After finally hitting wide release, this latest depiction of the Iraq “war” delivers one of the most exhilarating films of the year.

Led by an amazing performance by Jeremy Renner and sharp direction by Kathryn Bigelow, you aren’t so much shown a day in the life of a bomb defusal unit, as you are dragged through it whether you like it or not.  Speaking of which, after briefly looking around the theater, I can’t remember the last time I saw so many people lurched forward, eyes locked on the images on the screen, literally sitting on the edge of their seats.

It’s difficult to pinpoint a plot to the film as it’s more of a visual diary, showcasing the emotions of soldiers on the front lines, as well as the inner demons that come with the jarring imagery and choices they make every day.  Will (Brenner) is the new addition to a team and does things his way, which never really gels with Sanborn (played by Anthony Mackie).  He’s a wild man that gets the job done, but with a price as he feels like it’s the only thing that gives his life meaning.

Whenever he’s hovering over a bomb examining the components, the sequences are often tightly shot and you are brought as close to the action as possible.

It must be said that there is a degree of predictability during certain portions of the film, however it really didn’t take anything away from the package as a whole.  It was just a shame to see such obvious blemishes, as slight as they may have been, on an otherwise perfect slate.

SYNOPSIS : An incredibly intense and at times humorous look at the lives of a group of special team soldiers, one of which likes to live on the edge and shows you the repercussions of his actions.  There are predictable scenes from time to time, but you will be glued to the screen waiting to see how Will (Renner) gets himself out of his  current jam.

After finally finding a theater playing this nearby (a total of 3 in all of Ontario it seems), I did not hesitate to get out and see what I thought was going to be one of the best movies of the year.

Well, I was not disappointed.

Every minute of this epic oozed sci-fi goodness, made even better with an incredible score by none other than Clint Mansell (composer of one of the best soundtracks ever).  Duncan Jones made me feel as if I were right there alongside Sam Bell on the Lunar Industries station, with a set and effects rivaling those of films with MUCH higher budgets (Moon reportedly cost $5 million to make).  By using models and limiting special effects, it makes some of the shots even more impressive.

Sam Rockwell pulled off what might be one of the best performances I’ve seen in years. I’ve always liked him, even if he did pull off an average Zaphod Beeblebrox.  Kevin Spacey, as the voice of GERTY, did as good a job as you can expect voicing a robot with limited facial expressions.

The film quickly turns when Sam crashes one of the lunar rovers into a harvester unit and is knocked unconscious.  Upon his revival, he ventures out to see what had happened, however upon arriving at the scene of the accident notices a body in the crashed rover which is  eerily similar to his own.  Inevitably, Sam has a handful of questions, none of which GERTY is authorized, or programmed, to provide answers to.  The film takes on a mystery-thriller aspect at this point and it is where the striking resemblance to 2001 : A Space Odyssey is clearly apparent.

As far as science fiction films go, this is easily one of the best of the last decade.  Any true fan of film owes it to themselves to see this original masterpiece.

Synopsis : A fantastic first effort by Duncan Jones and another stellar performance by Sam Rockwell, perhaps one of his best.  Even if you aren’t a fan of sci-fi, the atmosphere and performances will keep you glued to the screen and with the rumour of a trilogy in the works, I couldn’t be happier.

Sure, everyone’s heard of Blu-ray and seen the players at Best Buy and of course, heard the term HDTV thrown around.  What does high definition really mean though?  Ask most families and the results are rather frightening.  A study done in 2008 showed that nearly 75% of HDTV owners were unaware that in order to actually take advantage of their brand new $2000 purchase they would, in addition, require a source capable of delivering high definition content, such as HD movies, HD video games, or HD television.  Just ask my mother-in-law, who loved to watch the hockey game in wonderful 480i, stretched image across her brand new 50″ Samsung LCD.  *Shudder*

The recent, required transition to Digital TV has perhaps been an eye opening experience for people used to plugging in their sets and simply flipping through the channels.  Is an additional box required in order to truly enjoy everything your HDTV set has to offer? Sure, why not?  The price is right, with most companies offering rental of units at very reasonable prices, sometimes for no fee at all.  Blu-ray players are dropping in price rather fast, with good quality units available for $200 and Blu-ray movies available at nearly every store that carries DVDs.

Last but not least, there are videogame machines which are now doubling as HD content delivery machines.  Units are available such as the PlayStation 3 and most notably the XBOX 360, which apparentely is the most profitable source of HD movie content in the world.  Who would have ever thought?  The ability to ‘rent’ HD movies has become so easy thanks to the XBOX 360, it’s not really a big surprise.

Let’s hope the HD revolution (albeit a slow one) continues to grow and with the demand for HD content increasing, so must the quality of service.

What I watched today might be my favorite movie of the year, and it was a trailer!  Before I get ahead of myself though, I need to wait until I see Moon (starring Sam Rockwell) this Wednesday night at one of only TWO theaters in all of Ontario showing it.

District 9, starring…. no one really, looks phenomenal and has a very inventive plot.  The trailer does a great job of explaining what to expect, getting you excited, while still keeping a lot secret.

The movie is directed by first-time director Neill Blomkamp who has based it on his own short film, Alive in Joburg.  Amazingly, it’s out very soon, August 14th to be exact.  Since it’s not a sequel or ribald comedy, I’m sure no one will see it, so I urge everyone to go!

Ok, so 2009 hasn’t been the greatest year for film. It started out with a bang and a lot of promise, but has not lived up to the expectations. There have been a few gems : Star Trek, Coraline, The Hangover, Drag Me To Hell, Pixar’s Up and to a lesser extent I Love You, Man. However, the list of stinkers is longer than you can imagine, with such shining examples as : Paul Blart Mall Cop, X-Men Origins : Wolverine, Fast & The Furious, Bride Wars, Land Of The Lost and I could go on and on.

So, my fingers and toes are crossed that the remainder of the year will wash the bad taste out of my mouth.  Here then, is a list of the movies scheduled for the rest of 2009 that I believe will offer the most entertainment for your hard earned bucks.  Some may currently in limited release, but wide release is what you’re looking at here.

The Hurt Locker : Wide Release Unknown

Public Enemies : July 1st

Miyazaki’s Ponyo : August 14th

Inglourious Basterds : August 21st

The Boat That Rocked : August 28th

Mike Judge’s Extract : September 4th

Shane Acker’s 9 : September 9th

Zombieland : October 9th

Where The Wild Things Are : October 16th

Avatar : December 18th

So little is still known about this film, but James Cameron seems to know what he’s doing. He has promised something earth shattering, something unique. Nothing is guaranteed, but at the very least, you will be entertained.

Sherlock Holmes : December 25th