Paper Heart (2009)-totally disingenuous and shallow exploration into love. That being said, the movie is HILARIOUS and SO CHARMING! **** out of 5
Paper Moon (1973)-One of the greatest coming of age stories I've seen, and yet, the ending troubled me. A must see! **** out of 5
Paranormal Activity (2009)-Bad acting & moments of complete idiocy, sure, but the suspense and terror pack a punch. Admirable schlock. ***1/2 of 5
Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)- Devoid of any fresh ideas. A whole lot of nothing leads up to an effective conclusion. **1/2 out of 5
Paris (2009)-it's amazing that parallel/intertwined stories rarely feel contrived. Rich, textured, beautifully acted ode to Paris. ****1/2 out of 5
Paris 36 (2009)- A wonderfully rich story with likable characters. Visually stunning. Historical metaphor doesn't quite work though. ****/5
The Parking Lot Movie (2010)- Stays true to the spirit of the lot and its attendants, though pathos makes for a long 70 mins. ***1/2 of 5
Passing Strange (2009)-more energy than Rent but also more monotonous. Lee's direction is 95% excellent. Must see for musical fans. ***1/2 of 5
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)- Rarely a wasted image in this most devastatingly beautiful treasure. Falconetti is perfect. ***** of 5
Peeping Tom (1960)- Macabre and unsettling look at the logical extremes of voyeurism. There's a lot of today in this film. ****1/2 of 5
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief- Cool special effects, but film gets very obnoxious and downright ludicrous. **1/2 of 5
Persona (1967)- Bergman's No Exit. A mesmerizing, mind-blowing treatise on existential nihilism. Unforgettable. ***** out of 5
Pinocchio (1940)- Walt Disney's masterpiece. More sophisticated than Snow White. The high point of the entire animated film genre. *****/5
Pirate Radio (2009)- Interesting concept but executed poorly--cartoonish and not at all funny. Songs are too on the nose. **1/2 out of 5
Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) Starts fine, gets cloying and cartoonish and ends sweetly. Candy, Martin great together! ***1/2 out of 5
Play It Again, Sam (1972)- Here's looking at a great script, Kid. Here's also looking at an actor whose reach exceeds his grasp. ***1/2 of 5
Please Give (2010)- Baumbach-lite...too often devoid of truth. Just barely enough genuine moments to make it watchable. *** out of 5
Police, Adjective (2009)-For the patient, astute filmgoer, the driest of wit contained within proves glorious! Best film of 2009 so far ***** of 5
Ponyo (2009)-Odd yet fascinating. Makes no sense on a story level, but as far as pure imagination goes, Miyazaki's done it again! **** out of 5
Porco Rosso (1992)- Not bad though Miyazaki's ode to old Hollywood contains muddled messages and a lazy ending. *** out of 5
Precious (2009)- Some of the best performances of the year in a gritty drama that will win you over in spite of yourself. **** out of 5
Pressure Cooker (2009)- Simmers a bit but then comes to a boil when true talent becomes the main course. Inspiring. ***1/2 of 5
The Princess and the Frog (2009)- Entertaining, but you'd think that a film with soul trying to break barriers wouldn't be so formulaic. *** of 5
The Princess Bride (1987)- One of those rare movies that gets funnier as it goes along. By the end, I was totally with it. ****1/2 of 5
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009)- What a pretentious, overdirected, overwritten, sloppy mess of a film. Blech. *1/2 out of 5
Princess Mononoke (1997)- A darker and more sincere Miyazaki. This is easily his most focused narrative. A wonderful film! ***** out of 5
A Prophet- The prison yard is a brutal place. Is the real world any easier? Unflinching, gritty tale of survival. Magical film. ***** of 5
Public Enemies (2009)- Though overlong and lacking sufficient character development, Mann's gangster thriller absolutely delivers the goods. ****/5
Quiet Chaos (2009)- well-intentioned, sometimes sweet story about grief that's an absolutely mess in terms of its tone! **1/2 out of 5
Rabbit Hole (2010)- What a surprise departure for Mitchell! Tricky subject matter handled with a great deal of acumen. ****1/2 of 5
Ran (1985)-Kurosawa's King Lear is a sprawling epic masterpiece of which Shakespeare would be proud. Gorgeous. ***** out of 5
Red Road (2007)- Can't stress enough how chilling Arnold's thriller is...worth it though for its insight into grief. ****1/2 out of 5
The Red Shoes (1948)- Good story. Transcendent ballet sequence. Visually one of the richest films I've seen. ****1/2 out of 5
Restrepo (2010)- Amazing film making in complete service to the young men giving everything to protect an unprotectable valley. ****1/2 of 5
Revanche (2009)- Brilliant ironies abound! Electrifying first act leads into an all-too-brooding final hour. Overall powerful! **** out of 5
Rio Bravo (1959) Wayne's as cool as can be in this formulaic Western that's about as entertaining as any I've seen. ****1/2 out of 5
The Road (2009)- I didn't care if the kid lived or died. That says something. **1/2 out of 5
Robin Hood (2010)- Dull, muddled storytelling, murky cinematography and indecipherable battle sequences. **1/2 out of 5
Romancing the Stone (1984) Silly formulaic comedy/romance/action film. Douglas and Turner at the top of their charm=saves it. *** out of 5
Rosemary's Baby (1968)- Genuinely terrifying and undeniably beautiful. Farrow's fantastic. Few clunky scenes. ****1/2 out of 5
Rudo y Cursi (2009)- What a predictable, preposterous, mess of a movie. ** out of 5
The Rules of the Game (1939)- It's all idle fun and silly games until someone gets hurt. Beautiful and biting. ***** out of 5
The Runaways (2010)- Adequate look at an explosive all-girl punk band that's not willing to get as down and dirty as it needs to. ***/5
Sabrina (1954)- Enjoyable enough, but I'm still waiting for Bogart's transformation to be believable. *** out of 5
Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010)- Keeps up its energy until the end. Clever & fun but Cera's shtick hurts the film. ***1/2 of 5
The Secret in their Eyes- A film about a story within a novel. Novel's story is cheesy, but the film about it is sly and smart. ****1/2 of 5
The Secret of Kells- A fuzzy story and a blend of mostly 2D animation w/ a peppering of computer generated 3D make for an okay movie. ***/5
The September Issue (2009)- Cutler's doc perfectly matches the self-serious/joyous vibe of the fashion industry. Refreshing. **** of 5
Seraphine (2009)- Few loose threads are forgivable in one of the most beautifully tragic movies of the year. Moreau is amazing. ****1/2 of 5
Serbis (2009)- Dares you not to look away. I didn't look away. I wish all the depravity actually added up to something. **1/2 out of 5
A Serious Man (2009)- Equally funny and complex. Astute re-imagining of Job as told by brothers born to tackle this subject. ****1/2 out of 5
The Seven Samurai (1954)- One of the purest examples of what movies are capable of--a complete masterpiece. ***** out of 5
Sex and Lucia (2002)- Simply put, Sex and Lucia is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. * out of 5
Sherlock Holmes (2009)- Downey Jr. & Law are the best of all else, especially Ritchie's bloated, literal, fratboyish direction. ** out of 5
The Shop Around the Corner (1940)- Stewart's stiff. Sullavan's shrill. Matuschek plot line works better than romance. *** out of 5
Shutter Island (2010)- Saw the twist coming, but still I was satisfied by this atmospheric mystery/thriller. **** out of 5
Silent Light (2009)- a chore to sit through, but worth it for its emotional resonance as well as one of the best endings of the year **** out of 5
A Single Man (2009)- Good film & great Firth performance. I just wish Tom Ford indulged audiences as much as he did his own whim. ***1/2 out of 5
Sin Nombre (2009)- Ambitious, rich tale of belonging and destiny from an exceptionally talented first-time director. ****1/2 out of 5
Sita Sings the Blues (2009)-One-of-a-kind eclectically-animated mystical feminist tale which doesn't quite feel fully fleshed out. ***1/2 out of 5
The Social Network (2010)- Whip-smart...one of the most satisfying and entertaining movies I've seen. Brilliant script. ***** out of 5
The Social Network (2010) (Second viewing)- Enjoyed it even more this time. Just as rewarding & minor quibbles all but disappeared. *****/5
The Soloist (2009)- Wright overdirects an otherwise uplifting story right into the ground! **1/2 out of 5
Some Like It Hot (1959)- (second viewing) Even better than I remember. So tightly constructed, well-acted and hilarious. ***** out of 5
Somers Town (2009)- Too short, too sappy, but undeniably sweet & quite funny. Huge step backwards for Meadows after This is England *** of 5
Somewhere (2010)- Main character, world & journey lack truth, and if there is truth, it's not compelling at all. **1/2 out of 5
The Son (2003)- What ought to be revenge takes backseat to a profound shift in one man's destiny. So good it will blow your mind. ***** of 5
The Song of Sparrows (2009)- Majidi's storytelling is naive and cheap. He's best with arresting visuals which are lacking here. ** out of 5
The Son's Room (2001)-Forward momentum by way of fragmented scenes produces a nice drama that's perhaps a bit too syrupy and shallow. ***/5
The Sound of Music (1965)- How do you solve a problem like a sugar sweet screenplay? Fantastic direction and amazing music. ****1/2 of 5
Source Code (2011)- Slightly awkwardly directed, but very smart & satisfying. **** out of 5
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003) Conventional pop spirituality prevents nirvana. Winter... and Spring-disappointing. ***1/2
The Square (2010)- Engaging and interesting Double Indemnity/Fargo knockoff. Perhaps a bit too serious for its own good. *** out of 5
The Squid and the Whale (2005)- Enough smart, truthful insights to balance indulgent depressive blather. ***1/2 out of 5
Stalag 17 (1953)- Even with its annoying goofiness, Wilder's POW drama is a truly sad and great achievement. ****1/2 out of 5
Star Trek (2009)-Minus the inclusion of an illogical Nemoy subplot, Abrams wonderfully directs a crisp, stylish beginning to new franchise. ***1/2
State of Play (2009)- Rarely rises above being an adequate, stylish formulaic thriller. Performances: Best-Bateman & Worst-Affleck *** out of 5
Still Walking (2009)-Despite a heedless change of tone halfway, this family drama about grief is so very sad and so very beautiful **** of 5
Stonewall Uprising (2010)- At a time when homophobia isn't a reasonable option, this historical doc is perfectly balanced. Insightful ****/5
Sugar (2009)- Fantastic film. Not afraid to let its narrative flow organically. Strips away shallow perceptions of success. See it! ***** out of 5
Sweet Smell of Success (1957)- Oh the scandal and the sleaze! It's so scandalous and sleazy! Such scandal & sleaze! ****1/2 out of 5
The Swell Season (2011)- Not about Once, or music, or fame, or relationships, or Glen, or Marketa. It's aimless & so boring. ** out of 5
