'get low' and 'countdown to zero' reviews

A general grumpiness pervades my latest Consumables column. I take on Get Low and Countdown to Zero, two average films that have been given far too much respect simply because they're "indie" or "art-house" or whatever. Enough, I say.

'inception' review

As I've been bragging to anyone who will listen, I have avoided all spoilers, commercials and reviews for Inception for the last several months. (Only on Sunday did I realize that Ellen Page was in the movie.) Well, now I've seen it, and I review the film for my Consumables column. To the best of my abilities, I don't believe there are any spoilers in this review, so dive in if you'd like.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to read all the other Inception reviews.

'despicable me' and 'great directors' reviews

We're living in a golden age of animation, and yet people still like stuff like Despicable Me? I don't get it. I review the film for my latest Consumables column, plus I have some (guarded) praise for the documentary Great Directors.

'wild grass' review

I've been anxiously awaiting Wild Grass since it premiered (mostly to acclaim) at last year's Cannes. Now I've seen the comedy-drama, and it gets an entire Consumables column to itself. My review is part analysis, part coming to terms with what is a genuinely strange film. Happy reading.

'karate kid' and 'coco chanel & igor stravinsky' reviews

I know, what a double-bill. But The Karate Kid and Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky both open this weekend -- I put them under the microscope for my latest Consumables column.

'prince of persia' and 'survival of the dead' reviews

If you want to see Sex and the City 2 this weekend, you're on your own. But if you're interested in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time or George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead, well, perhaps I can be of some assistance. Take a gander at my latest Consumables column for my reviews of those two films.

'everyone else' review

When I was in New York recently, German writer-director Maren Ade's romantic drama Everyone Else was playing within walking distance of where I was staying. Alas, I didn't have a chance to see it. Now back in Los Angeles, I have. I rave about the film at The Simon.

'date night' review

In my latest Consumables column, I have nice things to say about all three films I review: Greenberg, How to Train Your Dragon and (most improbably) Date Night. Check it out at The Simon.

'green zone' review

Director Paul Greengrass had a perfect track record heading into Green Zone, his new Iraq thriller starring Matt Damon. Oh well -- nobody's perfect. I write about the film at length at The Simon.

"the ghost writer" review

For my latest Consumables column, I go long on Roman Polanski's very fine thriller, The Ghost Writer. Plus, I talk about The Yellow Handkerchief, Fish Tank and Bronson.

'the lovely bones' review, plus a catch-up on other December films

December got away from me a bit, so I'm behind on publishing Consumables. My latest column rounds up my reviews of The Lovely Bones, Invictus, The Blind Side, A Single Man and The Headless Woman. And in case you missed my Avatar review, that's right here. (And my thoughts on Sherlock Holmes are here.)

'brothers' and 'the last station' reviews

My latest Consumables column rolls up its sleeves and reviews Brothers, The Last Station, The Road, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Me and Orson Welles.

You may be wondering, "Hey, Tim, how come you didn't review Up in the Air and Everybody's Fine?" Ah, but I did! Check out my Up in the Air review from Toronto, and my Everybody's Fine write-up from AFI Fest.

'red cliff' review

John Woo's five-hours-condensed-to-two-and-a-half-hours epic Red Cliff leads the latest installment of Consumables. Also reviewed, La Danse, Broken Embraces and the ghastly Planet 51. And if you missed my take on Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, you can read it here.

'collapse' review

The unsettling, alarmist documentary Collapse leads my latest Consumables column. If that isn't your thing, maybe you'd be more interested in my reviews of Pirate Radio, The Messenger, A Christmas Carol and Treeless Mountain, which are also included.

'the men who stare at goats' and 'precious' reviews

For my latest Consumables column, I take a look at The Men Who Stare at Goats, Precious and Paranormal Activity. Plus, I heap praise on an album that came out in March that I'm still loving, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' It's Blitz!

'antichrist' review

Once you've read Roger Ebert's dead-on-the-money take on Lars von Trier's Antichrist, perhaps you'd like to head over to my Consumables column, where I review Antichrist, Where the Wild Things Are, A Serious Man, (Untitled), and 35 Shots of Rum.

'the damned united' and 'an education'

Two movies coming out today are based on true stories. But while An Education can't fully escape conventionality, The Damned United totally rethinks the sports movie. Both movies are featured in my latest Consumables column, which also includes reviews of The Informant!, Still Walking, Beeswax, and the criminally underrated Julia.

inglourious basterds review

Inglourious Basterds continues my streak of recent Quentin Tarantino films that do very little for me. I review it in the latest Consumables column, and I also say a few words about Funny People, Amreeka, Lorna's Silence, Humpday and Steely Dan's recent live show.

the hurt locker, and the los angeles film festival

I'm not due for another Consumables column for about a week, but I've seen so much good stuff lately that I decided to publish the new one now. I review The Hurt Locker, The Girl From Monaco and Soul Power, but the real highlights are the three movies included in the Los Angeles Film Festival's "Films That Got Away" series: Musica Nocturna, United Red Army and especially The Silence Before Bach.

transformers: revenge of the fallen review

Remember when Michael Bay made good movies? That's a serious question, one I try my best to ponder while reviewing Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in Consumables. Also, I spotlight Up, Seraphine, Whatever Works, Cheri, and Moon.