Cold Souls

An occasionally clever and funny comedy that has a great premise, but dodgy execution. I don't think the film had enough material for 90+ minutes. It drags at times when it's trying to wring drama out of the situation and the material that comes up later in the movie is more conventional than I thought it would be. Paul Giamatti does a good job of playing a character based on himself and runs fearlessly through this crazy material while the rest of the cast is underused. Is Cold Souls a waste of time? Definitely not. It's unique and offers a few laughs, for what that is worth, but I can't quite recommend it completely.

The Fourth Kind

A hokey movie that tries to convince you it is of real footage when it actually isn't. All it takes is a click of a mouse to figure it out and you'll hate the filmmakers for trying to convince you otherwise. There are some interesting parts in here and a few chilling moments, but it is too contrived at points and the directors decision to use fake "real" footage alongside the "dramatization" of his fake footage doesn't work and only pulls you out of the experience rather than the other way around. It doesn't feel like a real movie, but it also doesn't feel like a documentary either. It's in that middle ground of nothingness. That's not a good thing. Despite all its failings, The Fourth Kind is at least an interesting failure, but one that most people will be infuriated by because of the filmmakers choices.

Armored

An incredibly fun, if flawed, heist movie featuring a good cast and plenty of thrills. The plot is basic and the characters are stock, but the actors do a good job with what they are given. The movie has good pacing and kept me engaged for the entire running length. There's also some pretty tense moments that are well directed by Nimrod Antal. It's a pretty short movie at 88 minutes (less if you don't count credits) which means it goes by very quickly. It's a little contrived at points and you might scoff at some of the plot elements, but if you have enough suspension of disbelief this is a wild ride that entertains accordingly. It's 88 minutes of unabashed entertainment. It may not be something you'll think about come tomorrow, but you'll have a good time anyway.

The Crazies

A slick and well made entry into the horror genre and one of the rare Hollywood remakes that is actually worth anything. The movie presents likable characters in a familiar scenario, but because it is so well done you don't mind that you have seen most of this before. The film has plenty of great set pieces that quicken the pulse and intensify the experience. This is definitely a faster paced horror movie than most. There's plenty of boo! moments and things go boom! really well, all making for one of the best horror movies in recent memory and the best one of the current year so far. If you are a horror aficionado and don't mind a few cliches in your B movies, give The Crazies a shot. It's crazily enjoyable.

Invictus

Clint Eastwood does another amazing job directing this movie based on the true story of the events in South Africa when Nelson Mandela was elected President shortly after getting out of jail. When an entire country is in such a precarious place who knew that a soccer team could have such an amazing impact on such a radically divided country. Morgan Freeman does a wonderful job portraying such an important person in South African history and Matt Damon is a fantastic counterpart.

The Blind Side

What else do you say about this movie other than it was just all around outstanding. The fact that it is based on the true story of professional football player Michael Oher is just icing on the cake. Sandra Bullock was wonderful as Leigh Anne Tuohy and Tim McGraw did surprisingly well as her husband. Add in Kathy Bates who is usually great and you have a wonderful movie that eveyone should see. Bullock's Oscar for best actress was rightfully given.

Did You Hear About the Morgans?

Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker star in this movie which reminded me of a less funny version of Tim Allen and Kirstie Alley's For Richer or Poorer. Their marriage is on the rocks, but when they accidently witness a murder they are sent together into the witness protection program. What follows is a very typical and "been there done that" rest of the story. Not a horrible movie, and as someone who is a huge fan of Hugh Grant and Sam Elliott I was still moderately entertained.

Amelia

Hilary Swank does it again in this re-telling of the very interesting life of Amelia Earhart, and Richard Gere and Ewan McGregor round out the cast as the two main men in her life. Not only does Swank do a good job of portraying Earhart and all that she accomplished before her disappearance, but does it in a way that even though it is not the best movie she had made, makes you want to keep watching. An enjoyable movie that is worth the watch.

Old Dogs

Old Dogs turned out to be a very disappointing movie for such a wonderful cast. The plot had potential but somewhere along the way someone really screwed up in the way they wrote the characters. Both main characters played by John Travolta and Robin Williams were more annoying than anything and you can tell that they even had a hard time getting into the role. The best thing about the movie was the co-stars who had much smaller roles (Seth Green, Matt Dillon, and Bernie Mac). I'm sure some folks will still enjoy the movie, but I had trouble not shutting it off.

The Princess and the Frog

This is the story of when hard-working waitress Tiana meets spoiled Prince Naveen (who has been turned into a frog) and their journey to break the voodoo spell that has been cast on him. Along the way they meet some wonderful new friends and of course get into all sorts of trouble. Disney does an amazing job with their first film to have an African-American star. The wonderful visual effects and amazing music along with a ton of comedy thrown in makes this movie a great family film that everyone will love.

The Brothers Bloom

A pleasant and surprising movie that is as entertaining as it is cerebral. It is always hard to tell whether what is happening is a part of the con, real, or a con within con that the characters don't know about. This unpredictability made it more enjoyable for me because I love thinking about this sort of stuff. It helps that the characters are colorful and played strongly by the excellent cast. The movie is breezy and the ending makes me want to go re-watch the movie instantly. The pacing does go back and forth a little bit, and is one of the only things that bothered me, but this is a solid heist caper and one I look forward to revisiting again.

The Informant!

I went into this movie expecting a breezy, funny, lightweight comedy that doesn't take itself remotely seriously, but I was completely wrong. This film really isn't that funny and it was much darker than I was expecting. Matt Damon gives a great performance and is pretty much unrecognizable as Mark Whitacre, but I really didn't enjoy this movie all that much. It jumps around too much and I was losing interest a little over half way through when new revelations just kept popping up to throw the characters around in the tornado some more. I think my expectations got the best of me. It isn't awful, and it has a few chuckle worth moments sprinkled in there, but I probably wouldn't want to watch it again.

The Box

Sure to have a mixed reaction among those that watch it, but put me firmly in the positive category. It's incredibly interesting and intriguing for the majority of its running length and I was fully engaged in the narrative because of this. It certainly has flaws, like the coherence not quite being there (much like Kelly's other films) and weak special effects, but I disregarded those because I was actually involved with the characters and their fate in this matter. This is a freaky and disturbing film about morality and its ramifications. The plot is preposterous sure, but it wasn't preposterous enough to break the barrier, at least for me. For those that like surreal experiences with the unknown and sometimes wonder about stuff outside of "the box", I heartily recommend this film.

Up in the Air

A smart film that blends elements of romantic comedies and satires with emotion that rings true and sticks with you. All three lead performers are outstanding and deserved their Oscar nominations. George Clooney has been on fire in his career recently and definitely becoming a favorite of mine. Vera Farmiga has the smarts and the looks to pull off her role while Anna Kendrick is a nice surprise with her spunky performance as Natalie. The script is incredibly sharp and sensitive with its characters, who grow on you throughout the movie. These might be the most likeable bunch of people that fire others for a living you could possibly get on screen. It has quite a few things going on beside just the economic repercussions. There's plenty of talk among the characters about what it means to be committed to a partner and spend your life with them rather than being single and not having any "baggage" like George Clooney's character has been living his whole life. He finally falls for someone after all this time, due to convincing by Natalie and helping his family member for the first time, but he gets the rug pulled under him towards the very end. I felt incredibly sorry for him. The ending is depressing, but it fits the style and mood of the movie perfectly. This is one of my favorites of 2009.

Where the Wild Things Are

A film that lacks a tight focus and meanders along for 90+ minutes and just doesn't properly gel. It's a gorgeous movie and it has a decent central performance from Max Records, but I was underwhelmed. The movie has uneven pacing and drags in the middle with its uneventful moments. There's not really an emotional center to grab onto and that was the biggest deal breaker for me. It isn't boring per se, but I wasn't sitting there jumping for joy at every moment. The special effects for the creatures are simply outstanding as is the voice work from the cast, but it wasn't quite enough for me to recommend the movie. I can definitely see it going completely over a child's head, not that it mattered to me. This might be one of those movies I appreciate more on a second viewing, but for now I'm sticking to my guns.

A Serious Man

A Serious Man is a constantly bleak and depressing movie that some will inevitable dislike just for its outlook on humanity and its condition in this world, but for those who are looking for a thought provoking and unique cinematic experience, it will surely hit the spot. For me, I'm right in the middle between loving it and disliking it. It was at times funny, other times sad, and even shocking with some turns I did not expect. The movie does become rather absurd at times, but it only mildly annoyed me. Michael Stuhlbarg gives a standout performance as the main character whose life is unraveling before him without him (or us) understanding why and searching for an answer that just doesn't come. The ending has been controversial and my stance on it is that it fits the material well, even if it was a little confusing at first. Would I have liked a tidier ending? Maybe, but I wouldn't expect anything of the sort from the Coen Bros.

Law Abiding Citizen

Law Abiding Citizen is an efficient and well made thriller, but one so preposterous and illogical that it takes away from the fun of the proceedings. It's entertaining, its gruesome, and its thought-provoking, but it is also way too hard to take the movie seriously with everything that happens throughout the course of the film. This is the exact kind of movie Hitchcock would call a "fridge" movie, or one that you think about after it is over and realize just how preposterous everything was, even more-so than when you were watching it and shaking your head in disbelief. I won't say I didn't enjoy the movie on visceral terms, but it still needed a few drafts before the more cerebral could enjoy it without yelling at the screen.

Halloween II

If all of the characters from the first movie (which was a mediocre remake of the classic) weren't in this film, you wouldn't even know this is a Halloween movie. It's as far from the roots of the series as any film has ever been. There's no theme music, Michael has his mask off half the time and looks like a hillbilly with a large jacket, he grunts while killing people, and even speaks a word of dialog towards the end. Why? I have no clue, but it certainly makes him less scary...

With all this said, this is a brutal and depressingly dark movie that will take some time to get out of my brain. It's images are definitely at times sadistic and there's too much violence, even for a slasher film, but I was never really bored watching it. It's at least interesting from start to finish, even if its pacing & tone aren't consistent. I do think this would have been a better movie if Rob Zombie had decided to take his "vision" and do an original horror movie rather than butcher classic characters, but the almighty dollar was calling. There's certainly material here that I think would work if someone else besides him was directing too. I hate how he always puts in the white trash talk that is an instant turn off. I just don't think it fits with the source material and it is becoming a cliche in his body of work. Zombie also doesn't have a steady hand on the story which doesn't completely gel, and having two completely different versions of the movie that don't resemble each other that much doesn't help (for the record I watched the "directors cut"). Final thoughts: It wasn't horrible, but it certainly could have been much more.