Disasters, Both Literal and Figurative

As you can see, Lisbeth got the memo on how to dress appropriately for the Oscars ...It’s Friday, and you know what that means — another review roundup! And here we go …

Aftershock“: It’s being marketed as a disaster movie, and it does open with a pretty spectacular earthquake sequence, but Feng Xiaogang’s TIFF 2010 entry quickly develops into an insightful melodrama about post-traumatic stress and survivor guilt. Heavy going, but worth the effort.

Best Worst Movie“: Michael Paul Stephenson, child star of the cinematic atrocity men call “Troll 2”, explores the ironic hipster cult that’s sprung up around the movie in this intermittently engaging but somewhat unfocused documentary, which The Royal has booked in a double-bill with “Troll 2” itself tonight and tomorrow. You have been warned.

“The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest”: The worldwide literary phenomenon — as distributor Alliance Films never tires of reminding me — returns to the screen once more with this adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s third and final Lisbeth Salander book. Susan and Kieran are equally unimpressed this time around.

“Handsome Harry”: Jamey Sheridan is a likeable actor whose career has been stymied by a bunch of undistinguished supporting roles — and, quite possibly, his spending several years on a “Law & Order” spinoff. So I’m encouraged to see him turn up as a leading man (of sorts) in this indie drama, which Susan says is quite good.

Inside Job“: Charles Ferguson’s documentary explains the global economic crisis in simple, despairing terms. You will not like what you see and hear, and that’s the point. (I wish I’d had a few minutes to talk to narrator Matt Damon about this during the “Hereafter” junket; I’d have asked him how many times they had to stop recording because he was choking up with rage.)

“Saw 3D”: The seventh film in the sado-porn franchise gains an extra dimension with which to titillate the sado-porn audience — and charge a couple extra bucks per ticket. But it still won’t be as pricey as that time I paid twelve pounds to see “Saw VI” in Leicester Square …

Tamara Drewe“: Stephen Frears adapts Posy Simmonds adapting Thomas Hardy for a pastoral roundelay that — despite fine work from Gemma Arterton, Roger Allam, Dominic Cooper and the frankly amazing Tamsin Grieg — feels like it should be a lot more satisfying than it actually is.

Winnebago Man“: YouTube star Jack Rebney’s refusal to enjoy his own infamy is the best example of pop-cultural pushback I’ve seen since Jon Stewart told Tucker Carlson he wasn’t going to be his monkey. But Ben Steinbauer doesn’t know what to do with it, resulting in this flaccid documentary.

You Don’t Like the Truth: 4 Days in Guantanamo“: You know how some documentaries cover subjects so important that they should just be in 24-hour rotation on CBC? Well, this documentary — about Canada’s shameful co-operation with the United States in the torture and detention of Omar Khadr — is one of those. (Conservative knee-jerkers preparing to froth about terrorist-coddling in the comments: See the movie, then go fuck yourselves.)

Oh, and if the Khadr doc isn’t enough of a nightmare, there’s still all the Halloween stuff screening in town this weeknd. Really, that’s plenty for anyone.