Married Life
by David Poland

This is no déjà vu of Pride & Prejudice. There is a romantic subtext, but the foreground is serous and misery laden most of the way. You can tell from the images that Joe Wright has improved as a director… but he still isn’t a director who can wrangle magic from simple images.

Confessions
of a Fesitval Junkie
by Leonard Klady

Have I complained about the Toronto International Film Festival's lack of physical concision? As the festival comes to a close this weekend I feel compelled to say at least once. "oh, my aching feet."

Lust, Caution
Black Book as made by Won Kar Wai… some heavy sex scenes fill out the long, but beautifully made tale of an undercover rebel who gets too close for comfort.

Across The Universe
This year’s first colossal blunder appears to be Across the Universe, Julie Taymor’s musical set to the music of the Beatles. The critical response has been unintentional laughter at the literal minded interpretations and one wag likened the music to a Fab Four evening on American Idol.

No Country For Old Men
The Coen Bros. put away the book of tricks and tell a simple, pitch black tale of the violence that men do and the nature of fate and the fate of a force of nature.

Control
A very solid, but ultimately simple tale of a real-life rock star who can't get himself together. The beautiful black and white photography and focused tale of this one sad young life is gaining a lot of buzz... probably a touch more than it deserves.

My Enemy's Enemy
Terrific doc by Kevin MacDonald about Klaus Barbie. MacDonald manages to change speeds often while telling the story, never letting it drag (which is a problem with Barbet Schroeder's similarly themed doc, Terror's Advocate).

Into The Wild
The short answer is that it is easily Sean Penn's best and most accessible work behind the camera. The movie is more road trip than Alaska adventure. The supporting performances are outstanding across the board, especially from non-pro Brian Dierker who makes a big impression. At the middle is Emile Hirsch, whose role is surprisingly not so showy, though it is critical to the whole thing working. It's a little long for some, but the spirit of the film is pretty irresistible.

The Orphanage
Old school thriller… similarly good to The Others, but slightly disadvantaged in the U.S. for being in Spanish.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
by David Poland

The most pretentious title of the decade is now the most pretentious studio release in a decade!!!

Watch out for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, which is about to be the most overly praised critics wet dream you may ever fall asleep during.

I’ll keep it simple, since that is all this movie really deserves.

Mother Of Tears
by David Poland

Just as opening credits were rolling, a young woman decided to sit in the row on which I was at the end. I stood, she moved to the center of the row. The body of the film started and in the first scene, a woman is strangled with her own intestines. The young woman was up and out before the last pint of blood gurgled out of the victim’s mouth.