The Illusionist (2010)

The animated “The Illusionist” is nearly wordless except for garbled French, Gaelic and English, opens in black-and-white, is covered in bleakness and sketched emotion, and is hand-drawn. This is old-school animation in line with Hayao Miyazaki, deep and dark, always beautiful, written and directed by Sylvain Chomet. Here a French stage magician (Jean-Claude Donda) finds his life marginalized in 1959 by television, the first wave of British pop and increasingly popular movies. The man heads to the United Kingdom, searching for an audience. He eventually finds one admirer: A young chambermaid (Eilidh Rankin) who thinks magic is real. He likens her to a daughter, trying to buy her clothes and shoes. It’s all a bit “The Professional,” with no guns, and apparently inspired by a script from French filmmaker Jacques Tati, who had a tumultuous relationship with a daughter. The story floats by, but there’s undeniable magic here. Some scenes – the opening act, the painting of a billboard – are mini-epics. Fact: A human-drawn line of a desperate facial expression is far more alive than the best CGI. A-

Romper Stomper (1993)

“Romper Stomper” put Russell Crowe on the world stage. He plays Hando, a fireball of unending menace, a neo-Nazi skinhead with a devastating temper and raw sexual power. He is the leader of a ragtag pack of Melbourne racists -- all jobless, essentially homeless, stealing all that they own, and coming and going in a beat-up old clunker car, packed in like sardines. They blast hate music celebrating the glory of their white European heritage all the while. It’s a dark, uneasy satire: These thugs are not even self-aware. (Hando is fully in the know, he just doesn’t care.) Director/writer Geoffrey Wright doesn’t get all preachy on us, he doesn’t have to. Hando’s best mate is Davey (Daniel Pollock), a young man tiring of his thug life, and the arrival of a fiery, lost red head (Jacqueline McKenzie) is just the right push for the men to break apart. This is a violent and unflinching drama that loses its punch only once -- a scene where a young boy is shot. (The scene is handled badly, and feels overly faked.) Crowe, eyes ablaze, cuts through every other actor and set piece like a molten sword of hate. A

Book of Eli (2010)

Stop if you’ve heard this one before: A man walks silently through the remainder of an apocalyptic future landscape. Yes, “The Book of Eli” again goes where many films -- from “Mad Max” to “The Road” -- have gone before, but it jumps from the pack with an interesting – albeit failed – take on the double-edged sword of religion, particularly Christianity. Props for trying, anyway. Eli (Denzel Washington) has wondered like Moses for decades, carrying a book that was given to him by God. (Hint: It ain’t “The DaVinci Code.”) When the despot mayor (Gary Oldman) of a hellish town learns of Eli’s hidden treasure, it’s all out hunt and grab. The man knows religion is a deadlier weapon than all the guns and bombs ever made. The Hughes Brothers directed several great films – “Menace II Society” and “From Hell” – and they tackle big themes here. But they repeatedly break the 8th Commandment, with “Children of Men” being fleeced the most. The overblown video game violence and a miscast Mila Kunis (a great actress, especially in “Black Swan”) as a bad-ass tough companion also nuke the subtle, dark humor and genuine surprises. C+

P.S. The "+" is for a short, LOL riotous spoof of “Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," starring two of Harry Potter's adult pals.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)

Bella still can’t catch a break in “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.” The girl (Kristen Stewart) loves the glittery vampire (Robert Pattinson) with 1980s hair, but jealous werewolf boy (Taylor Lautner) is always lurking about. What’s a girl to do? This is the third chapter in the series, and it’s much of the same: Some evil vampire clan is out for Bella’s blood and she needs saving by her suitors, who are more than willing to oblige. Saving means controlling. Vampire guy rips engine cables out of Bella’s truck so she can’t drive anywhere. Werewolf guy dishes “romantic” one-liners that basically translate as “If I can‘t have you, no one will.” Both guys talk stalker, but are treated as heartthrobs. Creepily anti-woman, and from a woman's pen no less. “Eclipse” does score points with well-played, literal head-cracking vampire fights. Director David Slade (“30 Days of Night”) gives the action real blood, so to speak, but can’t lift the banal dialogue and wooden acting above unintended howls. When the two guys compare their own hotness, it plays like a bad spoof of “Brokeback Mountain.” C-

Under the Mountain (2010)

From New Zealand comes “Under the Mountain,” a fantasy that marries the adventurous pace of “The Hardy Boys” to the imagination of a J.R.R. Tolkien-like story. Here, a twin brother (Tom Cameron) and sister (Sophie McBride) are sent to live with relatives after the death of their mother. The house of their aunt and uncle sits near a volcanic lake and an old mansion with creepy crawly owners. Lurking about is a stranger (Sam Neill) who appears to have created fire with his hands. Did he? It’s a cute, fun, small-budget film that rightfully stays within its own sandbox, but even the most forgiving of happy film-goers will wonder aloud at the plot holes and inconsistencies. (A last minute forced edit?) The teens are OK. But not much else. Neill adds spark as the wise old guide who is grouchier than Gandalf ever dared to be. C+

Monsters (2010)

A man and woman are trekking through a massive swath of Mexican jungle, dodging ungodly large alien creatures that have killed scores of other people. Their destination: The fortress wall that divides Mexico and the United States. This is the premise of “Monsters, ” a stellar film made for less than $500,000 that again proves in sci-fi that less can mean more, especially when you have compelling characters, a strong plot and moody editing that reveals the scares bit-by-bit. Independent filmmaker Gareth Edwards directed, wrote, filmed and produced this great, smart flick with shoot-and-run photography and a desktop PC. For that feat alone, I love this film. Throw $150 million at this film’s premise and we’d have lots of fleshy CGI. No bone. This has bone, and character. The split-second Mobius strip ending is a kick to the head that almost demands an instant re-watch. Scoot McNairy and Whitney Ableare are the leads. Tense. Brilliant. Paced out as is the best of true sci-fi treats. A-

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

Delayed from theaters by a year or so, “The Adjustment Bureau” – starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt, and based on a story by Philip K. Dick – had stinker written all over it. Why else the wait? But the shocker: This is a smart thriller that plays like a 1950s Hitchcock-directed episode of “The Twilight Zone.” That’s praise. How refreshing not see to the normal run of aliens, death, destruction and hell fire in another-worldly-we-are-not-alone thriller. The better surprise: This is a lovers-on-the-run film that rocks with leads that spark big-screen chemistry so rare nowadays.

The gist: Damon is a liberal N.Y. Senate candidate who on the night of a devastating defeat meets cute with a dancer (Blunt) in a posh men’s bathroom. They hit it off. They kiss. Sparks fly. But the romance is not to be. Says who? Serious guys in suits, stark 1950s hats. FBI types who don’t work for the U.S. of A. But a higher power. The film takes five or six years on this one tale, with Damon as the guy saying he is meant to be with this one woman. Period. End of story. Terence Stamp is the guy in the way, and he’s in full “Kneel before Zod” mode. Stamp is one old bad ass.

Many critics gripe about the ending, I loved it. It's out of left field. I also loved the sly dialogue, dropped comments about “red-letter missions,” and what not. It demands that the audience be smart to catch the dialogue. Fast, breezy, low-pitched and, yes, a bit too light at times (What are the senator’s politics? Why is a quick American history lesson so damn PC audience friendly?), it’s directed and written by George Nolfi of Damon’s “Bourne” series.

Damon, by the way, is remarkable, and back on track after several crap films (yeah, “Hereafter” sucks), you want to root for this guy, even against the always-mentioned, never-seen Chairman. And I don’t mean Sinatra. P.S. I love a good hat, and this film is full of ’em. Also a stand-out: The editing and special effects, which pop with quick, smart cuts and merely hinted-at illusions. Sometimes, it’s what we can’t see that is most inspiring. And worth believing in. B+

Synecdoche, New York (2008)

Charlie Kaufmann is a mad comic film genius. In the opening of his mind-blasting epic comic-drama “Synecdoche, New York,” he shows a theater director (Philip Seymour Hoffman) dragging himself out of bed, lumping over to the bathroom then down to the kitchen, and walking by his wife and toddler daughter. It’s a grim, boring morning, and he seems miserable, all self-absorbed about not feeling well and blah-blah-blah. He reads the obits first, maybe waiting to see his own name. The radio, the newspaper’s A section, a milk carton, the B-Section, they all flash-forward dates –September, October, November and December. Caden Cotard is watching his life flash by, and he doesn’t appear to notice.

This essentially is the film. When his crap luck hits bottom, he begins a massive autobiographical play, literally staging his own life, as director and spectator, controlling and watching at the same time. Then he loses control of that, trying to rewrite his own script. This is just a quick snatch of the massive story from the writer of “Being John Malkovich” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” What makes the brain, heart and soul connect and work is a Kaufman obsession, and Hoffman is freakin’ brilliant. (Has he ever not been?) But as the film comes to its end, and Cotard becomes more disconnected from himself -- actors are playing actors playing the actors playing him -- the movie loses steam. But maybe that’s the point. That's how we all die, in old age, is it not?

“Synecdoche” disappears in literal smoke, burned up by Kaufman’s unending, almost self- indulgent imagination. “Being” and “Eternal” are personal favorites. This one goes for the same arena, but comes just short of the mark. The concept is just a bit too far wide. But it’s a glorious, brave, wildly imaginative concept. The cast of supporting players includes Catherine Keener, Diane Weist, Tom Noonan, Michelle Williams, Emily Watson and Samantha Morton.

I loved the little bits, even the teeth-gnashing conversations one has with a toddler – “I have blood! I don’t want blood!” “You don’t have blood, dear.” “Don’t tell her that!” There wasn’t a stranger film I saw released in 2008, but it’s these bits that nail life dead center. For better and worse. It certainly makes one wake up and appreciate now, quickly dumping the end credits to go in and see how your wife is doing down the hallway. And, maybe, that’s really the point. A-

Sky High (2005)

Kurt Russell is one of film’s most under-used comics. In “Sky High,” he plays an uptight superhero living in suburban America – husband, father and real estate agent. His wife (Kelly Preston) also is a super hero, but the kid (Michael Angarano)? Late bloomer. The film focuses on the son as he starts 9th grade, goes girl crazy and tries to get his Superman on. This is pure Disney, but also a sly satire on every 1980s teen flick ever made and all those serious comic book movies. Russell is just a hoot, wearing his costume around the house, generally acting like a serious fool. The plot is silly, but great kid fun, and Linda Carter – TV’s “Wonder Woman” – passes gags around with Steve Carell, Bruce Campbell and Dave Foley. The comic book panel cinematography works here like a charm, an abysmal effort in most other capes and makeup efforts. B+

The Losers (2010)

A team of Army commandos is framed for a crime they did not commit and lay waste to the corrupted CIA spook who did them wrong, going tit-for-tat in a ridiculous CGI-heavy pile-up at the Port of Los Angeles. This is the 2010 summer flick “The A-Team.” It is also the exact same plot of “The Losers,” a gonzo comic book movie that beat “Team” to theaters by a few weeks but still comes out as the weaker link. This lot is headed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Colonel, all grim humor and bad-ass charisma. Jason Patric is the villain -- a wildly cartoonish thug who is so eeeeevil, I wondered if Gary Busey was up for the part. Action is over-the-top and that’s fine, but I never got past the opening tragedy: Two dozen-plus children getting blown to bits. Yes, we get a flaming-torched teddy bear. Zoe Saldana of “Star Trek” co-stars. Journey is a punch line. That’s so new. C