as I did like the other movies. I think it deserves consideration for a best picture nomination at the Academy Awards.

Crazy Heart might not break new ground, but it's a satisfying experience for the two lead performance. Bridges is totally worthy of his Oscar win as a down and out drunk and former music legend, and Maggie Gyllenhaal has never given a performance this good. On the other hand the great Robert Duvall as a supporting performance is woefully underused, and Colin Farell is just okay as a protegee that has surprassed Bridges in star power. This is a good little film, definetly worth watching.

The Kids Are All Right is very well acted, funny, and entertaining independent production, and beyond all else it just fells real. The problems this family has are real problems families have all across this country and planet, and the fact that this happens to be a gay couple in question doesn't change that. There is nothing trumped up here, but that doesn't mean what happens isn't very interesting to say the least. Benning gets the most attention for her acting in this film, and deserves the praise, but unfortunately Moore does not get near the same recognition for a role I think is nearly as impressive. Ruffalo, as a sperm donor creating relationships and havok in the lesbian household, is also terrific. Very well done, easily one of the 10 best films of 2010 and deserving of its BP nomination.

This is in my top 20 movies of the last decade. It has an amazing script, and no less than three terrific performances by Paul Giamatti (one of the worst snubs in Oscar history) Thomas Hadden Church, and Virginia Madsen. It's very funny, entertaining, and made wine country a fascinating topic for someone like me who had no interest on the subject. It's purely about life and the choices we make.

A masterpiece of cinema plain and simple. It's wonderfully crafted, perfectly paced, with incredibly tense sequences that would have made **** proud. It also deals with the effects of war on the human soul without ever being ham handed or melodramatic. Along with Saving Private Ryan and Letters From Iwo Jima it's the finest War film I have seen of the last 20 years.

This is certainly one of the greatest movies ever made. It's such amazingly well-acted, well-written movie with an epic story line that takes you through many themes like love, sadness, loyalty, revenge and betrayal is such an encompassing and totally believable way. I will never get tired of watching this masterpiece.

Why is it that all these 2 1/2 hour long Michael Bay films feel like they're 4 or 5 hours long? It never ends with the and badly edited action scenes full of clunky-CGI , and the terrible humor, the incomprehensible plot, and the shallow characters both human and robot that I could never care much about. It goes on and on and on, and was overstaying it's welcome for me at about the hour mark. There are few amusing moments, some sparks of a decent special effects scene, but for the most part it's just a bunch mindless dribble that serves no purpose I can think of, not even on the basic level of entertainment for anyone above the age of 14 or so.

300 is a movie I saw, I appreciated the look of the movie, and a few scenes were pretty memorable, but after I finished it I really had no urge to see it again. Even for just silly escapist entertainment for me there needs to be more depth than there is here. It's just a bunch of macho warriors screaming about war, preparing for war, and making war, and never did I really care about the outcome, never was I the least emotionally involved. Frankly for certain stretches of the movie I was bored.

Brokeback Mountain is quite possible the best movies of the last decade. It's beautiful, original, with extraordinary performances, and a pace that feels just perfect. It's a heartbreaking love story that moved me very much.