HAMLET 2

, 92 min, 2008

Director: Andrew Fleming
Writers: Pam Brady & Andrew Fleming (written by)
Stars: Steve Coogan, Elisabeth Shue, Catherine Keener

Andrew Fleming’s Hamlet 2 is a wicked, absurd comedy that isn’t so much politically incorrect as just plain wrong – by which I mean perfectly right.

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VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

, 96 min, 2008

Director: Woody Allen
Writer: Woody Allen
Stars: Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, Javier Bardem

Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a sensual, bittersweet dramedy that has all the dramatic heft of a feather and yet is utterly absorbing to watch.

TROPIC THUNDER

, 107 min, 2008

Director: Ben Stiller
Writers: Justin Theroux (screenplay) & Ben Stiller (screenplay) and Etan Cohen (screenplay), Ben Stiller (story) & Justin Theroux (story)

Stars: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr.

Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder, a curious, odd, and often very funny satire of Hollywood egos, big budget action films, and the Vietnam War, is somehow slightly less than the sum of its parts. That being said, the parts add up to enough to highly recommend it.

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS

, 111 min, 2008

Director: David Gordon Green
Writers: Seth Rogen (screenplay) & Evan Goldberg (screenplay), Judd Apatow (story) and Seth Rogen (story) & Evan Goldberg (story)

Stars: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Gary Cole

David Gordon Green’s Pineapple Express is among the absolute funniest films of this or any year. In its sheer manic zeal, a zaniness beyond description, and with a full-on ridiculous action plot somehow made believable by exaggerated yet oddly realistic characters, it manages to be that ultra-rare thing: a pot comedy that’s smart and funny.

BRIDESHEAD REVISITED

, 133 min, 2008

Director: Julian Jarrold
Writers: Andrew Davies and Jeremy Brock (written by), Evelyn Waugh (novel)
Stars: Matthew Goode, Patrick Malahide, Hayley Atwell

Julian Jarrold’s Brideshead Revisited is a sumptuous, would-be brilliant literary adaptation, a period epic, a sudsy melodrama and a tale of forbidden romances.

FROZEN RIVER

, 97 min, 2008

Director: Courtney Hunt
Writer: Courtney Hunt
Stars: Melissa Leo, Misty Upham, Charlie McDermott

Courtney Hunt’s Frozen River is a slice of life with thriller elements that is as harrowing, involving and believable as they come. It centers on two remarkable performances, neither one of which would exist without the other.