With the end of summer and the start of festival season upon us, it is time for another edition of “MOVIES WE WATCHED.” Note our new logo, which now located in the top-bar of social media thingamajigs. Find all of the microcapsule reviews and thoughts on what the Row Three contributors have been watching but not necessarily writing up a full entry. Below is a sampling from the last fortnight:

Shadows and Fog (1992) 4.5/5
I didn’t know anything about this film when I started watching it, other than it was a Woody Allen film. Based on the title, I think I expected it to be serious and dark, something along the lines of Interiors. Instead, it’s a sharply hilarious and very lovely film, owing more to German Expressionism, Fellini, and maybe Godard than anything else. A psychokiller is on the loose, and a bunch of men have “a plan” to deal with it, part of which involves Kleinman (Allen), a mousy neurotic who never finds out what his part in “the plan” even is, though he’s told time and again how serious it is. The way this plan and the group of vigilantes gets more and more splintered and yet nothing is really explained is kind of a background running joke as the second plot takes over. That plot involves circus performers Irmy and Paul (Mia Farrow and John Malkovich), who fight over their relationship, leading Irmy to take refuge in a prostitution house, where she eventually meets Kleinman. It’s got all the biting dialogue and philosophical angst you expect from an Allen film, plus some of the most beautiful high-contrast black and white cinematography I’ve ever seen. – JANDY

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984) 4.5/5
An early Hayao Miyazaki animed feature that informs all of his later ‘epic’ works (in particular, his master work, Princess Mononoke) . Flying machines, environmental devastation, girl heroine and complicated political structure are balanced with whimsical and romantic elements as princess Nausicaä struggles to understand the poison forest while dealing with two warring people. Disney restored this film for North American audiences a few years ago (and fanboys everywhere retired their bootleg VHS tapes) including a solid new voice track featuring Uma Thurman, Patrick Stewart, Chris Sarandon, Edward James Olmos, Alison Lohman and Shia LaBeouf. -KURT

O.C. and Stiggs (1985) 0.5/5
Going in, I was well aware of the miserable reputation that O.C. and Stiggs had built up for itself over the years, but being a fan of all things Altman (I count McCabe & Mrs. Miller and Nashville among my 10 favorite films of all time), I knew I had to get around to this one sooner or later. Having now seen it, I can state without reserve that its reputation is well earned. O.C. and Stiggs is not just a bad movie, it’s a flat-out miserable experience. Bolstered by two main characters who are much more annoying than witty (in fact, they’re not witty at all), not to mention the most one-dimensional group of supporting characters I’ve seen in a long time, O.C. and Stiggs is pathetic, forced, unfunny, and about a dozen or so other adjectives to define futility. O.C. and Stiggs is a terrible movie, and the fact that it was directed by Robert Altman makes it a jaw-droppingly terrible one. It is a steaming pile of shit. – DAVE

The Soloist (2009) 3/5
Having now watched it, it is strange that people were at one point mumbling Oscars for this. It is a very well acted and a decent (if forgettable) movie, but not even close to spectacular, like early hype had suggested. -JONATHAN

Trick ‘R Treat (2008) 3/5
After nearly 2 years of sitting on the shelf at Warner Brothers, throw-back horror hommage Trick ‘R’ Treat has been seeing the light of day (or the dark of night) at film festivals before an eventual Halloween 2009 release. Basically this is just Creepshow with a bigger budget and more childish stories. Yet a novel structural device, namely having all stories play out simultaneously and overlap in a fractured time-line keep things fresh and interesting even as you discover the film is not even remotely ’scary.’ Brian Cox, Anna Paquin and Dylan Baker headline three of the four stories giving this thing some star power to go with the high production values. But this is essentially a childrens film with a fair share of T&A, gore, violence and swearing. Cut it back to PG and you’d have a great ‘flash-light-on-the-face’ campfire story. -KURT

The Forbidden Door (2009) 3.5/5
Indonesia genre cinema is on the rise, and leading the pack is Joko Anwar. Here he tackles gender issues, parenting, the art-world, personal success and the myriad pressures and responsibilities that go along with all of the above. Mind games, handsome (and gory) set-pieces and a fascinating window into the mind in the form of a private TV station called Herosase keep audiences always one step behind the creepy plot. -KURT

Rough Cut (2008) 4/5
As high gloss commercial South Korean pictures go, Rough Cut is a bit of a misnomer. Penned and produced by art-house favourite Kim Ki Duk, I am happy to learn that the bleak, often mysognynist auteur both has a sense of humour and god-forbid a romantic soft-spot, or at least a willingness to please a general audience. And the icing on this particular cake is the fact that it is smart and witty (although not particularly deep). A Kim Ki Duk crowd-pleaser? You find something new and weird every day. -KURT