BOY A

BOY A... IS MORE LIKE 'BOY A+'

The main character in this story, Jack Burridge, (a brilliant Andrew Garfield) unfolds much like a blooming flower. Upon first glance, we know little of this vacant, awkward fellow. He works with his "mentor", Terry, (Peter Mullan) but we aren't sure of what's going on. Once he has begun this "new life" we begin to see the flashbacks. He has just finished serving a term for a crime he committed as a boy. Interwoven in the film is another plot as seen in flashback. We meet the young boy and see how events went so wrong to incur the wrath of the community. This is a genuine film that, if you make it through the heavy accents, shows the path the boy took and the one he attempts once out of jail. Garfield portrays a very mixed up young man and although this was his movie all the way, Mullan gives his heart and serves it up on a silver platter for us. We ache with him as well as celebrating this masterpiece of a functional contributing member to society. You can't take your eyes off the screen for a minute.

PICK: Fine film with heart, depth and sorrow. So worthy of watching!

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 27... WRONG BOOK, WRONG MIND, RIGHT MOVIE

"I believe in Holden Caulfield. And in the book, and what he was saying, what he was saying to a lost generation of phony people."

Mark David Chapman

"You either get tired fighting for peace, or you die." John Lennon

Jared Leto scares me. Where oh where did my love from My So Called Life, Jordan Catalano go? Leto OWNS this movie. Another Hollywood actor bulking up or trimming down to portray a real person, not just a character. Leto was Chapman. His voice struck me the most, a southern drawl that could have turned Capote-esk, but didn't. When Chapman took Lennon's life on that ill fated day, he took away one of our most outspoken and talented stars. Chapman's mind, his reasoning was slightly comforting to try to understand. For the most part, he was a very troubled man and it was a horrible event that changed lives as the Kennedy assassination. I don't feel any pity for the man, but it was a good representation of the event. Lindsay Lohan was also in this film for about 10 minutes. She lent nothing to the story and her "acting" was terrible. Hard to watch in some ways, but the other ways that were good and true made it ok.

PICK: A fantastic performance by Jeto in a heartbreaking time. Worth the watch.

THE HAPPENING

THE HAPPENING SHOULDN'T HAVE

Without giving away the secret in the movie, perhaps I can save one person from attempting to challenge my movie report. It is a very "green" movie and tries to make an important statement about how we live. The key word is 'tries', because it ultimately makes a movie that takes itself way too seriously and the message has little punch regarding the characters and plot. In the DVD extras, there was a piece where M. Night talks about how this movie was a "hard R" for it's graphic violence and how they thought it was crucial to the plot. Watch any Quentin Tarantino movie, even a bad one, and you'll get the same violence central to the plot. Long story short, re-rent The Sixth Sense and your money will be better spent.

NOT a pick: Nice try, but it didn't work. Go talk to a tree.

"Lisbeth Wheelehan"

THE SECRET

THE SECRET SHOULDN'T BE KEPT

An ordinary, average family, expected teen angst, mother daughter "issues" all is running normally until the accident. Mother (Lili Taylor) and daughter (Olivia Thirlby) are in a serious crash and both are rushed to hospital. Husband/father (David Duchovny) arrives and stands vigil between them, holding their hands until his wife goes into cardiac arrest. Freaky Friday was never so freaky. Mother/wife dies and their daughter wakes up, but it is the mother's soul who inhabits the body. It doesn't get much more Freudian than this. The film makers could have let this go over the top, but it is surprisingly less shocking than the description of the film may suggest. Duchovny and Taylor are strong performers. Relatively newcomer Olivia Thirlby takes the show. She is lovely and amazing. You can see Taylor's mannerisms when she is inhabited. Too bad these films fall beneath the cracks.

PICK: Well done and sharp acting. Don't keep this a secret.

IRON MAN

IRON MAN: "Give me a scotch. I'm starving."

"Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?"
"Lisbeth Wheelehan"
So as not to show any bias, for the record, I LOVE Robert Downey Jr. I have seen every film he has ever made. Iron Man is his time to shine. Through all the turbulent times he has gone through, little by little he proved that he was now stable and ready to work (Zodiac, Charlie Bartlett, Lucky You). Tony Stark/Iron Man fit Downey like a glove. Much like Batman and Bruce Wayne, Stark was a high profile man about town with more money than Oprah. After a life altering event, he decides to use his power for good, not evil and hence forth comes Iron Man. At that point, the movie takes a left turn right into a brick wall. Downey is still fine as are Gweneth Paltro (only kinda wasted as a background fixture, but also not a "girl") and an almost unrecognisable Jeff Bridges (who really shaved his head). However, the script, the plot and the ending just fell flat. I'm glad Iron Man had power, because the last part of the movie didn't. Until then, everything was high octane and full of testosterone. Even though I disliked the end, what I liked in the beginning was what will earn this flick a pick. Downey does a lot of improv so what you see is him, top to bottom. Not a masterpiece, but still a kick ass movie.

PICK: Not a perfect movie, but Downey colors outside the lines. A head-banging pick!

DECEPTION

DECEPTION DECIEVES US THAT IT IS A CLEVER FILM
Sometimes, after a movie I've just seen I'll linger to watch the credits. As I lingered over Deception, I noticed that Hugh Jackman was one of the producers and then it made sense; that's why this movie sucked. Vanity films are so not flattering and usually terrible. This one is no exception. Poor pimply faced Johnathan (Ewen McGregor) is an ordinary, nerdy accountant (read: stereotypical). Once he meets Lothario/playboy Wyatt Bose (Hugh Jackman) his world turns upside down. I was ready with this line, 'as the events twist like a rubber band, Johnathan gets in deeper and the plot twists and snaps back hard in his face.' Except the ending was left limp as an overused rubber band. The plot is repetitive and done better in other films (Mr. Ripley). The acting is okay, not a stretch for anyone. Michelle Williams (as Johnathan's true love) gives a sensual performance that I have not seen from her previously. It was a pretty film however it was not the passion-filled romp that it has been marketed as. Sure, there is sex and a few breast shots, but that's it and it's boring. It wasn't a horrible film, except the last 1/4 of the film needed to be faster and more clever. I was waiting for a twist or shock or surprise. It ended on a limp note for a 'provocative' film. "Lisbeth Wheelehan"

NOT a pick: Without a sharp and original script this movie is purely icing.

SAVAGE GRACE

SAVAGE GRACE... MORE SAVAGE THAN EXPECTED
WARNING: The images in this movie may cause blindness, paranoia, motion sickness, anxiety, depression and/or gastronomical distress. This film belongs to Julianne Moore as Barbara Baekeland and it's a shame that it was treated poorly due to its subject matter. Baekeland was a socialite extraordinaire, jet setting with her husband Brooks (Stephen Dillane) and their son Tony (Barney Clark/Eddie Redmayne). Brooks and Barbara live large by old money. She is prone to almost manic episodes of temperament while Brooks keeps it close to his vest. The movie begins with Tony as a baby and end with Tony as an impaired young adult. The one thing she could count on was her relationship with her son; unconditional and loving. As events unfold, it seems that they are two against the world and the world is winning. The movie is stylish, lush and ornate. Unfortunately, the characters are broken, depraved and indifferent. Moore presents a roller coaster of emotions during this film and was placed in some not to comfortable situations. It would have been easy to villanize Baekeland, yet Moore is able to find at least one hair, a thin strand of compassion, as misplaced as it was. The ending to this essentially one-woman monologue builds piece by piece until the last scene that I remind you, is not for the faint at heart. I myself can stomach a fair amount (Shortbus) but this made my arms hairs stand straight. When I thought it had reached the crucial scene, it was made more disturbing by the afterword on each character as the film was based on real life. How much love is too much and how much is too little?

PICK: Disturbing to watch. A period-piece delight and engaging and unusual story.

RUN FAT BOY RUN

RUN FAT BOY RUN IS WORTH TRAINING FOR

Gordon: Go on then, run!
Dennis: Isn't there some kind of like... special technique?
Gordon: Well... yeah... you put one leg in front of the other over and over again really really fast.

Dennis (Simon Pegg) likes to run; mostly figuratively than literally. He works as story security, but is much out of shape from smoking and living on the couch. Five years ago he ran away from his pregnant bride, Elizabeth (the lovely Thandie Newton). Since then, they have kept in touch as Dennis does his best to be a good father to his son, Jake. However, Elizabeth has moved on and is in a serious relationship with Whit (Hank Azaria). I have never seen a whiter American man portrayed to aptly than Azaria. Whit runs, and is planning on running in a local marathon, so to try to win Elizabeth back, Dennis begins to train for the marathon too.

This film has it's touching dramatic moments and even somewhat predictable scenes. The nasty, slap stick comedy is what made me laugh so hard I almost snorted diet Coke out of my nose. It has all the falls, farts and spatulas than one can handle. Pegg was in another fabulous movie, Hot Fuzz, that had similar gags, but owns this film. From laughter to tears in my eyes I enjoyed every minute of this film.

Big PICK: A love story/comedy/drama that will more than entertain you.

THE FALL

THE FALL CONQUERS GREAT HEIGHTS

Luigi: [reading from Evelyn's locket] My dearest daughter, never marry for money, fame, power or security. Always follow your heart.

Your ever loving father

Blue Bandit: It says all that on that little locket?

Luigi: Si

If you see one movie this year, I would ask that you chose this one. This is a golden fairy tale, along the likes of The Princess Bride with more sarcasm, dry humor more blood and death. The story follows an oh so sweet and heartbreaking little girl, Alexandria (Cantinca Untaru) , who is stuck in a hospital while waiting for her broken arm to heal. Curious as a bug, she wanders around, taking in all that she sees with her wide saucer-like eyes. She comes across a man, Roy Walker (Lee Pace) a stunt man who was injured while filming a movie. Thing is, his heart also broke and leaves him suicidal confused man. The two make a perfect odd combination. He tells her an adventure story, which introduces us to other characters, most having a place in the girl's real world, much like Wizard of Oz. The tale of the Blue Bandit begins, however, he makes her bring him things (like Morphine) so that he might be able to kill himself. It is cruel and so selfish of him, but she does not understand his ulterior motives and plays along to get more story. This film is magic. It is as visually stunning as it is full of life and adventure and love. It is NOT a predictable film and even makes light of that during the story telling. I was so enthralled by this film that I watched it again before returning it, which I rarely do. You will laugh and cry and hold your breath as I did toward the ending. The Fall covers a lot of territory and there are many ways the title fits the situations, as diverse as they are. A beautiful film; both visually and emotionally.

Big PICK: What a wondrous world this can be; to old and young alike. This movie broke my heart and reminded me how magical films can be.

SEX IN THE CITY

SEX IN THE CITY... THE SEVENTH SEASON

If you have not followed, cherished or watched the last 6 seasons of Sex In The City, stop here and look for another movie to rent. This movie is for die hard fans only. It follows a year in the lives of these four infamous characters. It's like closure. All the loose ends are tied up and although the ends are not necessarily tied nicely or cleanly, there is a certain satisfaction knowing how "it" ends; or should I say how Mr. Big and Carrie end. It's only a lackluster movie insofar as it stands alone. Without the background from the series the movie falls flat and almost offensively portray worldly women as having a passion for shoes and shopping. There are some "real" moments where the characters express their inner-selves, but only a few. It could have been edited and tightened up so as not to run for 2 and 1/2 hours and some of the "comedy" is what you would expect in a Seth Rogan film. I liked it because I was a fan of the show and lived vicariously through it. NOT a movie I would expect any heterosexual men to sit through. A potential fun fan gathering with plenty of Cosmos.

PICK: ONLY for serious fans of the series. Does not stand alone as an even mediocre film.

THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL

THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL KEEPS HER HEAD HELD HIGH

"In an age where a woman's destiny was determined by her father,

one sister followed the rules. The other defied them."

Who knew? I've been avoiding this film for fear of over acting and a puffy little plot untrue to the history that guided it. Alas, I was wrong. This was some kind of medieval soap opera. Boy gets girl. Other girl gets pissed. Girl's sister gets boy and the kingdom with a mint on her pillow at night. For the first part of the film, I couldn't tell which was the "other" Boleyn girl. At times it was both. For a period piece, the costumes and scenery didn't overshadow the actors. Both Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson kicked monarchy ass. One didn't overshadow the other, which is what I expected to see. I'm not saying this is a great film, but an entertaining one that didn't lose my attention. Worth a look.

PICK: Well done; an unexpected and pleasant surprise.