If I could travel back in time, I would urge more folks to see MOON, Duncan Jones‘ debut, hard sci-fi feature that melded the cinematic sensibilities of Peter Hyams and Tarkovsky. MOON is far superior and thoughtful entertainment to movies made with twenty times the budget. Today, I needn’t bend the space-time continuum as Duncan’s second movie, SOURCE CODE plays in theaters and you can see it on the big screen without altering the course of history… Other than the director’s own.

Duncan Jones bellies up to The High Bar to discuss SOURCE CODE, second chances and the very nature of… existence.

Duncan Jones bellies up to The High Bar to discuss SOURCE CODE, second chances and the very nature of… existence.

ABOUT ELLY  (d. Asghar Farhadi)  Whether or not Iran is a terrorist state is inconsequential; the country regularly produces the best foreign films. Proof that censorship is the true mother of invention. 

ADAM  (d. Max Mayer)  Finally, a feature that tackles Asperger’s respectfully rather than as a Lifetime disease-of-the-week. 

ART & COPY  (d. Doug Pray)  Like Mad Men? Don’t believe the hype, get the facts in this artful doc about the advertising world… in the 60s.

BLACK DYNAMITE  (d. Scott Sanders) A parody of blaxploitation flicks using my fave, THREE THE HARD WAY, as its “source material.”

BURMA VJ — REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY  (d. Anders Hogsbro Ostergaard)  The revolution may not be televised, but this uprising was captured bravely by new world media.

THE CONVERSATION  (d. Francis Ford Coppola)  One of the 10 Best Films… EVER. Gene Hackman. John Cazale. Brilliant!

THE COVE  (d. Louie Psihoyos)  Just when dolphins thought it was safe to stay in the water, Richard Barry reveals they have more to fear than tuna nets. 

EVERY LITTLE STEP  (d. James D. Stern & Adam Del Deo) One singular sensation, this meta-doc pulls back to encompass both the origins of A CHORUS LINE and its redefining revival.

FILM 1ST. a girl & a gun  (d. Gustav Deutsch)  It’s always worth checking out one experimental film and this mix of war footage and vintage porn promises to titillate if not make sense.

FOREVER ENTHRALLED  (d. Chen Kaige)  Some directors demand respect. 

GARBAGE DREAMS  (d. Mai Iskander)  Feeling sorry for yourself? Remember: life ain’t that bad. Compare yours to these Egyptian kids who, literally, spend their lives in the dumps.

THE HURT LOCKER  (d. Kathryn Bigelow)  Ms. Bigelow may be the most under-rated action director of our day. Glad to see her work back on screen. Note: this ought to be Jeremy Renner‘s breakout role.

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF LITTLE DIZZLE  (d. David Russo)  Seattle’s own David Russo is truly a film ARTIST, someone who understands how to use the visual medium for the greatest possible impact. Bonus: watch a man birth a fish out his butt! 

INJU, THE BEAST IN THE SHADOW  (d. Barbet Schroeder)  An erotic mystery thriller from the man who made REVERSAL OF FORTUNE, SINGLE WHITE FEMALE and BARFLY… count me in!

MACHAN  (d. Uberto Pasolini)  A Sri Lankan comedy about international handball competition? Either way, this should prove memorable and, possibly, hilarious. 

MANHOLE CHILDREN  (d. Yoshio Harada)  This documentary makes GARBAGE DREAMS play like a Disney flick.

MESRINE: A FILM IN TWO PARTS  (d. Jean-Francois Richet) Forget PUBLIC ENEMIES. This four-hour French bio-pic tracks the titular career criminal’s rise to the country’s Most Wanted. #1… with many bullets.

THE MISSING PERSON  (d. Noah Buschel)  Michael Shannon was Oscar®-nominated for his performance in REVOLUTIONARY ROAD. See, again, why he may be America’s most undersung actor.

MOON  (d. Duncan Jones)  Sam Rockwell stars in a sci-fi thriller that seems to owe a debt to Rod Serling, SOLARIS and SILENT RUNNING. 

MORRIS: A LIFE WITH BELLS ON  (d. Lucy Akhurst)  Silly mockumentary belittles Brit twits who get their hanky-waving groove on. MORRIS (sur)passes A MIGHTY WIND.

PAPER HEART  (d. Nicholas Jasenovec)  Charlene Yi is a very funny lady. I’d watch her do anything. So why not take in this pseudo-documentary love trip with her equally adorable (and adored?) cohort, Michael Cera.

SCHOOL DAYS WITH A PIG  (d. Tetsu Maeda)  After watching FOOD, INC. you might want to review the joyful Japanese SCHOOL DAYS for a reminder of some of the more basic moral quandaries regarding our carnivorousness.