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Sparrow is a weird little movie. It's an obvious pet project by director Johnnie To that moves in its own breezy rhythm, no doubt an aftereffect of its lax shooting style. Over a period of three years, To and his tight crew—which includes usual faces like Simon Yam and Lam Ka Tung—would shoot scenes for Sparrow in-between their big projects. It's obvious that it's not one of To's best, but it's a very loose and fun film nonetheless.

Bleak. Engrossing. Heartbreaking. Powerful. The Road is an unrelenting look at the end of the world, using it to discuss the best and worst of what humans are capable of.

It's tempting to call it depressing on a surface level, but of course, the point is the opposite, highlighting the human spirit and perseverance. It drains you, but leaves hope untouched—it's just hidden beneath one of the saddest parenting stories you'll ever see. A must-see film that's frighteningly reflective.

There aren’t many good movies involving the Iraq war. Though most are well-intentioned, The Messenger is only the second well-made one. Having death messengers as its characters, it powerfully deals with loss, grief and the disillusionment of patriotism.

Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson are perfect in their roles. Presenting scene after scene of wailing parents, the film helps us understand how one eventually get used to war casualty, and how maddening that is.

Having known quite a few "aspiring directors," I noticed that often what kills the potential of so many talented and creative people is the failure to follow through on a project. They could learn a thing or two from the subject of this very entertaining documentary. Emily Haggins was a 10-year-old girl (now 16) who—perhaps against better judgment—decided to write and direct a zombie feature film. We see her  try to make the ambitious Pathogen in her hometown of Austin; with schoolwork, budgeting and scheduling middle schoolers as actors being constant setbacks—a perseverance that's really impressive no matter how you slice it.

How much is your education worth? Nick Hornby's script has impressionable characters and sharp dialogue, but raises compelling dilemmas, then cops out of answering the questions raised. After a flawless first half, the story deteriorates.

Disappointing, considering the strong performances. Alfred Molina's fantastic, and it's always nice to see Olivia Williams even if I already have a weekly fix of her, though it's Carey Mulligan that's deserving every praise her way as the brilliant up-and-comer.

Though "inspiring" in an Oprah Book Club kind of way, what's most impressive about Precious is that it's not unintentionally hilarious, which it had the potential to be.

The premise is extreme bordering on outlandish, throwing all kinds of harrowing conditions on Precious in absence of character work. There's a variation of schadenfreude at play—substitute laughs for sobs. It's just too designer-made to satisfy our morbid curiosity, too tearjerky with little else to go on.

The Mill Valley Film Festival opens tonight, filling the next 10 days with some of the most anticipated films of the rest of the year, as well as a selection of international films making its way to the Bay Area. In addition, the festival will also host the awarding of talents such as Woody Harrelson, Clive Owen, Uma Thurman, Jason Reitman and screen legend Anna Karina.

We'll have reviews coming in for the festival soon, but for the moment, here's a brief preview of what to look for.