ericellenberg

Visions of Light (★★★★★): Fantastic interviews with legendary cinematographers about classic and contemporary cameramen and films. {Apparently unavailable to purchase, but you can watch it on Netflix.}

Mystery Train (★★★★★): A film about a place of dreams called Memphis. Beautifully shot, beautifully paced. Just beautiful. {Buy the Blu-ray on Amazon and never regret it.}

Rebecca (1940): (★★★★★): Dazzling and troubled, much like Joan Fontaine’s character in the film, Rebecca is filled with beauty and nightmares. {Not linking to the DVD on Amazon this time because it’s not the Criterion Collection version—I’m a Criterion loyalist. Didn’t know if you could tell.}

Man in the Iron Mask (★★★): Caught it on TV a while back, and much as I tried to watch something else, I had to stay with it to the end. A great cast, a charming film. {Buy the Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on Amazon}

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (★★): A handful of good moments in an otherwise completely terrible movie. Were it not for the strength of the Wolverine character and Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of him, this would be a one-star affair.

The Wolfman (★★★): A fun, jump-scare ride. Predictable, but not entirely generic, The Wolfman is a solid werewolf movie. {Buy the unrated Director’s Cut on Blu-ray on Amazon}

Monsters, Inc. (★★★★★): The enterprise of scares will never be as profitable as the enterprise of laughter. This film is a testament to that. {Buy the 4-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on Amazon}

25th Hour (★★★★): A powerful exposition of the downfall of man. Vulnerable and honest, but never wimpy or frank, a film that loves its characters, for all their goodness and for all their flaws. {Buy the DVD on Amazon}

Iron Man 2 (★★★): Entertaining shock and awe, but not enough substance to make for a great movie. An enjoyable follow-up. {Buy the 3-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo on Amazon}

Dumb and Dumber (★★★★★): This one’s a no-brainer. Brilliantly idiotic. {Buy the Blu-ray on Amazon}

Oldboy (★★★★★): Dizzying and relentless, a film that tortures the imagination yet hypnotizes us into enduring to the tragic end. Exceptional. {Buy the Blu-ray on Amazon}

The Canterville Ghost (★★★): A charming film with the wonderful Charles Laughton playing the title role with gusto. Caught it on TCM this afternoon. Undeniably enjoyable, just not very memorable. {Buy the DVD on Amazon}

Moon (★★★★): Solid throughout. Not a groundbreaking film by any means, but a great performance from Sam Rockwell coupled with a strong story and confident execution made for a very enjoyable sci-fi film. {Buy the Blu-ray on Amazon}

He’s Just Not That Into You (★★): I didn’t write a review for this, but in place of one I’ll quote the (very short) facebook comment thread that followed the rating.

Girlfriend: you cannot rate this movie, you didn’t even see the whole thing!

Me: Unnecessary.