Pineapple Express (2008)

This almost felt more like a Coen Brothers movie than a Judd Apatow film. Dark, funny, and violent. Not among his best work, but still entertaining.

Rating: C+

Everything Is Illuminated (2005)

I imagine that the difficult journey shown in the film mirrored the difficult journey it must have been to get this film made. It's not your typical Saturday afternoon popcorn fare. A very personal story told in a slow, but interesting way. Layers are peeled back gradually. The viewer will be rewarded by sticking with it.

Rating: B-

Terri (2011)

An interesting take on the social misfit in high school. The curtain is pulled back to show the audience what lies behind the fat kid who wears pajamas to school. It’s very dry, and slow moving. John C. Riley was born to play these roles. There’s a bit of Cyrus, and even a little Step Brothers thrown in there. This film won’t knock your socks off, but it might possibly make you think twice before judging a book by its cover.

Rating: C

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011)

How have I seen 4 of these, and in the theater no less! I didn’t even read the books. I kind of like not knowing what’s going to happen, unlike everyone else in the theater. I’m invested in the characters and will see this series through to the end.

This installment was slower than the others and had a lot of girly romance. No surprise that it’s not one of my favorites. Still enjoyable to watch, and it sets thing up for an interesting finale. Not sure how I feel about imprinting on a baby.

Rating: C

Kill Bill: Vol 1 & 2 (2003) (2004)

I choose to review these as a single film, since they are meant to be viewed together. Fountains of blood. Those 3 words best describe Tarantino's throwback revenge movie. There's the usual amazing cast of characters, each with their own witty lines and quirky personalities.

It's a blast getting to watch one incredible fight scene after another, the kind you usually wait an entire movie to see -- here they are splashed out in front of you with just enough time to catch your breath in between.

The second half has a bit more depth. The training sequence was beautiful cinema. The "eye snatch" is something to look for. If you're in the mood for some good action and violence, and who isn't, this will certainly quench your thirst. But be warned, fountains of blood. Can't wait for the 3rd volume in 2014.

Rating: A

Bad Teacher (2011)

Almost exactly what I expected, which is sad, since that means I knowingly rented a C- movie. It’s mildly amusing overall, with enough laughs to make it watchable. Justin T and Jason Segel are criminally underused. I quite enjoyed Lucy Punch’s straight arrow teacher.

Rating: C-

Sidewalks of New York (2001)

A small Edward Burns picture about relationships, as usual. I enjoyed it - some fun characters and an outstanding performance by Stanly Tucci.

Rating: C+

Our Idiot Brother (2011)

Sweet. Funny. Character driven. Stock full of my favorite actors in a script worthy of their talents. It’s an optimistic film that takes the motto “honesty is the best policy” seriously. A must rent.

Rating: B-

3:10 To Yuma (2007)

The acting is what really stands out in this Western. You may not agree with the choices made by the characters, most of which appear to be bad ones, but you can tell they believe in what they are doing.

Rating: B-

Hugo (2011)

A slow, beautifully shot story that differs from the one the previews are selling. Mostly because the real story isn’t great movie trailer material. Hugo is a real labor of love from Scorsese and other film preservationist collogues of his. Johnny Depp produced. Terrific performances from Chloe, the kid playing Hugo, and Kingsly. Slow, but deep. Enjoyed it. The 3D was unnecessary though.

Rating: C+

Revolver (2005)

A real mishmash of ideas that never fully realize. There were bits and pieces of a good movie in there, but they unfortunately they got lost in the confusion. I didn't buy it.

Rating: D+

The Change-Up (2011)

Wildly inappropriate. Not everything hit, but plenty did. I laughed a lot. Bateman and Reynolds were fantastic portraying each other. Added bonus having Leslie Mann to look at. Huge crush on her.

Rating: C+

Elf (2003)

Quirky and fun. Will Farrel is allowed to run wild -- that's worth the price of admission alone. The ending was a bit cheesy, but the journey there makes you feel better.

Rating: B-

Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)

Started out strong with some funny scenes and smart writing. Things weakened in the second half. A lot of contrived plot lines and cliché sequences. This is a general audience pleaser and fun overall, but it’s better if you switch half your brain off. Ladies will be giving this an A+ for Ryan Gosling alone.

Rating: C+

The Work of Director Anton Corbijn (2005)

Another in this series of music video directors. Anton is a Dutch artist who's DVD seems to be filled with an abundance of bad synth music and unwatchable black and white videos. In fact, I'd skip everything from his early career and go straight to some of his newer stuff. Unfortunately, it's not much better.

That is except for the BRILLIANT video for Nirvana's Heart Shaped Box. For someone so versed in black and white photography, he makes EXCELLENT use of color throughout the video. He is able to capture the essence of Nirvana the band, each member individually, and their music. The images are both shocking and beautiful at the same time. It's a masterpiece.

Beyond that, the Henry Rollins clip is pretty good, and the MTV promos are hilarious. Everything else is a timewaster.

Rating: C-

Heart Shaped Box video: A+

City Island (2009)

I would have enjoyed this film much more if there wasn’t so much yelling and arguing. It got old really fast. I guess if I was raised in an Italian-American family this would seem completely natural. The plot itself didn’t wow me either. None of the characters, with the exception of the lovely Emily Mortimer, were that endearing. The film was well made—I just didn’t care for the story.

Rating: D+

Ocean's Eleven (2001)

I've seen this twice and loved it both times. It's about as good as a heist movie gets. Sodenburgh and the entire cast are perfect. Pure fun.

Rating: B+

Operation: Endgame (2010)

You’d think with such a strong cast of comedians on board that it would result in at least a mediocre action spoof. Unfortunately, the writing was terrible and they simply had nothing to work with. Barely watchable.

Rating: F+

The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

I read that many felt this was a depressing film until the end, but I would disagree. It does an excellent job of showing how quickly things can turn from bad to worse when living on the edge of poverty. It also shows how hard work and determination can help to get you back on your feet. Will Smith and his son are great together. It's obvious acting runs in the family. While I'm sure some parts of the story were enhanced for the screen, it's still a good bit of drama based on a true story.

Rating: B-

Valhalla Rising (2009)

A very slow, somewhat pointless historical action movie with the camera running at half speed most of the time. There are bits and pieces that could have been salvaged to make an ok movie, but it seems the director was more interested in actualizing some shroom induced vision.

Rating: D-