Keep Track of all the Movies I Watch in 2008

A young girl ventures into a perilous parallel universe to rescue her best friend and fight the forces of darkness in director Chris Weitz’s adaptation of the first installment of author Philip Pullman’s best-selling fantasy trilogy. Screen newcomer Dakota Blue Richards stars as young heroine Lyra Belacqua, Casino Royale star Daniel Craig appears as Lyra’s ruthless adventurer uncle, Lord Asriel, and Nicole Kidman assumes the glamorous guise of the villainous Mrs. Coulter. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

4 out a 5 – Looking forward to seeing the next one

A woman who lost her husband in a random act of violence and a heroin addict who was a lifelong friend of the dearly departed discover that the beloved husband and friend’s unfortunate passing is actually a blessing in disguise in Open Hearts director Susanne Bier’s Dogme-style drama. When her husband (David Duchovny) was killed, Audrey Burke (Halle Berry) didn’t think she would be able to summon the strength to carry on. Jerry Sunborne (Benicio Del Toro) is a heroin addict who was one of the recently deceased’s oldest friends in life, but as a result of his addiction Jerry has lost everything that ever mattered to him. When Audrey discovers that Jerry is the one man who could help her move beyond the dire cycle of grieving that she has fallen into, her offer for him to move in with the family provides the addict with just the incentive he needed to finally get his life back in order. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

3.5 out of 5

A pair of siblings are forced to set aside their discomfort with one another for the sake of their father in this low-key comedy drama. Wendy Savage (Laura Linney) is a struggling playwright living in New York City who works a day job to support herself and can’t shake the feeling that she’s failed as an artist. Wendy isn’t especially happy about her love life either, gaining little self-esteem from her on-and-off affair with oversexed, married neighbor Larry (Peter Friedman). Wendy’s anxieties about her writing career are intensified by the success of her brother, Jon (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who teaches theater history at a college in Buffalo, NY, and has published a number of books. While Jon’s life seems fine on the surface, a case of writer’s block has stalled work on his latest project, and he’s deeply upset that his girlfriend is soon to leave the United States to return to her native Poland. Wendy and Jon don’t get along and prefer not to see one another, but an unfortunate circumstance brings them together—their father, Lenny Savage (Philip Bosco). Elderly Lenny has began showing signs of dementia, and shortly after he takes to smearing his feces on the walls of his Arizona home, his ailing long-term girlfriend suddenly dies. Wendy and Jon have little choice but to fly to Arizona and see what can be done for Lenny, but their long-simmering animosity makes it hard for them to deal with the realities of Lenny’s condition. The Savages received its world premiere at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

4 out of 5

When a teenage girl is faced with an unexpected pregnancy, she enlists the aid of her best friend in finding the unborn child a suitable home in this coming-of-age comedy drama from Thank You for Smoking director Jason Reitman. Juno may seem wise beyond her years, but after sleeping with classmate Bleeker, the pregnant teen quickly realizes how little she really knows about life.

4.5 out of 5

Down-and-out divorcee Andy Sargentee, with the help of his five motley friends, brainstorms a genius idea to make their dreams come true. They are going to rally their small town to produce an amateur adult film! They think they’ve found the road to fame and fortune, but their fantasy quickly turns into a hilarious misadventure as they encounter more than a few bumps in the road. Their good natured attempts lead to the creation of the most un-adult, adult film ever. See how the amateurs bring an entire small town together, in the biggest comedic disaster turned boffo box office success.

It had its humorious moments.

3.5 out of 5

Every junior-high geek’s worst nightmare becomes a reality in this comedy. John Farley grew up as a chubby kid with no athletic skills and poor self-esteem, and during his early teenage years his nemesis was Mr. Woodcock, his junior-high gym teacher, who took a sadistic glee in tormenting John and others like them. Years later, John has slimmed down, come to terms with his self-image, and become a best-selling author, publishing a self-help book on overcoming the specters of the past. John comes home to visit his widowed mother, Beverly, and discovers she has a surprise for him—she’s getting married again, and her new fiancée is none other than Mr. Woodcock. Horrified, John is determined to keep Beverly from walking down the aisle with Woodcock, and along the way finds himself struggling to settle some old scores. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

3 out of 5

A group of friends living in suburban Oregon come into contact with a sensual free spirit named Chloe, who changes their outlook on life in the most unexpected of ways in this ensemble drama adapted from the acclaimed novel by author Charles Baxter. As college professor and writer Harry Stevenson sits quietly in the coffee shop of his tight-knit Oregon community, the local residents all around him all become swept up in the magical mischief of love. Coffee shop owner Bradley has a bad habit of looking for love in all the wrong places, and his relationship with wife Katherine is a prime example of that penchant. Meanwhile, frazzled real estate agent Diana becomes ensnared in a taboo affair with a married man, lovely newcomer Chloe attempts the formidable task of romancing troubled soul Oscar, and Harry’s own wife Esther, affectionately tries to get through to her husband as he wrestles with the pain of losing a loved one. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

3.5 out of 5

As three brothers who, at the insistence of the oldest, take a train ride through India together in order to strengthen their bond. Even though the vacation goes wrong in ways they do not anticipate, the strangeness of their setting and some revealing honesty produces some surprising changes between them all. ~ Perry Seibert,

2 out of 5

As children, Amir and Hassan were inseparable; their long days under azure Kabul skies often spent getting into innocent mischief or preparing for the highly anticipated kite-fighting tournament. When the day of the tournament arrives, however, a glorious victory is quickly offset by a timorous act of betrayal that ultimately serves as the catalyst for catastrophe. Not long after that fateful day, Amir moves away to America, leaving his old friend behind just as the ominous specter of war turns tragically tangible. Two decades later, Amir returns to Afghanistan to find his beloved homeland has now fallen under the iron-fisted rule of the Taliban. Still, all hope for redemption hasn’t been lost just yet, because now that Amir stands face to face with the irrepressible secrets that he struggled so vigilantly to bury, he will receive one last chance to make peace with the past, and lay the groundwork for a brighter future.

4 of 5

A charmingly naïve boy from the English village of Wall travels to a magical, mythical world in search of the falling star that will help him win the heart of his true love in this fantasy adventure.

Cute whimiscal movie

3 out of 5