2010 Let's try this again...

Alright I'm terrible at this. I've made it one of my resolutions to update this more often.

So these past few months a few things have happened:

• Jo and I have celebrated our birthdays.
• Jo has moved back to Reno for the time being.
• I finally got an HD TV.
• I has just about finished a short film, written by my good friend over at Projection Pictures.
• And we have seen plenty of films.

So lets get to the reviews shall we! (I apologize the reviews will be brief but I need to do a quick catch up.)

District 9: A brilliant sci-fi from the great new talent Neil Blomkamp. Sharlto Copley provided a great performance and the movie boasted a very compelling story. It's one of the best sci-fi's in years and makes you actually feel for it's CGI aliens. A

Inglorious Basterds: I will admit after Death Proof I was a little sketchy about how I'd feel about this movie. Once again Quentin Tarantino proved why he is one of the best filmmakers alive. Basterds has the great Tarantino dialogue and characters rounded out by the excellent cast. The standout performance is Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa, one of the best performances of the decade. A+

Where The Wild Things Are: Spike Jones brings his delicate touch to one of the best children books of all time. Although he's only made 3 films so far Jones has set himself up to have one of the best careers in film history. Taking his vision to the world of Max and the Wild Things, Spike made one of the best children films and films period of the year. A

(500) Days of Summer: It is truly amazing that this movie was written by the guys who brought you the Pink Panther 2. 500 Days is set to become one of the best anti-rom-coms right up there with High Fidelity and The Graduate. Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt bring heart to the doomed lovers and showcase one of the most realistic romances portrayed on screen. A

A Serious Man: The Coen Brothers are back, but this isn't the Big Lebowski, Hudsucker Proxy Coens. This is the darkly comedic Barton Fink duo. This movie is very deep and very Jewish. It's one of those movies I will definitely be coming back to so I can figure it out. It definitely stands out as a movie that had me deep in thought even months after the credits rolled. A+

Paranormal Activity: I have had the opportunity to see this film again recently and I still find it enjoyable. I will say that it was much scarier in the theatres and the movie seems much shorter than I remember. I do think it is a good movie and I'm glad that it has made some studios step back and think about how much budget factors into the overall movie. I just hope this doesn't mean studios will only pickup low budget hand held films. Overall I'm happy for the people behind paranormal. B+

9: Shane Acker's Doll infested Post-Apocalyptic vision is a good movie but I think I might have come out at the wrong time. This year had great animated movies with Up, Coraline, and 9 as well as ones I need to see like Fantastic Mr. Fox and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. I enjoyed 9 but I will say I didn't enjoy it as much as everyone else. Perhaps a second viewing will persuade me. B

Couples Retreat: I almost forgot about this film completely. It was a pretty standard rom com which is sad because I was expecting more from the Swingers duo of Vaughn and Faverau. It was like able but not memorable. C+

The Hangover: Okay this one's cheating but I just barely saw this one. Overall, I thought it was over hyped. I like everyone involved in this film but I didn't find myself laughing all that much. I thought the movie couldn't decide whether to have awkward, slapstick, or shock comedy and the random changes of styles don't help in the end. Like King of the Hill I like the movie but don't laugh out loud. B-

Avatar: There is no doubt James Cameron still has it. This isn't just a movie but an event. This movies visuals will make you re-assess what can be done with movies. I love this movie but I still find myself being iffy about the writing. Go see this movie, and see it in 3-D. You owe it to yourself. I just hope Cameron doesn't take another 14 years to make a movie. A-/B+

Well I think that's about all of them. I can't wait for this year's films and I still have plenty to see from last year. Until next time. -Ko