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.

BLUE VALENTINE: PLEASE BE MINE

Dean: In my experience, the prettier a girl is, the more nuts she is... which makes you insane. You're probably nutty coo coo crazy.

This is not your typical love story. It's a crazy roller coaster ride where there is mad crazy passionate love, mad crazy scary vulnerability;love lost and love found. This film follows this crazy dysfunctional passionate relationship between married couple Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) as they struggle to remember what brought them together in the first place and what keeps them together now. Undoubtedly, there is a ton of chemistry between Gosling and Williams. This story is that they moved into this house together and lived for a month before shooting the film. In addition, a great deal of the script was improvised which made it obvious how connected these two people were. The movie flashbacks to when the couple first met and the crazy things they did in the name of love and contrasts that with their routine married life,which didn't turn out exactly how either of them had planned. Gosling is magical. He shows both a vulnerability and assured bravado. Williams, is both alluring and tired of having to be the adult in the relationship. I guess that's why they say for better or for worse. Overall, a well done film. 

THE ROOMMATE: LOVE HURTS... AS DOES MENTAL INSTABILITY

We have already seen this before, most closely resembling Single White Female, but this one is for the new, younger generation and it's nowhere near as good. Small-town girl Sara (Minka Kelly) is new to UCLA in Los Angeles. She is pretty and social and returns back to her dorm room only to meet Rebecca (Leighton Meester) while drunk and about to toss her cookies. Maybe if she stayed drunk, none of this would have happened. But, Rebecca integrates herself into Sara's life and pretty soon is lying and "fixing" things for her. [Note to self: turn off film when cute kitten or puppy is introduced.] The only highlight in this film for me was Billy Zane, Sara's smarmy professor. After all, how can one not think of fashion and Billy Zane, especially after Zoolander?! Even so, he wasn't enough to save this film. The acting was vacuous as were the female leads. You were given advance warning when most of the scary parts were coming and you could predict the others. This was maybe the worst film I've seen all year. Be sure to run right out and rent something else!

WELCOME TO THE RILEYS... NOT YOUR TYPICAL FAMILY

James Gandolfini is a talented actor. He can portray the tough mobster who could kill you for messing up his sandwich order just as easily portray the grieving father who, when meeting a young woman who reminds him of his deceased daughter, decides to give her some guidance and help while asking nothing in return. Kristen Stewart is that young woman who is of course young, naive and a "dancer" who entertains men like him to make a living. She's typically hardened at a young age and obviously skipped her adolescence in order to survive on the streets. Like a feral animal, she reluctantly accepts his help and then grows to enjoy both the company and the improvement he brings to her life. Oh, did I mention he's married? His wife (Melissa Leo) has been mentally fragile and house bound since her daughter's death but finds the strength to find her husband at his out of town "conference" only to find he ditched it in order to help the girl. Rather than storm out and accuse him of wrongdoings, she decides to stay and help and gets to use her dusty mothering techniques. They all need each other and get their needs filled just enough to continue on in this game we call life. Strong performances by all. Broken people trying to put themselves back together. Married people working together rather than attempting to deal with their grief separately. A strong film, unexpected and attention grabbing.

BURIED:  OPEN THIS ONE FIRST!

Dan Brenner:

that your ransom video already has 47,000 hits on YouTube.

 I always thought hell was being stuck on a phone tree or waiting in line at the supermarket while somebody has to do a price check, but it's not... hell is waking up in a plain wood box having been buried alive after having been taken captive in Iraq. Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) is an American truck driver working in Iraq in 2006. He's taken and buried in a shallow grave with a cell phone, lighter, a flask of booze, flashlight and little else. He soon finds out the specifics of how and why he is there and has to come up with a million "money" to pay his random. Along the lines of 127 hours, this is a one man show and Reynolds does a fantastic job with it. This time, however, Conroy is able to use his cell phone and reaches out to many different people, bringing both humor and more terror to the situation. What makes this more scary than a slasher flick to me is that it could really happen. Needless to say, claustrophobics need not apply! The most suspenseful are the last 10 minutes, which I will not elaborate in order to keep some surprises secret. I almost didn't watch this one, but I'm glad I did. It was well done.

THE KING'S SPEECH: (one of the) BEST FILM 2011

King George VI: If I'm King, where's my power? Can I form a government? Can I levy a tax, declare a war? No! And yet I am the seat of all authority. Why? Because the nation believes that when I speak, I speak for them.

But I can't speak.

Oscar award winner for the best film of 2011, the King's speech has everything that a movie of this caliber could ask for. It is hilarious and tender all at the same time, focusing on George VI (Colin Firth in the absolutely flawless performance) who, for lack of a better phrase, needed to step up to the plate and lead his country in their time of need. His headstrong wife, also played to perfection by Helena Bonham Carter, after numerous attempts to cure the King's persistent stuttering problem, finds, for lack of a better word, a commoner embodied by Geoffrey Rush, who uses an orthodox measures to get the King settled in his role as commander of a country. These two men, embark on a journey together and although Carter is along for the ride, a partner to her husband as any strong wife would be, at its heart this is the story of a man who must overcome more than just a studder and in the wake he builds a lasting friendship, both men showing that they have both wise hearts and minds. This film has it all, drama, comedy, tension, suspense, and a triumph of the human spirit. This was perhaps the safer choice to win best picture of the year over The Social network,but do not let that take anything away from such a masterpiece of a movie. I think my only criticism, is that Geoffrey Rush was robbed of this Oscar-winning performance. He is magic. However, there is no doubt that this is Colin Firth's film. However stodgy it may appear, this movie is certainly not, and is one definitely not to miss.   

I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS: NOT YOUR AVERAGE JIM CAREY FILM...

Steven Russell: Love sure is a funny thing. Makes you happy, makes you sad, makes you do all sorts of things you never thought you'd do before. In fact, love's the reason I'm laying here dying.

I'm the one who liked Cable Guy and Man on The Moon. I did not like Ace Ventura. That should give you a point of reference for this review. Based on the real life story of Steven Russell (Carey) who while married, has a life revelation, decides to come out of the closet and start living a fabulous life, even if it involved fraud and looming jail time. While in jail he meets Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor) who is a soft spoken southern gentleman who Russell falls head over heels for. While Russell's antics to get out of jail and elude the law are humorous, their relationship is not. In fact, it is touching and lovely and well played by both men. It doesn't mean that Jim Carey isn't just a hoot to watch. This kind of based on reality no one could pen. It's gay and flamboyant while also being meaningful and touching. I looked forward to this movie for some time just to see how it would play out and they did a wonderful job. Not a film for everyone, especially those who like to watch Jim Carey talk out of his butt.

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED: HANG ON!

What on the surface appears to be a low budget silly B movie turns quickly into something along the lines of Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. A pair of uber slick, but still low rent criminals prepare for something dubious which leads up to the abduction of our heroine Alice Creed (Gemma Arterton). Soon we discover she was targeted for this crime in efforts to gather a ransome from her rich father. What we come to discover is the 6 degrees of separation between the criminals and the victim and oh, what a delightful discovery it is. These are wicked twists and turns that just can't be predicted. Considering there are only three actors in this film, it is a wonder and fun to watch. Not much else to share without giving away the unseen surprises. Be sure to watch the rarely provided bonus gag reel on this type of film. Well done!

TWELVE: A DOZEN TOO MANY

This kid driven film has been compared to Less Than Zero, a better version of spoiled teenagers using drugs and drinking and carrying on far too young. This one follows drug dealer, White Mike (Chase Crawford) as Kieffer Sutherland's throaty voice narrates the action. It's hard to watch as these children try to act like adults... sad actually. There are several other story lines including a murder but nothing is outstanding. The only thing I really enjoyed was the voice over with Sutherland. It's bad enough watching adults try to act like adults.  I wish these kids had waited to walk around in their mom's heels. Not a good film.  

WINTER'S BONE: A HARD KNOCK LIFE BUT A GREAT MOVIE

For her role as Ree Dolly, Jennifer Lawrence had to learn how to skin squirrels, chop wood, and fight.

Ree (Jennifer Lawrence) lives in the Ozarks and with an absent father and mentally absent mother, she raises her two young siblings while battling the harsh world around her. Lawrence gives the performance of a lifetime for such a young woman, and we hope it will not be her last. So poor that they have to depend on eating squirrels to survive, she sets out on a journey to find her absent father in hopes of saving the house put up for bail foreclosure.In the Ozarks, she finds a tight knit group of people, who won't talk to strangers, nonetheless even a stranger they know. Her journey is not an easy one, and is at sometimes painful both physically and mentally, but luckily Ree is tough enough to win to her what she must in order to help her family survive. This film isn't exactly easy to watch, but it is so well done and compelling that it is also hard not to watch it.This was definitely one of the best films of 2011.   

SKYLINE: AND THE WORLD ENDS YET AGAIN

"Jarrod: What are you going to do when all the blinds fall down? It's not exactly like we have a lot more bedsheets!"

However, this time it can be missed. Jarrod and pregnant girlfriend Elaine travel to LA to visit his old and living large friend Terry and his wife Candice. Isn't it just like LA to go and get invaded by aliens just when the party's getting good!? So the movie is mostly everyone running around trying to get away from the aliens, but wait, there is a twist. This movie shows us what happens once one is consumed by the aliens and boy is it far fetched and just plain dumb. A total silly waste of time.

HEREAFTER: NOT AS PEACEFUL AS EXPECTED

Not as magical as I anticipated, this film begins on a vivid and realistic note with a tsunami disaster scene and doesn't brighten up from there. Matt Damon is a reluctant psychic who is brought into the lives of other characters who are meant to cross paths. This could have been a mystical and moving film, but instead, fell flat and trite. Not my favorite film. 

THE SWITCH: GUY BASED ROM-COM

Based on the New York Times magazine story called The Baster... I dislike Jennifer Anniston but adore Jason Bateman, who steals the movie. A man (Bateman) drunkenly switches his spearm with another man's donation meant for his best friend (Anniston) who uses it to impregnate herself. Many years later, Bateman meets this child and the similarities are bountiful. Jeff Goldblume and Juilette Lewis are the best friends and do fine jobs respectively. How many romantic comedies have you seen involving head lice?  Lovely film.