I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the subtext here.

The Movie: The Night Listener, directed by Patrick Stettner
Recommendation: Nobody!
Reason: I was vaguely aware of this movie when it was quietly released, and I was interested in Toni Collette's other work after seeing Little Miss Sunshine.

This film was a good way to pass some time. I can't really give it overwhelming praise, but it was a good, understated movie that was perhaps a little shallow for its subject matter. The search for identity and truth amidst the turmoil of the loss of a relationship is great fodder for a film of depth. Unfortunately, through either the scripting or the direction, The Night Listener simply didn't reach far enough.

Robin Williams was incredibly low-key in this film, so restrained, in fact, that he was almost unrecognizable. That's a good thing, because he managed to be believable, intelligent and sympathetic. Toni Collette on the other hand, was a mess. I don't just refer to the situation of her character, more to the misuse of her presence. She's a good actress, very solid as we've seen in Little Miss Sunshine. I don't believe she was given good direction here.

The pacing of the film was a little off too. With so much time spent on the 'opening', so to speak, the real meat of the story was left off to the bitter end. The result came across a little anemic. However, it did have its good points. The subtlety with which the relationship between Noone and Jess was treated was excellent. The 'investigation' Noone undertakes was realistic and made some degree of sense. Sandra Oh's character was a bright spot of interest. The film wasn't all weak, but it wasn't strong, either.

-156/365 down, 209/365 to go

He could've been a contender.

The Movie: Man of the Year, directed by Barry Levinson
Recommendation: Broomie.
Reason: Broomie had heard that this movie was really funny. We think he was hallucinating again.

Man of the Year sprouts from a popular 'what if' story. What if Bill Maher ran for president? Or Jon Stewart? Or Stephen Colbert? Would they win? Would anyone even vote for them? Gosh that sounds like it would have been a funny movie. Too bad Man of the Year just didn't hit the mark. When it tried to be funny, it wasn't funny enough. When it tried to be thrilling, everyone wondered what the hell happened to the funny. When it went for drama, people thought the funny had come back. The thing was a train wreck, and why? MARKETING.

This movie was marketed as a comedy. Not just any comedy, but a screwball comedy. Like so many other movies that have been sold as something they aren't, Man of the Year was betrayed by the people who were selling it. People went in expecting Jon Stewart-esque sarcasm and soundbites, Bill Maher rants, Stephen Colbert blind patriotism. Man of the Year was none of those things. While it had its solid points, none of them were what the audience was expecting.

And as much as I hate to say this...Robin Williams needs to take a break. He seems to be doing two to four movies a year, with only one or two of them being any good. In fact I'm pretty sure the last time I was really impressed was him was in 2002's Insomnia. I just think he's somehow losing his touch with movies. Maybe he's just looking for a new angle, I'm not sure. I'll keep my fingers crossed for him, I guess.

-122/365 down, 243/265 to go