Thoughtful reviews, the Boulder film scene

Betty Blue

There can be beauty in tragedy, particularly when the key ingredient is the same in both —Marty Mapes (review...)

Betty arrives like a bolt from the Blue

" I know a guy married the same dame 3 times then turned around and married her aunt "
— William Demarest, The Lady Eve

MRQE Top Critic

Sponsored links

Welcome to Movie Habit’s coverage of the 2005 Starz Denver International Film Festival.

The festival runs from November 10 through November 20. Their official site has schedules and ticketing. Or check their calendar view to see what’s playing today.

You won’t find recommendations or opinions there. For those, you should come right here to Movie Habit.

We will be posting coverage almost daily during the festival. To see what’s new, bookmark any DIFF 2005 page on Movie Habit and check the sidebar at the right (“DIFF 2005”). The list of stories will grow as we add our coverage.

Thanks for reading, and check back often!

Essays & Interviews

Movies

Below is a summary of our likes and dislikes so far.

Recommended Skippable
  • Absolut: If Eternal Sunshine didn’t have Charlie Kaufman and a big budget, it might have looked like Absolut
  • Backseat: Good acting, a clever soundtrack, sharp dialogue, and unexpected situations
  • Ears, Open. Eyeballs, Click. Portrait of soldiers-in-training tells a story without interviews or narration
  • A Good Woman: Fast-moving and light on its feet, as any Oscar Wilde adaptation should be
  • In Memory of My Father: Jaymes and his castmates nail the characters and the dialogue
  • Laura Smiles: Sharp, clever, realistic dialogue is complemented by Wright’s beautiful performance
  • Satellite: High-concept, low-budget drama has reckless and endearing romance and idealism
  • Ants in the Mouth: The acting, rather than the story, makes this thriller worthwhile
  • Bittersweet Place: An unexplainable character break is one of many different “Huh?!” moments
  • Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action: Improves as it goes, but too often resorts to sloppy reasoning and appeals to historical victimhood
  • MonsterThursday: The big Norwegian surfing competition is coming; disturbances in the air and between lovers
  • Stolen Life: Females are presented positively, while male characters are all out to destroy our protagonist
  • A Stranger of Mine: Three stories eventually intertwine in a complex, funny web; a better film would start much stronger
  • The Undeserved: One could almost call it flawless, but it’s still not an easy movie to recommend
  • The Unseen: Recent films capture the soul and pace of the South; this one seems only to capture the stereotypes
  • The World’s Fastest Indian: Anthony Hopkins plays his usual self; and he’s good; but it’s all this movie has to offer