THE VICIOUS KIND: AN ODD COMEDY AND DRAMA ALL IN ONE

Caleb Sinclaire:You know there are whores, right? All of 'em. I'm not just talking about the little skanks that hang out around your dorm, or frat, or whatever. But actually every woman you've ever known, and every woman you'll ever meet - Mom, Grandma, Aunt Ellen.
The fact that they're related to us doesn't make any difference.
Cause at the end of the day, given the right set of events, they *will* fuck you over. For the sole reason that they have a vagina, and they can.

So obviously Caleb (Adam Scott) has some issues that need addressing. In fact, for the most part of this film he is a most unlikeable, asshole; and of course, the most interesting. Little by little we find out that Caleb had a relationship that ended on a sour note and he's had trouble getting past it and moving on. He's also had trouble getting past some issues with his dad (the new popular dad about town, J.K. Simmons) but seems fond if overly protective of his brother who has brought his new girlfriend (Brittanny Snow) home from college to celebrate Thanksgiving. Caleb compels interest and as the layers peel away, we find a much different man than the movie begins with. This is quite the "quirky" film, not for everyone. However as much as I laughed and watched with my mouth wide in awe, I also felt deeply for him at the end and for the dynamics that every family seems to share; dysfunction. I really liked this movie.

THE ROAD: NOT A PRETTY STROLL

Written by the man who brought us No Country For Old Men, this movie is not for the weak. It is one of the best end of days movies I have seen, about a father (Viggo Mortensen) and his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) not named, just credited as man and boy. They are survivors making their way south in hopes of finding others who have survived. They do find people. Unfortunately with the food supply greatly diminished a lot of the people they find view them as dinner, not survivors. It is a pretty dark film. However, there is light. The light comes from the bond between father and son; the love a father has for his son and the lengths he will go to keep him alive and safe. The special effects are powerful. Charlize Theron is the mother who after living in survival mode for too long, looses it and throws in the towel. Robert Duvall, almost unrecognisable, has a small part and Guy Pearce has an even smaller one, but both are top notch. The boy is amazing. How a child can pretend these things are happening and give such a powerful performance is a mystery. There is a scene where the man is washing the boys head in a creek and it's cold. In reality, the boy began crying from the pain yet still had the presence of mind to use it as an actor. Amazing. Although dark, it was a very well done film and one worth watching.