Mesrine: Part 1: Killer Instinct (Mesrine: L'Instinct de Mort; Public Enemy Number One: Part 1) (2008)

The problem with real stories about criminals being told on film is that your main characters are scum bags. When it's an original screenplay, writers can massage the story to give the audience someone to root for. That's not the case with Mesrine. He's a complete a-hole and it's hard to care about the film when you don't care about the main character.

The direction and editing are very choppy, however the raw cinematography works. I wasn't very impressed with part 1, but I feel invested enough that I'll probably watch part 2.

Rating: C-

Winter's Bone (2010)

A drearier, less exciting cinematic version of FX's Justified. Jennifer Lawrence and the rest of the cast do a fine job in their roles. There is some great tension throughout the film, but for me there needed to be a couple more climatic events to win me over. Thanks goodness Justified got renewed for another season.

Rating: C+

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Stop motion or not, this film has Wes Anderson's trademark style all over it. If you're a fan of his, as I am, you will enjoy this Roald Dahl classic brought to life. You'll recognize the voices of all his usual cohorts. It's warm and safe family fare. Perhaps too safe?

Rating: C+

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

What a sweet ride! I could almost feel the wind whipping through my hair as I reached for the seat belt that wasn't there. If only "Gone in 60 Seconds" had half as much intensity as this movie did, it might have not sucked so bad.

The plot is much deeper than the previews let on, which plays nicely around the fantastic action. Some of the best car racing/chase scenes I've ever seen. I loved the direction, the way they captured the pure adrenaline of sitting behind the wheel of one of those tweaked out cars. Glad I saw it in a nice theater. Just a fun movie.

Rating: B

Monsters (2010)

One of the slowest alien movies I've ever seen. Almost nothing happens the entire film. We follow around a couple with very little charisma. The girl is passable as an actress, but the guy is community theater bad. There's potential in the plot and octopus styled creatures, but it's never fleshed out in any meaningful way. A real disappointment.

Rating: D+

Animal Kingdom (2010)

A moody Australian crime drama that's more depressing than exciting. Terrific acting across the board. Hard to watch at times. Not sure the ending was the silver lining I was hoping for.

Rating: C

White Chicks (2004)

Sometimes you're just in the mood for a dumb movie. White Chicks fits the bill. The plot is outright ridiculous, but it's hard to turn away from the Wayans looking like Casper The Ghost's sisters.

Rating: C-

Shopgirl (2005)

Claire Danes is a fine actress. It's a shame she's not on screen more. Here she plays it innocent, sometimes sensual. I love her subtle performance. Steve Martin is subdued, yet delightful to watch. Jason Schwartzman is in familiar territory, but it's a place we enjoy visiting again and again.

Rating: B-

Army of Darkness (1993)

One of those films with a big cult following. Not bad. Kind of a horror/comedy set in mid-evil times. Entertaining to watch.


Rating: C-

Megamind (2010)

Cute, but outside of a few chuckles from Will Ferrell, it wasn't engaging enough for adults.

Rating: C-

Let Me In (2010)

Similar, and yet different from the Swedish original. Casting was spot on. Chloe Moretz is a superstar in the making. The moment I saw Kick Ass, I knew she was the next Natalie Portman. She's brilliant here as well. Enjoyed this version—hard to say if one is better than the other.

I tend to like movies the first viewing, so remakes have a hard time measuring up. With the American retelling, more layers are revealed. The audience isn't left to guess as much. Ours is more graphic, yet the Swedish has a much darker tone. I’m glad I saw them both. 

Rating: B

Murder At 1600 (1997)

I'm not a big Wesley Snipes fan, but this was a pretty decent action flick. I'll admit, I could have done without seeing that old mans flabby, white butt at the beginning though.

Rating: C

Going The Distance (2010)

I think the ship has sailed on Drew Barrymore playing swinging single roles. Just because you can't handle serious acting roles doesn't mean you have to perpetually pretend you're just out of college. This movie had one thing working for it: the supporting cast. Isn't that always the case with these types of movies? Whether it's Sarah Silverman or the chick from Flight of the Conchords, these movies rely on their supporting cast of funny people to do all the heavy lifting. I would have rather seen a film about Justin Long's best friends or the bartender.

Rating: D+

Please Give (2010)

Your average character driven indie with a few laughs here and there. The standout was the cranky grandma. Superb.

Rating: C

Dead Man (1995)

Dead Man, with Johnny Depp, is beautifully shot in black and white. This odd story set in the old west combines an all star cast of strange characters into a sweet and dark tale.

Rating: B-

Lebanon (Levanon) (2009)

I heard really good things about this Israeli film, so I had high expectations. I expected a war film from the unique perspective of a tank's scope combined with the claustrophobic interior of the cabin. A fantastic idea—completely mishandled by first time director Samuel Maoz.

What we got was an endless loop of people staring, machine noises, dudes peeing, yelling, insubordination, more peeing, boring banter, graphic depictions of war, shots that go on forever, poor decisions, and yet more peeing. The editor for this film should be forced to sit in that filthy tank for a year as punishment for a job NOT well done.

Rating: F

Catfish (2010)

I'm so grateful I went into this movie knowing nothing. I didn't even realize it was a documentary. Obviously, if you are reading this review, I've just spilled the beans. I purposely avoid previews and written reviews just so I can be pleasantly surprised. Catfish was a very pleasant surprise.

Maybe I loved this film because I had a very similar experience, which I chronicled on my personal blog. If you dig hard enough, you'll find it. But I honestly think it's a film everyone can relate to on some level. It's dumb luck that what they started filming turned into such an interesting story, but that doesn't take away from the brilliant editing, which weaved the perfect narrative.

One of the best films of 2010.

Rating: B+

Sour Grapes (1998)

With Larry David directing, I figured this couldn't be that bad. I was wrong. This movie dragged and wheezed it's way through a poor plot. Sometimes the characters reminded me of ones on Seinfeld, but nowhere near as funny. I did laugh out loud at parts, but as a whole, I was let down.

Rating: D

Red Hill (2010)

I'm not sure why it took me so long to figure out where I knew the male lead from. True Blood! Here he is starring in another crimson hued role, fighting to staunch the bloodletting that is this unique revenge tale. Love the Australian setting, soundtrack, and acting. Reminded me a bit of “Until the Devil Knows You're Dead”. The only dialogue spoken by our anti-hero is gut-wrenching. Enjoy!

Rating: B

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Luftslottet Som Sprängdes) (2009)

A worthy conclusion to the trilogy. Not nearly as engaging as the first two, but a solid effort. I'm really looking forward to the remakes and seeing how they compare to the Swedish versions.

Rating: B