^ Good list.
I just got through with the new Will Smith movie Seven Pounds and personally noticed a lot of parallels between it and the movie for which this thread was created. Starting to see a theme among what will likely be the big awards contenders for the year... I will actually go ahead and give Seven Pounds my seal of approval as a serviceable Hollywood 'inspirational melodrama.'
Woody Allen's latest Vicky Cristina Barcelona is another movie I watched recently and thought was fantastic - Allen's in top form for writing on this one and despite Scarlet Johansson bringing the movie down at points the film is carried by two outstanding perfromances by Javier Bardem (from No Country; he really is a terrific actor) and the other female lead - whose character is so steeped in Allen-isms it really is a treat to watch; Penelope Cruz is also quite good here. This may in fact be my top choice for the year (in what IMO has been a rather lean year).
I also recommend the Neil Labute movie Lakeview Terrace that came and went rather quietly earlier this fall. It is a supercharged pseudo-thriller that benefits from strong turns by Sam Jackson and his counterpart Patrick Wilson (who has been very good in similar fare like Little Children); Labute ramps up the tension and manages to make a thought-provoking dynamic of some contrasting socio-political themes (that in my esteem are a little heavier than one would expect in a film like this, which may be part of the reason why people stayed away).
From earlier in the year I thoroughly enjoyed Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which is hindered in some ways by a rather preposterous premise (relatively unattractive dude goes from dating one superhot girl to finding love with another babe while he's still mourning in the aftermath of being dumped by the last one), but is saved by great, funny performances by all, some creative running jokes, and a realistic approach to character dynamics to make up for any absurdity in the premise.
As far as summer blockbusters go I rather liked the latest take on The Incredible Hulk (as a counterpoint to the deservedly well-received Iron Man) which was a lot easier to swallow than the overwrought Ang Lee version of a few years back. The movie employs a simple storytelling approach and doesn't bog you down with too much detail; also, any movie featuring Tim Roth as a bad guy is going to have at least some saving grace.
I'm working on my usual end-of-year list but I have a few more movies to get through yet. I may start a thread for it at some point in the near future...
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