Flick the Button

1. Inside Man: Watched this a while ago but forgot to include it last time. Decent heist movie, but not spectacular. I like Clive Owen in everything I've seen him in, and he's fine here. Washington has played this character a few times before, so there's nothing new here. Foster takes a nice turn as a realistic, female Winston Wolf. For the most part, Spike Lee gets out of his own way (though the video game clip is an unwelcome slip, and something I'm pretty sure he'd done before almost identically in Clockers). The best I can say about this is that it's clean, if not anything to get all that excited about. Not generous enough to get above You're Fired.


2. 300: Nicely campy and beautiful. Yes, some of the dialogue is unintentionally hilarious. I would've been much happier without any of the cockrock soundtrack in some parts. But it's about what I expected of it. Goofy slomo fight sequences amid a backdrop of beautiful CGI. It's not the greatest thing I've ever seen, but I liked it enough to give it a dull set of Steak Knives. That said, I have a feeling I'm in the minority on it. I get the sense that people either think this is the biggest piece of crap ever or think it's the greatest thing ever.

3. Disturbia: Another clean thriller, but I've seen Rear Window before, so this was nothing new. In fact, it was kind of boring. LeBoef is a bit likable, and David Morse is properly creepy. There's just not much that isn't what was expected. I shrug at it. You're Fired.

4. Hot Fuzz: Tony the Tiger Grrrreat. Hilarious and quick. Excellently paced and written. One of my favorite movies of the year so far. See it. Cadillac.

5. The Fountain: I've never seen an 85 minute movie that's 80 minutes too long before. This should've been a short film. Some of the shots are breathtaking. Some of the shots are repeated 9 times. I get it. I didn't like it. You're fired.


6. Zodiac: The opposite of The Fountain. Here's a movie that almost hits 3 hours, but I would've been fine with another 45 minutes. It's not so much a movie that breaks new ground, as the unsolved mystery - obsession theme has been around a while. But the careful, perfectionist filmmaking works so well with the subject. I can see how some critics might view some of the red herring scenes as something that could be cut to make the movie shorter, but I thought they were some of the most important. Well acted, exceptionally directed. A welcome return to form for Fincher. Steak Knives.