You have to see the trailer for the film, The Beaver

I saw this trailer yesterday while waiting for Black Swan, and had to post it on my site.  I honestly can't believe that this is for real.  What was Mel Gibson and Jody Foster smoking when they said yes to this film?

Black Swan: An actual entertaining film about Ballerinas

Yesterday I got the chance to check out Darren Aronofsky’s new film Black Swan, which stars Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis and Vincent Cassel. Aronofsky is best known for directing the 2008 film The Wrestler. I have to admit that going into the theater, I was as equally excited as I was cautious about this film, after all, it is a movie about ballerinas.

Black Swan (2010): is a psychological thriller set in New York City. Natalie Portman plays Nina, a dancer in a celebrated ballet company. After the lead ballerina (played by Wynona Ryder) is forced to retire, director Thomas Leroy (Cassel) begins searching for a new lead to star his upcoming production of Swan Lake. After some initial hesitation, Leroy decides to cast Nina as the Swan Queen. The strain and stress of this new role causes Nina to suffer from hallucinations which grow increasingly graphic. Adding to her stress, Nina also begins to suspect that her understudy Lily (Kunis) is trying to steal the lead role from her. Paranoid and unstable, Nina desperately tries to hang onto the role she’s fought so hard to get.

Black Swan is a fascinating and intense look into what a performer will do for greatness. Nerve racking and melodramatic, Black Swan is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Natalie Portman’s portrayal is chilling and impassioned. With a Golden Globe nomination already under her belt for this performance, I fully expect an Oscar nomination to follow as well. Innovatively original, Black Swan lives up to the hype, and is easily one of the best films of 2010. (*** ½ Stars)

My Favorite Holiday Films:

Merry Christmas to everyone out there, I hope you and yours are having a wonderful day. It was requested of me to post a top 5 holiday movie list, and I figured what better day then today to do so. I have to stipulate that I haven’t seen all of the holiday classics such as It’s a Wonderful Life & Miracle on 34^th Street, so perhaps this list will change come next holiday season.

5. Love Actually (2003): I’ve never been a huge British cinema fan, but they got it right with this feel good romantic comedy. Starring Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Alan Rickman and a whole slew of other talented British actors, Love Actually follows the interwoven story lines of 8 different couples during the holiday season.

4. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966): I know this movie wasn’t in the theaters, but how can you have Christmas movie list without the Grinch? An amazing soundtrack, beautiful animations and a wonderful message makes this movie a must see every holiday season.

3. The Santa Clause (1994): A surprisingly original re-telling of Santa Clause, Tim Allen plays Scott Calvin, an ad exec who is forced to take over Santa’s duties after Santa falls off Calvin’s roof. The greatness of this holiday film has been diminished a bit by the two pretty crappy sequels. But if you can forgive them, then I think you’ll find The Santa Clause extremely entertaining.

2. Bad Santa (2003): Everybody needs some humor during the holiday season, and no Christmas movie is funnier in my opinion then Bad Santa. Starring Billy Bob Thornton as a mall Santa/thief, this is one of the most rude, crude and hilarious holiday films you’ll ever lay eyes on. But don’t worry, like all holiday films, it has a happy ending and wonderful message of redemption for the children too, haha.

1. A Christmas Story (1983): When it comes to holiday movies, there is A Christmas Story…and there’s everything else. By far the best holiday film ever made. A holiday tradition for most, I’ll admit that I personally spend atleast 3-4 hours of every Christmas day watching this film during the 24 straight hours of A Christmas Story on TBS.

Honorable Mentions: Jack Frost (1998); Prancer (1989); Home Alone (1990);

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, I’m finally gonna get the chance to see True Grit and Black Swan later this week, so check back for my thoughts about those films, and others.

Jarrett L.

The Fighter: Don’t Believe the Hype

The Fighter (2010): I was kindly invited to join two friends last night for a viewing of the new boxing film The Fighter.  Starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale and Amy Adams, The Fighter is the supposed inspirational story of former boxing champion Micky Ward.  Overcoming hardships and family despair, Ward (Wahlberg) makes an unlikely run at the Welterweight boxing title.  After hearing all the buzz surrounding this movie I was pretty eager to finally get the chance to see it.  However, by the end of the film, the only excitement I was feeling unfortunately was that the movie was finally over.

Why was this film made?  What is really inspirational about this story?  It appears that they were attempting to create a real-life Rocky Balboa story, but after the film was over, I honestly felt LESS about Micky Ward and his boxing skills.  To me it appeared that Ward got extremely lucky that he EVER got a title chance, and in the title match, he got the crap beat out of him and then got off a few lucky shots to somehow steal the victory.  To cap it all off, the film completely skips over the fights that Micky Ward is best known for, his 3 battles with Arturo Gatti.  The Fighter also has a bad identity crisis.  I couldn’t tell if it was trying to be a serious drama or a comedy.  For instance, I found the audience laughing at moments that I thought were supposed to be serious.  And who was this movie supposed to be about?  At times I thought I watching a movie that was more about Ward’s half brother Dickie (Bale) and his struggle with crack addiction more then I was watching a film about Micky Ward and boxing.

The script and writing was horrendous, and through out the movie I found characters talking over one another to the point of not understanding any of them.  There were also entire lines of dialogue that got lost because the actor was mumbling so bad you couldn’t understand what they were saying.  I also found myself scratching my head at some of the odd filming and camera choices from the Director of Photography on this film.  Weird camera angles, the occasional unexplained shaky camera, especially during the prison conversation between Wahlberg and Bale, and way too many super close-ups made this film feel amateurish and frustrating to watch.

The pre-Oscar hype machine has Christian Bale as the front runner for the Best Supporting Actor award.  I’ve enjoyed Christian Bale over the years, and believe he has been looked over in the past when it comes to being honored for his memorable portrayals.  This role for him however is one of his weakest, and I would feel disappointed if this was the performance he’s most remembered for.  As far as Mark Wahlberg’s performance in the Fighter, unfortunately he either shows no pulse, or is over-excitedly hamming it up for the camera, especially during his fight scenes.  The only star in this film that was able to overcome the shoddy script and give an intense and raw performance was the beautiful and alluring Amy Adams.  She easily stole every scene she was in, and made The Fighter watchable for me. 

Some critics have The Fighter as a Best Picture contender.  I have to say that if The Fighter actually wins the Oscar’s top prize, it will go down as one of the worst Best Picture films of all time.  However, seeing how bad this year has been overall, perhaps 2010 deserves to have The Fighter represent it as its Best Picture.  (** Stars)

Scorsese & De Niro teaming up again? Sweet!!!

For those of you (like myself) that have given up on the idea of Robert De Niro making a great film ever again, hope just might be around the corner.  It was brought to my attention today that Martin Scorsese has confirmed that his next project will be a film titled The Irishman and will star Robert De Niro.  Scorsese and De Niro have worked together previously on cinema classics such as Goodfellas, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Casino. 

Now the more exciting rumor surrounding The Irishman is that Al Pacino and Joe Pesci are also considering possibly accepting roles in the film as well.  De Niro, Pacino and Pesci together in a Scorsese film?  Yes please may I have another! :-)

Scott Pilgrim: A World Like No Other

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010): In this comic book adapted, video game crazed world we live in, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is one of the coolest romantic action comedy comic book adaptations ever made.  Starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin & Ellen Wong, Scott Pilgrim uses high octane action, catchy Indie rock and geek-tastic fantasy scenes to create one of the most original films of 2010.

Scott Pilgrim (Cera) is a bass guitarist for a local Toronto band named Sex Bomb-omb.  Despite objections from his friends and fellow band members, Scott begins to date Knives Chau (Wong), an innocent naïve high school student who falls head over heels for Scott.  However, during a late night house party, Scott meets and falls in love with Ramona Flowers (Winstead), an eccentric young woman who just moved to Toronto from New York City.  As Scott begins to pursue Ramona, he discovers that dating her will not be as easy as originally thought.  He must first defeat the League of Evil Ex’s, which is made up of seven of Ramona’s ex’s who are trying to control her future love life. 

2010 has proven to be a pretty good year for Michael Cera, with two solid efforts in Scott Pilgrim and Youth in Revolt.  While admittedly not for everyone; Scott Pilgrim is definitely worth viewing for those looking for something fresh and unique.  Fast paced, offbeat and witty, the use of well-known pop culture and video game references adds a surprising extra layer of humor to an already amusing film.  (*** Stars)

When Will "We" Get The Chance to See The "Great" Movies of 2010?

 I was just on Yahoo Movies looking at this weekend’s box office numbers and noticed a horrible trend.

TITLE:                                     # Of Theaters
Black Swan                                  90
127 Hours                                  416
The King's Speech                    19
The Fighter                                   4

In a year that is in desperate need of some great movies, these four films have recently been released to critical acclaim.  However if you look at the last column listed above, they are currently being shown in a combined 529 theaters across the country.  Considering the newest Chronicles of Narnia film is being shown in 3,555 theaters, The Fighter being viewed in only 4 is ridiculous.  What happened to wanting to show off your supposed great film?

Being a movie enthusiast, I’d really love the opportunity to view these films and others like them.  But unfortunately it appears that the movie companies are currently much more concerned with putting their film in just the right place for an Oscar run, rather than letting normal people like you and I actually watch the movie.  I guess until they deem us worthy of viewing their supposed masterpieces, I’ll just have to keep picking from the crap like Due Date & The Tourist. 

Two 90’s Best Pictures, But Only One Deserving of the Title

Through some fortuitous luck I recently stumbled across some well named movies for a very inexpensive price.  Among these new additions to my personal collection were two Best Picture winners from the 1990s that I had surprisingly yet to view; the 1996 winner The English Patient and the 1998 winner Shakespeare in Love.  After watching them both over the last day and a half I can now say without a doubt that one definitely deserved its Oscar while the other did not.

The English Patient (1996): is set in the Sahara desert during the beginning of WWII and stars Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe and Kristin Scott Thomas.  At the beginning of the film, we find Count Laszlo Almasy (Fiennes) badly burned from a plane crash.  With not long to live, a Canadian nurse named Hana (Binoche) makes the decision to take Laszlo and look after him in an abandoned church.  Much of Almasy’s memories had been forgotten because of the accident, but through the use of flashbacks, we begin to see what has come to pass to cause Laszlo to be in his current state. 

Grand and ambitious, The English Patient is a film about love, longing, regret, and unforeseen consequences that come with decisions that are made from the heart.  The two hour and 40 minute viewing time could be difficult for some viewers.  But if you haven’t seen The English Patient, I hope it doesn’t scare you away.  Looking back at the films from 1996, the only one that could have given The English Patient a run for its money in regards to the Best Picture is the Coen Brothers critically acclaimed darling Fargo.  However, when you compare the two films, The English Patient was and is still deserving of the honor that was bestowed upon it by the Academy (although I have to admit my personal favorite for 1996 is still Jerry Maguire).  (*** ½ Stars)

Shakespeare in Love (1998): is a fictional comedy about a forbidden love affair between William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) and Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow) during the time when Shakespeare was writing Romeo & Juliet.  Shakespeare, suffering from a bad case of writers block, was struggling to complete the comedy play he’d been paid to write, Romeo and Ethel, The Pirate’s Daughter.  During an audition for the play, an unknown actor by the name of Thomas Kent is cast as the lead role of Romeo.  Thomas Kent is actually Viola de Lesseps, who has to disguise her identity because women aren’t allowed to be on stage by law.  After Shakespeare discovers Thomas Kent’s real identity, he and Viola begin a secret love affair, despite the fact that Viola’s parents have agreed to an arranged marriage with another man.  Viola becomes Shakespeare’s muse and inspiration for the writing of the legendary play Romeo & Juliet. 

In 1998 the film that was as highly regarded as Shakespeare in Love was Steven Spielberg’s WWII opus Saving Private Ryan.  My hope before watching Shakespeare in Love was that I’d see some explanation as to why the Academy decided to pass over Private Ryan for Best Picture.  After finally seeing it however, I am unfortunately still left scratching my head.  While Shakespeare in Love is at times a whimsically entertaining film, I can’t in good faith put it ahead of Saving Private Ryan, or other great 1998 films such Rushmore, Life is Beautiful, American History X, Rounders or The Truman Show. Overall, Shakespeare in Love is a solid effort, but clearly not worthy of its Best Picture distinction (*** Stars)

Shutter Island: So Close to Greatness

Shutter Island (2010): is a psychological thriller set off the coast of Boston, 1954 starring Leonardo DiCaprio who plays U.S. Federal Marshal Edward “Teddy” Daniels.  Daniels is assigned to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a patient from the Ashecliffe Hospital for the criminally insane.   As the investigation begins to unfold, Daniels starts to suspect that the doctors and staff might be withholding information in an attempt to cover up more sinister motives for the existence of this mental institution.  Concerns turn to paranoia, as Daniels gets closer and closer to revealing the real truths behind the facilities on Shutter Island and the reasons why he was assigned to this case.

Leonardo DiCaprio gives a skillfully intense and powerful performance.  The biggest complaint I’ve heard from DiCaprio detractors is that too often, he plays the same character and uses a lot of the same expressions in many of his films.  I on the other hand believe that DiCaprio, like many of the great actors of the past (Pacino, DeNiro, etc...) has a knack for picking roles that best utilizes his acting talents and tendencies, and Shutter Island is no different. 

After missing Shutter Island in the theaters earlier this year, I had been hesitant for some time to rent it on DVD.  A recent conversation with a fellow movie fan helped to finally peak my interest in viewing it.  Overall, Shutter Island is suspenseful, gripping and does an entertainingly good job keeping the viewer on the edge of their seat.  However, I will say that in an attempt to make the ending a thrilling shocker, Scorsese has instead created a rather predictable finale.  Although the ending does make sense for the movie, it is also the one thing keeping Shutter Island from being truly great.  (*** Stars)

In Honor of Inception & Director Christopher Nolan...

 In honor of the December 7^th Blu-ray and DVD release of 2010 psychological action thriller Inception, I decided to rank the seven feature films that Christopher Nolan has created over his short 12 year Hollywood career. Known best as the director of the latest Batman films, Nolan has become one of the preeminent directors of the last decade. With the third Batman installment, The Dark Knight Rises scheduled for a 2012 release, Nolan is on the verge of creating one of the most critically and financially successful movie trilogies is Hollywood history. (At the bottom, I have also added the 1997 short film created by Nolan called Doodlebug).

1. Memento (2001): This contemporary classic still ranks for me as Christopher Nolan's greatest achievement. Memento tells the story of Leonard Shelby, a man who suffers from anterograde amnesia, which causes him to be unable to store new memories. Through the use of tattoos and polaroids Leonard attempts to track down what he believes to be a second assailant in the fatal attack of his late wife. Memento uses Nolan's love for non-linear story telling as it presents the narrative in an innovative reverse chronological fashion, while interjecting a black and white chronologically filmed phone conversation where Shelby converses with an unknown phone caller. Brilliant and truly innovative, Memento is by far Christopher Nolan's masterwork.
2. Inception (2010): For as much as I enjoyed and was in awe of this film, I just couldn't get myself to rank it ahead of Memento. However with such a down year in movies, this is by far one of the biggest standout films of 2010. Inception is an extremely smart and impressive film that presents the idea of breaking into someone's mind, allowing for the stealing of secrets or implanting of ideas. Visually magnificent, Nolan has created one of the smartest psychologically thrilling science fiction films of the last 25 years.
3. The Dark Knight (2008): The Dark Knight did what many sequels fail to do, which is be better the then its predecessor. After the success of Batman Begins, this feat seemed pretty daunting, but The Dark Knight pulled it off with flying colors. Another visual treat, The Dark Knight became the 7^th highest grossing film in movie history, thanks largely to the extraordinary performance from the late Heath Ledger who portrayed the Joker.
4. Batman Begins (2005): The start of by far one of the most successful superhero franchises of recent times, Batman Begins offers a look at the origins of black caped crusader. While showing his fears, insecurities and ambitions, Batman Begins offers a unique, more human touch to story of this well known character. The true measurement of the success of this film is how it turned non-comic book fans like myself, into admirers of this film and franchise reboot.
5. The Prestige (2006): Originally looked over a bit by critics, this psychological thriller has gained a great deal of following and praise over the last 4 years. Starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, The Prestige tells the story of two rivaling 19^th century magicians who both become obsessed with creating the ultimate stage illusion. In their attempt to one up each other, they begin to lose touch with reality which leads to tragic results. The twists and turns keep you engaged all the way to the gut busting surprise finale.
6. 
   Following (1998): While only 70 minutes long, Following is an extremely engaging and entertaining first effort from Nolan. Classified as a Neo-Noir film, Following uses a non-linear storyline and flashbacks to keep the viewer on edge, as it tells the story of a peeping tom who's life gets turned upside down when one of the people he's been following confronts him.
7. Insomnia (2002): Unfortunately one of these films had to be listed 7^th, and for me Insomnia is that film. That's not an indictment about the Insomnia as much as it is praise for the overall quality of Nolan's film resume. Insomnia is a solid crime thriller staring 3 Academy Award winners in Al Pacino, Robin Williams and Hilary Swank. I will say however, for a director who has built his career on psychological twists and turns, Insomnia is by far the most straight forward effort from Nolan.

Are You Speaking Bat?

This video is for Jamee, I was told you didn't like Christian Bale's voice in the Batman movies, so I thought you'd get a kick out of this video.  Thanks Josele for originally showing me this, it's pretty darn funny.

The Expendables-Check Your Brain at the Door

The Expendables (2010): Co-written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, The Expendables is a brainless over the top action filled blood bath.  The cast consists of a who’s who of 1980’s and 90’s action stars, including Jason Statham, Jet Li, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke & Stone Cold Steve Austin.  The basic premise is a group of elite mercenaries have been hired to help overthrow General Garza, the brutal Latin dictator of the fictional island of Vilena.  During a reconnaissance mission, it is discovered that Garza is being backed by an Ex-C.I.A. agent who is trying to use the island to grow and produce cocaine.  Along the way, Stallone’s character falls for the daughter of the dictator, a lot of stuff gets blown up, and ton of guts and blood are spilled capped off by a scene where one guy gets his head chopped off and his buddy has the knife shoved through his throat.

The script is bad; the acting is horrible at times (with Stallone being by far the worst of the bunch).  But if you are considering watching The Expendables, you certainly aren’t picking it because of its Oscar potential.  This is an adrenalin pumping action film through and through.  At times the action is so crazy that it feels like you’re watching scenes from The Matrix more the Expendables.  But, I will say that if you can check your brain at the door, and are in the mood for pure bloody violence, you might be entertained enough by The Expendables to make it worth your time.  (** Stars)

A Whole Week to Watch Movies:

The best part of a holiday week is all the time available for a movie-a-holic (like myself) to watch some favorite movies and catch up on films I haven't seen yet. Here are some quick reviews of good films I viewed this week for those looking for some different options at the rental store or through Netflix.

Desperado (1995): Directed by Robert Rodriguez (Sin City, From Dusk Till Dawn), Desperado stars Salma Hayek and Antonio Benderas. Benderas plays a former mariachi who is trying to avenge the death of his lover at the hands of a Mexican drug lord. Although not as great as I originally remembered, it's films like Desperado that remind me that movies are about entertainment, and it's ok to watch the occasional gratuitously violent film and have a fun time doing so. Full of over the top action, Desperado is an entertaining and fantastical blood bath of a movie. (*** Stars)

Star Trek (2009): One of the most visually thrilling films of the last decade. This is the movie that the Star Trek brand desperately needed, as director J.J. Adrams breathed new life into this stagnant franchise. Fresh, funny and captivating, Star Trek tells the story of how the crew of the USS Enterprise was assembled, and shows the temperamental beginnings of the friendship formed between James Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto). For not being the slightest fan of the Star Trek films of the past, this movie was such a major surprise and one of the best films of 2009. (*** ½ Stars)

Carlito's Way (1993): A crime film directed by Brian De Palma (Carrie, Scarface, The Untouchables) staring Al Pacino, Sean Penn and Penelope Ann Miller. Pacino, fresh off his Oscar win for Scent of a Woman, plays Carlito Brigante, a Puerto Rican crime leader who's 30 year sentence has just been overturned after 5 years due to a legal technicality. Vowing to leave his past life of crime behind and make an honest living, Carlito agrees to take over the management of a local nightclub that's struggling financially. However, the more he tries to distance himself from his past, the more his past seems to be pulling him back in. Although the film gets off to a bit of a slow start, the last 40 minutes easily makes up for that. Carlito's Way is a solid crime film with noteworthy performances from acting greats Pacino and Penn. (*** Stars)

Billy Elliot (2000): Billy is young boy growing up in a single parent blue collar English home who has dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. His father, a local coal miner who is currently on strike, has issues with the idea of his 11 year old boy giving up boxing for ballet, which he sees as a girl's activity. At times, the thick Northern English accents can be a bit difficult to understand. But overall Billy Elliot is a sweet and inspirational story about being yourself, overcoming adversity and following your dreams. (*** Stars)

City Hall (1996): Another 90's Al Pacino film also staring John Cusack and Bridget Fonda. City Hall is a political drama about the aftermath of a shooting between a NYPD officer and a drug dealer that left both dead along with an innocent young boy. Pacino plays Mayor John Pappas, a brash and ambitious politician who seems to always be looking to use and spin any situation into his favor. Cusack plays Deputy Mayor Kevin Calhoun, whose job it is to investigate why Tino Zapatti, the drug dealer involved in the shooting, had been sentenced to probation for a recent crime instead of being sent to jail. As his investigation unfolds, more and more influential people get implicated. City Hall is a typical 90's drama and there isn't anything amazingly memorable about it. However, it is a decently entertaining story that will keep your attention, and for those Pacino fans who haven't seen it, he delivers his usual commanding performance. (** ½ Stars)

An Unfinished Life (2005): Staring Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman and Jennifer Lopez, An Unfinished Life is a touching drama about forgiveness and the bonds of family. Redford plays Einar Gilkyson, a Wyoming rancher who lives and works with his lifelong friend Mitch Bradley (Freeman). When his estranged daughter-in-law Jean (Lopez) shows up on his doorstep unannounced, Einar is shocked to discover that he has a granddaughter he's never met. Jean, who is trying to get away from a abusive former boyfriend, asks Einar if she and her daughter Griff can stay with him while she tries to rebuild her life. Cantankerous and disagreeable, Einar reluctantly agrees to let them stay despite the fact he has always blamed Jean for the tragic death of his son Griffin. As the movie progresses, Einar and Jean try to reconcile their differences while Einar also attempts to create a relationship with his new granddaughter. Although the storyline follows a fairly predictable path, its the distinguished performances from Redford and Freeman that make this film a delight to watch. (*** Stars)

Reality Bites (1994): The directorial debut of Ben Stiller, this 90's romantic comedy stars Stiller, Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke, along with Janeane Garofalo and Steve Zahn. The story is about the career and lifestyle challenges faced by Generation X youth of the early 1990's. Admittedly at times the film feels a bit dated by the “Mtv Real World” type references, however I believe contemporary college graduates will be able to relate with the feelings of uncertainty about the future that the movie addresses. The true strength of this film is the talented cast of future stars led by the remarkable performances from Ryder and Hawke. An amusing and poignant look at the fears of recent grads entering the workforce, Reality Bites has a surprisingly relevant sentiment to current aspirations and anxieties about today's job market. (*** Stars)

Oh, I also watched The Godfather this week. I considered writing a review, but thought better of it because...well it's The Godfather. Need I say more? With almost three more days left in the week, I'm curious which other movies I'll be able to check out during my free time.  Oh, and to Jamee, don't worry I haven't forgotten my promise to watch My Dog Skip, haha.

Your Highness Trailer

Just watched the Your Highness Uncensored trailer, looks like it could be pretty funny.  Plus Zooey Deschanel & Natalie Portman in the same movie...count me in :) Your Highness comes out in 2011.

More Your Highness Videos

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: A Mystery Masterpiece

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2010) is a Swedish mystery film with English subtitles that was originally released overseas in late 2009, but the official U.S. release date wasn't until March of 2010.  Dragon Tattoo is the first of a three movie trilogy, with the other two films being The Girl Who Played With Fire (released July 9, 2010), and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (released October 29, 2010).

From the opening scene, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo grabs a hold of you and doesn’t let go.  Set in Sweden, the story is about an investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) who has just lost a Libel case against a crooked Swedish tycoon and is sentenced to three months in prison.  Mikael has six months before he must turn himself over the authorities, and during this time is hired by Henry Vanger, an Industrialist and the leader of the Vanger Group, who wants Blomkvist to investigate the 40-year-old unsolved disappearance of his beloved niece Harriet.

Unbeknownst to Blomkvist, he has been under surveillance by a security firm led by a troubled yet very gifted computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Repace).  After the Libel case ended, Lisbeth’s interest in Blomkvist remained, and she continued to hack into Mikael’s computer to monitor his activities.  In order to investigate the unsolved disappearance, Blomkvist moved onto the Vanger estate and resided in one of the guest houses.  During one of her hacking sessions, Lisbeth notices the case that Blomkvist is now working on and can’t resist helping with one of the clues, emailing her findings to him under her hacker name WASP.  After the initial shock of being hacked wore off, Mikael tracks down Lisbeth and offers her a job helping him on the case, which she reluctantly accepts.  Now working together, Blomkvist and Salander begin digging into 40 years of the Vanger family secrets in order to try to solve the mystery of what happened to Harriet Vanger. 

If there is ever a time to listen to a recommendation of mine, this is it.  See this movie! Dragon Tattoo is an intense mind-blowing thrill ride.  The twists and turns of the story come from every direction, and Noomi Repace’s portrayal of Lisbeth is hauntingly stunning.  My only caution is the film is unmerciful in its depiction of some graphic rape scenes, which may challenge some viewers.  But overall this film is a masterpiece, and I don’t throw around that term lightly.  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is by far the best murder mystery film I’ve seen, and easily one of the top 3 films of 2010.  (**** Stars)

Get Low: A Masterful Work of Art

I had the distinct pleasure to view the film Get Low yesterday evening at the Fountain theatre in Old Mesilla. Get Low is the type of movie you always hope to see when you head to the theater. It has that beautiful combination of cast, script, direction and performance that leaves you speechless.

Get Low is set in the rural Tennessee woods during the Depression era. Robert Duvall plays Felix Bush, a callous hermit who has become a local legend in town lore. Felix decides that he wants a living funeral, and seeing the possible money opportunities, funeral director Frank Quinn (Bill Murray) agrees to help Felix with his request. As the movie progresses, we see that Felix's rough facade is really hiding a tormented soul who's secret past has caused him to choose a life self banishment.

Get Low is a wonderfully elegant story about guilt, redemption and forgiveness. Bill Murray's dry comedic timing is spot on, and Sissy Spacek is angelic in her portrayal as Mattie Darrow. It is Robert Duvall's performance however that stands above the rest. By far, one of the finest achievements of his illustrious career, Duvall should be the front runner for this year's Best Actor Oscar. Get Low is a masterful work of art, and easily one of the best films of 2010. (**** Stars)

An Unfortunately Insignificant Movie Night

Over the last two years, director Tony Scott and Academy Award winning actor Denzel Washington have teamed up to make two films involving trains, The Taking of Pelham 123 and Unstoppable. Yesterday I thought it would be fun to check out both films and compare to two efforts.

The Taking of Pelham 123 is a remake of a 1974 film and stars John Travolta along side Washington. Denzel plays Walter Garber, a New York city subway dispatcher who unexpectedly being a hostage negotiator when Travolta's character Ryder calls his dispatch line declaring he's hijacked a subway train and wants $10 million dollars. As the movie progresses, we pick up that Ryder's true intentions may not be about the ransom money, but on a much bigger score.

Surprisingly, I have to say that Pelham 123 was the best of the films I watched yesterday, but that's really not saying much. Pelham is a by-the-numbers predictable thriller movie. John Travolta's performance is way over the top at times, and you can see the ending coming a mile away. Keep your expectations low and Pelham will keep you entertained (** ½ Stars)

Unstoppable is another cheesy, clichéd thrill ride. Predictably, everything that could go wrong does go wrong in this film, which obviously was put in to add to excitement level, but at times insults the viewer's intelligence. There is way too much cheering in this movie, no one really seems too concerned that this train actually might crash and cause death and destruction. I would describe Unstoppable as a combination of the films Speed and Armageddon. In terms of a “keep you on the edge of your seat” action thriller, this one is worth watching. But remember to just sit back and not to think too much about how preposterous the story actually is. (** ½ Stars)

I hope Denzel and Tony Scott got big paychecks for these two movies, because overall they are both pretty vapid and unoriginal films that do nothing for their impressive career resumes. After my Denzel train double header, I thought my movie evening was over. But thanks to my good friend Jeff and his movie pass I unexpectedly was able to check out the free showing of Clint Eastwood's new film Hereafter. With such good critic buzz, especially from Roger Ebert, who I have immense respect for, I was pretty excited to finally get the chance to watch it. As we walked into the theater, we thought we had lucked out having the whole place to ourselves, later we would discover it was just a sign of the quality of the film.

Hereafter is slow, slow, slow. Half the time it seemed like Matt Damon literally didn't wanna be there. His portrayal of psychic George Lonegan is hokey and stereotypical. The best part of the movie was the ending. Not because it gave some great revelation as to what had happened over the previous two hours of the film, but simply because it meant the movie was finally over. Hereafter is dreadfully slow and boring. I thought Clint Eastwood had hit rock bottom with his 2008 release Gran Torino, but unfortunately I was wrong. Tedious and insipid, Hereafter makes dying look like a better choice then watching this film. (* ½ Stars)



An empty Hereafter theater

Three Burials:A Rugged Western Worth Giving A Try

I'd first like to welcome my newest follower, Jamee (I hope that's spelled correctly) Welcome, and I hope you'll feel free to add comments whenever you feel up to doing so.

My co-worker in the morning also happens to be huge movie aficionado, which definitely makes for entertaining conversations. Everyday we shoot the breeze about various films we've either enjoyed or hated, and we've also begun bringing in movie recommendations for the other to watch. Over the weekend I viewed one of those recommended movies from his collection.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005) is a modern western drama and the directorial debut for Academy Award winning actor Tommy Lee Jones. The film was inspired by a real life killing in Texas of an American teenager by the United States Marines during a military operation near the border. Jones also stars in the film playing the character Pete Perkins, a life long cowboy who is trying to solve the mysterious death of his best friend Melquiades Estrada. Unfortunately, because of Estrada's legal status, the local law enforcement has shown little interest in solving the apparent murder. So when word gets back to Pete that a local border patrol agent, played by Barry Pepper, may have been involved in Estrada's death, Perkins decides to take justice into his own hands, kidnapping the agent and forcing him on a perilous horseback pilgrimage into Mexico to return Estrada's body back to his hometown.

Jones' directorial debut is genuinely meritorious effort. His use of flashbacks to show the relationship and interactions between Perkins and Estrada really illuminates why Jones' character is so determined to return Estrada's body back to his hometown. My only real complaint for the film is Dwight Yoakam's performance a Sheriff Belmont. I found his portrayal to be laughable at times and way too over the top. Besides that, Three Burials is a challenging and fascinating film and a definite recommend, especially for western fans. (*** Stars)

A foreign flick worth checking out...

Earlier this year, Yahoo movies came out with a list of The 100 Movies To See Before You Die-The Modern Classics 1990-2009 (which I think is a great idea, and I might do one myself real soon ;-) There are dozens of lists like these, and each are pretty subjective; no one will agree with every selection that is made. However, what I do enjoy in respect to these types of lists, is they give you ideas about new movies to watch and introduce films that you might not have known about. Among the films highlighted by this particular list was a 2001 French film by the name of Amelie, starring French actress Audrey Tautou (later known for her role of Sophie Neveu in the 2006 film, The Da Vinci Code).

Amelie is a romantic comedy about an eccentric young woman who's mediocre relationships of the past has caused her to shun romantic love. Instead, she finds pleasure in the simpler things in life, including the joy found in helping others through the use of secret elaborate schemes. For example, as a way of motivating her father to travel, Amelie secretly steals the garden gnome from his backyard, and has her air-hostess friend mail him anonymous letters with pictures of it posing in front of various landmarks from around the world.

While walking through the train station, Amelie comes across a photo album dropped by a young man by the name of Nino. After a second chance encounter, Amelie becomes smitten with Nino, who is an eccentric person in his own right. His hobbies include collecting discarded photographs of strangers from passport photo booths. Too shy to simply approach him, Amelie creates an intricate plan involving the found photo album to try meet Nino.

Adorably whimsical, this sweet love story creates a dazzling and imaginative depiction of modern Paris. Although in French with English subtitles, the rich story and wonderful acting from Tautou is so stimulating that you can't help but get swept up in this fantasy creation. (***1/2 Stars)

Oh, and incase you'd like to check out Yahoo's list, here's the link:

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/100-movies-to-see-before-you-die-modern-classics.html