This year saw five premieres: one foreign, one indie acquisition, and three big-time studio releases.

Charlie Wilson's War. This is the single best comedy of the year. Not the funniest. Not the one that will be the highest grossing. The best. Written by West Wing/The American President/A Few Good Men scribe Aaron Sorkin, this political comedy tells the very true story about how a corrupt, drunken letch of a Congressman changed the world. Easily the most profound and delightfully cutting script Sorkin has ever written, he's been able to movie out of the realm of politico's you're supposed to like for their virtuousness and has been set free in writing a character you love for his lack of virtues. Starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, the real star of this film is supporting actor (and future Best Supporting Oscar winner, mark my words) Phillip Seymour Hoffman. He steals the show in ways you can't yet imagine. Directed by Mike Nichols (The Graduate, The Birdcage, Closer) this is up at the very peak of his career. A must see.

Mongol. 300 for those who didn't like 300, this is the first in a Russian trilogy about the rise and fall of Genghis Khan. Sound boring? It's not. This first part is about his youth, imprisonment and the ultimate raising of the army that would unite all of Mongolia. Filled with epic battles, a timeless love story and an interesting portrayal of history that forces us to examine what inspired one of history's most notorious bad guys to be just that. This was picked up by Picturehouse, the geniuses who recently brought us Pan's Labyrinth, King of Kong and are about to release the brilliant The Orphanage. It opens next summer.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I've never been big on musicals, and at first glance this looks like Hot Topic: The Musical. Caked in makeup, one wonders how even Johnny Depp can save a rated R musical dripping with blood. But he can. This is actually a pretty great movie. Not my favorite musical, but definitely a thrilling and wonderful story. While I prefer all of the speaking parts in Hairspray to those here, what puts Sweeney Todd above and beyond is that Tim Burton knows exactly when to pull out of a song to never bore an audience not fond of musicals. This moved along at a great pace and I enjoyed every minute. Don't get me wrong, I love Hairspray, but admittedly I now fast forward through a few of the song and dance numbers. I doubt I ever will with Sweeney Todd.

The Poughkeepsie Tapes. In what is rapidly becoming the most notorious BNAT premiere in years, this film was introduced using MGM's new marketing strategy for the film. What was at first a darling of the festival circuit when presented as a mockumentary (a fictional documentary) the new tack has been to claim the movie is real, ala The Blair Witch Project. The result was disastrous, with almost the entire audience turning against a film that got rave reviews at other screenings. I haven't seen an audience go this ballistic in 5 years since we were shown Matthew Bright's original cut of the long buried Gary Oldman/Matthew McConaughey stinker Tiptoes. Here's hoping MGM rebrands this as the work of fiction that it is and that it finds its audience.

Trick R' Treat. The real surprise of the day, this is a Halloween movie in the vein of Creepshow and Twilight Zone: The Movie that weaves four interconnected stories together on one wicked night. A feast for horror fans, this will readily become a holiday classic as it sets out to redefine everything that we do for Halloween and gives it a brand new mythology. Why do we give out candy, carve pumpkins and wear costumes? You'll find out in this devilishly clever, frightfully entertaining horror send up. I loved this, and while Charlie Wilson's War was the best thing I watched, I'm guessing this might be the DVD I watch the most in the years to come. This one is due out sometime next year, although if there is any justic at all, it will find release next October.

C. Robert Cargill - - - Email Me
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Austin-based Cargill, who not only loves but owns The Cutting Edge, writes on movies and DVD five times a week.

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