instantwatcher.com

Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

1. 28 Hotel Rooms 2012 The intimate romantic drama "28 Hotel Rooms" should prove a fine calling card for its first-time writer-director, Matt Ross. full review
2. Amber Alert 2012 All things considered - micro-budget, unknown actors, no real special effects, the point of view of a single video camera - "Amber Alert" proves a resourceful little thriller. full review
3. Barfi! 2012 Despite a hard-working cast, a lush score, exotic location shooting and scattered warmth, "Barfi!" is ultimately more endurance test than entertainment. full review
4. Beauty Is Embarrassing 2012 A buoyant, engaging, visually alluring portrait of the Tennessee-born White ... full review
5. Blue Like Jazz 2012 An overlong mishmash of coming-of-age comedy, social satire and spiritual think-piece whose ultimate stance on religion feels awfully fuzzy. full review
6. Broken Roads 2012 [Chambers] shows an uncertain, frequently heavy hand. full review
7. Citizen Gangster 2012 Morlando has crafted a stylishly shot and evocatively designed period piece. But it's the dashing, quietly charismatic Speedman who proves the main draw, holding our attention even when the movie doesn't. full review
8. Collaborator 2012 Oddly, it's Donovan's performance here that proves the movie's weakest link, though his writing and helming tie for a close second. full review
9. Crooked Arrows 2012 "Crooked Arrows" might involve two lesser-seen screen subjects - Native Americans and lacrosse - but it still can't break free of the usual underdog sports picture tropes. full review
10. A Dark Truth 2012 For all the attempted intrigue and mayhem, the film is dullsville, mired by a poky script, unremarkable action and, the hard-working Garcia aside, uninspired performances. full review
11. How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster? 2012 An architecture lover's dream. full review
12. Indie Game: The Movie 2012 [A] smart, involving documentary... full review
13. L!fe Happens 2012 First-time feature director Kat Coiro gives an oft-tread story a snappy new spin in the hip and enjoyable comedy "Life Happens." full review
14. Mansome 2012 There's no real center to the film's potentially insightful topic, with Spurlock never zeroing in on a cohesive message. full review
15. Memorial Day 2012 Between all the flashbacks and flash-forwards, you'll need a scorecard. full review
16. Nipples & Palm Trees 2012 If the title "Nipples and Palm Trees" sounds dubious, just wait till you see the movie - a dreary, dirty-talking sex comedy from the you've-got-to-be-kidding-me school of filmmaking. full review
17. October Baby 2012 A film whose poignancy is hard to deny whatever side of the abortion debate you fall on. full review
18. Price Check 2012 A you-are-there slip-and-slide that follows a supermarket chain's pricing department exec whose life gets upended by a whirlwind new boss. full review
19. Sassy Pants 2012 Although it attempts a kind of outre pose, the film ultimately proves a too-gentle juggling act that never quite soars. full review
20. Union Square 2012 Propelled by a rangy, superbly colorful performance by Mira Sorvino, the film grabs hold of the viewer from the jump and snowballs toward a deftly moving and concise third act. full review
21. The Woman in the Fifth 2012 A thankless lead vehicle for Ethan Hawke who's left largely stranded by writer-director Pawel Pawlikowski's opaque adaptation of Douglas Kennedy's novel. full review
22. Angels Crest 2011 Catherine Trieschmann's script, based on the novel by Leslie Schwartz, barely scratches the potentially loaded surfaces it serves up. full review
23. House of Pleasures 2011 "Pleasures" becomes as enveloping - and sometimes as awkward - as one of the L'Apollonide ladies' heaving corsets. full review
24. Last Days Here 2011 A deft and weirdly affecting portrait of how a drug-addicted man-child knocking on death's door manages an astonishing resurgence. full review
25. The Last Fall 2011 This is an involving, sympathetic film unafraid to wear its sizable heart on its sleeve. full review
26. Make Believe 2011 The various sleights of hand are impressive even if we're afforded little insight into their actual execution. Still, it's fun stuff. full review
27. One Fall 2011 Despite its grander ambitions, the film ultimately feels minor and superficial. full review
28. Where Soldiers Come From 2011 A work that's less urgent and involving than its intense subject matter might have dictated. full review
29. The Best and the Brightest 2010 Flies off its comic rails after an engaging start, never to land back on solid ground. full review
30. Happiness Runs 2010 An astoundingly bad memory piece that blows its potential dramatic heft at every turn. full review
31. Inhale 2010 It takes a while to get there, but Inhale eventually emerges as a tense and morally complex thriller with a devastating twist. full review
32. The Lottery 2010 The film takes an effective, two-pronged approach to tell its enlightening tale. full review
33. Mugabe and the White African 2010 Bailey and Thompson managed to create a remarkably vivid portrait of a land and its people, while bringing us two unforgettable heroes in Campbell and Freeth.
34. The Romantics 2010 Proves unsatisfying not only because of its unlikable characters and often contrived conflicts but for the thoroughly implausible bride and groom at its core. full review
35. Ticked-off Trannies With Knives 2010 It's as if writer-director Israel Luna hatched a startling title and then flailed around trying to match its minor promise. full review
36. The Age of Stupid 2009 Though this narrative device can feel a bit gimmicky and grandiose, it also provides a visual and emotional power that drives home this absorbing film's crucial cautionary message. full review
37. C Me Dance 2009 It's fine to know your audience and cater to its entertainment needs, but even the most devout viewer subjected to Robbins' ham-fisted film might think, "OK, now tell me something I don't already know." full review
38. Five Minutes of Heaven 2009 Ultimately, Five Minutes of Heaven is stronger as a whole than its individual parts. full review
39. Inspector Bellamy 2009 A sadly bland footnote to an illustrious and influential career. full review
40. Love Hurts 2009 Moss brings warmth and dignity to a part that could've easily slid into stereotype, while Camryn Manheim owns her few scenes as Amanda's best friend. full review
41. TiMER 2009 Make time for this one. full review
42. Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen 2009 [A] superbly rendered and deeply absorbing religious drama... full review
43. The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia 2009 [It] loses some of its anarchic steam as it goes. Still, it's a dang good bet you've never met any family quite like the Whites. full review
44. The Alphabet Killer 2008 It's too bad there was no way around the story's inherent deficit since this effectively unsettling film, directed by Rob Schmidt, chugs along quite well for a while. full review
45. Beautiful Losers 2008 An absorbing look at how a circle of dispossessed young artists from the 1990s eventually found its way to mainstream success. full review
46. The Beautiful Truth 2008 Comes off mostly like a hybrid of retro-style educational film and late-night infomercial. full review
47. The Business of Being Born 2008 Pregnant women -- and involved dads -- would be well advised to check out this provocative portrait. full review
48. Examined Life 2008 Director-writer Astra Taylor wisely avoids turning this talk fest into a talking heads fest by filming these effusive intellectuals in a variety of visually diverting, real-world environments. full review
49. Finding Bliss 2008 The supporting players, including Kristen Johnston as Grind's wise production head, Denise Richards as Jody's movie's gentle leading lady and Jamie Kennedy as a sweet but dense porn actor, also deftly rise to the occasion. full review
50. Jolene 2008 More epic than it needs to be and less profound than it should be, "Jolene" remains a watchable excursion into human frailty and foibles.
51. The Other Man 2008 It's a decent adult drama that should keep you guessing. full review
52. Our City Dreams 2008 Their art, like the film itself, is powerful, daring and makes you think. full review
53. Shrink 2008 Director Jonas Pate and screenwriter Thomas Moffett have turned this strongly cast, potentially smart tale of personal intersection among a mostly rarefied group of Los Angelenos into an irritating and unconvincing slog. full review
54. Never Forever 2007 If Adrian Lyne directed a racy Lifetime movie, then asked Danielle Steel what to call it, you'd pretty much have Never Forever, a sudsy chamber piece that's engrossing despite its many plot holes and contrivances. full review
55. A Man Named Pearl 2006 A Man Named Pearl not only makes you want to get out there and play Edward Scissorhands but can, at least for its 78 jazz-and-gospel infused minutes, help replenish one's faith in humanity. full review
56. Severance 2006 They say, "Dying is easy, comedy is hard," but this cheeky gore fest proves that balancing the two is the trickiest act of all. full review