OUR FAMILY WEDDING (USA 2010) **
Directed by Rick Famuyiwa

A different take on the GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER comedy in which the bride and groom are Mexican and African American instead of white and black, the Mexican and African American jokes runs out of steam as does the one idea film really fast.  And when the bride’s father says at the restaurant: “I’ll be black,” when he leaves the table, there is a slight uneasiness that slight racism has already gone a bit farther than expected.

CACTUS (Australia 2008) ***
Directed by Jasmine Yuen Carrucan

A man, Eli (David Lyons) is kidnapped by John (Travis McMahon) and taken on a road trip in the Australian outback to an unknown destination.  The reason for the kidnapping is revealed only after half the film has elapsed. 

ALICE IN WONDERLAND (USA 2010) ****
Directed by Tim Burton

Those familiar with the Lewis Carroll books will be surprised to note when viewing Tim Burton’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND, that quite the few liberties have been taken with the classic tale.  For one Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is now a teenager.  But the tactic works for two reasons – the film is more adult and the fantasy magic is left intact especially with familiar characters like the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the Cheshire Cat (Alan Rickman) and the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen).

UN PROPHETE (France 2009) ***** Top 10
Directed by Jacques Audiard

UN PROPHETE (A PROPHET) is a powerful and moving portrait of Malik (Tahar Rahim), a nobody serving 6-year imprisonment for the beating up of a cop. 

BROOKYLN’S FINEST (USA 2009) **
Directed by Antonio Faqua

Director Antonio Fuqua gets more ambitious in the familiar cop/hood/drug territory of TRAINING DAY with BROOKLYN’S FINEST.  The film tells three separate tales of 3 of the city’s cops with an ending that calls for the three to converge on a common location for the climax.