LAW ABIDING CITIZEN: REVENGE IS BEST SERVED COLD... BRRRRR

Not the most believable movie, but when has that stopped anyone before? Poor Clyde Shelton's (Gerard Butler) home is invaded by two low life scums who leave him for dead after brutally killing his family while he watches. Assistant District Attorney Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) cuts a deal with one perp while the other is sentenced to death by lethal injection. This does not sit well with Shelton, who then takes the business of vengeance into his own hands. Even while in police custody, his plans for revenge continue and are mysteriously carried out. Shelton wants everybody to die and he does a pretty good job of making that happen. This is a classic case of planning where the criminal is always one step ahead of the law. This also makes it hard to believe it could actually happen, but I suppose that's what movies do, suspend our reality for a few hours.

THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS: WOW

It's difficult to separate the film from the circumstances surrounding it. This was and will always be known for being Health Ledger's last film before he died. The objective of the movie centered around joy and dreams and of course, good versus evil but it was anything but joy when Heath's death railroaded the film making. What I find extraordinary is how three A-list Hollywood actors jumped right in to turn the story in a way where Heath's fleeting presence was explainable and understandable. Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell shared the role, each taking turns but still maintaining enough believability for it to work.

BROKEN EMBRACES: ANOTHER ALMODOVAR ARTWORK

Pedro Almodóvar has a magic touch and he proves it once again with this film. Lluis Homar is Harry Caine, a blind writer with a complicated past. He is confronted with a mysterious visitor who sends him back 14 years in his past to review the heartbreaking events that changed him forever. Penelope Cruz is heavenly as Lena, an aspiring actress and alluring woman who steals Harry's heart. Actually, she steals Mateo's heart, but that's another story.

THE BOYS ARE BACK: BUT NOW WHAT?

Clive Owen is the man. If you like Clive Owen, you will like this film; maybe. His performance is full of both joy and sorrow as he portrays freshly widowed Joe Warr who has to contend with the fear of raising a six year old alone. His son is adorable and terrible and confuses Warr to no end. Tenderly his wife comes back now and again to offer some advice. It is all very well done. We discover this is a second marriage and he comes to learn to deal with his older son as well. It's a heartbreaking war that ends with some peace and solace, but not quite wrapped up with a pretty bow. The end seems more like the beginning, as it is, but it makes it hard to put the movie away without the closure. Both boys are lovely and give stellar performances.
Bite: A film full of heart, but just short of story.

A SERIOUS MAN: A SMART FILM

Larry Gopnik: "The Uncertainty Principle. It proves we can't ever really know... what's going on. So it shouldn't bother you. Not being able to figure anything out. Although you will be responsible for this on the mid-term."

This film is said to be more of a personal, almost autobiographical film from the Coen brothers. Set in 1967 in a very Jewish Bloomington Minnesota, Larry Gopnik is a Physics professor with a full life...

EVERYBODY'S FINE... NOT!

Doddering widower, Frank Goode, (Robert De Niro) plans a gala party for his adult children and everybody cancels. Did he offend? No. He's too clueless to offend. His children are all talking to each other, but nobody is talking to him. So, get goes on the road to make a personal visit to each one of his ungrateful too-busy-with-life-to-talk-to-dad spawn.

COLD SOULS: FANS OF PAUL GIAMATTI ONLY NEED APPLY

It's hard to begin to explain a movie that overextends a reach and still manages to remain interesting. Giamatti plays himself, an actor who is preparing for a Broadway performance of Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya". He is bogged down by the heaviness of the part and comes upon a service that will put his soul in "storage" which he does. From there in turns into an existential caper movie where he decides he wants his soul back but it's been placed into someone else; a knockout blond woman. Imagine that for a minute. It is a clever picture that extends the imagination in the way Being John Malkovich did; you could almost see the possibility and fallout from it. Giamatti is classic Giamatti, which is enjoyable. It was an interesting concept, but didn't quite come off so smooth.
Bite: Interesting to watch and fun with Paul Giamatti

AN EDUCATION: JUST WHO IS GETTING SCHOOLED?!

"So, what you're telling me is to be bored, and then bored, and finally bored again, but this time for the rest of my life? This whole stupid country is bored! There's no life in it, or color, or fun! It's probably just as well the Russians are going to drop a nuclear bomb on us any day now. So my choice is to do something hard and boring, or to marry my... Jew, and go to Paris and Rome and listen to jazz, and read, and eat good food in nice restaurants, and have fun! It's not enough to educate us anymore Ms. Walters. You've got to tell us why you're doing it."

BROTHERS: NEW FILM, OLD STORY

Another reason to love Natalie Portman (Grace Cahill). She is the loving, young wife of Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire), a Captain in the Army taken hostage and left for dead. His black sheep brother, Tommy, steps in (Jake Gyllenhaal) and helps the family deal with the grief until surprisingly Sam is found alive and returned home, a shell of his former self. Of course Grace and Tommy find solace with each other, but not in the garish way it might be predicted. This isn't a bang bang film but a reflection on character and people and some side notes on war and politics. Nothing outstanding, but sturdy performances all around.
Bite: Nothing new or thrilling but an okay movie.

THE COVE: OUT-HORRORS HORROR FILMS

Sea World will never be the same again. This film is shocking and horrible and unbelievably true. In Japan, dolphins are being corralled, bought by the various institutions that use captive dolphins for hundreds of thousands of dollars and then forced into an inescapable cove where they are harpooned and stabbed. Boatloads of dolphins are carted off and the water is so red with their blood it looks like a bad horror movie effect. This documentary is well put together and the plan to capture this coup de grâs on film is nothing short of a tightly written and produced Hollywood feature.

GOOD HAIR: GREAT DOCUMENTARY

Chris Rock: How old were you when you first got your relaxer?

Maya Angelou: Oh god. I was about seventy.

Chris Rock: Seventy? You went your whole life...

Maya Angelou: Not my whole life, I'm still alive!

 

Did many people ever think they would see this kind of dialogue between one of our funniest comedians and one of our most distinguished writers? This is one of the best documentaries I have seen in some time. Chris Rock does an outstanding job of taking us on a tour of the regime of black hair care, which is different than any other hair type, and upkeep, from the funny to the sad. It's an informational film, providing both the history and biology behind what has and does go into styling black hair. He interviews celebrities as well as every day people who are also both funny and sad. The time and money that goes into this industry is astounding. Rock takes us to India to see where and how the hair for weaves is collected and sometimes stolen. What women do to themselves to make them more attractive is outlandish, painful and pricey, black or white. This movie, Rock has found an untold story that needed the attention and he does so beautifully. Major kudos all around.

Big bite: Loved this movie, both informative and astounding.

NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU... BUT I DON'T LOVE THIS MOVIE

A collection of short stories as told on celluloid, directed by different directors, each with their own small cast of actors and screaming with talented ones at that, this movie just didn't do it for me. There were too many moments, and not enough dots to connect the picture. Perhaps that was the point, how our lives are made up of these moments and that's just it. However, too many of these vignettes were too brief and hard to explain and it made it frustrating to watch. Unlike Paris je t'aime, the biggest character I missed was New York. I felt like there were just fleeting glimpses of the scenery rather than a true show of affection for the city. Very slow paced, even if dotted with one or two well written encounters. Excellent acting, waste of talent.
No bite: I'm sorry new York, N'pas je t'aime.

FAME: THE SOULESS REMAKE

I'm not "gonna live forever" if this is the updated version of the 1980's classic. Add some bubblegum, pop and a heavy beat and we find a film based on what should have been left alone. It was good to see the faculty, Broadway versed in real life, and interesting to see the younger talent; mind you the talent comment is not a rave review of their acting abilities. There were some seemingly authentic moments and good performances, but that does not make a movie earn the name Fame anywhere in it's title.
No bite: Rent the original, it's timeless.

PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE

"My name is Clareece "Precious" Jones. I wish I had a light-skinned boyfriend with real nice hair. And I wanna be on the cover of a magazine. But first I wanna be in one of them BET videos. Momma said I can't dance. Plus, she said who wants to see my big ass dancing, anyhow? "

There is so little I can say about this movie but not because it was bad or poorly acted. On the contrary, it was such a strong and powerful movie, so well acted you forget that it is indeed acting. This is the story of a young woman who has everything in the world going against her and yet she still finds a way to not only keep going, but to persevere. Gabourey Sidibe stars as our young heroine and her lack of acting ability gives a realistic portrayal of her character. She is obese, black and pregnant, not a cute Juno girl. This is not a cute movie.

BAD LIEUTENANT, BAD MOVIE

Unlike Ferrara's 1992 "Bad Lieutenant", this was not meant as a remake, but it follows the same premise with a lighter approach; bad cop, yet with a sense of humor. What it turns out to be is a VERY long film that seems more David Lynchian than anything else. Nic Cage is the bad cop who albeit a small drug problem and questionable ethics, seems to be a pretty smart officer. So why he has to play dirty confused me. Eva Mendes makes a good whore and Val Kilmer doesn't have enough screen time and what he did have was pablum. It was a mildly engaging film, but needed so much editing and could have been faster and harder hitting that by the end, I just didn't care anymore.
Slight bite: I liked watching a wicked Nic Cage, but the rest was not enough.