Shutter, which I knew nothing about going in, turned out to be pretty creepy. Joshua Jackson ("Bobby") stars as a photographer who keeps seeing a ghost in his pictures. Then she turns up haunting him and his girlfriend, so they try to sort out why she's so pissed. The mood is pretty chilly throughout, and even the end held up. I wouldn't say seek it out, but if you come across it, it's worth watching.
The newest film from writer/director David Mamet ("Spartan"), Redbelt is sort of about a martial arts instructor who doesn't want to fight in a tournament, but then circumstances, and acquaintances, conspire to get him into it. Because it's Mamet, the dialogue is super cool. My two new favorite phrases, "Let the wheel come around," and "Leave the outside, outside." However, there are a few side stories that are either confusing or don't go anywhere. Chiwetel Ejiofor ("American Gangster") is amazing in the lead. His eyes express everything. I quite enjoyed this.
Drawn to The Secret through my movie crush on David Duchovny ("The X-Files: I Want to Believe"), I had no idea what I was getting into. I'm still not sure what happened. Okay, I am, but I kind of wish I didn't know. Duchovny's wife and teenage daughter are in a car crash, and the wife's soul ends up in the daughter's body. then she tries to convince Duchovny she's his wife, not his daughter, and uncomfortableness ensues. Very interesting, yet disturbing film. I enjoyed it.
I wasn't really interested in Lakeview Terrace until I heard Neil LaBute ("The Wicker Man") was directing. LaBute has a way of creating a really disturbing story with totally messed up and, yet, sometimes sympathetic characters. If I pretend the remake of The Wicker Man never happened, he's one of my favorite directors. And this film is not a disappointment. Patrick Wilson ("Evening") and Kerry Washington ("Miracle at St. Anna") a mixed-race couple, move into a nice suburb where their neighbor, a black cop in the form of Samuel L. Jackson ("Jumper"), is forced to confront his own prejudices. The main plot is a pretty by-the-book thriller, but the characters are well developed and believable. And when LaBute wants to make us uncomfortable and scared, we are. Also, the racism issues aren't wrapped up in a neat ball, but laid out for us to think about and digest. Not a great film, but a good one.
The Man Who Fell to Earth is a classic science fiction movie starring David Bowie ("Arthur and the Invisibles") as an alien who is trying to figure out a way to transport water back to his home planet. And it's weird and long. There a flashbacks and forwards and general disregard of traditional timelines. Some of the shots are cool. There's a lot, and I mean, a lot of nudity, both male and female. I don't know about this film. I couldn't really get into the story and now I'm just scared for life.