The Island
It’s kind of paintful to watch Ewan and Scarlett whore themselves for this derivative sci-fi action poo. The worst part was all the product placement: yeah, Aquafina is REALLY going to want their water displayed as on tap at a bar in an illegal clone factory. And yeah: in 20 years, there are going to be information booths with enormous MSN Search butterfly logos on them and lots of vintage 2005 cars driving around. Ugh! Then again, the movie did boast a fantasy-fodder scene where Ewan McGregor wrestles with copy of himself on the ground and that was pretty hot. [more]

Mysterious Skin
Holy shit. This isn’t really a pleasant movie to watch, but it’s one of the most nuanced depictions of the effects of child abuse I’ve ever seen. And Joseph Gordon-Levitt — wow. It’s nice to see Greg Araki (who’s always had a keen directorial eye) do something good for a change. Highly recommended. [more]