308) Inside Job (2010)

308) Inside Job (2010) Dir: Charles Ferguson Date Released: October 2010 Date Seen: September 29, 2010 Rating: 4/5

Very good at pushing buttons, which is all you can realistically ask from a doc of this sort. See my review for the L Magazine.

307) Going Blind (2010)

307) Going Blind (2010) Dir: Joseph F. Lovett Date Released: October 2010 Date Seen: September 28, 2010 Rating: 1.5/5

Yuck. See my review for Time Out New York.

306) Certified Copy (2010)

306) Certified Copy (2010) Dir: Abbas Kiarostami Date Released: March 2011 Date Seen: September 27, 2010 Rating: 4.25/5

And it has only appreciated in value since then. See my first review from NYFF for the New York Press.

303) Aurora (2010) and 304) The Strange Case of Angelica (2010)

303) Aurora (2010) Dir: Cristi Puiu Not Yet Released Date Seen: September 27, 2010 Rating: 3.5/5

304) The Strange Case of Angelica (2010) Dir: Manoel de Oliveira Date Released: December 2010 Date Seen: September 27, 2010 Rating: 3.75/5

More NYFF goodness. See my capsule reviews from the fest at the New York Press.

302) Machete (2010)

302) Machete (2010) Dir: Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: September 26, 2010 Rating: 3.5/5

I'm always surprised at the venom that some of Rodriguez's films inspire. This to me was only slightly less satisfying than Planet Terror but in some ways, it's better. For instance, I love the fact that for once, Rodriguez actually made a grindhouse movie that's about something. It's not just a mindless homage to various disparate grindhouse elements, it's a movie that, like those exploitation movies, stands for something. He gets sloppy when trying to make his point about illegal immigration come across but I think that's true of most exploitation filmmakers. He's not an inspired craftsman, just an enjoyably spazzy one with signature preoccupations and quirks (a poor man's auteur, sure, but he is one, certainly). I had a lot of fun with this and that's saying a lot because I was expecting a lot worse based on the reviews I skimmed before seeing it.

Also, what the crap are you people smoking re: Steven Seagal's performance? He's as terrible as he ever was in this. Because he's Steven fucking Seagal. Mind it.

RV!: Ip Man (2008)

RV!: Ip Man (2008) Dir: Wilson Yip Date Released: October 2010 Date Seen: September 25, 2010 Rating: 3.5/5

Second review of this for me; still good, but not great. Check out this latest piece for the New York Press.

301) Never Let Me Go (2010) and 205) The American (2010)

301) Never Let Me Go (2010) Dir: Mark Romanek Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: September 25, 2010 Rating: 4/5


305) The American (2010) Dir: Anton Corbijn Date Released: September 2010 Date Seen: September 27, 2010 Rating: 4/5

The negative responses to both films have been largely been kneejerk reactions and frankly rather myopic. Check out the capsules I wrote about them for Wide Screen; more on The American forthcoming (I took notes for my second viewing!).