A vignette piece with an ensemble cast, this quirky little comedy is full of great moments of real emotion—love, confusion, and pain. Seemingly separate story lines converge near the end. Some of the resolutions seemed too convenient, but overall this independent film hits all the targets—comedy, drama, romance.

Grade: B.

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Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, and Benicio del Toro star in this exceptionally-written character study of three lives intertwined by an unimaginable tragedy that saves the life of one, while costing another her family. Some parts are very difficult to watch, but the acting is superlative and the story unforgettable.

Grade: A.

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Werner Herzog examines the life, work, and death of environmentalist filmmaker, Timothy Treadwell, who camped in the Alaskan wilderness with wild grizzlies. Treadwell’s story is treated respectfully, but Herzog, who disagrees wth him, doesn’t sugarcoat the way his subject anthropomorphizes wild animals and fails to take their dangerous power seriously.

Grade: B+.

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This beautifully filmed and emotionally rich story follows the life of Binh, a young Vietnamese man trying to find his father. The exploited people aboard the ship that brings him across the country, the fate of the people around him, and the final resolution make this a rewarding, touching movie.

Grade: A-.

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With a miniscule budget, a cast composed entirely of extras, and the shoddiest cinematography ever, this could have been a really interesting character study, if the direction wasn’t feloniously inept and the story aggressively uninteresting. The only good thing about this movie is that you don’t have to see it.

Grade: F.

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Keisha Castle-Hughes steals the show as a twelve-year-old granddaughter of a stubborn Maori village chief who tries to relate with his inability to truly accept her. Stunning acting performances, an incredible script, many very poignant and emotional moments, and jaw-dropping cinematography make this masterpiece absolutely unforgettable.

Grade: A+.

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Marion Cotillard conquers the screen in an astonishing portrayal of Edith Piaf. Her ability to capture the essence of this troubled star, especially her later life, was breathtaking. The movie as a whole, however, was too long, rambling, and full of flashbacks that made her seem a dull, petty primadonna.

Grade: C+.

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Judd Apatow writes and directs this comedy about an overweight slacker who gets lucky with a blonde bombshell, gets her pregnant, and they decide to keep the baby. While extremely funny in spots, it was also juvenile, melodramatic, poorly thought out, full of unrealistic ideas and stereotypes, and badly cast.

Grade: C-.

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Cannonball Adderley joins forces with Milt Jackson, Wyton Kelley, Percy Heath, and Art Blakey in this beautiful hard-bop set that includes the title track, a grooving rendition of “Groovin’ High”, and a memorable version of Cole Porter’s “Just One of Those Things.” This accessible set really hits the spot.

Grade: A-.

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John Coltrane leads a group of stars in this relaxed set from 1958. The four-song album is wonderfully listenable and consists mostly of ballads, including a sweet, lyrical rendition of “Stardust” and an uptempo “Love Thy Neighbor.” The playing is consistently great and shows off Coltrane’s expressive ballad interpretation.

Grade: B+.

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