Also in Limited Release:

Drama/Mex (IFC First Take) - Y Tu Mama Tambien's Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal are the executive producers of this Mexican film from Gerardo Naranjo consisting of two stories about moral ambiguity in the resort town of Acapulco. It opens at the IFC Center in New York on Friday.
Mini-Review (Coming Soon... I hope!)

Hula Girls (Viz Pictures) - Sang-il Lee's hit comedy set in 1965 Japan is based around the girls of an ailing mining town, who try to revive the town's fortune by building the country's first Hawaiian Village, although they have to learn to hula dance if they're going to fulfill their vision.The Japanese blockbuster which swept that country's Academy awards opens at The ImaginAsian in New York on Friday.

Interview (Sony Classics) - Steve Buscemi directs and stars in this remake of late Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh's film about a political journalist assigned to interview a shallow actress, played by Sienna Miller, in a night of drinking, bonding and conflict. After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, it will open in New York and L.A. this Friday.

Mini-Review: Driven by a really smart script and strong performances by one of the most unlikely film pairings in many years, you might wonder how much of the intelligence of the premise comes from Theo van Gogh's original film, but Steve Buscemi does a good job making what would have worked just as well as a stageplay work more cinematically than one might expect. He does an especially good job transplanting the awkward interview into a far more familiar setting, a Soho eatery and a Manhattan loft, making the way these two characters from different backgrounds connect far easier to believe. While Buscemi plays journalist Piers fairly consistently with his past roles, anyone who's had any doubts about Miller's abilities as an actress will be blown away by the amount of range she displays through her character's emotional rollercoaster of a ride, taking on the role of actress both while in character and out. The night-long conversation between the two offers so many unexpected twists and turns that it will keep you riveted despite its dialogue-heavy talking heads nature, and despite the obvious differences in age and background between them, you almost want to see Buscemi and Miller do more work together due the odd chemistry between that's on full display. If nothing else, this is a marked and promising step up for Buscemi as a filmmaker. Rating: 8/10

My Early Thoughts from Sundance

Interview with Sienna Miller

My Best Friend (IFC Films) – The latest from French filmmaker Patrice Leconte (Man on a Train) stars Daniel Auteuil (Caché, Aprez Vous) as a sleazy antiques dealer who needs to find himself a good friend in order to win a bet, tricking a cab driver named Bruno (Dany Boon) into taking on the role in order to do so. It opens in New York at the IFC Center and Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and in L.A. at the Landmark 12.

Mini-Review: A surprisingly whimsical offering from the eclectic Leconte that takes a high concept premise to often implausible heights of Hollywood silliness but remains enjoyable due to the performances by Auteuil and Boon as awkward acquaintances who normally would have nothing to do with each other. Auteuil has played the straight man in far too many similar movies like "Aprez Vous" and "The Valet" but Boon tones down the humor he displayed in the latter to create a poignant character that truly offsets Auteuil in brilliant fashion. Sure, it's somewhat predictable in where things might lead especially when the know-it-all Bruno finally fulfills his dream by getting onto a well known game show, forcing him to rely on his unlikely pal, but for the most part, the movie is so driven by the two main characters and the people around them that it never feels like things are being done merely for laughs. There's an undeniable truth to the film and how it's hard to make friends in big cities, and that often makes it a worthwhile experience, as does Leconte's brilliant eye for capturing Paris at its best. Rating: 7/10

Interview with Patrice Leconte

Shortcut to Happiness (Yari Film Group) - Finally seeing the light of day after literally years on the shelf, Alec Baldwin's directorial debut transplants Archibald MacLeigh's play "The Devil and Daniel Webster" into the New York literary world with a down and out writer played by Baldwin exchanging his soul with Anthony Hopkins' devil. After all that time sitting on the shelf, it's being released in Alberquerque NM, Columbus OH, Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Rochester NY and Ft. Meyers, so I guess you can consider this test marketing rather than an actual release.

Tekkonkinkreet (Destination Films) - This Japanese animated film adapted from Taiyo¯ Matsumoto's manga "Black and White" follows two orphan boys living in the city of Treasure Town, which is being fought over by the Yakuza and a trio of alien assassins. Directed by Michael Arias, the producer of one of the segments in "The Animatrix", it opens in New York and L.A. on Friday.

Mini-Review: You don't necessarily need to be a fan of Matsumoto's ultra-violent coming-of-age tale to appreciate the artistry that has gone into this adaptation, which starts a bit slow but ultimately wins you over with its sense of style and attention to detail, particularly in creating a vivid environment equal to some of Otomo's best. Although there's a lot of talking, especially in the early parts of the film, it's well-scripted and it quickly transitions into a ballet of colors and clever "camerawork" to recreate the fast-paced fight sequences from Matsumoto's comic. Ultimately it's a gorgeous film, full of emotion as it explores the relationship between these two orphaned brothers caught in a tough world where they need to find ways to survive, and it leads to a stunning finale that combines a variety of avant-garde art styles. This isn't an animated movie for those striving for kid-friendly realism, but it's a fine display of what can be done in hand-drawn and painted animation that still can't be done using computers. Rating: 8/10

Interview with director Michael Arias

Time (Lifesize Entertainment) - Eccentric Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-Duk (9-Iron, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring) creates a strange romantic thriller based around a woman who becomes obsessed with plastic surgery, changing her face after breaking up with her boyfriend, and then reconnecting with him as a different woman.

Mini-Review Kim Ki-Duk's odd ideas tend to be an acquired taste, and while this one has many funny moments and a couple creepy ones, its inability to decide whether it's a dark comedy or a serious dramatic thriller is what ultimately keeps it from paying off. You certainly might wonder what the filmmaker was thinking, as it opens with a graphic bit of plastic surgery then introduces the dysfunctional couple at the center of what might have been Mr. Kim's warped attempt at doing romantic comedy. It's quickly obvious that Ji-Woo's girlfriend is quite crazy and after she breaks up with him, convinced she's not pretty enough for him, she disappears from his life and gets her face completely changed, leaving him heartbroken. Only when a mysterious new woman enters his life does Ji-Woo start to get over his ex, but she seems to be nearly as crazy. (Gee, I wonder why.) The strong performance by Jung-Woo Has as Ji-Woo aside, this is such a strange premise for a film and it just gets nuttier as it goes along, ultimately creating what seems like an impossible to grasp plot loop. This is another weird one from Mr. Kim, which might have even the most diehard fans of his visionary filmmaking scratching their heads, but it's also a strong indictment on why crazy people shouldn't be allowed to get plastic surgery. You hear that, Hollywood? Rating: 6/10