2009 - Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

I love this film, and welcome any chance to revisit it.  It's funny, a conversation about this film has come up a few times over the last week or so so I really wanted to check it out.  Also, anything Kaufman related is worth spending time in.  I love any kind of film that has an element of mystery to it with an unreliable narrator, and this is one of the tops.  For those who don't know it's a bio pic about Chuck Barris who was a television game show producer who wrote an autobiography about having been an assassin for the CIA - in reality no one knows if it's true or not, and this film is an adaptation of that book.  It's so fucking good.  Sam Rockwell is one of my favorite actors, and he's surrounded by pure talent in this film.  If you haven't ever seen this it's a shame and should be rectified.  I love it so hard.

1898 - August: Osage County

When you've got an all access pass to TIFF, it's difficult to not just use it to see all the big films that are being released for Oscar season, and while I don't avoid them entirely, I try to see a good mix-bag to keep me honest.  This is, clearly, not one of those - this is oscar bait through and through.
It's a powerful ensemble that comes to give powerhouse performances - there's a, roughly 25 minute living room scene, which that allows every single performer to have a moment all of their own including several reversals.  It's delightful.
For years I've been dancing around a dysfunctional family film of my own - but now I'm not sure I've got anything to say that this film hasn't.  So good on them for that.  It's not an easy film to make - none of the characters are super likable, but that isn't the point - the point is that they're interesting.  We want to know what makes them tick - we want to see what they'll do, how they'll end up.  Making a character do unlikeable things isn't enough to make them someone interesting and this filmmaking team nows that.
Expect to hear a lot about this film in the upcoming months.  For those who love character dramas - it's a muse-see.

1622 - Closer

I don't know why I'm just realizing this now, but this might be one of my all-time favorite films.  I know I've revisited it a lot more than other films in past years.  I'm currently doing notes on a new project idea and for someone reason I just knew that I had to rewatch this to get inspired. 
If you're not familiar, this is a film about four people who just can't stop getting in each others way romantically.  It's based on a play, and it's not hard to tell.  There are very few scenes (compared to most films), and they take their time, but I have to say I've never ever been bored watching this film.  The writing just crackles in conjunction with four tour-de-force performances.  This film was perfectly cast - each and everyone of them has a least a few showcase acting moments - although it never feels like that's what they were aiming for, or was the intention.  No matter how many times I see it I always get hypnotized by it. 
It's been out for years now, and it's up on netflix.  If you like any of these actors and you want to see them at the top of their game, this is it.  It's so good.  Finishing it and thinking about it makes me want to watch it all over again - and that's exactly what great story telling does. 

1566 - Valentine's Day

When I first started seeing the posters for this I wasn't sure if I was all that interested - despite the fact that I'm a rom-com nerd, and despite the fact that this film is full an ass-load of actors that I love - it just felt like... a gimmick.  It's not, it's actually a legitimately decent flick. 
Well, it's hard to say that it's not a gimmick - cramming this many celebrities into a film is always a bit of a ploy, but the story moves along well and feels nice and balanced, we get to see the characters weaving in and out of one another's stories and that's fun.  I liked that it wasn't just about relationship love and there seemed to be some nice pleasant surprises.  I suppose my biggest grief with the whole thing is that pretty much everyone ends up happy (except maybe the one dude - I won't spoil anything here).  I think that I would have liked to of seen it balanced a little bit more with some realistic vibes that respected the idea that some people just can't get it to work on Valentine's Day. 
Despite that if you're looking for a fun and simple rom-com, then you could do a lot worse - and it's from the master Garry Marshall.  I'm actually considering watching this again with the commentary on - I think it'll be pretty insightful - or at the very least entertaining!
Valentine's Day  Valentine's Day [Blu-ray]

1463 - Duplicity

I love a good con-artist film and when it's in the hands as someone as skilled as Tony Gilroy you really can't go wrong. This is a film that, at it's core, is really about trust and relationships and it examines that theme in depth amidst the backdrop of a big corporate con. And it does it with flare.

Clive Owen and Julia Roberts are ridiculously charming here. The deeper their relationship is revealed the better it gets. Their moments in the final scenes of the film are just fantastic.

I could talk a lot more about this film but it's filled with so many wonderful twists and turns that I don't want to ruin the surprises that await the lucky viewer. This is a film that's as fun as it is smart. It keeps you on your toes and does a good job of keeping you entertained whilst it keeps you guessing and asking yourself - who can you trust?