The Fighter

David O Russell's latest film, The Figther, tells the story of "Irish" Micky Ward's early boxing years. The film focuses on his relationship with his brother Dicky Eklund, his mother, Alice, and his seven sisters and how they influenced his boxing career early on.

Mark Wahlberg plays the Micky Ward role, while Christian Bale plays the role of his brother, Dicky Eklund. Dicky is famous in the town of Lowell, where the film is set, because of his once legendary fight with Sugar Ray Leonard. He was once known as, "The Pride of Lowell", and maybe the most important aspect of the film is how he tries to live out his dream of winning a title through his younger brother. Michelle Leo, is Alice Ward, Micky's manager and mother. Her role is acted wonderfully as a manipulative mother who doesn't have her son's best interests in mind on many occasions. Amy Adams, is Charlene Fleming, Micky's girlfriend, who enters the boxer's life at a pivotal time in the film, when his career is being ruined by his family members indiscretions.

Probably the best aspect of the film, is how compellingly it's acted. Bale's performance will likely win him an Oscar. He is so believable as Dicky, that it wouldn't surprise me if director, David O. Russell included the clip at the end of the movie, with the real life Ward and Ecklund to show audiences just how spot on he really was. The incredible acting though is across the board with Leo, Adams, and Wahlberg already securing Golden Globe nominations. Even the actresses that play Micky's sisters in the film deserve kudos. Their portrayal added to the overwhelming element of authenticity that the film was already ripe with and Russell does an uncanny job of capturing all of this.

The expanded Best Picture category should definitely include, The Fighter, but I don't think it'll have as good a chance as taking home the golden statue as say Black Swan or The Social Network.

Hereafter

Hereafter is a supernatural drama/thriller from Clint Eastwood, that stars Matt Damon. It was released in late October. The film follows the lives of three people who are touched/affected by death in different ways. Damon, plays the lead role of George Lonegan, a man with the ability to genuinely communicate with the dead. Cecile de France, is Marie LeLay, a French journalist who survives a tsunami, but has a near death experience that shakes her grasp of reality. Finally, Frankie and George McLaren, are twins Marcus and Jason, who share a close brotherly bond that is broken after one of them tragically dies. The film shows how mortality affects people from different walks of life, leaving voids in their lives that they choose to temporarily fill by trying to communicate with their lost loved ones through a psychic medium.

The concept of the film is a delicate one, but certainly one that captures the attention of millions of people across the globe. So, it makes sense that Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment would be attached to a project like this one. Spielberg's track record and incredible success allow him to take great chances on movies other producers wouldn't touch. But, unfortunately for him, Eastwood, and Kathleen Kennedy (Another of the film's producers) the movie which was budgeted at $50 million, has only managed to pull in about $33 million in 70 days of release in American theaters. I'm not sure any of these people expected Hereafter to break records, but I think break even was at least anticipated.

The movie's central theme of mortality is without a doubt the reason that moviegoers didn't flock to theaters to see this one, but if you ask me the reason that those that did, didn't have reason to "love" it, is because it lacked one specific element that would've made it great. The acting was very solid, but wasn't exceptional. I wouldn't put all of that blame on the actors either, I don't think Eastwood's directing allowed them to expose their characters enough for the audience to connect with their struggles with the afterlife. But, that could also be attributed to Peter Morgan's script.

I sound like I'm lambasting this film, but truly I really liked it, I just thought it could've been a lot more and I'm disappointed that with the people attached to the project it wasn't,

Black Swan

Natalie Portman's character, Annie, the Swan Queen, essentially sums this movie and her performance up with her closing words the right before the credits roll. I won't give them away, but I'm very confident that you'll have similar feelings as I did towards Darren Aronofsky's incredible achievement, Black Swan.

Aronofsky film is incredibly casted, with performances by Portman and Mila Kunis, already garnering Golden Globe nominations. Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, and Winona Ryder round out an ensemble that brings so much emotion and character their respective roles. But, paramount to all of these performances is Portman's, who truly showcases her acting and dancing chops in the picture. She portrays a fragile character who during 2 hours the audience watches transform into essentially the complete opposite of who she was at the films inception (Yep, I just slipped the word inception into a description of her performance, what of it?) I'll be baffled if she isn't given a Best Actress nomination for this role.

To say a little bit about the plot though, it follows the life of Annie, a veteran ballerina as she is given the lead role in a heralded dance instructors re-imagination of the ballet production of Swan Lake. Along the way, Annie is tried and tested by her rival dancers, her over protective mother and her manipulative instructor. It all comes to a thrilling finish on opening night when The Swan Queen gives a performance that none will soon forget.

The most amazing aspect of this film to me was Aronofsky's camera work. The angles, uses of mirrors and over the shoulder shots are incredible. He utilizes them in a way that jolt emotion into the audience because the point of view either hides certain things from them or quickly reveals them. Combine this with Clint Mansell's original music and you have a suspenseful thriller that is truly menacing and very sexual.

See Black Swan, as soon as you can.

Tron: Legacy

I didn't see the original movie or play the arcade game (Well, maybe I did a few times through other mediums), but I thoroughly enjoyed Disney's latest release, Tron: Legacy. Perhaps this goes to show the relative ease, with which anyone can pop into a theater and spend two hours enjoying visually awing special effects and the truly inspired soundtrack that is, Tron. You certainly don't need to be an avid Tron follower or a nerdy gamer to enjoy this movie, but in response to a friend of mine who asked, "Is it a boy movie?" I feel pretty obliged to say that it pretty much is that. Although, Joseph Kosinski, the movie's director made an effort to accompany the sound pumping action scenes with ones dedicated to developing the character's of Sam Flynn and his father, Kevin, I don't think many females will find the story too overtly appealing to them.

A lot of people are cautioning those who might be interested in seeing this movie, that it lacks a solid plot and poses many questions that are left unanswered. While "these people" may have a solid point, often times it's better to just go into a movie, especially one like this, with little expectations and an open mind. Besides, seeing Jeff Bridges act in one movie in this many different roles is well worth the price of admission (3D or 2D).

Easy A

I don't know what it is about movies that take place in a high school setting, but too often characters in them just look way too old. This is definitely the case a few times with Easy A, but that little stigma aside the movie does deliver.

Easy A, stars Emma Stone, of Superbad and Zombieland fame. She plays the role of Olive Penderghast, a precocious teenager who attends a fictional high school called Ojai North High in Ojai, California. This is significant to mention because of the liberal lifestyle associated with the "Governator" state. Olive's family is quite the diverse crew and her parents, played by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson, certainly give Olive adequate room to express her teenage self.

Express herself is exactly what she does. Olive's English class is studying Nathaniel Hawthorne's, the Scarlet Letter, and she takes it upon herself, after a scathing rumor is started about her, not to deny the rumors, but let them take on a life of their own. This has an alarming effect on the student body at Ojai, who eventually all have an opinion of what she is doing or not doing.

Emma Stone has, in my opinion, solidified herself as a very viable movie star. She basically crushes the role of Olive and is more than easy on the eyes. Also, at 22 years old she has a wide range of roles that she could fit into.

Easy A, has a lot of social commentary directed towards teenagers that might be wasted on them, but it isn't on an older audience that has sat in classrooms similar to the ones in the movie. The advent of Facebook and other social networking sites has made gossip spread exponentially faster, but there hasn't been a movie released in awhile that depicts what types of effects it can have.

The Social Network

The first seventeen minutes of, The Social Network, unravel at a pretty frenetic pace, and is foreshadowing of how the movie will play out. The very first scene in the dimly lit bar with the couple discussing final clubs at Harvard, is definitive of the character of the protagonist of the film, Facebook creator, Mark Zuckerberg. He speaks rapidly, with an immense presence of intelligence and awkwardness about him, but he certainly lacks the ability to properly communicate with the opposite sex. His subsequent dumping and the vengeance he latter seeks out on poor Erica are the driving force behind the billion dollar social networking site and this potentially Oscar-winning film.

The Social Network which stars Jesse Eisenberg, as Mark Zuckerberg, isn't just a hyped up movie that's getting a lot of buzz from Facebook lovers. It's a movie about an idea that changed how the world stays connected to one another. It brings to life essentially everything that was going on in Zuckerberg's life that fall of 2003, when he created facemash, which eventually led to interest from the entire campus, notably the Winlevoss' twins. The film presents these events at a pace that is utterly entertaining, while Aaron Sorkin, the movie's screenwriter, infuses it with a script that is witty, clever, and downright masterful.

The film gets a huge boost from the acting of it's supporting cast, especially Andrew Garfield, who plays Eduardo Saverin, a co-founder of Facebook and it's initial CFO. He generates feelings of sympathy from the audience through his falling out with Zuckerberg over the direction of the company in its early stages. Justin Timberlake plays the role of Andrew Parker, the creator of Napster and Plaxo, who has sort of fallen from grace, but is considered by Zuckerberg to be somewhat of a "god". I remember being initially a bit skeptical of his casting in the movie, but after seeing it am convinced that it was a perfect role for him. Armie Hammer, who plays both Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, rounds out a terrific supporting cast.

There's something about The Social Network, (a certain je ne sais que, I guess) but it was very compelling to see a film about an event so transforming to the culture of the world unfold. Maybe it's because I was in college right at the time of Facebook's explosion, or that Zuckerberg took an idea that perhaps I or some of my friends could've come up with and become the youngest billionaire ever. Whatever it is though David Fincher, the movie's director, and Columbia Pictures have created an already impressively successful movie that could have the legs to carry it to a healthy showing come awards season.

Machete

A little late on this one, but I guess it took me so long to see Machete because I listened to a friend, who isn't a Robert Rodriguez fan. He was surprised why I'd want to see it, instead of The American, with George Clooney, he basically convinced me that it would be bad because of how cheesy the trailers made it out to be. Well, I finally made it to a showing, it was a hole in the wall little cinema that gets movies a month or so after their original release dates. The theater was pretty crowded and pretty noisy, which are pretty ideal ingredients when seeing a Rodriguez picture.

Back during the weeks leading up to the movies original release I remember seeing some TV spots promoting the gory flick, but nothing like the marketing that the Rodriguez/Tarantino movie, Grindhouse, received back in 2007 (Machete is actually based on a "faux" trailer from that movie). Maybe this was because that movie was hugely unsuccessful at the box office and studios noticed that the specific type of moviegoer that enjoys and will pay to see Rodriguez or Tarantino movies doesn't love them enough to sit through three hours of anything (I'm not sure anybody wants to sit in the same place for more than 3 hours). Anyways, I'm trying to make the point that Rodriguez tends to make movies more for a specific "cult" or demographic, than for the masses. A sort-of follow up to Grindhouse seemed like a big risk, but budgeted at around $20 million, I guess it wasn't too much of a gamble for a distributor like Fox.

Machete follows the story of the guy by that very name, played by Danny Trejo, who after being recruited for a hit on a Texas senator is betrayed and seeks revenge on the conspirators. The movie includes performances from Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez, Don Johnson, Robert DeNiro, Lindsay Lohan, Jeff Fahey, and Cheech Marin.

There weren't any performances that really stuck out to me, but Marin's minor role was acted very well. Alba steals a few scenes and has an oddly inspiring monologue. Lohan's role as, April, was very forgettable, but it is worth mentioning that the theater I was in got a lot louder when she made her first appearance on screen.

Machete has an alarmingly high rating on IMDB, which is undoubtedly due to the fact that Rodriguez fans are movie addicts who spend alot of time on websites making comments or grading movies. I enjoyed the movie, but I'm a fan of Rodriguez's "style", to those who aren't though this movie will probably come across as too bloody, too cheesy, and too stupid.

The Town

The Town, has an uncanny ability to make crime seem very cool. Whether it's dousing a bank with bleach after a hectic robbery, bashing in a bank manager's face with an AK-47 then whispering him something sly, or seamlessly switching getaway cars after tearing through the crammed North End of Boston at breakneck speeds. The Town, or maybe rather it's director, Ben Affleck, is masterful at depicting the brazen activities of the underworld, seen through the eyes of a couple of Charlestown-bred criminal "brothers".

The film stars Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Rebecca Hall, and Blake Lively. It's a story about a couple of bank robbers who during a heist are forced to take a hostage, who they later find lives a few blocks from them in the small neighborhood of Boston, known as Charlestown. Charlestown is credited as being the bank robbery capital of the world (Which for some reason to me, doesn't seem possible). But, nevertheless this is an intriguing claim and adequately aids to the pacing of the very fast-paced opening of the film.

Affleck and Renner are the main characters, with Hamm, of "Mad Men" fame playing the role of the FBI agent charged with the task of catching these criminals. Hall plays the role of, Claire Keesey, the bank manager who is taken hostage. The movie is cast very well, with supporting roles having a very authentic feel to them. Affleck shows his directing prowess by crafting a 2 hour long crime thriller that will show audiences across the country a side of Boston they probably didn't know existed. He blends frenetic paced gunfights with Fenway Park as the backdrop with much softer dialogue heavy scenes between Renner, Liively, Hall, and himself.

The Town is one of the best movies of the early fall season, with some drawing comparisons of it to "The Departed". I'm not sure it will have the legs to carry it into awards season, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Renner get an Oscar nomination for his supporting role.

Takers

#1 Movie in America? Yes, it did sell the most tickets over last weekend, but that doesn't make this movie the number 1 movie in the land, not by an epically long shot even. Honestly, I think Screen Gems inflated their box office numbers to beat out "The Last Exorcism", so they could utilize the tagline above, that this movie doesn't deserve.

During a trailer for this movie, I remember seeing that a critic considered this to be, "This generations Heat". That person should lose their job immediately. I know that is harsh, but Takers isn't even in the same league as Heat, let alone a movie like "The Italian Job" or even Ocean's Thirteen.

It was just bad all around. The only positive aspects to take from it are: a very solid performance from Idris Elba (he's really emerged this year), Paul Walker's film career may be over (Oh wait, filming is already underway for Fast and Furious 5...), and Chris "Breezy" Brown out-acted fellow musician Tip "T.I." Harris without question.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, is the third feature film from British born, Edgar Wright, director of cult classics, Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. It's his first film shot on American soil and with American actors. The movie stars Michael Cera, Anna Kendrick, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jason Schwarztman, Kiernan Culkin, Ellen Wong, and Aubrey Plaza (Long list, yes, I know, and they may not all be "stars" yet, but whatever). The synopsis of the movie goes like this: Scott Pilgrim, played by Cera, is a 23-year old slacker "in-between" jobs, living in Toronto, playing bass in a rock band, when he comes across the dangerously attractive Ramona Flowers (Winstead). After a first date with her, Scott learns that Ramona has seven evil ex's that he must defeat in order to win her heart(Sounds weird, I know, but give it a chance). The movie is based off of the Oni Press graphic novels, by Bryan Lee O'Malley. It incorporates alot of the themes from these graphic novels into the film, which I really liked.

I have a few criticisms for the movie, firstly, why Kendrick decided to be cast in the film for such a minor role. She's fairly fresh off her Academy Award nomination for, Up in the Air, and she has about 7 minutes of screen time in this one (Very unfortunate). Secondly, Winstead a certifiable "hottie" isn't portrayed well enough in during the trailers to let potential moviegoers know that, that's what side of her they'll be seeing on the big screen (I could barely even tell it was her during trailers due to her pink and blue wigs). Thirdly, the movie's estimated budget according to IMDB was $60 million, which seems very high to me, but considering how many special effects the film has that number doesn't seem too epic. But, honestly what is Universal thinking banking that much money on a movie with the biggest star being Michael Cera? I don't think the fan base for the graphic novels was big enough to justify doing this. Also, I feel that they should have overseen distribution for the movie in Japan, where the movie could and should be a big hit. Instead a company called Toho-Tawa is distributing it.

Criticism aside SPVTW is a clever, fantastically stylized comedy with great performances worth a trip to the theater.

Salt

Salt is is an intelligent, sleek, suspenseful thriller about a CIA operative who is suspected to be a double agent for Russia with plans to bring down the United States (Ohhhhh the drama!). It stars the unmistakable Angelina Jolie, in her first movie role since Wanted. She is anchored by co-stars Liev Schrieber and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

The marketing behind Salt was intentionally vague, with a tag line, "Who is Salt" and a trailer showing Jolie performing "Jason Bourne-esque" narrow escapes and hand to hand combat, also repeating the line "You think everybody is who they say they are?". It's not a shock that execs at Columbia Pictures wanted to play up the enigmatic theme behind this action flick, because it certainly evokes feelings of the Bourne franchise. But, during a period of July where virtually the whole country was trying to figure out what happened in Inception, Salt managed to have a very healthy weekend at the domestic box office, taking in $36 million. It's definitely already looking like a success for Columbia, especially with the global recognition that Jolie has and the fact that FX has already purchased the rights to broadcast the movie on it's network in 2012.

Like I touched on earlier though, Salt, is an enigmatic thriller that will keep you guessing till the very end. It includes solid performances from Schreiber and Ejiofor. It also showcases some pretty incredible stunt work and has the "#1 bad ass action movie woman in the world" sporting two incredible looks (Yeah, I had to give her that title). It goes without saying, but Salt is certainly worth seeing.

Inception

Inception is well on its way to being the most talked about film of the summer. It doesn't really matter if you've seen it and were completely lost, or you haven't and you detest when movies receive so much hype and critical acclaim so early after their release, but it's difficult to deny my earlier statement because the movie has certainly been a major talking point over the last week and a half.

It's already garnering a bit of Oscar attention, and some are anointing Christopher Nolan, the movie's director, as the next "big thing" and potential candidate for Oscar's best director next March.

The performances were very much on point with DiCaprio leading a cast including Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Tom Berenger, Ken Watanabe, Tom Hardy, and Cillian Murphy. But, it was arguably the plot and imagined world that Nolan created, that so satisfyingly and enigmatically immersed millions in that has movie-goers singing its praises.

Inception is without a doubt worth seeing, maybe even worth seeing twice to fully digest and understand the plot progression and conclusion.

Despicable Me

Despicable Me, is a humorous, heartwarming animated movie that depicts the life of Gru, the self-proclaimed nastiest villain in all the world and his evil plan to steal the Moon. Gru, is voiced by none other than comedic genius, Steve Carrell. The movie also features the voices of Kristen Wiig, Jason Segel, Will Arnett, Russell Brand, Jermaine Clement, Danny McBride, and Julie Andrews.

Vile Gru, is forced to get rather creative in acquiring a shrink ray, which he needs to carry out his moon capture plan. He must adopt three orphan girls, who are being forced by the equally despicable, Miss Hattie (Kristen Wiig), to sell cookies.

Carrell’s accented voice performance is great because at times the audience isn’t aware it’s him, and it’s pretty easy for them to get lost in it. It is a solid cross between a crazed Nazi and a Russian Mafioso (Props to Roger Ebert on that one), which is just funny in itself. But, it’s the voices done by Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, and Elsie Fisher, the three orphans that pretty much take the cake. Their playful, needy, and "frighten-able" (Spell check's telling me that's a word) toward Gru basically from the time they meet him. The best part of the movie may be the transformation that Gru undergoes through the presence of the girls and the affect that he has on them.

But, Despicable Me is definitely worth a watch, even if it doesn't make you laugh your pants off it should put a warm feeling in your heart.

Clash of the Titans

I recently read an article that discussed how the summer blockbuster has essentially ruined Hollywood. I'm not sure what news outlet released it or who wrote it really, but those details aren't too necessary to the point I'm trying to make with this "movie review". The article credited George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, the orchestrator's of blockbusters like Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and countless others, with seemingly putting into motion the deterioration of studios releasing films with any substance during the summer months. The author of the article certainly has a leg to stand on, when you see studios shelling out loads of cash to make movies like MacGruber or Jonah Hex, but to rebut this argument, just look at Toy Story 3 or The Karate Kid, movies that lack originality, but are solid popcorn flicks that allow audiences to re-live some of their childhood fantasies (While having massive amounts of exposure, both films opened at close to 4,000 theaters). I'm not sure what better time of the year movies like this would have to reach the audiences that they do, but that is definitely an opinion worthy of more discussion.

Anyways... Clash of the Titans, falls very definitively into the category of summer blockbuster fodder, or in other words Warner Brother's unsuccessfully attempting to capitalize on the warm weather and entertainment-hungry, minds of the masses. The screen-writing is pretty cliche and acting isn't memorable, but the set designs partially make up for this. The storyline is rather predictable and the action/battle scenes weren't that impressive to me (Sorry to the stunt men who I'm sure worked hard on this). The blame should be put on the cinematographer though, because the angles and camera direction during a lot of these scenes, just flat out blew.

Gemma Arterton was absolutely stunning again and Sam Worthington played the role of, Perseus, rather well. I was actually pleasantly surprised by Mads Mikkelsen's role of Draco, Mikkelsen played the villain in the James Bond movie Casino Royale. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes were without a doubt the highlights of a generally mediocre ensemble cast (If only one of them took more responsibility as a producer or consultant to the movie).

I could certainly dedicate a lot more time to discussing this topic, but time is not something I have a lot of right now. If your reading this though, comment and I'll respond when I can.

Cyrus

Cyrus, is a comedic drama that focuses on a divorced man, John (John C. Reilly), meeting the woman of his dreams, Molly (Marisa Tomei), and falling hard for her at a party, subsequently later meeting her grown up son, Cyrus, played by Jonah Hill. The movie was produced by Scott Free Productions, Ridley Scott's production company, and distributed domestically by Fox Searchlight Pictures. Jay and Mark Duplass are the creative minds behind the writing and directing of the picture, and Jas Shelton is the guy responsible for the shaky camera work prevalent throughout the movie. So, now that your familiarized with some of the players lets get down to brass tax.

This movie isn't what many will expect from the trailers, it's a semi-dark, dramedy that examines an unhealthy co-dependancy between a mother and her twenty-something year old son, Cyrus. The trailers might have you believe you'll be watching a combination of Step Brothers and The Forty Year Old Virgin, but that isn't really the case. It's definitely much lighter in laughs than I expected, but it exposes some compelling emotional acting from Reilly and Hill that will certainly have critics applauding the "heart" of the film.

Jonah Hill adds further evidence to the case that he wants to break away from being typecast as the chubby, silly, practical joker, and delivers a much more serious performance in this film (Although, I wasn't so easily convinced by his more serious role in this movie, and found myself laughing out loud at times when that was definitely not the intended audience reaction). Reilly is near perfect at bringing vulnerability and desperation to his character, and he further demonstrates his prowess of making an audience laugh on several occasions. Tomei, also gives a memorable performance blending the ability to blindly see no wrong in her son while showing the desire to balance multiple relationships in order to make things work for a forty-something year old single mom (My apologies for how garbled that sounds, but it took too long to get out, so it stays). Catherine Keener turns in a good performance as a supportive ex-wife, that maybe should do better at creating borders between former partners. Matt Walsh, who plays her husband, gave a perfectly sarcastic depiction of the fiance, who loves his future wife enough to put up with her sometimes idiotic, overly needy ex-husbands constant needs.

Overall, Cyrus, is a funny movie that might not be what moviegoers are expecting to see going into it, but it's emotional ups and downs, interesting subject material, clever improvisation, and great acting are enough to satisfy.

Knight and Day

Knight and Day delivers in the same way that, Iron Man and Star Trek, did last summer. It's an obvious popcorn flick/summer blockbuster, but it isn't filled with cliche one-liners and sub-par acting. The two movies that I mentioned before were relative surprises and went on to enormous success. That's what I see with, Knight and Day, a movie that at first glance might be seen as another mediocre Tom Cruise film, but in actuality is a entertaining thrill ride that just might go down as the sleeper blockbuster of the summer.

There isn't too much for me to say about the specifics of the film other than that Cruise and Diaz are an exquisite pair on-screen. Cruise really does have some of his best stuff since, Jerry Maguire, and Diaz is damn near a perfect pick to play the second lead. The on screen chemistry essentially makes the movie, but the action/stunts and the gorgeous sets come in a close second (Didn't hurt that alot of the car chase scenes were shot in Boston).

I'm not going to anoint this as my favorite movie of the summer, not even my fav. Cruise film ever, just saying that with competition like Shrek Forever After, The A Team, and Grown Ups, you should definitely go see this movie before you see those.

The Ghost Writer

What can I say really? I get this sometimes overwhelmed feeling when I see a film with the caliber of greatness that, The Ghost Writer, so convincingly displayed. I want to do the film complete and utter justice in my assessment of it, so that i can truly convey to whoever is out there reading this that it's worthy of watching. Film reviews can be an overwhelming thing, when it comes down to deciding on seeing a movie, but I don't want my thoughts on this film to be like that in any way.

So, I'll keep it very simple (Too simple, in all honesty) this film is what movies should be like, superb acting, telling sets, a thought-provoking storyline, adept camera work, a decent ending, but most importantly the lasting effect that keeps you thinking after the credits roll. The Ghost Writer, has all these things plus more and accomplishes that last part.

The Killers

Katherine Heigl and director Robert Luketic reunite in the supposed romantic, dramatic comedy/moonlighting action thriller, aptly titled, Killers. If that description is any indication of how muddled the identity of this movie is, it's not a coincidence. The pairing of these two stars would suggest that the producers of the film were going for a Rom-Com, but the trailers give a different impression (The one trailer with shirtless Ashton Kutcher, is probably one of the top marketing tools that they devised to lure in their intended demographic).

A lot of negative things have been said about the chemistry between Heigl and Kutcher in the movie, but something about it to me seemed right in the early scenes of the movie shot in Nice, France. Heigl's character, Jen Kornfeldt's, awkwardness combined with her stunning beauty and the charm of Kutcher's character, Spencer Aimes, was a welcome enough beginning to the film for this guy. But, very unrealistically three years have passed and Jen and Spencer are very happily married and set up in the suburbs with a gorgeous home and fantastic jobs. Sooner than later though the bubble of bliss surrounding the newlywed couple starts to burst, in the form of Rob Riggle (Who many saw as Officer Franklin, in the Hangover, from last summer) whose character a co-worker of Spencer going rogue and suddenly attempting to murder him to attain the $10 million bounty on his head. A not too thrilling car chase scene follows this development and I, like most, started to lose a good amount of interest. There really are too many far-fetched twists and turns and implausible happenings that have this movie on a fast track to becoming forgotten as quickly as Amanda Bynes' announcement to retire (But if you've seen some of the pics she's posted on Twitter, I'm likely to be mistaken).

I didn't have the opportunity yet to see, The Ugly Truth, but the box office success of that film is most obviously the reason that director and star were paired together again for another release this summer. Unfortunately, this product isn't going to reach the numbers that were set by Luketic's 2009 film, and even sadder still the opinion of this one will most likely be less favorable then it's predecessor.

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time

The biggest complaint I encountered when reading a few reviews about Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, was that it lacked any substance below the surface. I can certainly echo these feelings because they're spot on. I thought Bruckheimer and Co. did a superb job of creating a video game adapted movie that could appeal to not only the gamers who played it, but to those who were just familiar with the game. Trailers boasting a buffed up Jake Gyllenhall throwing himself from building to building all while wielding an array of different knives and swords, was an especially coy marketing device to lure in the 17-25 year old female demographic, who most likely had never even played a Sony PlayStation before. Throw in stunningly beautiful British actress Gemma Arterton, fresh off a successful, Clash of the Titans, release and you have what looks like on paper a pretty tasty recipe for a summer blockbuster.

But the masses are pretty spot on with their assessment of this movie it just scrapes the surface. Basically across the board, whether it's the acting by the two stars or what they're saying, there was just a lot of unrealized potential tied into this movie.

Ben Kingsley is a very solid addition to the cast, bringing top notch acting while playing the role of pivotal character, Nizam. Alfred Molina, adds some very needed comic relief as, Sheik Amar.

All in all, Prince of Persia lacks that certain "it" factor that made recent summer blockbuster's like Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Star Trek successful, but it's definitely not as awful as G.I Joe: Rise of the Cobra. Don't rush to the theaters to see it, but down the road when it's available on demand or on Netflix maybe check it, just maybe though.

The Runaways

The Runaways is a visually well done, thought provoking biopic starring Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart. The movie evoked feelings of, Almost Famous, for me mostly because of it being a bio-pic pertaining to music culture. But, unfortunately Almost Famous, was much better than the latter. Not to say that, The Runaway's, wasn't entertaining or a cinematic accomplishment, but it just lacked numerous elements that made, Almost Famous, an Academy Award winner.

It was actually really entertaining to see Stewart in a different role than her Twilight character. In this movie she plays Joan Jett, a girl kissing, cocaine snorting, oversexed teenager who very convincingly leads the all girl band, The Runaway's. Stewart receives a lot of negative attention due to her Twilight connection, but I'm sure her detractors are watering at the mouths with her hairstyle and general wardrobe throughout the film. I had no problem with how she looked in the movie and would go as far as to say that the look suited her quite well. All those ancillary effects aside, Stewart really brings it acting-wise in this film. It's a risky choice considering the movie is essentially sandwiched between two "Twilight release summer's", and she isn't playing her traditional damsel in distress doe-eyed vampire lover archetype, but Stewart really goes all in with this effort. Her performance is without a doubt one of the most important things to take from this movie.

Floria Sigismondi, the film's director, does a very solid job with a predictable rock movie. She shoots a lot of scenes with dark lighting to add to the effect of some of the darker scenes and create an environment where the viewer can become immersed in, which I really liked. But, borrowing a line from Karina Longworth, of the Village Voice, "The movie is at its best when working through the contradictions of teen sex-for-sale, when it's both turn-on and creep-out", I felt she did the best at capturing this idea, whether it was the way she shot the photo-op with Dakota Fanning's character or the lesbian kiss scene.

Get Him to the Greek

Get Him to The Greek, in my opinon solidifies Jonah Hill's entrance into the A-list of male comedic actors. His performance as, Aaron Green, was ridiculously funny and certainly memorable. I found myself laughing loud enough at his antics in the movie to draw some attention from a few rows in front of me.

Except for a spoof music video that some moviegoers might take offense to, the first twenty minutes of the movie are a great build up and re-introduce the audience with the multi-faceted, fillandering character that is, Aldous Snow, played by Russell Brand. Brand's arrogant, degenerate character is so compelling that you almost believe he exists outside of the movie. Combine this charcter with, Jonah Hill's, a surprisingly outstanding performance from Diddy, and a wildly entertaining plot that tears across London, NYC, Las Vegas, and LA and you've got what I believe is the funniest comedy of the summer so far (Although the trailer for the Other Guys makes me think that'll wind up taking the cake).

Although some of the more memorable lines of the movie are revealed during the trailers, there are still several gems that should crack up any audience. The writers deserve a lot of credit for how funny this film was, creative contemporary pop culture humor is what Hill thrives at. The scene at the Today Show was without a doubt one of the funniest, planned out scenes in the film.

Supporting performances from Elisabeth Moss, Rose Byrne, and Aziz Ansiri also add some top notch humor to an already well stocked laugher movie.

Iron Man 2

Considering the fact that I've been highly anticipating this movie, even before the credits rolled on its predecessor, it had very big shoes to fill (Shaquille O'Neal sized ones really) But, knowing how difficult it is to follow up on successful movie with a sequel, especially in the film adapted comic book genre, I sort of expected to be disappointed in some way or other by Iron Man 2. After watching the first ten minutes though and getting a small glimpse of what was to come, I immediately realized that there was no way that this movie couldn't/shouldn't be better than the first. Essentially everything from the first movie is back, plus new additions like Mickey Rourke, Don Cheadle, Samuel Jackson, and Scarlet Johansson.

I could really go on and on about what I liked from this movie, but I'd rather keep it sweet and short. Iron Man 2 is better than the first, the on screen chemistry between Downey Jr. and Paltrow is there, the writing is more on point, it has incredible special effects and explosions, and its once again the definitive summer blockbuster so early in the season. So, by all means see it.. (Over Robin Hood and Shrek Forever After in the coming weeks)

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

With a tagline like, "The only criminal that he can't catch is himself", I pretty seriously question the creativity and marketing capabilities of the team behind this movie. Not only does this line have very little to do with what transpires in the film, but I can think of several that would've been better, but I wont get into them now.

Anyways, I saw the movie after a "Nicolas Cage fan" friend of mine suggested I see it after ripping his appearance in "Kick Ass". It didn't take very long for me to understand why my friend enjoyed Cage's performance in it. He plays a hot shot, crooked police officer with enough swagger to make rapper T.I. uncomfortable, but his role and subsequent performance isn't what was wrong with this movie. If I had to say something was wrong with it, it would be it's lack of "fluidity", by that, I felt like the movie didn't progress from scene to scene convincingly enough. Also, when scenes ended and certain information was inferred to the audience, this bordered on the side of confusing too closely for me. I would've liked to have some more screen time for Eva Mendes as well, not because she's beautiful, but because she excels at roles like this one.

The Losers

I went into seeing this movie with little expectations, I'd seen the trailer a couple times, but it didn't stick out to me like it'd be anything special. There weren't any actors in it that I cared for that much, except for maybe Zoe Saldana.

I want to be short and sweet about this because I don't feel the movie deserves my over analysis, but, The Losers, was entertaining. It was pretty good, not memorable or anything like that, but it did have it's moments. I can see Saldana becoming more of a go to "sexual icon" actress after watching her in films like this one, although I wasn't really believing the chemistry between her and co-star, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, she looked fantastic in every scene she was in. The rest of the cast was pretty well chosen for this movie in my opinion, with Chris Evans, Columbus Short, and Jason Patric really impressing with their performances.

IMDB reports that the estimated budget for the movie was $25 million, which seemed like a pretty solid budget to me. Granted it says that they filmed in Puerto Rico(for Bolivia, and maybe Dubai and Mumbai), the explosions, weaponry, and other toys seemed real. But, with that relatively small of a budget and the movie being released to almost 3,000 theaters its pretty disappointing that it only reached about $9 million it's opening weekend. I don't know anywhere near all of the details necessary to break this down, but I think with the movie being adapted from a comic book (Having a substantial already established fan base) and the general lull at the box office last weekend, The Losers, should have made at least $15-20 million. That's just my opinion though.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

This film is certainly a visual achievement that draws on the stifled imaginative minds of adults. The glimpses into "the imaginarium" are pretty breathtaking (I can only wonder what they looked like on a sixty-foot screen). But, I'm sure for some people they'll be misconstrued as an overly vivid acid trip, especially with the movie being directed by Terry Gillaim. Gilliam, in my opinion, is the genius mind that brought the world, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a quintessential cult classic and defining movie for my generation. But, where that movie was great Imaginarium struggled.

First of all, Fear and Loathing, was so intrinsically tied to drug culture that the wild visions and out of the blue dialogue and plot progression seemed sort of normal, but Imaginarium doesn't benefit from something like this, so when unexpected plot twists or peculiar character developments happen in the film it's just very confusing and off putting. But, what helped the film immensely was the casting and acting. Heath Ledger, in his final film appearance, shines in the movie playing an odd philanthropist. Also, Verne Troyer, Christopher Plummer, and relative newcomer Lily Cole turn in great performances. I'm surprised Cole hasn't been cast in any American movies, I see a lot of potential for her, especially playing a similar role to the one she did in this movie.

It's difficult for me to recommend this movie as its overall impression that it left on me was of a relatively disconnected plot, with a wonderful performance from Ledger and incredibly, imaginative images. But, the child in me really liked it and if you can follow that then you may like it also.

Kick Ass

After seeing this movie a friend of mine boasted that, "If you don't go see Kick Ass, you should get your ass kicked". Although, he may have just been caught up in the raucous, hilarious state of mind that the movie puts you in, he might not be totally out of line with his statement.

I thought the movie was very funny, but I wouldn't call it the funniest movie I've ever seen. A solid script and good acting from Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Clark Duke, and relative newcomer Aaron Johnson made the movie watchable during the earlier parts of the movie, before most of the "ass-kicking" started happening. But, the one thing on my mind after leaving the cinema, was Chloe Moretz or "Hit Girl", her homicidal, spunky, Bride-esque character completely stole the show. I was wondering after her first appearance on screen why the film wasn't centered around her instead of the goofy Aaron Johnson. But, Moretz's character definitely added another dynamic to the movie which will only benefit it in the future.

I say see this movie, definitely not with as much gusto as my friend, but certainly with more of a level head on it. It provides a great escape from the stresses of everyday life, as most movies should and will do, but it'll gross you out, make you laugh out loud, and maybe even feel a little sorry for Nicolas Cage.

The Lovely Bones

I really dislike when I see people weighing in on a movie that's been adapted from a novel and their overall beef being, "That the movie didn't do the book justice." I can sort of see where people who say these things are coming from, but I can't agree with them. You have to understand what it takes to create a movie, a good idea, believable actors, a good story, sometimes a lot of money, amongst many other things. So, a lot of times the book just serves as a platform for the movie to garner an audience. Also, producers need to protect themselves from lawsuits by purchasing the rights to a novel, so when they say it's based on a novel it can sometimes only be to give credit to the author or authors.

I wanted to say this after reading the "review" listed on IMDB.com about, The Lovely Bones. It lambasted Peter Jackson, the director of the movie, for doing the book, which the film is based on "little justice". Jackson crafted a story that is compelling and suspenseful, although it may not be perfect in terms of what is in the novel, it does include some top notch acting from Stanley Tucci and Saoirse Ronan which shouldn't been overlooked. I did think some of the heavily fantastical, CGI scenes were very overblown, but Jackson may have included them to illustrate on the imaginative minds of children.

Date Night

I was a little torn while watching the beginning scenes of Date Night, because it seemed like the writers were trying to hard to force the funniness of the two stars, Tina Fey and Steve Carell. But, before long their overall hilarity took over, combined with a bunch of near perfect cameos and outrageously funny scenes this movie had me cracking up more than enough.

More about the cameos though, J.B. Smoove, or Leon in Curb Your Enthusiasm, has a brief appearance as a cabbie in the movie, but it's about 2 minutes that provide a platform for a lot of raucous laughter from the audience. Also, Mark Wahlberg, has a cameo as Holbrooke, a muscular spy and former acquaintance of Fey's character, Wahlberg I'm sure will provide most women with a solid five minutes of the movie that they wont quickly forget. James Franco and Mila Kunis also provide a few laughs with a short cameo, that most of the trailers for the movie kind of spoiled.

Strangely, this movie felt like it fell into the category of romantic comedy to me, I was expecting just a comedy, but there were a few scenes that lingered at length on relationship issues. Maybe they were meant to serve as potential bathroom breaks for audiences just there to laugh, but overall they didn't seem too forced and both stars are solid enough actors to keep your attention.

Crazy Heart

The major beef that some folks had with this movie was that it was just a mediocre plot that was transcended by an Oscar winning performance. During the earlier stages of this movie I could sort of agree with that, but this film grows on you as it progresses. Jeff Bridges performance is likely the reason for this because as you watch the movie you see the changes in his life begin to affect him and make him a better man. I started to feel for Bridges character and hope for him to be able to turn his life around and find love and a family.

One of the most interesting things about this movie to me, is how an incredible performance can make a movie that probably wouldn't have had that much appeal for people, very relevant. I probably wouldn't have even given this movie any consideration or watched, but the Oscar nod was enough for me and so many others. This makes serious, not hot topic film making with commercial viability in mind something that is attainable when you see a movie like this. It gives hope to young filmmakers who dream of making it in Hollywood because if they can create something with not a lot of money that depicts a character doing something that looks incredible on screen there will be an audience that wants to see what they've made. I apologize if that comes out a bit garbled, but I just really wanted to get that out.

Crazy Heart does include a great performance from Maggie Gyllenhaal, also Colin Farrell turns a solid supporting role which shows some great acting range as well.

Brooklyn's Finest

There's one word that comes to mind when I think about this movie, Authenticity. Everything about this film felt so real, or authentic, from the set's to the acting. Antoine Fuqua followed up Training Day with another gritty movie that explores the world of crooked police work amongst other controversial topics. From the first scene with Ethan Hawke to one of the final ones with Don Cheadle a piece of the puzzle is revealed in a way that even though the ending is obvious it isn't any less entertaining when it arrives.

I loved the acting in this film, especially the performance from Cheadle, who plays an undercover cop. Ellen Barkin, who has a very minute role, also does an exceptional job at being believable and evoking emotions in the viewer (I admit I wanted to rip her head off as bad as Cheadle's character at one point).

The cinematography in the film was rather exceptional as well, with views of Brooklyn that were telling enough to almost be considered a character in the film as well.

Kristen Stewart

I'm taking this opportunity to write my first post completely about an actress. Kristen Stewart, is the lovely subject I've chosen, and you most likely know her from the Twilight series. She's been acting for most of her life, with television credits going all the way back to 1999. Her first major role was in Panic Room alongside Jodie Foster, but she didn't catch her big break till 2008 when the Twilight movie became a phenomenon.

I chose Kristen because she's a pretty controversial actress, there seems to be a 50/50 split of people that love her and those that can't stand her. I think this has to alot to do with her being in the Twilight movies. Inherently all the buzz from teenagers and young adults about these movies causes some people to have a negative opinion. Like any fad in America, there will be those who jump on board and those that protest blindly. I'm not sure why the actors would get caught up in something like this when all they wanted to do was advance their careers, but Kristen did make a reported $2 million up front for the first Twilight movie and supposedly their are talks about writing a fifth book to later become a movie. Anyone who can make that much money at the age of 18 is definitely doing something right and isn't capitalism one of the primary foundations of this country? So, basically what I'm thinking is don't dislike her for being Twilight, find a better reason that if you must.

I had a discussion recently with a guy friend about what makes Kristen attractive and he agreed with me that its her "plainness", basically that she doesn't have any exceptional features and that she incorporates a "girl next door" look. I think this contributes to a substantial part of her male fan demographic and also contributes to the portion of females that don't like her. I've heard comments from women that I'm friends with that she doesn't try hard enough with her appearance. They may have a leg to stand on too after seeing her at an MTV Movie Awards about a year ago. But, is jealousy or whatever it really is reason enough to dislike an actress? Shouldn't some merit be put on how she does actually acting in the films that she's in? I think it should, and if your on the fence or leaning toward the Kristen-haters side, I suggest you check out Adventureland and let me know what you think about her after seeing that.

Cop Out

The on screen duo of Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan is one that looks incredible on paper. You have Willis, a tried and tested Hollywood A-Lister with movie credits in Die Hard, The Sixth Sense, Surrogates, amongst several others. Then there's Morgan with his ten year run on Saturday Night Live and his very successful NBC show, 30 Rock. The combination of these proven track records is what caused someone to have the idea to pair the two in a major motion picture. They reportedly spent about $30 million and the end product was, Cop Out,"A comedy about a veteran NYPD cop whose rare baseball card is stolen. Since it's his only hope to pay for his daughter's upcoming wedding, he recruits his partner to track down the thief, a memorabilia-obsessed gangster"(Props to IMDB for that).

I went into seeing this movie primarily for Morgan, I love watching him on 30 Rock and expected his random, sometimes moronic humor to shine in this movie. It definitely did, but I found that they're were times when it was too much and I was dying for a new scene, and a new opportunity for him to be fresh and funny. There's a scene though with Willis, Morgan, and a kid, whose name I couldn't find, that is the funniest scene in the whole movie. It involves a stolen Mercedes and an old fashioned cell phone(Trust me, it's dynamite).

Hot Tub Time Machine

I remember seeing a review from some publication about this movie saying, "It's so stupid, it's brilliant!" After seeing it I can validate that statement, but I wouldn't say it's brilliant. Anyways, that's hardly reason enough to see a comedy, especially if it involves spending $10(Give or take). Hot Tub Time Machine, was funny, dumb, raunchy, unrealistic, amongst other things, but it's certainly not this years, Hangover, it's not even close.

The writing was one element that kind of held the movie together, the hilarious dialogue between the main characters was an aspect of the movie that stood out. John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, and Clark Duke had a certain kind of chemistry on screen that carried the movie when I was watching it thinking, "What could they possibly do for another 35 minutes". Corddry really was hilarious and I'm tempted to recommend this just to see him being outrageous for 100 minutes, but you can catch him on the Colbert Report and save your money.

New York, I Love You

I'm not sure what connections New York, I Love You, has to the film about Paris with a similar name. But, one could certainly see the obvious connections.The movie has a similar structure but some major differences most notably the transitions between different short films. The absence of this made it a little difficult to know when a story ended and another began. Also, the reappearances of some characters made this confusing as well. Although, I preferred the structure of the Paris film, I did still enjoy the New York one very much. It portrayed the city in an interesting light that seemed authentic.

The actors in New York, I Love You, were also better known American actors so this might have benefited the viewer in being able to relate and connect with their roles. Ethan Hawkes acting really stuck out to me in the film, notably him trying to pick up Maggie Q's character while smoking a cigarette.

That was another element that stood out to me the prevalent smoking in the movie. Is NYC really that thick with cig smokers? I've never really noticed it to be more than other places, especially with the reputation that France and the city of Paris has as a land of cafe going tobacco smokers it was odd to see this disparity.

The film though includes some great cinematography, excellent acting, good casting, and a decent score. Definitely worth a watch.

The Book of Eli

After seeing The Book of Eli I'm convinced that Denzel Washington will never be in a sub-par movie for the rest of his career. The guy does get $20 million a movie, so I"m sure he doesn't get many serious offers from people trying to make wishy washy movies.

Anyways, the movie also starred Gary Oldman and Mila Kunis, who both put on great performances. Kunis is steadily becoming a very viable leading lady (There were moans and groans of approval in the theater when she first appeared on screen). She has definitely come a long way from her days on That 70's Show.

The movie starts off a little slow, but I don't think many people minded with Washington being as enrapturing as he is. Before long though things pick up and the end result is a clever screenplay full of gunfights, gruesome machete slayings, a few funny lines, and an unexpected twist ending.

Paris, Je t'aime

Paris, je t'aime, which I recently saw, is a compilation of short films set in Paris. Twenty filmmakers have approximately five minutes a piece to showcase some aspect of Parisian culture, blending together the locales where they shot and the emotion of love, that is so traditionally associated with the city. The list of directors basically reads as a who's who of the most critically acclaimed directors in the business.

This is a difficult film to honestly critique owing to the fact that the scenes are rather short and sometimes a connection between the different shorts isn't easily discerned. But, there were a few shorts that stood out to me for one reason or another. The Coen brothers directed/written, Tuileries, was a humorous depiction of a Parisian tourist being misunderstood in the metro. Steve Buscemi without uttering a single line delivered a solid performance as the main subject of the scene.

Gus Van Sant's short was a bit confusing to me, while I think the point of the scene was to show that "soul mates" can be persons from the same sex and the spontaneity of meeting yours can be as a random as where lightning strikes, I didn't feel the connection the city like some of the other shorts. But, Van Sant does do a rather magnificent job at showing how language barriers can affect interactions between transplanted Americans and native French.

Paris, je t'aime, is an enjoyable glimpse into Parisian culture worth seeing and if your like me it will probably make you want to book a trip.

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People

Simon Pegg need only to show a few clips of his performance in, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, to any casting director to prove that he can make an audience laugh. After watching him in this film, I'm surprised that he hasn't been in more comedic movies to date exhibiting his brand of humor.

From the pig mayhem scene at the BAFTA after-party to the wizard/dentist in the Hamptons, this movie is quite the raucous riot. It's the combination of well cast actors and a clever, witty script that make this comedy so enjoyable. Kirsten Dunst, Gillian Anderson, Megan Fox, and Jeff Bridges star alongside Pegg in this one, and for the most part turn in more than adequate roles (Minus perhaps Fox). Dunst, is the second lead, and manages to be surprisingly funny in this movie. She does have a scene where she is bawling and drunk, that did seem a bit forced, but it hardly speaks louder than her entire body of work. Bridges is his quirky, funny self, often stealing scenes from Pegg, as his editor boss, Clayton Harding. I particularly liked his reaction to the t-shirt that Pegg's character wears on his first day at the magazine and his explanation of the different rooms associated with arriving as a celebrity.

A Single Man

Tom Ford's, A Single Man, is an introspective character piece set in the 60's. It marks his directorial debut and is also his first screenplay. Taking this into mind the film is definitely a great achievement for Ford (Who according to some sources also completely financed the film). The synopsis for the film is as follows, "It's November 30, 1962. Native Brit George Falconer, an English professor at a LA area college, is finding it difficult to cope with life. Jim, his personal partner/lover of sixteen years, died in a car accident eight months earlier when he was visiting with family. Jim's family were not going to tell George of the death or accident let alone allow him to attend the funeral. This day, George has decided to get his affairs in order before he will commit suicide that evening". The saddening overtone is evident throughout the film and it positively effects the emotions that are brought out in the audience before the end credits roll.

The film stars Colin Firth and Julianne Moore, with the prior garnering an Oscar nomination along with several other awards for his role. Firth manages to navigate between emotional disconnection to his students, colleagues, and the world, to childish flirting in a bar with an ex-student, to drunken exuberance with Moore's character seemingly effortlessly. Moore's performance in the film, although brief shouldn't be overlooked, her role as a convincing drama queen who is tied to the main character's past in England is important to the crux of the story. She is just simply overshadowed by Firth's acting. Also, relative newcomer Nicholas Hoult, turns in an award worthy performance, as a student at the university where Firth's character teaches.

Visually this movie is fantastic, and from the beginning I could tell that Ford must have had some influence on how it was shot as well. The set decoration felt very authentic with the film being set in 1962. But, it's the costume/wardrobe and makeup that really has a "Tom Ford" touch to it. The actors and actresses cast seemed to be chosen perfectly, whether it was Matthew Goode or Ginnifer Goodwin's characters they brought something that genuinely evoked some feeling which I think the director was attempting to get across.

It isn't very difficult to understand why this movie didn't get the distribution that Up in the Air or The Hurt Locker received, because it doesn't have the level of marketability that either of those films have/had. I'm sure most studio's liked the attachment of such a well known global figure like Tom Ford, but didn't want to take the gamble when he hadn't yet proven himself in the movie business. Although, with the critical success that this film has had I bet when Ford decides to direct another film production companies will be a lot more generous with their checkbooks.

When in Rome

I'm reluctant to write this, but what the hell my blog could use some more content anyway. I saw, When in Rome, earlier this week and I was not impressed to say the least. From the wedding scene at the beginning of the movie the audience knows what is coming, Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel's characters are going to fall in love and get married, probably in Rome as well. So, it's just a matter of having some funny, romantic situations before the inevitable happens.

When in Rome, is definitely conscious of it's comedic roots, which is obvious based on the supporting cast selections like Will Arnett, Jon Heder, Dax Shepard, and Danny DeVito. They all for the most part turn in good supporting roles, but it's Bell who I don't think is funny enough to shoulder the responsibility of carrying the movies comedic aspirations. Duhamel on the other hand is definitely able to keep the audience laughing.

If there's a major reason that I disliked this movie so much, it's because of its predictability and just how outrageous some of the situations in it are. The little yellow car scene in the Guggenheim is outrageous, and my guess is the movies creators wanted it to be so people would find humor in it, but it didn't feel funny, it felt kind of awkward. There are just a few too many scenes like that in this movie for me.

Starter for 10

I have to admit that I was a little smitten for Alice Eve after seeing She's Out of My League. So smitten, that I browsed her IMDB.com filmography and came across, Starter for 10. The plot summary described it as being about a young man, hailing from Essex, UK, from a working class background going off to study at Bristol University. The young man is James McAvoy, who you might know from Wanted or the Last King of Scotland. McAvoy plays Brian Jackson, who since his childhood has had a passion for knowledge, watching a college quiz show called, "University Challenge", with his father.

The movie has a rather standard format, a coming of age story where the protagonist is put into a new situation, finds love (Or thinks he does rather), makes foolish mistakes, but grows from them. But, Starter for 10 is one movie that uses the blueprint to its benefit and really achieves something spectacular. The combined acting from McAvoy, Eve, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Tate, and Dominic Cooper makes this a compelling story that shouldn't just appeal to a British audience.

The set and art decoration were also very memorable, with the choice of Essex, as Brian's hometown, being a very wise one because of how breathtaking the scenes shot near the beach were.

Starter for 10 imparts some wisdom who shouldn't be lost on people of my generation, especially at at time like this, which is one reason why I really liked it. The stellar soundtrack and Alice Eve were basically just a bonus.

The Crazies

Overture Films recently released an update to a George Romero classic from the 70's titled, the Crazies, and I saw it in the middle of the day at an out of the way theater. I've always been a big fan of the horror genre, since really falling in love with movies in the late 90's with the release of Scream. The genre has certainly seen its ups and downs since then going from the Scream trilogy, to the Saw saga, to new Halloween installments, to the Ring and Ring 2, and eventual parodies like the Scary Movie pics. It saw unprecedented success for an independent film with The Blair Witch Project, so it tends to be a genre that Hollywood studios will gamble on. But, when your talking horror it's usually never a gamble when Romero's name is attached, especially when it's a remake from almost forty years in the past.

Breck Eisner knew this and he was successful in crafting a film that is still rooted in the same primary elements that Romero was using in his original film. The updated version is ripe with tense scenes oozing with blood and gore, so much so that I had to remind myself that there would still be daylight when i exited the theater. Timothy Olyphant, plays the lead role of Sheriff David Dutton, and he does so very convicingly. I always pay close attention in these apocalyptic styled movies how it seems like the actors are coming to grips with the death and carnage around them. Alot of times it doesn't seem believable, but Olyphant and his co-star Radha Mitchell, with help from a solid script made it seem as authentic as I could imagine.

Minus a period during the middle of the movie where the outcome seemed obvious and the action had sort of puttered off, The Crazies constantly brought it and brought out emotions in me that really good horror flicks are supposed to.

The Bounty Hunter

I went and saw The Bounty Hunter the other night(Mostly for this blog, partly for Jennifer Aniston, and partly out of boredom). Aniston plays leading lady, Nicole Hurley, a reporter for the Daily News. Gerard Butler stars opposite her as, Milo Boyd, her ex-husband and ex-cop turned bounty hunter. The movie uses a nonlinear narrative structure, like Memento or (500) Days of Summer, and shows Hurley escaping from Boyd's trunk only to be tackled several yards away, then cuts to a different scene telling the audience it's 48 hours earlier. This allows for the viewer to know where the story is going and quickly addresses scenes in the trailer which the audience is surely expecting. Let me just say that this is one of the only clever things that was done on this movie and it needed a lot more than this to save it.

The promo poster boasts the obvious draw of the movie with Butler and Aniston being handcuffed to each other (I don't think they ever were in the movie). It also reads from the director of Hitch, Andy Tennant, who manipulated the roles played by Eva Mendes and Will Smith, into a romantic comedy that five years down the road is as watchable as any movie that reruns that often on cable television. But, where Hitch was great, the Bounty Hunter was mired in mediocrity. Hitch had a pretty solid supporting cast, good writing, a decent amount of predictability, and Will Smith, of course. The Bounty Hunter didn't have a "Kevin James" to carry the film when the two stars weren't on screen. There wasn't anything memorable from the dialouge and Butler hasn't reached the level that few actors in Hollywood like Smith have. Also, his accent felt forced, not that he couldn't do it well, but knowing he's a Scottish actor I had a tough time accepting the role he was portraying.

The small role put in by, Christine Baranski, as Kitty Hurley, Aniston's mother in the film, was the only memorable supporting role. Her phone conversation with her fictional daughter is one of the funniest moments of the movie.

This will be a movie that a lot of couples go to see and I really pity all the men who are dragged to this by their girlfriends. But, it could be an opportunity for you to give her one and get one later, and in that case see Green Zone or Shutter Island sometime down the road.

Green Zone

Recently I saw Green Zone, which starred Matt Damon. Besides his involvement, there wasn't much to pitch the movie other than Paul Greengrass' attachment as director. The two worked together on the second and third Bourne installments. With the success of the latter though this was clearly a pretty good sell. I went into the movie hoping for a lot of the same stuff that made The Bourne Ultimatum spectacular, picturesque sets, intelligent, witty dialogue, and tons of action. In brief, the movie delivered just that, minus maybe the picturesque sets part of that (It was mostly filmed in Morocco, the United Kingdom, and Spain, but the backdrops seen in the movie were of decrepit areas of war ravaged Iraq).

Matt Damon has truly learned to embrace this type of role because he is seemingly convincing in his role as, Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller. The way that he commands his squad in the early scenes of the movie is very believable. But, more about the film, right off the bat it's packed with action and it doesn't really let up for the first 45 minutes of the film either. Greengrass, or perhaps the Director of Photography, uses a camera style that benefits from the fast paced action where he has the camera basically next to the actors. This creates the illusion that the audience is right on top of the action, which is definitely really cool. I can only imagine what this movie would've been like shot in 3D (Intense! In a word). But, on a much more serious note, because I've read a few reviews about this movie, notably Roger Ebert's, that say it isn't merely just an action thriller, but that it has a point to argue. That point being that, and this is taken from Ebert's review,"The fatal error of the United States was to fire the officers and men of the Iraqi army and leave them at large with their weapons. The Iraqi army had no great love of Saddam and might have been a helpful, stabilizing force. Instead, it was left unemployed, armed and alienated". There's a scene with Damon and an Iraqi informant named, Freddy, about 40 minutes in that is truly moving and does well to sort of give a snapshot of Iraqi feelings towards the war and the Americans involvement.

The most surprising thing about this movie to me though doesn't have anything to do with any content that occurs during it's running time, but rather the very disappointing domestic box office numbers that it posted. Maybe it had to do with the marketing of the film or its competition, but it's a little saddening to know that studios will certainly be apprehensive to open their wallets for another Damon/Greengrass pic that isn't Bourne 4.

Anyways, I thought this was an awesome edge of your seat thriller, which also forced you to think about the Iraq war and reminded you to not blindly trust everything that your government tells you.

She's Out of My League

I saw the movie, She's Out of My League, a couple days ago and to be honest it did not disappoint. It's from the production company, Mosaic Media, the same people who brougt us, The Breakup and Talladega Nights:The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. My expectations for it weren't sky high, but I did expect to laugh out loud a few times based on television spots I'd been seeing for a couple weeks.

The movie's tagline is, "How can a 10 go for a 5?" and the way that this happens in the movie isn't too far fetched, but certainly doesn't happen often in the real world. Jay Baruchel plays the leading role as, Kirk Kettner, a dorky looking airport security worker who somehow finds his way into Alice Eve's character, Molly's good graces.

The movie had a bunch of really funny scenes, especially the pool scene where Molly meets Kirk's brother and ex-girlfriend, also, a scene on an airplane where Kirk gives his family a piece of his mind and probably the funniest scene involving Kirk and Molly and an untimely drop-in from her family. The dialogue between Kirk and his TSA buddies is basically what makes this movie enjoyable and T.J. Miller's acting as, Stainer, Kirk's best friend, pretty much steals the show. I could've gone for a bit more screen interaction between Stainer and Patty, Molly's best friend acted by Krysten Ritter, their on-screen hate for each other was outstanding.

Alot of people have called this movie a romantic comedy or a "RomCom" as one of my friends cleverly calls them. But, I think it weighs much heavier on the comedy side, there are romantic scenes, I'm just not sure how well it would go over as a date movie. I say see it while it's still in theaters, but to all of you "5's" and below out there don't let it give you false hope about landing a "10", this is Hollywood.

The Wolfman

Just saw The Wolfman, I remember seeing the trailer during another movie last year and thinking that it looked really good. But, I guess that just proves the effect that trailers are meant to have.

I was actually a little late getting into the theater, so I missed the first 5 minutes. But, I think I only missed the death of Benicio Del Toro's brother in the film. Anyways, Benicio Del Toro, played the lead role of Lawrence Talbot, and I think he was cast very well for the role. It was a dark, eerily filmed movie and Del Toro managed to be persuasive enough in his early interactions in the film. Early in the movie there's a scene in a dimly lit tavern where Talbot sits alone at a table, he listens as the townspeople discuss who they believe is responsible for the slayings, because his brother's death is just one of many, some think a bear is responsible, others think a more powerful beast. The scene is semi-crucial to the progression of the plot, but I only mention it because the elements of the scene are pretty fantastic and are a major reason I enjoyed the movie. The lighting for the scene is very dim, the sound is a little scratchy, the winds and other noises from outside can be heard. It paints a very vivid picture for what tumultous nights like this were like in 1891 Blackmoor, England.

The musical score of the film didn't really blow me away but I didn't really expect it to. It definitely could've been better in my opinion, but I thought the sound in the movie was right on pitch. The mixing of different weather sounds was great, as I said before it vividly painted the picture.

I really liked Emily Blunt in this movie, the role was essentially made for her with her being a highly marketable, very attractive British actress. But, I only wish she could've had a bit more screen time. I think she really has become an incredible actress and roles like this one will give her a wider exposure to worldwide audiences.

I'm not sure I've ever seen the original Wolfman movie, so I cannot draw any comparisons with this one, but this new release is an entertaining, gory update that will definitely hold your attention for a few hours. My only suggestion is that you wait till it's released on DVD to see it. Sometimes the cost of admission for two, snacks, and whatever else you need to see a movie can raise expectations and this movie might not live up to those. Don't get me wrong I did like it though, I just didn't love the Wolfman's makeup, it looked too much like Beast from X-Men for me.