The Woodsman (2004)

IMDb plot summary: A child molester returns to his hometown after 12 years in prison and attempts to start a new life.
Directed by Nicole Kassell. Starring Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick.

I believe I read that this was based on a play, and I believe it. It's the kind of introspective character study that is very common in theater. Kevin Bacon in particular does an incredible acting job here, portraying a character you can't decide whether you hate or are kind of rooting for. There are no simple answers in this movie, no easy way out, but it's a fascinating movie that I feel sure will stick with me. 4 stars.

Flickchart: #566, below The Land Before Time and above At First Sight.

Brazil (1985)

(Major spoilers ahead, as the ending played a huge part in my response to the movie.)

There's no doubt that Terry Gilliam has quite an array of fantastic images in his head, and as someone who loves imaginative visuals, it was delightful to see that play out on screen. However, especially toward the end, I found that the surreal nature of these images was really getting in the way of the story itself. I'm a firm believer in the idea that if you're going to mix fantasy and reality, it should either 1) be clear that this is really happening in real life, 2) be clear that this is happening in the character's head, 3) be clear that whether it is real or not doesn't actually matter, or 4) be clear that this is making some sort of statement on distinguishing fantasy from reality. Brazil seemed to be doing none of that, and I was getting bored. About half an hour from the end, this seemed to REALLY be happening, and I rolled my eyes and thought, "Really? We're going to have half an hour of complete nonsense for no reason again? Sigh. Okay."

And then the ending happened, where it is suddenly made clear that at the very least, the last half hour has taken place entirely in the main character's head (my favorite fan theory supposes it's been going on even longer, covering all the moments when I was frustrated with the sudden switch). Instead of the movie feeling purposeless, it suddenly had a point, even if it didn't make that point clear until I'd very nearly given up on it. With that in mind, the movie is much more interesting. It takes a lot of the dystopian future tropes and flips them around in a very artistically satisfying way. Until the final 5 minutes of the movie, I was ready to rank it a 2 or so because of how much it had gone downhill, but now I'm perfectly happy giving it a 4.

Best Part: The ending.
Worst Part: Well, it's a good thing I'm determined to finish movies, otherwise I really would have given up about 2/3 of the way through.
Flickchart: #434, below Murder By Death and above Contagion.

Trust (2010)

Way to go, David Schwimmer. This is a terrifying, captivating drama about a young girl and her family as they deal with tragedy. The movie never falls into sentimentality or melodrama. Both the writing and the acting seem completely natural. These characters seem real, and as such, it is heartbreaking to watch them deal with what is happening to them. While this is a horrific story, it may be one of the best dramas I have seen in a long time. 4.5 stars.

Best Part: The scene where she realizes he never really loved her is brilliantly, brilliantly acted. Liana Liberato does a great job with it.
Worst Part: The rape scene is really, really uncomfortable. I mean, it needed to be for the film, but it's still just unpleasant to watch.
Flickchart: #285, below Oliver! and above The NeverEnding Story.

21 (2008)

This is a fun, delightful heist movie. Jim Sturgess' main character is so easy to root for. The movie is fast-paced and exciting, mimicking the pace and the rush of the games being played. It's not a movie that deeply touched me or anything like that, but it does exactly what it's supposed to do - it's a blast to watch. 3.5 stars.

Best Part: The very final shot is so satisfying.
Worst Part: So bored by that love story...
Flickchart: #632, below How to Steal a Million and above Bonnie and Clyde.

The Ides of March (2011)

Ryan Gosling does an incredible job in this movie... but unfortunately, I never really care that much. I can see this movie is well-crafted - well-acted, well-directed, well-written - and, yet, in the end, it just leaves me cold. I understand this movie is *meant* to be cold. In a way it reflects the coldness and unemotionalness of the political transactions that are really nothing more than business deals. But for me it's too cold, too often, and I never get invested in the characters and can only objectively admire the flick, rather than ever being a part of it. 2 stars.

Best Part: Ryan Gosling's performance was certainly worth watching. He was the only one who made me kind of interested in his story.
Worst Part: How little it made me actually feel.
Flickchart: #1154, below American Teen and above Taxi.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012)

Wow, was this movie disappointing. It's got a fascinating premise but all it has to offer from that is bizarre characterization, cliched morals, pretty awful dialogue, and a story that, in the end, makes zero sense at all. I spent most of the time wincing at all the bizarre and uncomfortable moments and rolling my eyes at all the implausible ones. On top of that, when it wasn't laugh-out-loud ridiculous or squirmingly uncomfortable, it was just *boring*. I love stories that mix fantasy and reality, but this one is just... not good. 1 star.

Best Part: Um... occasionally Timothy reminded me of my brothers, and that was kind of fun?
Worst Part: That weird family performance of "Low Rider" was REALLY uncomfortable.
Flickchart: #1472, below American Graffiti and above Five Children and It.

Arthur Christmas (2011)

Aardman is not quite up to Pixar standards, but they are head and shoulders above, say, Dreamworks. Their stories are consistently original and funny. That being said... this is not their best. It's pretty cheesy and generic, even for a Christmas movie, and I never really felt the emotional pull from it I was supposed to. But, like Pixar, even a mediocre Aardman movie is still a pretty good flick. The characters are fun, the elves are hilarious, and it's certainly something that will be enjoyed by children, even if it doesn't impress me quite as much as I was hoping it would. No Christmas classic, but certainly worth a watch with the family. 3 stars.

Best Part: The elf who liked to wrap cracked me up.
Worst Part: I don't feel like the subplot with Steve was wrapped up at all well.
Flickchart: #946, below Hysteria and above An Ideal Husband.