NOWHERE BOY: KICKS ASS

John: Why couldn't God make me Elvis?
Julia: 'Cause he was saving you for John Lennon!

There are not many times when I would describe a movie chronicling John Lennon's formative years the birth of what would be the Beatles as "kick ass" except for the fact that the actor who plays John Lennon was indeed Kick Ass himself. Although, as John Lennon, he did kick ass. Aaron Johnson portrays an adolescent John Lennon growing up with his Aunt (Kristin Scott Thomas) in Liverpool. He finds out that his mother who is a bit unstable lives very nearby and he tries to mend the relationship with her. There are many traumatic events in Lennon's early life and at times he is shown to be a bit of an ass. I don't think anyone could have done this film and gotten away with out some criticism. I think that the director was right in casting not for the looks but for the actor's ability to portray their character. Kristin Scott Thomas does an amazing job as aunt Mimi, having to be both stern and loving at the same time. Anne Marie Duffe plays Lennon's biological mother , Julia, who is a free spirit and a little mentally unstable. Beatle enthusiasts most likely will pick this film apart, however I too am Beatle friendly, and I thought they did a very respectful job with this film.

THE TOWN: BOSTON IS THE PLACE TO BE

Driver's name is Arthur Shea. Former Metro Police officer, fifty-seven years old. Soon as his partner leaves with the coal bag, Artie cracks a Herald, and he don't look up 'til the guy gets back. Marty Maguire. Cummins Armored courier. Five-ten, two-twenty, fifty-two years old. Picks up every Wednesday and Friday at exactly 8:12, makes a hundred and ten dollars a day, carries a Sig nine. And he's about to get robbed.

Ben Affleck has single-handedly put Boston on the film making map. Although I didn't find this film to be terribly original, it was done very well and had me up until the last cheesy moment. Basically, it's about a couple of local boys who do a very good job of robbing armored cars and or banks. They are precise and know what they're doing. However, like in similar films somebody always gets too cocky and somebody else gets too involved and they end up making mistakes that cost them. Affleck did an excellent job directing and a decent job acting, but Jeremy Renner seems to be getting all the credit for his participation. Blake Lively pleasantly surprised me as the well-worn townie girl. The supporting cast was particularly strong as well. There is a lot of action, violence, and tension until the very end of the film when it did get a little bit cheesy with the romance aspect. All in all, it was an entertaining film and I enjoyed it.

CONVICTION: AMAZING VERDICT

I love my brother so very much, but even with some college already under my belt, I am not so sure that if he were convicted of murdering someone that I would go to law school, become a lawyer and fight for his innocence. However, that's just what our lead character does in this film. Betty Ann Waters (played by Hilary Swank) finds herself on a roller coaster of victories and defeats as she does her best to free her imprisoned brother Kenny (played by a fabulous Sam Rockwell). Both actors give very strong performances and the rest of the cast is outstanding. Juliette Lewis is mesmerizing. There are no small parts just small actors. While the story inspiring, feels more like a Lifetime movie of the week than it does a feature film. It was well done, just didn't grab me.

EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP: ENTER WITH THIS MOVIE

Banksy: Uhmmm... You know... it was at that point that I realized that maybe Thierry wasn't actually a film maker, and he was maybe just someone with mental problems who happened to have a camera.

For those of you who are not familiar, Banksy is an artist who began showing his work on the streets of London through graffiti. Not only is he a clearly defined artist, but he has a sense of humor and an understanding of politics and society that makes his work very relevant. Not only has he been able to place his work in galleries (even when they were not asked for as he would sneak in and paste his pieces to the walls himself) eventually he has had many of his own very successful gallery showings. So, it was no surprise when amateur camera man, Thierry Guetta, got involved in capturing the underground world of graffiti art in Los Angeles, Banksy eventually let this man film him doing his thing while in LA. Thierry went to England to further document Banksy's work. After a while however, Banksy became suspicious when all of this filming was taking place and no documentary was put together. Eventually, Banksy knew that this man was incapable of making a documentary himself so he took over the work. Meanwhile, Thierry was becoming more distracted by actually starting to make art himself and found himself dazzled by the spotlight placed upon him. This documentary turns out than to be about Thierry, not Banksy, made by Banksy about Thierry. Confused yet??? Now the documentary becomes the documented. It is a true blessing for this to be among the many really good documentaries as of late. It takes a very in-depth and interesting look at urban art while it also follows this odd Frenchman in his quest for who knows what. A must-see movie.

YOU AGAIN: FLUFFY, SILLY, CHICK FLICK

You know, there really are not that many substantial comedies in circulation right now. Don't get me wrong, I am not calling this movie substantial, but when looking for light hearted flick, this one did fine. All of those who were nerds in high school had one or two popular girls who we didn't get along with and so is the case in this film. Marni (Kristen Bell) is a young successful executive who has come home for her brother's wedding. She discovers, that he is marrying the one mean girl from high school, Joanna, who tormented her the most. What's a girl to do? Additionally, we find out that her mother (Jamie Lee Curtis) attended high school with Joanna's aunt (Sigourney Weaver) and they too had a tumultuous relationship. There is a lot of slapstick and falling down and spilling things and breaking things and of course Betty White rules the world, but in the end of course it turns out to be a feel-good movie and they all lived happily ever after. Not my number one choice, but a lighthearted silly little romp that is entertaining enough.

CATFISH: THRILLER AND A DOCUMENTARY NOT ABOUT FISH
Vince Pierce: They used to tank cod from Alaska all the way to China. They'd keep them in vats in the ship. By the time the codfish reached China, the flesh was mush and tasteless. So this guy came up with the idea that if you put these cods in these big vats, put some catfish in with them and the catfish will keep the cod agile. And there are those people who are catfish in life. And they keep you on your toes. They keep you guessing, they keep you thinking, they keep you fresh. And I thank god for the catfish because we would be droll, boring and dull if we didn't have somebody nipping at our fin.

Who knew a documentary film could be more thrilling than most of the "scary" horror films out on DVD right now. I can't say too much about this film without giving away the part that makes it so unbelievably awesome. This is a documentary that follows a young man (Nev) who practically falls into a rabbit hole of unbelievable circumstance that will literally blow your mind. During the last half an hour or so of this film I could barely remember to breathe and my eyes were glued to the screen. As the events unfolded, and this film became more and more shocking, it then turned a sharp corner and made it a touching testament to grace and forgiveness. This film is a real commentary on the human condition. I could not have enjoyed this film more. There were several times that I had to stop and check that it was indeed real, a documentary, and not a piece of fiction. Make sure to put this on your must-see list.

Note: Just like I'm Still Here was thought to be fake and in the end was, this movie has caught a lot of flak for not being authentic. The filmmakers have admitted to re-enacting some of the scenes, I would believe they took a lot of "creative" license with the whole film... if something is that unbelievable, maybe it is. Either way, I still loved this film and the idea alone is worth the good review.

CASE 39: READY TO BE FILED AND ARCHIVED

What a silly a little film that was. Poor overworked and underpaid social worker Emily Jenkins (Renée Zellweger) is assigned yet another heart-wrenching case featuring a waif like girl who is in need of help from her abusive parents. So surprisingly, Emily and the girl, Lilith (Jodell Ferland) bond almost instantaneously. She ends up rescuing the girl who convinces her to take her home instead of placing her in the system. However, soon the happy family are not so happy. This movie was terribly predictable, and it made me wonder what kind of financial problems Renée Zellweger was having to take on such a roll. Bradley Cooper also must have needed some extra spending money for the whole 20 minutes he was in the film. Not on my must see list, even on DVD.

DESPICABLE ME: ADORABLE MOVIE

Agnes: Will you read us a bedtime story?
Gru: No.
Agnes: Pretty please?
Gru: The physical appearance of the please makes no difference.

There is nothing more satisfying than a story line where the evil villain bad guy gets his heart melted by cherubic orphans nonetheless. It isn't a terribly original plot but it does contain a lot of action and heart which makes this a very fun movie. Gru (the voice of Steve Carell) is an evil super villain who finds himself competing against a young cocky new kid on the block bad boy (emphasis on boy) named Vector (voiced by Jason Seigel). In order to accomplish his latest caper of stealing the moon, Gru adopts three orphan girls who could not be any cuter to aid him in his plan. These girls take whatever heart that Gru has left and melts it until he is literally putty in their hands. The voices behind the characters include an all-star cast. The animation, particularly the minions is super well done. All in all, this was a very enjoyable film. Before I saw this film, I had the occasion to read aloud a book to a kindergarten class. As I like to use different voices when I read aloud, I used my Russian accent and soon the children were laughing so hard that it made me laugh too. Then I saw this film and concluded that my accent sounded much like Gru's. Either way, the movie and my accent were both a hit.

I'M STILL HERE... I KNOW YOU ARE BUT WHAT AM I?

In September 2010 director Casey Affleck confirmed that this movie is not a real documentary, but fake. The public has been wondering ever since Joaquin Phoenix announced his retirement from acting in order to become a rapper in October 2008, whether it was all just an act or if it was for real.

Unfortunately, there is more to say about the controversy surrounding this film rather than the piece of work itself. Unless you were hiding under a rock, Joaquin Phoenix announced his retirement from acting to pursue a career as a rap artist and his brother-in-law Casey Affleck took the film it as a documentary. This was news. This was Britney Spears shaving her head kind of news. I think mostly judging by the way the actor started to look with his mangled beard and scraggly head of hair fueled by gossip, speculation and given almost no answer for his actions, the world simply thought that Phoenix had lost his mind. Now, knowing that the whole thing was a hoax, it is difficult to watch the film and take it as it was meant to be seen. Phoenix looks insane, acts insane and meanders around mumbling to himself. Many people thought that his performance was "genius", which I do not understand. Like any other actor, he was playing a part it's just that he was playing it 24 hours a day seven days a week. Curiosity got the best of me and so I turned on the commentary which proved to be much more enjoyable than just watching the movie alone. It was like listening to the cast of Jackass or a bunch of fraternity boys. What I did find out was how many people were in on the joke, how many stunts were planned, and how many times it took to film a certain scene. I think it was terribly selfish of Phoenix to take on this project while he was obligated to promote his latest film Two Lovers. It seems as though the joke may be on him, as it doesn't look like he has any current projects on the horizon, which is too bad because he is one of my more favorite actors.

EAT, PRAY, LOVE... PREACH, GLAMORIZE, SEND HOLLYWOOD MORE MONEY

What was this, the newest version of the Wizard of Oz? A woman who doesn't know what she wants has to travel to a distant land in order to find that she had the answer all along. I was shocked by Ryan Murphy's involvement with this as he is the mastermind behind Glee and Nip Tuck, two of my favorite television programs. Needless to say, this was quite a side trip from his usual fare. While I think it was a well written script it came off as too preachy and too rehearsed often times. I'm not a big Julia Roberts fan in general, but specifically I think that she was miscast in this film. However, all of the men that seemed to pepper her world where lovely and fitting. I know this is based on one woman's story, and I think it's both sad yet accurate that so many women have been able to identify with it. I know that movies are supposed to be filled with beautiful people, but that would have liked to have seen the same story with both actors and actresses who were not beautiful and lovely, as they are the target audience. I say save on the airfare, eat lunch at the Olive Garden and then go see Blue Valentine for a more accurate depiction of relationships today.

THE OTHER GUYS: THAT'S WHY THEY AREN'T THE GUYS



P.K. Highsmith: You have the right to remain silent... but I want to hear you scream!

In preparation for this year's movie awards season, I was lucky enough to recently take in a showing of The Fighter with Mark Wahlberg. I think he trained about five years or something to prepare for that role and although all the attention is getting paid to Christian Bale, Wahlberg showed a quiet strength in that film. However, The Other Guys, I don't know what he was thinking. The good news, is that the first five or 10 minutes of this film is actually kind of amusing. It mainly focuses on two hot shot cops, Samuel Jackson and Dwayne Johnson, Highsmith and Danson. These are the type of characters were used to, the ones with the funny one-liners, lots of testosterone, who take risks and literally put their lives on the line. Unfortunately, they cross the line which leaves a big gap, unfortunately a gap large enough for Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg to try to enter. Luckily their performances were flat enough, no chemistry between them, so that they could enter that gap. It might be a guy thing, but this was a pretty crude movie with lots of jokes about bodily functions. I find that the worst jokes are the ones that need explaining, and there were plenty in this film. I will admit to being amused to be song references constantly being tossed at Michael Keaton, who was the bright spot in this film. Keaton is the Captain of the squad where these detectives to work and his second job managing a Bed Bath and Beyond. In the bonus features there is an extended scene of Keaton in his managerial role as he addresses his employees and that was worth sitting through the rest of this film.

SALT: JUST A LITTLE PLEASE

Peabody: I'd say she's a trained goddamn liar, and everything she's said up until now has been to protect her cover.
Ted Winter: Why don't you tell me how you really feel about it.

Typically, my favorite kinds of movies are the ones with strong female lead characters. Considering I could probably bench press stick figure Angelina Jolie with one hand, Salt was less than thrilling for me. However, she proves to be quite the runner. See Angie run. See Angie jump on truck. See Angie run, kick some ass, shoot some guys, and run some more... it wasn't a bad movie per se, it was just rather bland for being named salt. Evelyn Salt is a product of the Cold War. If you watch carefully enough, you can practically see the moment when we know exactly what kind of agent she is. The thing is, that once we find out, we really don't care. This is more of a "big" picture movie where Liev Schreiber steals the thunder. The worst part of this movie is that they left the ending open for a sequel. Maybe by then they will be able to add some more spice.

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.