Jason Segel has been paying his dues in bit parts for the Judd Apatow comedy factory, most notably and recently in Knocked Up, as Seth Rogen's smooth-talking lothario roommate. Finally, however, in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Segel dons the mantle of leading role in a film he also wrote.
Read MoreFilm Review: Lackluster Kingdom too small for two kung-fu stars
Within the first few scenes of The Forbidden Kingdom, the martial-arts epic from director Rob Minkoff (The Lion King) featuring Jackie Chan and Jet Li, the audience is confronted with a reminder of how prominent martial-arts films used to be in the American conscience.
Read MoreFilm Review: Clooney fumbles brainless Leatherheads
George Clooney has been noticeably fascinated with periods of American history besides our own. In Good Night and Good Luck, Clooney directed himself as a producer working under Edward Murrow during the McCarthy hearings in the 1950s, and in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, he directed himself as a CIA operative during the 1970s.
Read MoreFilm Review: Entertaining drama 21 a good bet
Casinos, cunning ploys, sharply tailored suits and lots of money: These are the ingredients that have comprised much of Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's trilogy in which beautiful Hollywood stars apply their wits to rob casinos.
Read MoreFilm Review: Gimmicky thriller Vantage Point a nearsighted bust
Vantage Point, the latest film from director Pete Travis, is an international thriller that relies on a sole gimmick that tires out quickly. Given that both Travis and screenwriter Barry Levy are newcomers to major feature-film work, it should come as no surprise that Point isn't a new horizon in topical espionage thrillers like Tony Gilroy's work (The Bourne trilogy, Michael Clayton).
Read MoreEstimating Oscar 2008
While a darker tone pervades many of the films nominated at the 80th Academy Awards, there is a discernable lack of high-profile directors, with last year's Scorseses and Eastwoods missing from the roster. Come Sunday, Feb. 24, the winners will be announced on ABC. Below are some prognostications on who will probably win, who should win, and who doesn't have a chance at winning, but deserves one.
Read MoreFilm Review: Diving Bell a refreshing, spiritual journey
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, the latest film from director Julian Schnabel, is a testament to not only the constant ingenuity of film, but also the visual and emotional stagnation of much of American cinema.
Read MoreFilm Review: There Will Be Blood a worthy Oscar nominee
The last time Daniel Day-Lewis, the towering lead in There Will Be Blood, was seen in an Oscar-nominated role, he was creating the bombastic character of The Butcher in Martin Scorcese's Gangs of New York. The Butcher was a terrifyingly violent yet charismatic force, and Day-Lewis forged him into an indelible character.
Read MoreOpen Mic: Uninspired by the best-selling novel
Catching up with this year's Oscar nominations, a trend has become apparent: Independent film makers aren't as independent as they used to be.
Read MoreTop Ten Movies of the Year
1. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead: Sidney Lumet's 50th film, this finely crafted crime drama is taut, dark and brilliant. Ethan Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman play conniving brothers who fail to successfully rob their parents' jewelry store: What follows is a twisting, gut-wrenching piece of film as dark as charred earth. From the director of Dog Day Afternoon, this is a chillingly good work.
2. The Bourne Ultimatum: Fast, sharp and uncompromising, the third chapter in the Bourne trilogy is a continuation of not only Matt Damon's growth as a bold action player, but also the coronation of director Paul Greengrass as one of the new masters of direction in Hollywood.
3. The Host: Hilarious, exhilarating and unsettling, this Korean mash-up of Little Miss Sunshine and Godzilla is startling not only in its quality of entertainment, but also in how well it re-invents and re-invigorates the monster genre. Easily the best import to the States this year, and one of the best looking films anywhere.
4. Eastern Promises: David Cronenberg's follow-up to A History of Violence is sparse, brutal and surprisingly subtle. It's a progression for a director who continues to create unsettlingly clear films that deal with crime (this time the Russian crime underworld in London) and questions of identity.
5. Sunshine: Danny Boyle has made some truly gritty films in the past, so it's surprising when Sunshine begins with such sterility. But the sci-fi thriller, about a crew of astronauts entrusted with re-igniting the sun, is pitch-perfect. It is a bold step for the maverick director in his crafting of visually appealing as well as horrifyingly real situations; this time abroad a claustrophobic spaceship.
6. The Darjeeling Limited: Wes Anderson's latest film isn't a progression for the director either stylistically or thematically, but it doesn't need to be. It's a visual gem, and Anderson uses the setting of India to create startlingly beautiful images.
7. Ratatouille: A wonderful romp that is heart-warming without being saccharine, and light-hearted without being pandering, this film by Brad Bird (who last made The Incredibles), continues not only the director's winning streak but also Pixar's. It is another seemingly effortlessly created satisfying and sophisticated animated feature
8. No End In Sight: A sobering look at the lead-up to and execution of the first months in Iraq, this documentary, from director Charles Ferguson, exhibits equal parts unwavering clarity, balanced composition, and an astounding access to those who were responsible.
9. Waitress: A heartwarming and light-hearted dramedy featuring the fantastic Keri Russell as a waitress who creates world-class pies while struggling to relieve herself of her abusive dead-beat husband and the question of whether or not she's ready for motherhood, Waitress is a wonderful diversion from most of this year's heavy material.
10. Things We Lost in the Fire: A poignant drama about the addictions we face as a collective society, this film exhibits a fantastic performance from Benicio Del Toro, one of the greatest actors alive today, as a heroine addict trying to cope with the death of his best, and only, friend. It's equal parts tragically crushing and heartbreakingly gentle.
Honorable Mentions: 300
American Gangster
Death Proof
No Country For Old Men
Transformers
Flawed No Country cinematically sound at best
Even before it was released in theaters, when critics filled previews at festivals in Toronto and New York, No Country for Old Men was hailed as a masterpiece. The latest film from the Coen brothers, meticulously adapted from a novel by Cormac McCarthy, is, without dispute, a strong showing from the renowned siblings.
Read MoreLions for Lambs a sharp look at American politics
Robert Redford's new film, Lions for Lambs, is a civic-minded call to arms for people of any political stripe. A film brimming with debate and little else, Redford, along with writer Matthew Carnahan, have crafted a triptych in the tradition of last year's Babel. It's a much more overtly political film than that one was, though, and concerns itself more with viewpoints and soapbox stances than character development and dramatic arcs.
Read MoreWes Anderson's Darjeeling a visual delight
Wes Anderson has long been known to be a sharply stylized director whose past films, including Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, have been either voraciously imitated or vilified. Anderson has always created boldly structured romps into the dynamics of family; this is present in his latest film, The Darjeeling Limited.
Read MoreHalloween Fright Film: 30 Days of Night
There are now two primary camps in the horror film genre which often compete for moviegoers. One is the sadistic torture-ridden death-fests that the Saw and Hostel movies have popularized. The other is the action-horror film, something which has grown popular as well through The Hills Have Eyes films and some of the better made Asian horror-film remakes.
Read MoreDirector Cronenberg scores again with thriller Eastern Promises
Eastern Promises, director David Cronenberg's latest sparsely-crafted thriller, is as fearsomely real in its look at violence as mainstream film can stomach. Cronenberg's last film, A History of Violence, marked his entrance (after a lengthy career in cinema's shadows) into mainstream film, with an equally clean-cut examination of humanity's darkness.
Read MoreThe Brave One a timid, disappointing thriller
The Brave One, a bland revenge thriller, actually begins with promise. The opening sequences feature Jodie Foster's character, a radio talk show host, recording the sounds of New York City, examining the ephemeral reverberations the city-goers often miss. It's an interesting concept, but one which is ditched for a brutish and bloody plot that makes attempts at moral reconciliation as nuanced as its initial concept, but fails again and again to deliver on that idea as the movie progresses.
Read More3:10 to Yuma lost in the desert
3:10 to Yuma, an ambitious yet mostly lugubriously paced thriller, is director James Mangold's latest foray into the genre of the Western. With his previous film, Walk the Line, Mangold used the life of Johnny Cash as his vessel through which he painted the contemporary American west in all of its musical glory. With Yuma, Mangold works more within the classic confines of the Western genre, and produces an enjoyable, if less prestigious and expertly delivered film, than his biopic of the Man in Black.
Read MoreDamon's Bourne finishes strong in Ultimatum
The Bourne Ultimatum, the third film in the exceptional Bourne trilogy, is a decisive improvement in the action film genre. The film moves with boldly crafted precision and balances sharp espionage with furiously strong action sequences.
Read MoreFilm Review: Avenue Montaigne lightens spring cinema
The French, at least in the mainstream, love the fine things in life. Like last year's French stateside offering Apres Vous, Avenue Montaigne is, at its core, concerned with two things: people and high culture. Montaigne, directed by long-standing French director Daniele Thompson, is a finely crafted film that's both light and enjoyable. Characters weave in and out, sometimes connecting, sometimes staying aloof, but it's the art and Paris that provide the cohesive gel in this ensemble piece.
Read MoreGENseng to bring Conversion to Black Box Theater
Beginning Thursday, April 26, and running until Sunday, April 29, GENseng, Geneso's Asian-American performance ensemble, will be performing Victoria Nalani Kenubuhl's The Conversion of Ka'ahumanu in the Black Box theater. It will be the first time the ensemble will be performing a work by a native Hawaiian playwright.
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