It's been a strange year for movies. The residual effects of the writers' strike combined with The Academy opening the Best Picture field to ten entrants has left people looking around for favorites. But there's no heat behind any of the titles, and consensus has yet to form on even five "great"…

The Twilight Saga: New Moon took in an estimated $140.7 million (domestically) over the weekend, doubling Twilight's box-office opening, for the third biggest opening weekend of all time. The estimate includes a 43 percent dip for Sunday's box office, so the title could finish even stronger ... if…

"A legitimate artistic expression on love, loss, and the obsessive qualities of initial attraction."

From the start of the moody and brooding opening title cards you know you're in for a better experience than the last go-round. Director Chris Weitz has delivered a treat, a…

What I'm Seeing This Week
The Blind Side: The trailer looks cheesy, but I've heard it's better than that snippet suggests.
New Moon: The people who have seen it say it's better than the original, which wouldn't be all that difficult. By the way, there are still a few seats left in our Seattle New…

"A boisterous and magnificent treat."

Does money actually inhibit creativity? I pondered that as I watched Fantastic Mr. Fox, only a week after taking in the bloated and pricey A Christmas Carol. Evidently Christmas Carol cost around five times what Fantastic Mr. Fox did. And yet, …

"2012 is good pulp."

2012 is the rare case of a bad film that I'm nevertheless obliged to recommend you see. And really, the first two hours are pretty solid, it's only in the last 40 minutes or so that the story slides directly off the rails. But the special effects? Superb. The…

What I'm Seeing This Week
2012, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Youth in Revolt. I'm oddly excited for all three of these films, though for wildly divergent reasons. 2012 looks to be either a heap of fun or an absolute disaster (which could be fun). Fantastic Mr. Fox is another chance to peek inside Wes…

"Not an easy film to talk about, but one worth seeing."

The Box is not an easy film to talk about. Almost every description of the film will end up as a spoiler, it's fairly high concept, and it has a few glaring problems. However, The Box also presents huge moral dilemmas and is a…