SUCKER PUNCH: BE SURE TO DUCK

I have no idea where to start with flashy looking, music video with words movie. This is the kind of movie that people either love or hate. It could very well turn into a cult classic.It borderlines on pornographic; pedophiles dream come true. A cast of scantily clad, kick-ass babes who for the most part look like they're all under 18, running around copying moves from all of the best choreographed films; Kill Bill, The Matrix, Wanted, and so on. This is a fantasy world where all the men are bad, and or abusive. So, when institutionalized, our main heroine Baby Doll,can't stand the reality of living in an institution and so she transports herself into another fantasy world. However, that world is also terrible enough that she needs to transport herself into yet another fantasy world. Symbolically, this is where she and her captive friends, all scantily clad, fight for their freedom. You might say it's like Inception on acid. Generally speaking, I like films where the women kick ass. However, these girls looked like they were just playing the part. It was an interesting film, that I can't say that I quite enjoyed it. I will have to admit that I did fast forward through bits of the fantasy fight sequence. Not quite my cup of tea.    

TRUE GRIT A TRUE MASTERPIECE

December is my favorite movie watching month. Usually all the best films are released for the holiday season, a way to get Oscar minded folks to keep these films fresh in their minds. More than likely, True Grit didn't receive the accolades they deserved because the Coen brothers restyled the 1969 John Wayne True Grit. It's not a remake. The dialogue is fresh and snappy, what the Coen's are best at and the plot, while still following the original, has twists and turns that are brilliant. This was the ONLY movie this season that I both laughed and cried at; mind you, gut busting laughter. It's basically a story set in the wild old west where a young woman (a phenomenal Hailee Steinfeld) has "hired" a bounty hunter (an outstanding Jeff Bridges)  to find the man who killed her father; classic tale of revenge. What isn't classic, is the bond formed between this "colorful" character and this wise-beyond-her-years young girl. Sprinkle a little Matt Damon and Josh Brolin in and call it a party! There is comedy, drama, suspense and touching human interaction. What more could anyone want in a film?Watch the end credits where Buster Coen, Ethan Coen's son, is listed as "Mr. Damon's abs double". In reality, he was an on-set assistant to the script supervisor.

RABBIT HOLE: WHOLE HEARTED

They say (who ever "they" are) that the worst possible loss is that of a child. Not only is it tragic when such a young life is lost, but it is out of the order of things when a child dies before their parents. This film is about a young couple, Becca and Howie (Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) who are struggling to put their lives and marriage back together after their son is hit by a young driver; truly an accident. While the storyline is not new, it is done carefully and with refreshing honesty; grief is messy and unkind. Becca wants to resume life as usual and tries so hard to get back in to the rhythm of life without realizing she is trying to skip over her grief. Howie is the opposite, finding it hard to let go and swimming in a sea of memories. Both actors do tremendous jobs in this film. For the first time in a while, I felt like I was watching a character, rather than Kidman acting. In a film like this it could easily slide into a movie-of-the-week drama, but it stays grounded and truthful. There is no right way to grieve; no time deadlines; no rules. I really appreciated how they ended the film. No one ever lives happily ever after. In this film, however, they do continue to live.