Mini Reviews

I have seen a lot of movies that I haven't written about. Either I didn't have the time or didn't have very much to say. Looking back at my list, most of them fell on the mediocre scale, but here are a few mini reviews for the bigger releases I missed as well as two movies that might make it on to my Best and Worst lists.

Horrible Bosses 2
Stars: Jason Bateman, Jason Sudekis, Charlie Day, Chris Pine, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Foxx
Plot: The three lovable goofballs from the first movie decide to go into business for themselves, but when a rich businessman steals their idea, they orchestrate the kidnapping of his spoiled son as payback.
Thoughts: Chris Pine is very pretty. I will never complain about having to look at him for two hours. Other than that, this is pretty much exactly what you would expect if you saw the first one - a ridiculous, sometime funny, sometime eye roll inducing comedy.
Grade: C+

Obvious Child
Stars: Jenny Slate
Plot: After a one night stand leads to an unwanted pregnancy, a New York City comic, who is kind of a mess, tries to figure out what to do with her life.
Thoughts: I heard so many good things about this movie, but it was a huge disappointment for me.  Does it want to be a romantic comedy for the hipster set? Does it want to be a quirky coming of age movie? Does it have to have so many sophomoric jokes? I'm sorry, but fart jokes are for 13 year old boys, not seemingly well educated people who get to write screenplays for a living.
Grade: D

Wild
Stars: Reese Witherspoon,  Laura Dern
Plot: After a divorce, a heroin addiction and the death of her mother, lost soul Cheryl Strayed decided to find herself by hiking the 1100 mile Pacific Crest Trail.
Thoughts: I absolutely loved the memoir on which this was based. The movie? Not so much. Don't get me wrong. It's incredibly well made with superb performances. I loved the flashback segments, but as much as I love me some Reese Witherspoon, I can only take a much of watching her walk and eat and try to put up a tent. It just all became a bit redundant after a while.
Grade: B

The Gambler
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Brie Larson, goddess of the world Jessica Lange
Plot: A college professor with a gambling addiction finds himself in way over his head when he owes extravagant amounts of money to three different scary loan shark types.
Thoughts: While I appreciate a good nihilistic lead character more than you can imagine, this movie never quite reached the sum of its parts. At times, it felt exciting and brilliant, and at others lazy and cliche. I read that this was originally going to be a Scorsese / DiCaprio project and I can't even imagine how good it could have been then. But I guess unlike our titular character,  those guys know when to walk away.
Grade: C+

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Stars: Martin Freeman, Orlando Bloom, Lee Pace, the exquisite cheekbones of Cate Blanchett
Plot: We are nearing the 9 hour mark and things are happening and there is a war and, honestly, I'm not that into it AND THEN BIRDS START DROPPING BEARS INTO THE FIGHT AND SHIT GETS REAL.
Thoughts: I have a love-hate relationship with The Hobbit movies that mostly leans toward the latter. I mean, I loved the second one as much as I hated the first one. The last in the trilogy (Fingers crossed) is mostly boring until the epic battle scene FINALLY starts. Somewhere in an alternate reality black hole bookshelf,  there is a really bad ass four hour / two movie version of The Hobbit that I'd like to see.
Grade: C-

Blue Ruin
Stars: Macon Blair
Plot: A drifter enacts revenge when the man who killed his family is released from prison.
Thoughts: The plot of this movie is as simple and straight forward as they come. There is probably about fifty sentences of dialogue in the while movie. The lead actor kind of has a Zach Galifianakis meets Nathan Lane thing going on. The director wears his love for the Coen Bros. firmly on his sleeve. And despite or because of all that, this is one of the best movies I have seen all year. It's a thrilling slow burn modern day masterpiece with a star who is so mesmerizing you can't even stand to blink. Why isn't Blair a huge star? Why isn't everyone every where talking about this movie all the time? I have no idea.
Grade: A

DVD Reviews

Time to get caught up with the movies from 2013 that I missed in theaters earlier this year. Well, "missed" is a relative term, I guess.

Parker
Starring: Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez
Plot: A con man / thief done wrong by a group he went in on a job with goes after said group to get revenge.
Thoughts: This is a pretty basic Jason Statham movie. That being said, if the script had been tighter or the direction a little more aspiring, it would have been a much better, cooler movie. I watch whatever movies I can from any given year so I have a well-rounded opinion of the best and worst at the end of the year. This was quite a bit better than I was expecting.
Grade: C-

Snitch
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jon Bernthal, Susan Sarandon, Barry Pepper
Plot: A business man becomes a crusader for the DEA when his son gets arrested for drug possession. In order to get him out of prison, he must deliver a much bigger fish.
Thoughts: Listen, I don't know if it's because I miss Bernthal (Shane) on The Walking Dead, or if The Rock is sort of my guilty plesaure (I find him mind-boggingly sexy and charming), but I actually sort of enjoyed this movie. It's not good, per se, but it is, at the very least, fun.
Grade: C+

Broken City
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jeffrey Wright, Kyle Chandler, Barry Pepper, James Ransone
Plot: An ex-cop turned private eye is hired by the mayor to prove his wife is cheating on him a few weeks before the re-election that he's losing.
Thoughts: The second movie in a row that I watched at home starring Barry Pepper in which he was the best thing in the cast. With all these heavy hitters in the cast (and actors I genuinely love - Chandler, Pepper, Ransone, Alona Tal), I thought that perhaps this movie fell through the cracks on my radar. How can all these people go so wrong?? (Confession: I watched this soley for James Ransone who was in it for approximately 4 minutes. Don't make the same mistake).
Grade: D+

Beautiful Creatures
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Alice Englert, Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Emma Thompson, Emmy Rossum
Plot: A witch, who has about three months before it is decided whether she will be a good witch or a bad witch, falls for a mortal before against the wishes of her cray-cray family.
Thoughts: Boy was this movie fun!! It's not good but at least it doesn't take itself as seriously as those Twilight movies. It sort of reminded me of Obsessed from a few years ago, a movie with which I was obsessed. (A character in this movie utters the line, "Stay away from my boyfriend, WITCH!"). Oh, it's so bad, it's good! But on a serious note, Ehrenreich makes the whole thing worth watching. He is going to be a star. He reminds me of a young Jack Nicholson, which his big grin and endless charm.
Grade: C+

Gangster Squad
Starring: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Mackie, Michael Pena, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte
Plot: In 1949 Los Angeles, a group of vigilante cops band together to take down mob kingpin Mickey Cohen.
Thoughts: Here is how I think this movie got such an enviable cast. Sean Penn gets the script and he reads the first five pages, right up until he says that he gets to say a line like, "I'm God so you might as well swear to me." He's pretty excited about this and fails to read the next hundred pages. Josh Brolin hears that Sean Penn signed on so he does as well. Ryan Gosling hears both Penn and Brolin are in this movie, and signs on as well. I'm convinced none of them actually read the script. This is a great role for Penn, who knocks it out of the park, but he's the only reason to watch this mess.
Grade: D+

Pain and Gain

Every once in a while, the perfect movie comes along for the perfect person. It happens with actors all the time. There are certain actors that you don't really think are particularly good until you see them in a certain role in a certain movie, and then you think, well, ok, now I get it. This can be said of just about any action star, but more specifically, an example that comes to mind is Ryan Phillippe. No one is convinced that he is the next Brando or DeNiro. But if you watch him in a movie like Cruel Intentions, you sort of understand. That role, that movie was perfect for him and his specific talents. If it can work like that for actors, then surely it can work like that for directors as well. Case in point - Michael Bay. Bay has long been one of my favorite punching bags. I think he makes a lot of big, stupid movies, all of which are getting less and less enjoyable to me as the years go by. But then came Pain and Gain, and with its over the top plot, shoot em out action sequences, and bevy of beautiful women, it's sort of the perfect movie for Bay. And somehow, maybe even accidentally, Bay managed to make a good movie, or at the very least, three-fourths of a good movie. Someone on Twitter managed to call this movie Michael Bay's Pulp Fiction, and while I don't quite think this is THAT good, I can admit that Pain and Gain is highly enjoyable.

Pain and Gain follows the outrageous true story of the Sun Gym Gang from the mid 90's in Miami, Florida. The main characters Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg), Adrian (Anthony Mackie) and Paul Doyle (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson)are a group of body builders / personal trainers who work at Miami's Sun Gym and decide to kidnap one of their super rich douche bag clients (Tony Shalhoub) and torture him until he just decides to sign over his entire fortune to them. Somehow, said victim manages to survive being tortured, run over, set on fire and, while the cops don't believe his outlandish story, a private investigator (Ed Harris) does and eventually begins to investigate the now living large gym rats.

So, Pain and Gain is a super dark comedy, very bleak with no happy ending in sight (i.e. my kinda movie). All sorts of things work really well with this movie. The first being that the story, no matter how outlandish it gets (and it does get pretty freaking crazy) is all true. So, when the movie gets a little nutty, the fact that it is indeed a true story keeps in grounded in reality. Then there are the great performances. The three leading men - Wahlberg, Mackie and Johnson - are perfectly cast. No one is going to argue that The Rock is a great actor, but this is the perfect example of this being the perfect role for him. Wahlberg is one of the very few actors who can oscilate between comedy, action and drama with infinite ease and this is the perfect movie for his talents because its sort of all three in one. Mackie is one of the most underrated actors out there and it's great to see him shine. But Johnson is sort of the scene stealer. He is hilarious and terrifying as a born again coke head who shares a special connection with the kidnapping victim but also is a terrifying brute. And the fact that it is sort of a shoot 'em up movie works in Michael Bay's favor. Again, I'm not saying he has suddenly turned into Martin Scorsese, but this movie is good because of, or maybe even in spite of him. Perhaps the movie loses some of its charm near the end, when it becomes more of a cliche than anything and perhaps it would have worked better if it had been a little bit quicker. If Bay is going to become a serious filmmaker, then he needs to hire an editor who can rein him in. Still, for the most part, Pain and Gain is a fun movie, dark and outlandish, but all of the craziness somehow works. I suspect this was a one and done for Bay since his next movie is a remake of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but at the very least, we've gotten one good movie out of him.

Grade: B-

Contraband

My first movie of 2012. What can I say? Well, it wasn't as bad as it could have been, that's for sure. The good news here is the supporting cast. Mark Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale are just fine as the leads but you can sign me up for any movie starring (or co-starring) Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, J.K. Simmons, and Lukas Haas. Personally, I would like to champion Hollywood to make a much, much better movie for Foster and Ribisi to co-star in and make that happen as soon as humanly possible. It's almost a shame to watch two of the most exciting character actors in the business get weighted down in this overwrought, cliched material.
But, more on that later.
Contraband stars Mark Wahlberg as a former smuggler turned family man who settled down with his pretty wife (Beckinsale) and two young sons to lead an honest life in New Orleans. However, his brother-in-law, Kate's (yes, that's her name in the movie, too) little brother (Caleb Landry Jones) isn't so smart. Despite tons of warnings, he got himself caught up in the smuggling business. When customs searches the boat he's smuggling drugs on, he throws the package overboard and finds himself in the hospital with a huge debt thanks to a particularly snaky smarmy bad guy played by the lovely Giovanni Ribisi. So, Wahlberg and his ex-smuggler bestie Sebastian (Foster) try to pay his debt but Giovanni isn't having it. He wants his money and he wants it fast. So Wahlberg and friends go to Panama via a boat captained by J.K. Simmons for one last heist.
And that's all of the plot that you'll get. There is a pretty significant plot twist that I won't give away (although, really, if you are a fan of a certain actor's work in general, you won't really be surprised by the twist, as I wasn't). If you are looking at Contraband as a fun way to kill two hours on a cold, winter's day then you won't be disappointed. It is an action filled movie that is interesting enough to keep your attention with likeable enough stars to make you cheer for them. However, Contraband isn't really anything to write home about. It has a mediocre script, at best. The dialogue is cliched and contrived. There is one particularly well directed scene that almost seems like a waste because the rest of the film is directed in a very hodge-podge, throw it against the wall and see what sticks kinda way. These characters aren't particularly complicated and well thought out or subtle. They are very two dimensional characters, with the exception of Sebastian and that's only because Foster is so damn good, so much better than just about EVERYONE else. And his performance makes up for a lot with me. This movie would be an utter failure without him (Ribisi and Jones are pretty spectacular as well, although they don't do as much with their flat characters). Foster makes this character come alive. He is a ridiculously talented actor who should probably be getting all of Ryan Gosling's roles (don't get me wrong, I love Gosling too... it's just a shame how underrated Foster is).
So, overall, Contraband isn't a complete waste of time or a terrible way to start off the 2012 movie year. It's fun if not forgettable and cliched. But Ben Foster makes up for A LOT with his complicated, dazzling performance. His performance alone brought my grade up at least a letter grade.
Grade: C+

Top Ten List: Best Actor 2010

10. Casey Affleck in The Killer Inside Me - I will fully admit that 2010 was not a strong year for lead male performances, in my opinion. If there are better performances out there, I didn't see them. That's why a performance from one of the worst films I saw this year manages to creep into my top ten. This movie is over dramatic and pretty awful but Affleck manages to be creepy and charming at the same time, delivering a slimy portrayal of an out of control man.

09. Ewan McGregor in The Ghost Writer - Again, in a better year, McGregor wouldn't get into my top ten, but this year he manages to do that. His performance as the titular ghost writer is very subtle and manages to uplift a film that might have been a whole lot of cliches had it been in lesser hands.

08. Jake Gyllenhaal in Love and Other Drugs - Gyllenhaal has been better (Brokeback Mountain, for example) but he is still stellar here as a playboy young man who flirts with every girl to get what he wants. Until, of course, he meets the one girl not influenced by his charming ways. Then he turns from cad into lovesick boyfriend with ease. He's very, very good, and very, very nude!

07. Kodi Smit-McPhee in Let Me In - In the remake that I thought was better than the original, Smit-McPhee stars as a bullied young boy who finds comfort in the friendship of his new mysterious neighbor who only comes out at night and never wears shoes. After last year's The Road and now this, Smit-McPhee is definitely someone to look out for in the future.

06. Michael Nyqvist in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - It's a tough job as an actor to have your character be accused of something in the very first scene but still manage to be likeable. That's the case here, when Nyqvist's character is convicted of slander and sentenced to prison within seconds. While his character is not buzzed about, he still demands the screen, becoming sympathetic although he does a lot of questionable things throughout the film. His subtlety, matched with the fierceness of Noomi Rapace's Lisbeth, is perfect.

05. Ben Affleck in The Town - A few years ago, Ben Affleck directed a movie called Gone Baby Gone. I remember saying then that Ben should quit acting and focus on directing since he is so much better at the latter. I take it back. Affleck is fantastic in The Town (it's also directed damn well, also). In a movie with powerhouse acting performances, Affleck manages to never let you forget that there was a time he was THE leading man in Hollywood. He seems to be more careful with the roles he chooses these days, and that means he's just getting better.

04. Mark Wahlberg in The Fighter - Although this is very much CHRISTIAN BALE'S MOVIE, Wahlberg manages to shine as well. I've never been a fan of his dramatic work. I think Wahlberg is a damn good comedic actor (see: I Heart Huckabees, i.e., the performance of his career), but he also proves me wrong here. His Micky Ward is so torn in his alliances, and you see that pain in his face at all times. He just wants to make it as a boxer and be loyal to his family and he plays that internal struggle so perfectly well.

03. Leonardo DiCaprio in Inception
02. Leonardo DiCaprio in Shutter Island - So, maybe not so much of a stretch. In one, he plays a U.S. Marshall with a dead wife who still haunts him. In the other, he plays a theif with a dead wife who still haunts him. But, come on, whether you still hold the whole "pretty boy / Titanic" thing against him or not, you have to admit that DiCaprio has been one of the best actors around for at least the last decade. This year, he gave us a sublime one-two punch of great performances, each nuanced and intense. You literally can't take your eyes off him when he's on screen, and, really, who would want to? He is long, long, long overdue for an Oscar!

01. Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network - Is Mark Zuckerberg a huge asshole? Or is he just a geek-genius who is uncomfortable in social situations? Because of Eisenberg's complicated, perfect, mysterious performance, we really have no idea. Not only did Eisenberg give the second best performance of the entire year, but also he was involved with the best acting ensemble of the year (and every single one of them was under 30!!). I've been a fan of his since The Squid and the Whale, but all of his previous film work pales in comparison to what he does in this film. Maybe it's director David Fincher pulling the best out of him, or just that amazing script, but Eisenberg shines. He strips away his constant neurosis and adorableness and disappears into a cold, determined genius who will stop at nothing to create the defining creation of the 21st century. A perfect performance in a perfect film.

Tomorrow - Best films!

The Fighter

For the last few months, I've been all about two particular performances, both from The Social Network. First, there is Jesse Eisenberg who I thought gave the best performance of the entire year. Then, there is Andrew Garfield who I thought was the Best Supporting Actor of the entire year. Now, they have both been replaced by one man - Christian Bale from The Fighter. His Dicky Eklund is so manic, so nuanced, so charming, in a word sort of way. Not only does he steal the entire movie, but also it is his best performance and the best performance of the year. More about that later.
The Figther, directed by David O. Russell, is the true story of welterweight fighter Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) who is from Lowell, Massachusetts. Lowell, like most movies set in and around Boston, is a character of its own. The city is alive with the working class people who just want something good to come from their city. But they are also quick to turn their backs on disappointments and failures. It's a small town mentality, where everyone knows everyone else's business. Micky has been boxing for a few years, trying to get the right fight to break through in boxing. He's managed by his stage mom (Melissa Leo) whose M.O. is to kill her kids with a sort of suffocating love. He's being trained by his "retired" brother Dicky. Dicky is the current pride of Lowell. An ex-boxer, he gained notoriety when he knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard some years ago (but did Sugar Ray really just trip and fall??). Now, HBO is following Dicky around making a documentary, which Dicky thinks is about his comeback. In reality, it's about his failure and crack addiction. Micky, who also has a half a dozen sisters, each ones hair bigger than the last, falls in love with Charlene (Amy Adams), a tough as nails bartender who is the only person who can stand up to Micky's mom and his crazy sisters.
The Fighter is a sports movie, but only really in the last third. The first two-thirds of the movie is all about character development. It's all about Micky and the decision he has to make between his overbearing family and his desire to become a prize fighter. Can he strike a balance and become a champion with his family? Or does he have to step out on his own, leave his family and their drama behind, to become a winner? That's the fine line Micky has to walk in the film.
The performances are all amazing here (right down to Micky's crazy sisters, who have great comedic timing to deliver all their one liners, usually putting down Charlene). Leo is perfection as the overbearing, tough mom. Adams is even better, showing off a tough side of her own. She's been so cutesy so often that it's nice to get a reminder of what a truly great actress she really is. Then there is Wahlberg, who is damn good in his own right. He's part shy, part determined with an explosive side. I've never been a fan of his in dramas, really (exception: The Departed). I've always thought he was a way better comedy actor than anyone gave him credit for (see: I Heart Huckabees). But, he is truly impressive here, giving a layered, lovely performance. But the best performance, of course, goes to Bale. He is a crazy method actor and for once it comes to fruition. He is all manic energy, sucking the air out of every room he walks into, demanding everyone's attention. You think he's about one moment from turning absolutely batshit crazy. Then they show the real Dicky at the end of the film, with all his ticks and eyes bugging out, and you realize even more how perfectly Bale embodied him. I'm all about Bale winning Best Supporting Actor at the upcoming Oscars!
Grade: B+

Top Ten Best Supporting Actors of the Decade

10. Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds (2009) - The most exciting supporting actor turn of the year comes from Waltz as a member of the Nazi party who is as charming as he is evil. His turn manages to be funny and terrifying all at once. There's a particular scene between him and Melanie Laurent which is the epitome of intense. She knows what he is capable of yet plays along with nicities and the audience waits for him to turn on her. Brilliant portrayal.

09. Mark Wahlberg in The Departed (2006) - Not only does Wahlberg get to deilver all the best lines, he somehow manages to steal every scene he's in, whether its with DiCaprio, Damon, Baldwin or Martin Sheen. His portrait of a by the books Boston cop leaves the audience anticipating his every scene.

08. Paul Newman in Road to Perdition (2002) - Playing an old Irish mob boss, Newman gives one of his best character performances in decades. He was well into his 70s when he made this film and still managed to show up young guns like Jude Law and Tom Hanks. He gives the most subtle, moving performance in the film. He really was a master.

07. William Hurt in A History of Violence (2005) - He's on screen for all of 15 minutes. Maybe less. But his performance is completely effective and powerful. He shows up near the end and manages to make a good film even stronger with his unexpected and pivotal performance which shows what a powerhouse actor he truly is.

06. Jack Nicholson in The Departed (2006) - Maybe I'm just biased because of my love for Jack. Or maybe it's just because Jack can do this kind of bad boy bad ass role in his sleep but Nicholson shines when working with Scorsese. Playing a Boston mafia kingpin, he's clearly reveling in every single, nearly over the top moment of every scene of which he is a part.

05. Clive Owen in Closer (2004) - As Larry, the hotheaded doctor in love with Julia Roberts' Anna, Owen gives her best performance to date. His character is completely and 100% unlikeable, a sleazy, too-clever, manipulater, yet Owen manages to make him almost charming. He's brash and disagreeable, dangerous and alluring. It's impossible not to take your eyes off him.

04. Jackie Earle Haley in Little Children (2006) - Talk about a comeback! Haley made a name for himself as a child actor in Bad News Bears. Then he all but disappeared only to return again in Little Children playing the worst kind of monster of all - a child molester (and who says he isn't the perfect casting choice for Freddy in the Nightmare on Elm Street remake). His performance is unflinching, unforgiving and just plain brutal.

03. Benicio Del Toro in Traffic (2000) - In a ridiculously amazing cast, it seems hard to think that one little known Latino actor could stand out but Benicio Del Toro managed to shine above big name cast mates like Michael Douglas, Don Cheadle and Catherine Zeta Jones. It's no accident that the movie begins and ends with shots of him. He plays a Mexican cop caught in the middle of a corrupt sysetm and his character is subtle and endlessly compelling.

02. Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men (2007) - A few years ago, Bardem was winning every award in existence for his portrayal of a silent and very deadly hit man (with a very bad haircut) in No Country for Old Men. And he deserved every single one of those awards plus, probably, more. His Anton Chigurh is absolutely ruthless. He is enigmatic and menacing and becomes this frightening portrait of evil down to his very bones. A brilliant and chilling performance.

01. Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight (2008) - Every great hero needs an equally great villain. In the original Batman films, there were a few good villains, a few decent villains and quite a few terrible ones. The one thing Batman Begins lacked was a really, really good villain. Well, thanks to Heath Ledger's punk rock, anarchist, no-holds-barred performance as The Joker, The Dark Knight had a GREAT villain. Perhaps the greatest villain in the franchise history. He took the Joker well past the silly, funny Joker Nicholson played and went to a much, much darker place. A place so dark, I don't know how the film got away with a PG-13 rating. Ledger may have left us too soon but his performances, this one especially, will live on forever.

Michael Clayton, We Own the Night

Michael Clayton - This is the kind of movie that is a little bit hard to explain. Why? Well, it takes all of about the entire two hours to finally get a grasp on what exactly is going on. Guess what? I love movies like that. Also, the plot is just a little bit complicated. George Clooney plays Michael Clayton, a "fixer" for a high-powered law firm in New York City. Said firm is representing a manufacturing company, U North, in a class action libel suit that says their weed repelent has killed family members. Tom Wilkinson is the lawyer in charge of that case (but also, he's sort of making a case against them). Tilda Swinton is a sort of public relations person for U North. Sydney Pollack is the head honcho at the law firm. These are the main characters you need to worry about. The movie surely requires a lot of attention, but it's not the convoluted jigsaw puzzle I'm making it sound like. There are a lot of secondary characters involved in the story that make explaining it difficult. There are also various important pieces of information that I wouldn't want to give away. The film makers aren't spoon feeding the audience but they also haven't made the movie something you can't understand (David Lynch didn't direct it, after all). To make things generic, the basic plot is not unlike 'A Civil Action' or 'Erin Brokovich.' But unlike either of those films, this film works on a much higher level. It unfolds in a spell binding way. It's completely engrossing (except for the middle section which dragged a bit for me but whatever). The story telling is mesmerizing. The dialogue is pitch perfect. And those performances! The spotlight surely falls on Clooney - as it always does. He's amazing, for sure (especially while the credits role - don't look at them - look at everything that is happening in Clooney's face... those 2 minutes alone are nomination worthy). But the real stand-out here is Wilkinson. He does over the top with a subtle nuance and it's just perfect. He's on my short list for Best Supporting Actor. Holding it down for the ladies is the amazing Tilda Swinton. You can have your Cate Blanchett. I'll take Tilda. She's amazing to watch. There is a particular scene in which she practices a speech while getting ready for work that just knocked me out. The movie is not without it's flaws of course. It's hardly convincing that lawyers wouldn't know better than to assume Clayton died in a fiery car crash when there was clearly no body. Also, the final 10 minutes is terribly predictable and cliche. Although, Clooney and Swinton somehow make it almost work. Maybe I'm just getting tougher. After all, pretty much every movie that comes out after September wants to be considered for an Oscar. If this movie was released in, say, April, it probably would have gotten a higher grade.
Grade: B

We Own the Night - There's a lot to like with We Own The Night. Unfortunately, there's a lot to dislike as well, especially after last year's fantastic The Departed. This movie will inevitably be compared to that movie and it's almost not fair. But guess what? Both are complicated mob/cop movies. The Departed is as close to perfection as possible. Compared to Scorsese's masterpiece, We Own the Night is mediocre at best. The movie which takes place in the 80s (wonderful setting) in New York City follows Bobby Green (Joaquin Phoenix), a nightclub manager who has a hot girlfriend (Eva Mendes) and a decadent drug fueled lifestyle. Meanwhile, his brother Joseph (Mark Walhberg) just got promoted to the captain of the drug inforcement task force on the police department. Their father (Robert DuVall) is also a respected and veneered police officer. That's the basic plot. What are the fatal flaws here? The characters are terribly contrived. The storyline is a little bit nonsensical (I really don't want to ruin anything but Phoenix's character makes such a drastic character change near the end that I just personally find hard to believe). There are quite a few boring parts. The acting is superb but that's to be expected with such a high caliber cast. The on-screen family, however, has little chemistry together. Mendes' character is annoying and a bit ridiculous (she and Phoenix take part in the most gratitous, unnecessary sex scene in recent memory). There's a lot of things that don't make a lot of sense (where is the cop back-up? why is DuVall so mad at Phoenix just for managing a nightclub? why would the drug dealer just hang around in the city?) . They give us reasons for some of this stuff but they don't satisfy my curiosity. But the movie definitely isn't all bad. The two shootouts are well done with a lot of shaky camera, which makes them more exciting. The final cat and mouse game in the long grass is thrilling and engrossing. There's a car chase in the pouring rain that will make your heart stop beating. Overall, the movie is barely more than average.
Grade: C+

The TV Set - I would definitely recommend this movie. It's fun and funny, witty and well done. It's an interesting look at how exactly a television show gets made. Grade: B-

Lucky You - Ah, my most hated film genre - the romantic comedy. It is my mortal enemy. This movie is about 30 minutes too long. It's also a shame that Texas Hold Em' is so 2005. But, kudos for small roles from Robert Downey Jr. and Michael Shannon. Grade: D

Reign Over Me - I'm about 3/4 of the way through this movie right now and it's so boring that I am doing this instead. I heard so much about Adam Sandler being Oscar worthy? Are you kidding me? Don Cheadle is wiping the floor with him. Grade: D (as of right now anyway).