Date: December 18
Location: Landmark Art Cinema (Atlanta)

I returned to the excellent midtown Atlanta theater where I saw Pan’s Labyrinth about a year ago to catch Todd Haynes’ unique Bob Dylan biopic. I wish South Florida had a theater like this, with big posters of classic films in the lobby, eight large screens showing indie fare, employees and patrons you can just tell are film lovers. If I ever get a big-money job offer in Atlanta, this movie theater will be a check in the ‘pro’ column.

The film is fascinating and often transcendent. It’s an art film in the truest sense of the word — eschewing simple things like plot and narrative in favor of a scattered exploration of the “many lives” of Bob Dylan. This is the kind of movie ensemble awards are made for… all the actors are terrific, with Cate Blanchett and young Marcus Carl Franklin the standouts. Tying everything together is Dylan’s music, used to tremendous effect from fade in to fade out. Not every scene is successful, but so much of the film works so well that it easily ranks among the year’s best.

Date: December 15
Location: Regal South Beach

One thing is made abundantly clear by this lush adaptation of Ian McEwan’s celebrated novel — director Joe Wright is one of the brightest new talents working in film today. His Pride & Prejudice was my top film of 2005 and here he ups the ante — hitting the same grace notes, moving his camera in even grander fashion. Ultimately, though, Atonement falls a bit short of his masterful debut.

This is an extremely difficult novel to adapt, and screenwriter Christopher Hampton is up to the task — he fully deserves his likely Oscar nomination. The opening hour, set in the Tallis family estate, is flawlessly executed — with shifts in time and perspective that ratchet up the drama and suspense while driving home the film’s underlying theme. The film’s second half branches to follow the three main characters’ lives in wartime. The focus is mainly on the young man’s experiences in Dunkirk, and it is here that Wright stages a scene that’s been mentioned in every review of the film — a 6-minute Steadicam shot capturing the madness of war. It’s a shot for the ages, and a highlight of the film.

My one complaint is that the film feels a bit too short. I wanted more of the Tallis sisters’ experiences during the second half — what’s there is extraordinary, but a little more would have made the movie’s strong ending even more powerful. That criticism aside, though, this is a wonderful achievement and one of the year’s best films.

Date: December 14
Location: Movies at Delray

I saw this at a trashy little old-school movie theater in Delray Beach, probably days before it disappears from screens altogether, and I’m so glad I did. Definitely among my favorite films of the year, this story about a Boston private eye investigating a kidnapping resonates both as a suspense yarn and a morality tale. Ben Affleck does teriffic work in his directorial debut — he blows away master Clint Eastwood, whose overrated Mystic River is by far the lesser Dennis Lehane adaptation. And Casey Affleck does his best work (unless he tops it in the Jesse James flick) as the young private eye whose inner strength trumps his inexperience. My only minor complaint is of the “I wish it were longer” variety — Michelle Monaghan’s character clearly has a backstory that I wish had been explored. Like No Country for Old Men, this film has me heading to the bookstore for the source material.

Date: December 13
Location: Regal Delray Beach

I’m sorry to say I was disappointed with this film, in part because I had such high expectations going in. It’s beautifully acted (Philip Seymour Hoffman is Oscar-worthy once again) and spins a nice web of suspense, but ultimately is just doesn’t hold together. The time-shifting, multiple-perspective narrative sets you up for a payoff that never comes — ultimately it seems the complex plotting is there to mask the fact that this is really just a film about a heist gone bad. I didn’t buy into some of the family dynamics, particularly those dealing with Albert Finney’s underwritten character. Big points, though, for Marisa Tomei, who keeps getting sexier as she gets older. She spends much of the film in various states of undress, and does some fine acting to boot.

Date: December 1
Location: AMC Sunset Place

Alex and I cashed in a free Moviewatcher ticket and chose this sweet, though flawed, romantic comedy. The film rests on the shoulders of Steve Carell, and he delivers big time. In a performace much closer to his Little Miss Sunshine sad-sack than The Office‘s Michael Scott, Carell delivers both the laughs and the heartache. As with La Vie en Rose, the film itself doesn’t live up to its lead performance — plot contrivances and movie-quirky situations weigh things down. But this is a hard movie to criticize… it makes you laugh and pulls your heart strings (and even features a nice little Elvis Costello cover). Just fine for a free movie on date night.