Tyson – A compelling documentary from James Toback. Iron Mike is certainly a fascinating subject. That he is a more interesting figure than I had previously figured is still not enough to overcome the revulsion that I still possess towards him. A certain amount of innocent kindness towards pet pigeons is not enough for me to forgive the viciousness of his biting attack on Evander Holyfield nor his probable assault(s) on women. He will still always be a monster in my eyes.

Bright Star – A tragically romantic period piece from Jane Campion about John Keats and Fanny Brawne. A film about a poet would seem to be either excessively sweet or tragic. You expect either soft-focus romanticism or camera-shaken tragedy. While there is still love and death in this film, it avoids some of the most overt poet biopic cliches by devoting more attention on Fanny Brawne instead of the poet Keats. Abbie Cornish is wonderful as Brawne. In Stop-Loss and in this one, I just can’t seem to keep my eyes off of her. I am in agreement with A.O. Scott that she may just be the new Kate Winslet. Paul Schneider (Parks & Recreation) was also excellent as Keats’ smarmy yet protective best friend, Charles Armitage Brown.

Contact – A personal sc-fi favorite. After a long stretch with an unviewable VHS copy, it has re-entered our movie library in the form of the Blu-ray edition. while Contact broaches the relationship between religion and science, I ultimately don’t think the movie has much definitive to say about the topic. It presents the ideas, which make the movie a stronger piece of sci-fi, but it doesn’t pretend to be making an argument either way. I suppose it does say something about the dangers of fanaticism–both the religious and secular varieties. But, ultimately, the ideas don’t add up to anything particularly coherent. At least, not particularly preachy. That is a good thing–the movie remains quite satisfying to me. I still very much enjoy it. I was struck this time–perhaps because of the Blu-ray version I was watching for the first time–by all of the special effects that Zemeckis employs in the movie. For the most part, the fx is used competently and serves the story even if it is a bit conspicuous.

Sunshine – The third installment in our Sci-Fi Horror Marathon and one I’ve seen many times. This one is perhaps a little more overt than Contact in its atheism. It is, after all, the religiously fanatical Pinbacker who tries to destroy not only the crew of Icarus 2 but also all of Earth based on delusions he interprets to be the voice of god. Thankfully, the physicist saves the day. Yay, science! On this particular viewing, I was struck by the soundtrack. I adore it. And, I’m not sure why I don’t own it. Except that I might feel the urgent need to save mankind while listening to it. So that might be kind of awkward.

Mine; Home; P-Star Rising — Two docs and a short from PBS Independent Lens. Mine told the story of dogs left behind as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The documentary focuses on three or so dogs who were left behind as the result of the storm and eventually adopted to new families, but whose owners attempt to reunite with their pets after landing on terra firma. The doc is nicely balanced, putting its sympathies first and foremost behind the dogs caught in the middle. That Mine examined the uncharted territory between Katrina and the rightful home for its canine victims gives it a unique perspective. But, I sort of felt that a lot of this had been covered in previous documentaries, especially Tom McPhee’s An American Opera from 2007. Nevertheless, I’ll always watch a doc about dogs (and likely shed a tear or two as well).

Home was an excellent six-minute short by Matt Faust that morphed home videos and photographs into a personal and poignant memory of a home destroyed by Katrina.

P-Star Rising was a doc that admittedly I wasn’t too keen on sitting through. It purported to tell the successes and failures in the career of a 9-year-old rapper. I imagined that both the documentary and the child rapper would be too precious to bear. Ooh, it’s a kid! Ooh, she raps!! Too cute!!! Commence. Rolling. Eyes.

But, I was quite surprised by the documentary that I watched. It turns out that the child rapper, Priscilla Diaz (stage name, P-Star), is genuinely talented and not annoyingly precocious at all. That this child also seems to be the most level-headed, mature, and intelligent member of her family is what makes this documentary so compelling. The more I began to dislike her father, who comes off as a man-child in demeanor, actions, and dress, the more I began to like P-Star.

A Serious Man – I figured I’d like this one. It is a Coen Brothers movie after all. But, I ended up REALLY, REALLY liking it. It was so dark, ultimately, that it actually sort of ended up being kind of life affirming. Instead of worrying about other people and what they think, you have to take care of yourself first. And instead of worrying why things did or did not happen to you, you ultimately have to accept the mystery. You can’t blame the bad things that happen to you on anything else, nor can you credit the good things that happen to you on anything else. Things are what they are. For me, without a belief in God (and the corresponding evil), this is an oddly comforting thought even if I know that death is my ultimate reward. My only religion is film.

It did remind me of the questions A.O. Scott posed in his review:

So a question put before the congregation by A Serious Man is whether it makes the case for atheism or looks at the world from a divine point of view. Are the Coens mocking God, playing God or taking his side in a rigged cosmic game? What’s the difference?

Life sucks, and then you die. At least we have movies. What more is there to know?

It Might Get Loud – This documentary is a success for not trying to do too much. It doesn’t aim to tell a complete history of the electric guitar, nor does it aim to give a definitive biography of its three featured guitarists, Jack White, Jimmy Page, and The Edge. Instead, you get an enticing glimpse how each of the three musicians approach their instrument which leaves you wanting more. After watching this documentary, I immediately put on The White Stripes’ concert film Under Blackpool Lights to enjoy even more of Jack White’s virtuoso work. And now I’m really anticipating the forthcoming Under Great White Northern Lights concert documentary.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – This is kind of a troubling film. Ferris could certainly be described as a douche. He basically uses and lies to his family and friends for nothing but selfish reasons. He is only concerned with finding pleasure for himself and seems little concerned with the consequences they have on the people he presumably cares about. And I can’t think that things are really going to end up okay between Cameron and his father. Sure, Ferris offers to take the blame. But, that’s too little too late. The damage has already been done.

Antichrist/Dancer in the Dark - Two from Lars von Trier on Christmas Day. Why? To put the Anti-CHRIST back in Christmas, perhaps? Antichrist still remains a beautiful yet confounding film. It’s provocative in what seem to be the right proportions. As for Dancer in the Dark,I think Bjork is absolutely brilliant for the role of Selma. Bjork can be polarizing, as a singer and actor, but I can certainly be counted as a fan.

District 9 - This was a surprise. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the tone of this film just caught me by surprise. There just seemed to be a lot of inventiveness and creativity thrown into this film. A lot of fun. I may have to add this one to my Blu-ray collection. It seems like this one would have a fairly high rewatchability factor. And I’d like to see how they accomplished some of the special effects for a relatively small amount of money. I look forward to seeing what director Neill Blomkamp does in the future.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence - Haley Joel Osment is excellent here as David. Much like Bjork as Selma in Dancer in the Dark, I’m not sure how much of it is acting prowess as it’s a credit to casting and the directors getting just what they needed for their characters. Part of me wishes that Stanley Kubrick would have survived to bring his complete vision to the film. But part of me likes the Spielbergian patina that covers the film–that lulls one into thinking this is a film for families instead of the dark thing that it actually turns out to be. I think the film, including the ending, is many things (to different people). Sentimental, however, is not a word I would use.

The Room - This movie just isn’t getting old. It’s still horrible. But it’s still so fun to watch. Unfortunately, the misguided attempt at following this one up with another film featuring Greg Sestero (Mark in The Room) was not so fun. It turns out that Retro Puppetmaster isn’t all that entertaining after all.

Sunshine – This one now officially belongs in the pantheon. When I want a science fiction space film and I’m not sure I’ll stay awake throughout the entirety of Kubrick’s 2001, I pick up this one.

Avatar - There is a lot of commentary out there about the ethnic stereotypes and white liberal guilt this film evokes. I certainly don’t think that commentary is unwarranted. But I don’t find it overly problematic either. This film is still a lot of fun. This is the first 3D film I’ve seen (since the ’80s) and it looked quite good. It didn’t seem overly pervasive. It wasn’t necessary by any means and I’m not sure if it makes the movie better, but it does make the movie even more of a thrill ride. The Na’vi characters, created with James Cameron’s version of motion capture, looked amazing. Definitely a step forward technically.

The Royal Tenenbaums - Despite all of its twee preciousness and precociousness, this Wes Anderson flick still manages to make things a little dusty upon each viewing. Chas reconnecting with his father at the end of the film, beginning with the acquisition of the dog Sparkplug, gets me every single time.

Operation Filmmaker, Helvetica – A pair of documentaries caught on the PBS series Independent Lens. The first tells the story of an Iraqi film student who gets the opportunity to work on a Hollywood film. The confluence of liberal guilt and the inability to to appreciate and take advantage of the good things that come one’s way make for a maddening but ultimately satisfying documentary. I wanted to strangle equally producer Peter Saraf and the Iraqi film student Muthana. I hope Liev Schreiber delivered a huge apology to director Nina Davenport. The second documentary somehow made 80 minutes of talk about a typeface quite interesting. I am now both appalled and enamored by Helvetica.

Sunshine – Another time through with this one. Something to fight the cabin fever of being stuck at home during the ice/sleet storm.

The Fall – What a delightful surprise. It was sort of a longer, more complex, multi-colored version of The Red Balloon. With a little bit of The Princess Bride thrown in. And however director Tarsem coaxed out the performance from Catinca Untaru as Alexandria, he and she both deserve great praise.

Sundance 2009 Short Films on iTunes – Ten short films from the festival that were available for free download: Acting for the Camera, Countertransference, Field Notes From Dimension X: Oasis, From Burger it Came, Hug, I Live in the Woods, Instead of Abracadabra, James, Magnetic Movie, This Way Up. My favorites were Countertransference, I Live in the Woods (Honorable Mention in Short Filmmaking – Sundance Film Festival), Instead of Abracadabra, and This Way Up (Oscar nominee).

The Trials of Ted Haggard – I have to admit that after seeing this I kind of feel sorry for Mr. Haggard. He actually seems sort of human. Unlike his successors. I do wish there was a little more to the documentary though. It almost seems that Alexandra Pelosi relies too much on her ability to develop repertoire with her subjects instead of delving deeper into the story at hand. How has Haggard really dealt with his sexuality? And what does he really feel about those who were once his friends and supporters?

Let The Right One In – I loved this one. Vampires have been done every which way on film. But this film seemed to bring something fresh, even if it isn’t really a vampire movie. The cold and dreary Swedish landscape, with the occassional touch of color, was beautifully shot. Warm red blood on cold white snow. That’s what this movie was all about. Complementary. Life complementing death. Warmth complementing coldness. Laughter complementing terror. Love complementing misery. This movie, more so than perhaps any other from 2008, is one that I can’t wait for its DVD release so I can watch it again and again.

While Sunshine remained in theaters for about as long as the length of a solar eclipse, the recent DVD release undoubtedly deserves a look.

Director Danny Boyle certainly knows how to ratchet up the intensity and keep the heart pounding. Touches of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Alien wrapped in the dark intensity of Boyle’s earlier 28 Days Later (writer Alex Gardner and actor Cillian Murphy worked on both films) keep you on the edge of your seat in this sci-fi thriller.

This film will definitely be getting repeated looks from me. There’s plenty more on the DVD to check out, including separate commentaries from Boyle and Dr. Brian Cox, an experimental physicist and Royal Society University Research Fellow, who acted as science advisor on the film. (As an aside, Dr. Cox seems quite intriguing on his own right. He’s like the new Carl Sagan, if Carl Sagan had also been a rockstar.)

Also, the Sunshine website is worth a look. There’s lots of stuff to explore there, including behind-the-scenes videos, essays, and conceptual drawings. As with experimental physicists, the UK version of the website is much better.