Waltz with Bashir

An Israeli film director interviews fellow veterans of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon to reconstruct his own memories of his term of service in that conflict.

Steph... This was a really good documentary (yes, this is a documentary). The use of animation was genius because you feel like you're right there with him trying to figure out his past. And the use of live-action at the end really snaps you back into reality. This is a definite must see.

The Mechanic

Follows an elite hit man as he teaches his trade to an apprentice who has a connection to one of his previous victims.

Steph... I think this was smarter than most action movies, but it was still just ok. You know what your in for when you watch it. All and all its worth a rent.

Hoop Dreams

A film following the lives of two African American boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional.

Steph... This was voted the #1 documentary to see before you die. I don't really agree with that. Don't get me wrong. It's a really good documentary. Everyone loves an underdog story, especially when they are a success, but there are many others that I liked better. However, this is a really good documentary and you should watch it if you get the chance.

Contagion

A thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak.

Steph... This wasn't as good as I expected it to be but this is still a really good movie. This was highly suspenseful because you don't know where this disease came from and its highly contagious. And because there is no known cure this incites a worldwide panic and then there is nothing but chaos and death. This movie really gets in your head and is definitely not for germ-a-phobes. There was a man who coughed in the theater when we were watching this and we immediately thought "uh oh." By the time we left I didn't want to touch a door knob. Definitely check this one out.

Kris... Another really good movie. Great cast and a really scary story. I just kept thinking what i would do if this happened in real life. The scary thing is it seems like it really could happen one day. This is one you should check out.

Drive

A Hollywood stunt performer who moonlights as a wheelman discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong.

Steph...I LOVED this movie!!!! It was so great! Action, suspense, some violence, romance, etc. It had just about everything. There was this whole dream like mood to the whole film. And the music in the opening credits and throughout the film really was this kind of techno new wave type music that normally I wouldn't have liked but it really worked with this movie (and by the end I kind of liked it).
All the actors in this movie were good but Ryan Gosling really stood out. Ryan Gosling was wonderful as the man with no name that just drives. He had this really eerie calm about him. His character didn't show a whole lot of emotion, or talked very much, but when he did he meant it. This movie is an absolute must see!!!

Kris... Amazing movie. Ryan Gosling is easily one of the best actors right now. This movie had a very original feel through out. Very stylish and also ultra violent at key moments. The pace of the movie was really original. Switching effortlessly between intense action car chases and almost slow motion moments between gosling and everyone else in the movie. His expressions without any words told the whole story. I say drive fast to the nearest theater and check out drive.

Lord of the Flies

Stranded on an island, a group of schoolboys degenerate into savagery.

Steph...Wow. This movie really made me feel uncomfortable for 2 reasons. 1) the fact that a group of civilized people on a stranded island become so savage so fast. All you have to do is put people on a situation where there are no rules and watch chaos ensue. And 2). for an hour and a half there were half naked little boys running around. Seriously. This movie was like a pedophiles dream. I just kept thinking, "Put some clothes on or some pervert in van's going to come out of nowhere and get you." Movie wise it was all right. You could totally tell that they filmed this movie in Hawaii. I kept having flashbacks of Lost. So nothing you need to rush out and rent but if you're flipping around the channels one night, eh? watch it.

Season of the Witch

14th-century knights transport a suspected witch to a monastery, where monks deduce her powers could be the source of the Black Plague.

Steph... OMG! I love you Kris but this movie was AWFUL!!!! It made no sense and it just dragged on. For some reason, this one character had a New York accent. This movie takes place in 1337 and the actor doing the accent is actually English. Why in the world would you do a New York accent? Its stupid. The only reason this movie was in any way watchable was because Kris's brother Matt kept making fun of it the whole time (Nicholas Cage and his stupid Nickleback hair cut. LOL That was classic). So anyways, this movie totally sucked. This is a definite do not watch!

The Thin Blue Line

A film that successfully argued that a man was wrongly convicted for murder by a corrupt justice system in Dallas County, Texas.

Steph... This was a good murder mystery type of documentary. This documentary actually helped get a wrongly convicted man out of prison. This was nothing you need to rush out and see but it was good.

Street Fight

This documentary follows the 2002 mayoral campaign in Newark, New Jersey in which the Cory Booker attempted to unseat longtime mayor Sharpe James.

Steph... Talk about dirty politics. This was definitely interesting but its not something you need to rush out and watch. However, if you ever come across it you should probably check it out.

Trouble the Water

A redemptive tale of an aspiring rap artist surviving failed levees and her own troubled past and seizing a chance for a new beginning.

Steph... This was a great documentary. You get to see Hurricane Katrina from the perspective of someone who lived through it, and had to stay because they were too poor to leave. There is great footage shot before and after the hurricane hit and its juxtaposed against the news footage of the hurricane. This documentary if nothing else shows FEMA's total failure to help people during the hurricane. This is a good documentary to watch.

Touching the Void

The true story of two climbers and their perilous journey up the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.

Steph...Wow. Crazy. After a bad mountain climbing accident Simon, Joe's climbing partener, believes that Joe is dead. Simon thinking he may die on this freezing mountain makes his way back to camp. Turns out Joe isn't dead, just badly injured, and now has to make it down the mountain with a broken leg all by himself. Amazing. Definitely worth watching.

Man on Wire

A look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century."

Steph... I know that this documentary was about Philippe Petit walking on a tightrope between the twin towers but it was always almost a love letter to the World Trade Center. There were photographs of the buildings being built along with the construction workers and people on the roof. This is worth watching not only to see the artistic feat that Philippe accomplished but just for the photographs alone.

Brothers Keeper

This documentary by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky details the murder trial of Delbert Ward. Delbert was a member of a family of four elderly brothers, working as semi-literate farmers and living together in isolation from the rest of society until William's death. A police investigation and Medical Examiner's autopsy suggested that Bill may not have died from natural causes and Delbert was arrested on charges of Second-Degree Murder. Under questioning by police, Delbert appears to have waived his rights and signed a confession, but this film suggests that he may not have been competent to do so. The film explores possible motives for the crime, from 'mercy-killing' (Bill was ill at the time) to progressively more bizarre hypotheses. It also shows how residents of the rural community of Munnsville, NY rallied to the support of one of their own residents (previously considered a social outcast), against what they felt were intrusive 'big-city' police and District Attorney tactics.

Steph... This documentary was good but hard to watch. You couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy. I don't think this movie really solved anything or explained anything. Delbert is an older man with very little education, and is hard of hearing so it was very hard to really get any information out of him. I don't know if this was a must see but it was interesting.

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

A documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall.

Steph... I am definitely in the wrong business. Who knew you could say your latest business venture made millions of dollars without any proof and then give yourself a big bonus based on that. That's what the ERON guys did, and that's why ERON is no more. This was a great documentary about the ego's and pride that built the company up but then ultimately destroyed it. You should definitely check this one out just to see what these guys got away with for so long.