EASY A: EASY GRADE TO GIVE THIS FILM

The rumors of my promiscuity have been greatly exaggerated.

Finally comes a smart film that does not talk down to its audience, although many of them are of high school age, but rather treats them with the respect that many of them, if not most of them deserve. A cross between Mean Girls and Saved, this film is definitely not your average boy meets girl boy loses girl boy in girl get together at the end and everybody lives happily ever after. Like 10 Things I Hate about You, the underlying tone of the script follows the story of the Scarlet Letter; "A is for Awesome". Emma Stone is Olive, our heroine who is smart, well spoken and has cutting sense of humor. Her parents are both supportive equally as entertaining (Patricia Clarkson and Stanley Tucci). One of the things that makes this film most refreshing the things that you think will happen don't, and the things that you don't expect to happen do. Olive's parents and their quirky sense of humor is definitely part of that. "Any friend of Olive's is a friend of my daughter." Rarely do I mention a writer, but Burt V. Royal deserves props for his work on this. This film was highly entertaining, so much so that I did have to watch it a second time. In a way, it is an homage to the films from John Hughes where teenagers are respected and not denigrated. I have a list of the films that I consider the best films of the year. Some are obvious, like Facebook, Inception, True Grit and the King's Speech. Easy A may not be an obvious choice, but it is my choice and I stand by it. Do not let this movie pass you by.

WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS... BUT IT DOES TAKES NAPS

It's not about the money. It's about the game between people.

For as much grief as I got for it, after watching the original Wall Street I changed my major from psychology to business. Truth be told, I was a miserable business student, flunking my first Econ test. After the glow of the movie had worn off some luckily I decided to return to psychology. Who knew that a bazillion years later Gordon Gecko would agree with my choice. Unfortunately, even though I made the correct decision, the decision to come out with this sequel was not. Certainly it was nostalgic at best to see Michael Douglas come back to us as this very enigmatic man who at the beginning of the movie has nothing. After the glow of that nostalgia wore off I should have made the decision to view another film. I'm not even sure a business major could have followed the extremely confusing trade talk that took up the first part of the film. It was difficult to comprehend who fit where and why and for how much. By the time the actual characters took shape, it was easier to follow but there was no motivation to do so. I was looking forward to seeing Charlie Sheen (probably the only time I will say those words) reprise his role as Bud Fox from the original film. However it was just not gratifying in any way and a waste of Sheen's time, which I think says a lot. Shia LaBeouf and Carey Mulligan just seem to to be along for the ride in Douglas's movie. Perhaps if I had stayed a business major I would've understood the movie better, that I think is a psychology major I made the right choice.

KNIGHT AND DAY: REALLY???? COME ON, REALLY???

If I had not been watching this movie with my friend Susy chances are it would not have even finished it, nonetheless made it through the first 10 minutes. There are so many bad things that I could tell you about this movie but you probably wouldn't believe me. There is absolutely no chemistry Tom Cruise Cameron Diaz, which is surprising what they showed in Vanilla Sky. The plot is unbelievable and treats the audience like they are brainless. Diaz acts just as brainless, until the movie plot needs her to all of a sudden become an intelligent and well trained super spy like Tom Cruise's character. There are one or two, clever pieces of dialogue but that does not make a movie. Be sure to look for this film at an awards ceremony, however, it will most likely be the Razzies.

I AM LOVE: E io sono innamorato di questo film italiano

There are so many good foreign movies, but I must admit to being terribly lazy because reading subtitles is hard work. I was fortunate enough to see this film, the work Tilda Swinton, a story about a repressed housewife, for lack of a better word. She has lived her life doing what is expected of her, for filling her role as hostess, mother, and executive in charge of her family's vast Italian villa. Sadly, amidst all of these roles, she has forgotten the most important part of all, and that is being herself. It is in this lush sensual Italian countryside that she finds who she is and what she wants and she is forced to make the decision to choose a new path. Tilda Swinton is an absolute elegant and strong actress and the result is striking.

SCOTT PILGRIM VERSUS THE WORLD:WINNER!

When I'm around you, I kind of feel like I'm on drugs. Not that I do drugs. Unless you do drugs, in which case I do them all the time. All of them.

Hurray!!! Michael Cera gets to be a 21 year old now! I originally thought this movie was going to be videogame key or rather any other kind of geeks there are, but it turned out to be quite entertaining and fun film. It's not exactly what you would expect, it is quick and engaging to watch. Michael Cera's character, even though he is now "of age", is still pretty much the same old self-effacing wimpy kind of guy, but his character shows growth and by the end of the film we are all on his side. This is a movie I would definitely recommend.

THE LAST AIRBENDER: WHOOOOSH

No. Not for kids, not for adults, not for public comsumption. Drop me a line when you return M. Night Shamalamadingdong.

PS: I want my Redbox fee back.

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS: THE MAIN COURSE IS SERVED


Barry: Vincent Van Gogh. Everyone said to him, "You can't be a great painter, you only have one ear." And you know what he said? "I can't hear you."

Contrary to popular opinion this is not the worst movie in the world, however it is not exactly the best movie in the world either. It's at times like these that I remind myself that not all movies have to be Oscar contenders and that it's okay to watch something that is silly unbelievable and maybe even borderline stupid. Sometimes, big surprise, I am entertained by stupid stuff. Basically, it's a movie, a "bromance" between two very unlikely men. Tim (Paul Rudd) is the ambitious, yet low man on the totem pole, generic executive worker whose coworkers decide to throw a dinner party. The objective is to bring the most "interesting" dinner guest. After literally running into Uber geek Barry (Steve Carell) and since of course he is an actual nice person at heart, he tries to help him at first, then turns to invite him to this dinner. This is not The Social Network, Inception, or True Grit. It does not even come close. However, there were some pretty funny moments, a lot of those coming from Thermon (Zack Galifianakis). Unfortunately Carell is nowhere near as funny as he is or rather has been with The Office. Despite my objections, I still thought this was a harmless bit of entertainment to partake in. But don't take my word for it, see it for your self and then let me know what you think.

INCEPTION: THE SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER THAT COULD

Is all that we see or seem, but a dream within a dream? -Poe

I'm not sure if it is a relief or a shame that this movie is part of the movies that I am skimming over just to get caught up. By far this was one of the most creative, innovative mesmerizing films of the year. At its core, it's a caper film on acid. A set of unspecified agents are charged with taking their skills taking ideas people's minds to planting them. And mind you, this is just the short explanation. There are so many themes, so many alternative meanings, so many explanations it would take a whole blog on its own just to further explore these questions. Technically it was a masterpiece and one of those films that I could just watch over and over and over, and still probably not be able to tell you what it was about. Christopher Nolan has made a true masterpiece and if any movie deserves to be seen is this one.

BABIES: DOCUMENTARY AND NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY

This documentary follows the lives of four babies from their births until their first steps in different parts of the world; Mongolia, Tokyo, Namibia, and San Francisco. I have a friend who hates the use of this word in everyday speech, but I found this movie to be totally awesome. There is no voice over, and no explanation is necessary. The camera is like a fly on the wall recording each baby's development. It is amazing to see personality come through and in essence each cute and cuddly newborn turn into an actual person. I know this happens every day and I know that many people have already seen this occurrence, but to see it happen in comparison to other babies being raised very differently having different ways of living makes it somehow more poignant. Yes, there are the parts of the movie where everyone will say oooh and aaah, how cute, but this movie is more than that. The bonus features in this DVD include a visit to the children three years later. I absolutely loved this movie.

THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT: AND SO IS THIS MOVIE

In fact, this movie is more than all right. It is one of the best films of the year involving some of the best performances as well.

Laser: I don't think you guys should break up.
Nic: No? Why's that?
Laser: I think you're too old.
Nic: [wryly] Thanks, Laser.

If you can the fact that someone named their child Laser, overall this is a movie about a loving family with some unusual caveats. Nic and Jules are a loving couple portrayed by Juliana Moore and Annette Benning. Yes, Nic is a woman. However, that's not what is unusual about this story. Nic and Jules are the proud parents of two lovely children Joni and Laser, conceived by artificial insemination. Now as Joni (played by the lovely Mia Wasikowska from Alice in Wonderland) prepares to head off to college, her slightly younger brother asks for her help in finding their father, a sperm donor. Both Nic and Jules used the same sperm donor, so it doesn't make it that difficult when the children search for their father. Enter Mark Ruffalo as Paul, the very testosterone filled male. A chef and owner of a local restaurant Paul is at first taken aback by the situation but soon grows to realize the benefits of having a family. Of course, this is not his family, a fact that will hit home a little hard leader in the movie. Ruffalo does an absolutely fantastic job of a man who has been hit upside the head with a big dose of reality and does his best to make lemonade out of oranges. What makes this movie absolutely wonderful is the stellar performances by both Moore and Benning. I predict that come awards season, these two will be neck and neck competing with each other after a performance where they complemented each other so well. Both characters have their issues. Nic the heavy handed one, the strict mom, who despite her tendency to drink too much needs to have everything in control. While Jules is a free spirit who has been bouncing from job to job trying to find and/or express herself. Of course, Jules is the mom who gave birth to Laser. If you haven't noticed, that was the thing that I have the most difficulty with in this film, someone naming their son Laser. I guarantee that this film will be nominated for best picture this year. It's a movie about family, the difficulties of marriage and relationships, the difficulties of raising children; I guess it's just another really good film about the struggle to get through this thing called life.

PLEASE GIVE: AND PLEASE WATCH

Kate: I'm not spending $ 200 on a pair of jeans for my teenage daughter when there are '45' homeless people living...
Abby: What does that have to do with anything? They don't want jeans!

Catherine Keener is one of the most under rated actresses of our time. She is lovely and amazing (ha ha) smart and tender, funny and authentic. In this film, she plays a New Yorker whose sense of guilt guides her misguided efforts to be a genuinely good person. For the lack of a more delicate explanation her family is waiting for their neighbor, a hilarious Ann Guilbert, a 90-year-old woman whose death will allow them to expand their apartment. While they are waiting, they make friends with the woman's daughters, Amanda Peet and Rebecca Hall. Intertwined in the storyline about life and death and real estate, there is the stories of the relationships between mother and daughter, husband-and-wife, sister and sister. It is a very honest film where there aren't no bad guys, just people who are trying to make things right and rationalize their actions. Basically, it's about people trying to get along with each other however misguided their attempts may be. It is a subtle and poignant film, not to be missed.

GET HIM TO THE GREEK: ANOTHER BROMANCE FOR THE TIMES

Aldous Snow: What you did was very spiteful, but it was also very brave and very honest and I respect you For Doing that. But the content of what you said has made me hate you. So there's a layer of respect, admittedly, for your truthfulness, but it's peppered with hate. Hateful respect.

So Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) is a previously existing character from the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall. He is a drug fueled, sex crazed rock star and in this movie, it is up to Aaron Green (Jonas Hill) to get him from London to the Greek theater in LA. Of course Snow is on his worst behavior and pulls Green into all sorts of misdeeds and extreme situations which make it nearly impossible for Green to do his job. I thought this film had potential, and I love Russell Brand, but his performance in it simply fell a bit flat for me. I was expecting him to be on his top game, and maybe it was his way of trying not to overact, but that's one of the things that I was looking forward to. The biggest surprise in all of this was Sean Combs/P. Diddy/Puff Daddy or what have you, who plays Green's boss, Sergio. Who knew he could act, nonetheless be funny. His performance was reminiscent Tom Cruise's work in Tropic Thunder. Make time to watch the Line O Rama in the bonus features, especially Sarah Marshall's acting in Blind Medicine.

MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE: (AWKWARD SILENCE)

Inspired by a true story this film directed by Werner Hertzog and produced by David Lynch was too bizarre of the movie to pass up. In true David Lynch fashion, it was indeed way bizarre. The story follows the events that led a young troubled man who stabs his mother locks himself in the house causing a huge scene and time for the flashbacks takes to explain how we got to this point. I really wish I had dropped some acid before watching this film, however that may have done some serious brain damage. It is a movie filled with dramatic pauses, unexplained actions, and of course, there's the dwarf. Grace Zabriskie is absolutely stunning, and always fun to watch. Chloe Sevigny is the man's fiancée who brings a tiny bit of sanity to the bunch. Michael Shannon is the man, and as compelling as he is to watch it is also almost revolting. There is not much likable about his character, but it definitely is entertaining. Hertzog mentioned something in his interviews about wanting to return to a low-budget film using great actors and portraying as reality. He does accomplish both these things, but the end result is such a bizarre film, had I not had the patience would have been difficult to see this one to the end. This film is not for everybody.

LEAVES OF GRASS: LEAVE THIS GRASS

I hate to harsh anyone's mellow, but I just did not enjoy Leaves Of Grass as much as I thought I would. I guess the reason I thought I would enjoy it was because I'm a huge fan of Edward Norton and in this movie he plays twin brothers, one, who although bright is pretty much a backwards pothead living in a small redneck town dealing with rival thugs. The other, is an established professor who is tricked into returning to his small-town roots upon hearing about the death of his brother. Surprisingly, Susan Sarandon makes an appearance as the boy's mother. While she is usually a highlight in any film, her talent goes pretty well wasted here. The rest of the movie turns into a redneck caper movie making some really huge leaps of imagination and plot, forcing a romantic interest with frankly a disappointing ending. The twin work was nowhere near as good as what they did in The Social Network, and in some places was just pretty darn silly. These are the times, that I am really happy that Redbox offers dollar movies. I still adore Edward Norton, but this is nowhere near his best work, in fact it may be his worst.

DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME: BUT YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT THIS FILM

I don't think of kids as a lower form of the human species. -John Hughes

After making such a splash with a string of memorable and deeply touching movies that seem to effortlessly unearth the teenage soul and make it visible to the adult eye, John Hughes disappeared off the map. His last work was writing Drillbit Taylor under the pen name Edmond Dantes, a homage to the lead character in the Count of Monte Christo. However, there was a group of people, a very large group of people, who wanted to see John Hughes work again and perform the magic he was known for. This documentary, is about a group of such people. In 2006 a small crew from Canada decided to travel by van to Chicago in order to make some sort of plea to Hughes. I don't think they even knew exactly what they were going to do once they reached his hometown, but along the way they were able to visit some of his trademark spots local hangouts. To me, this only showed a lack of planning and a real naïveté of young film students in awe of the great man's work. What I did enjoy about this documentary were the comments made by Hughes' peers and actors from his more notable works. However well-intentioned fist movie was, it certainly fell flat of my expectations. Since Hughes' death in 2009, there have been many tributes and heartfelt accolades given publicly about the effect that his work had in cinema. While this documentary may have been well intentioned it didn't necessarily offer anything new or different to what I've seen. I suppose that I am glad to have seen this film however it didn't offer any stellar insight or make me appreciate John Hughes anymore than I already do.