Paragraph Movie Reviews: Bad Teacher

If you don't have plans to see this movie, you can check the spoilers here and then come back.

This felt like a case where the writers of the movie had a premise with potential and a half dozen or so pretty darn good gags and felt that was enough to go to the well with, figuring they'd fill in the spaces in between as they went. When Bad Teacher is funny it's quite funny, but there's too much padding and meandering to get to the good parts, in the early parts especially; I wouldn't call it an outright failure, but I wasn't enthralled either and am hard-pressed to remember the high points even a few hours later. I'd give Cameron Diaz an A for effort as it feels like she's really straining to get all she can out of the script and she works a subtle comedic side I wasn't sure she had in a movie that needs it; she doesn't have the most natural charisma and a few scenes calling for her to be the bouncy sexpot she was a decade ago fall flat, but I was more interested in her playing a new role. The strength of the movie is in the casting of the supporting cast, as Lucy Punch is unstoppable once she gets on a role and Jason Segel is brilliantly effortless in the way he can make even scripted scenes seem completely off-the-cuff. Justin Timberlake was good if somewhat miscast as the straight man, while Eric Stonestreet and Thomas Lennon were straight up scene stealers. The only real acting disappointment for me was John Michael Higgins, who is capable of better. So a generally strong cast who showed the full potential of the idea when the script came together, but unfortunately that only happened about every other scene at best.

Paragraph Movie Reviews: Love and Other Drugs

If you don't have plans to see this movie, you can check the spoilers here and then come back.

This movie has a lot of charm, but it also feels like three or four writers took turns on the script without really consulting one another. For the most part it's fun and it never becomes unwatchable, but the emotional transitions are so abrupt and ill-paced that it's hard to get a grip on what you're watching. For most of the first hour, it seems to want to be a comedy centered around a burgeoning relationship, and that works, because the funny parts are the standout and because the stars craft a love story you care about. However, somewhere in the second half, the plot gets dropped off a cliff into melodrama with bad romantic comedy cliches, the characters skew way off their established behaviors and the whole enterprise has difficulty recovering. Jake Gyllenhaal has the strongest performance as he turns up the charisma and makes you believe him capable of being the smooth-talking ladies man who is just now discovering emotion; when he has to dig a little deeper during the third act, he falters. Anne Hathaway vacillates between being incredibly winning and trying way too hard; she's too smooth and callous at times, and the uneven writing of her character in particular does her no favors. Josh Gad is the standout of the supporting cast as the consistent comic relief while Oliver Platt, Hank Azaria and Judy Greer deliver when they're onscreen, but aren't there long enough to make any real impact. If this movie had figured out where it was going early on, it could have been a keeper, but it ends up instead as just two hours of ok diversionary entertainment.

Paragraph Movie Reviews: Win Win

If you don't have plans to see this movie, you can check the spoilers here and then come back.

Somewhat unevenly paced and with not always the strongest script, good performances and and underlying heart in the story still help this one come out slightly ahead on points (there's your forced amateur wrestling reference). It's a slow starter as we meet Paul Giamatti's down-on-his-luck lawyer/high school wrestling coach, but once Alex Shaffer, the stoic wrestling prodigy grandson of the old man Giamatti has agreed to take care of (for money) enters the picture, things pick up, perhaps a bit too much towards the end as the climax gets rushed. It's a somewhat by the numbers feel good movie along the lines of The Blind Side, but while not quite as adept as that film in masking the predictability with quality, the expected story structure still doesn't present a problem here as the comedy is strong enough to cover. Giamatti is solid in his role, but the real stars are Amy Ryan as his grounded and no nonsense wife--she's the character you'd actually want to know in real life--Bobby Cannavale as his comic relief best buddy and especially Shaffer, who impressed the heck out of me by projecting a great performance with minimal emotion and then making his explosion in the third act all the more powerful. Rocky veteran Burt Young is a treat as an aging gent at the onset of dementia but determined to maintain his independence and Jeffrey Tambor as the hapless assistant coach does fine with what he's given (which isn't much). Again, the real weaknesses come from the script, with its reliance on similar gags and language (the word "scumbag" is used half a dozen times without irony) and moreover general lack of clarity (I was as in the dark about some of Giamatti's character's motivations as the rest of the cast until the final minutes). From a craft standpoint, I could (and just did) take issue with how the movie was made, but the finished product was fun to watch, so it certainly overcomes its handicaps pretty well.

Paragraph Movie Reviews: Scream 4

If you don't have plans to see this movie, you can check the spoilers here and then come back.

Whereas Scream 2 and 3 were increasingly tired retreads of the type of movies the franchise was intended to be a commentary on, Scream 4 gets back to being smart, original and having something to say while also entertaining and scaring just like the initial installment. It's not the perfect movie by any means, but it's entertaining, satisfying, clever and, as noted, actually has a message or two on stuff beyond the usual horror fare like the nature of fame in 2011 society. The returning cast was what it needed to be: Neve Campbell remains fairly uncharismatic but knows how to play this part and anchor the film, Courteney Cox has still got it when it comes to being a firecracker, and David Arquette turns on his dopey anti-charm for the one role it really works in. Not every member of the younger cast stood out, but Emma Roberts certainly showed she's ready to be a big star who can come at a part from multiple angles while Hayden Panettiere demonstrated a nice contrast of confidence and experience played against the other newbies, reminding why she became a big deal so young to begin with. The movie is also blessed with a potpourri of excellent cameos and minor players, with Anthony Anderson, Adam Brody and especially Alison Brie in particular making the most of their screen time. But cast aside, the writing is strong in that it's witty, it moves fast and it keeps you guessing; the mystery is a nicely set-up one and best of all nothing about this thing ever seemed to take itself too seriously, which made it fun above being brilliant or even scary, and that's what I was looking for. The neat meta-commentary aspect that made the first Scream unique and withered out in the second two was also back in full force, fueled by all the advances in technology over the past decade (Wes Craven may have gotten a little too excited to get to use cell phones as a plot point, but I'll forgive him). I do have to deduct some points for two things in particular, one minor thing and one fairly major one, the minor being just a quibble that Gale's arc was supposed to be about her having trouble to adjusting to small town life away from the spotlight, but with the timeline of her and Dewey having been married and living in Woodsboro for a decade, that didn't jive for me. Without spoiling anything, I will agree with other reviews I have read that they definitely did wimp out on the ending and I don't think the final 15 minutes really did anybody any favors, but this is one definitely worth seeing and judging for yourself.

Paragraph Movie Reviews: The Company Men

If you don't have plans to see this movie, you can check the spoilers here and then come back.

It's difficult to make an entertaining film about the recession and people losing their jobs. It's likely impossible to make a feel-good one about those subjects. But this movie is proof that they can be the basis for an engaging, interesting story that brings about excellent performances. Maybe it's because I don't work in a particularly white collar industry so I had enough disconnect not to get caught up in what could easily be a very bleak and depressing look at current corporate reality, but I was more fascinated and intrigued to learn exactly what happens to these guys when they get fired and must move on with their lives. I was concerned that all the business language and conflict centered around stuff above my pay grade both intellectually and in terms of my actual pay grade, but writer/director John Wells showed good command and restraint in not letting it become overwhelming, while the cast communicated the complex stuff well. Ben Affleck was the perfect casting choice for the lead here; he plays smug but vulnerable really well and goes back and forth perfectly from cocky denial about his situation after being fired to impotent rage over not being able to find a new job or keep his creature comforts. He really takes you on a journey of being frustrated by his inability to adapt, sympathetic to his setbacks, and ultimately rooting for him; great character work. Tommy Lee Jones is better than I've maybe ever seen him (to be fair I haven't seen most of his better movies) as the earnest executive who experiences survivor's guilt after the first round of layoffs. The inner conflict Jones is able to convey with a look is impressive and his verbal sparring matches with Craig T. Nelson--a force as the company founder looking out for the bottom line--are a delight to watch. Rosemarie DeWitt is very strong and matches Affleck really well as his strong-willed wife, making for some great scenes where she both provides comfort and kicks his ass; I only wish she hadn't gone for a Boston accent, as it comes and goes, on the whole isn't great, and mostly just distracts. Chris Cooper doesn't get as much screen time as everybody else, but makes the most of what he gets as a paranoid senior exec who avoids the first round of cuts. The worst thing I can say about Maria Bello and Kevin Costner is that they were the weakest links of a very strong ensemble. There were also so many shots that will stay with me, from Cooper walking a graveyard of empty desks after closing time to Afflect lingering on the final boxes he carries out of his sold house. Just a technically and dramatically well-done and compelling piece of work about very tricky subject matter--I really dug it.

Paragraph Movie Reviews: Catfish

If you don't have plans to see this movie, you can check the spoilers here and then come back.

Half hour or so removed from finishing this and still somewhat wrapping my head around what I thought of it, including to what degree I liked it, so this may be a bit less focused than my typical review (if that's possible). A huge part of my viewing experience mirrors most other people, I wager: I was devoting a great deal of effort to trying to figure out if this was a legitimate documentary or not. At first I did not, then started doubting as it went; according to what I looked up after, the creators claim it's legit, though many folks are dubious. The main reason I thought it was fake was what I chalked up as poor acting from Nev Schulman, but apparently he wasn't acting, so I'm not quite sure how to evaluate it then. Indeed it's hard to really quantify the quality of most aspects of this piece given that it (supposedly) is real; even other documentaries I've seen set out to tackle a subject and put a spin on it, whereas this was a case of two guys apparently having the insight and or lucking out in chronicling a fairly interesting story as it developed and sticking around as it became something much more. The stuff I can judge--the editing, the filming, the visual cues--were all well done, particularly the way they incorporated actual Facebook graphics into cuts. Iit was a job well done and can't find any glaring technical faults. The "story" was extremely engaging and they did a good job walking the line between uncomfortable and touching. However, it didn't strike me as revolutionary and I don't have any strong desire to watch it again despite having probably missed a lot while trying to play detective. Going with my gut, I'll rate this above average but wouldn't go any farther than that.

Paragraph Movie Reviews: The Town

If you don't have plans to see this movie, you can check the spoilers here and then come back.

All the pieces seemed to be there for this to be something special, and certainly it had great word of mouth, but for my money, things did not come together as they should have and I found myself quite let down. It was not so much a bad movie as a slow, plodding an uneven one, and there was some pretty terrible dialogue and painfully wooden monologues. I'd say Ben Affleck actually did a commendable job directing, as the technical aspects of the film were pretty top notch, but his acting performance was disjointed and all over the place, not really anchoring the story at all. I lay a lot of the blame for both the movie and Affleck's specific woes on Rebecca Hall being the female lead; I've yet to really enjoy her in anything I've seen her in and this was no different. I think her character is supposed to be naive or shellshocked, but she plays her just dumb, and the script does her no favors; her chemistry with Affleck is flat as I didn't buy their romance and the scenes they shared either dragged or made me groan. Jeremy Renner is the saving grace of the piece, bringing maniacal intensity and steely sadness to a part that could have been one-dimensional as well as coaxing Affleck's best stuff out of him and making me mourn the movie that could have been had it focused more on these two. Jon Hamm's smugness serves him well in some spots, not so much in others. Blake Lively is barely in the movie, but when she is she vacillates between sexy scene-stealing and awful parody. More or less each of the actors--with Renner and Hall being the exceptions at opposite extremes--did some pretty impressive stuff on occasion that was drowned out by blandness or awkward turns the rest of the time, which sums up the entire film more or less. Still, there was an awesome car chase and some good shootout scenes, so it wasn't a total waste outside of Jeremy Renner.

Paragraph Plus Movies Reviews: The Fighter

If you don't have plans to see this movie, you can check the spoilers here and then come back.

I think perhaps the one downside of my devotion to the Rocky series and failure to see stuff like Raging Bull or Million Dollar Baby is that I've got it locked in my head that all boxing movies are feel good and follow a very strict and repetitive arc, so The Fighter was something I didn't even realize how much I needed. There are few things quite as satisfying than a film about physical brutality done in a way that it becomes art, and The Fighter is this and more. It's an even-handed but dramatic representation of the painful and addictive yet somehow beautiful relationship professional fighters have with their sport, but also an incredibly stark and honest portrayal of the dual toxicity and love in some families.

The major buzz about The Fighter is mostly about Christian Bale's performance as Dicky Ecklund, the former pride of Lowell who threw away a potentially bright future for drugs and now trains his brother while mostly ignoring his own demons. It's a dynamite turn that takes Bale away from his great but somewhat shallow action roles of the last several years and reminds us this cat can flat out act. As is his hallmark, Bale completely loses himself in Dicky, relying on all his physical and psychological mastery of drama to flicker intensely between glee, rage, desperation, depression and a range of other emotions while always coming back to a point of incredible charisma where you believe that no matter how broken down this guy is, his brother and family aren't wrong to believe in him completely. That you find yourself wondering right up through the end of the film how conscious Dicky truly is of his mistakes and whether he's legitimately happy for his brother's success--there are so many little moments where his words say he is but his eyes betray an uncertainty--is a testament to Bale's amazing job.

Comparatively, Mark Wahlberg had the difficult job of playing the more down-to-earth Micky and had to know going in that despite being the star of the movie he was going to be overlooked by a lot of people when put next to Bale; he responds by giving an unselfish and professional performance that holds the narrative together and allows his co-stars to really stretch while he takes responsibility for keeping the story grounded.

Speaking of talented co-stars, Amy Adams is absolutely terrific playing against type as Charlene, Micky's foul mouthed and bad ass girlfriend who is attempting to liberate him from what she feels is the corrupting influence of his family. I was a bit weary at times that Charlene seems to bulldoze really abruptly into Micky's life and take control, but there are totally women like that and Adams really sold it. Melissa Leo was also phenomenal as Alice, the matriarch of the Ecklund/Ward clan which also includes seven daughters; her fierce protectiveness of her kids, unending love for screw-up Dicky, and well-played obliviousness to her older son's issues and younger son's sense of neglect made for a memorable character. Jack McKee also entertained the heck out of me as Micky's dad while I had no idea that Micky O'Keefe, the younger Micky's put-upon trainer, was a normal dude playing himself! And good lord were those seven sisters fantastic as both comic relief and the Greek chorus!

So many memorable scenes, an awesome soundtrack, great boxing sequences and even the prerequisite montage--I could not ask for much more. The ending did feel a bit abrupt, but this was all based on a real story, so they were a bit handcuffed there, and besides, I think it was really just that I could have watched another half hour.

Paragraph Movie Reviews: Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

If you don't have plans to see this movie, you can check the spoilers here and then come back.

Joan Rivers is an excellent choice to be featured in a documentary as she's led a thoroughly interesting life, is both an endearing and quirky personality, and as this piece shows has many emotional layers well worth delving into. What the makers of this doc do right is not dwell solely on the sad or dark aspects of their subject as would be so easy to do and is the path too often taken when chronicling aging celebrities not necessarily in the prime of their career; while Rivers' anxieties and her personal tragedies are addressed, so are her many successes and trailblazing path to stardom. For the most part the heart of the film centered on Rivers in the modern day and examining her addiction not so much to fame as performing as well as her insecurities about not being taken seriously as an actress, but the archival footage of her early performances and her re-telling of her professional and personal history and how the two entertained probably intrigued me the most. I would say the movie fails when it loses focus and meanders in the middle and towards the end; it's definitely impressive just how much Rivers travels at her advanced age and I understand why the directors wanted to show her grueling schedule, but it went a little too long and dragged things off course in my opinion. The conclusion both seems to come out of nowhere and again take too long, possibly because there was no good, logical jumping off point, but that is of course the risk you run with documentaries. Overall, more good than bad and definitely an interesting, entertaining piece, if one that felt not entirely expertly made or completely refined, but Joan Rivers is a compelling and entertaining enough figure to raise the work up.

2010: A Year of Paragraph Movie Reviews

I did not get to see as many movies as I would have liked this year and missed quite a few I was pretty excited for (thankfully getting The Expendables on DVD for Christmas will go a long way towards evening the scales there). However, as the reasons why I was absent from the theater a bit more were in large part happy ones like visiting family or my wife wanting to stay in to study for nursing school, I’m ok with it.

Still, I did take in a fair number of flicks, and as is my want, reviewed them in paragraph form. Just like last year, here are some snippets from what I saw and what I wrote (and before you ask, I never review Marvel movies and generally don’t review stuff where I feel too close to the material and just want to enjoy, so yes I saw Iron Man 2 and Scott Pilgrim, no they’re not on here).

Inglorious Basterds
From the eclectic music choices (I love in particular Bowie's "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" as pump-up jam) to the constant movement of the camera angle and flourishes such as the title chapter cards, it's a smash job from the directorial end while the screenplay skillfully threaded a huge cast and disparate plot threads into a killer tapestry of kick ass. There was nary a scene not dripping with tension where I didn't cringe every time a character reached in their pocket or picked up a pen for fear of what was coming next, and yet at the same time the whole thing was just tremendous fun.

Sherlock Holmes
In general, I found Law's Watson whiny and irritating and couldn't for the life of me figure out why a cool cat like Holmes would want to hang with him; the best bromances or buddy teamings come from two guys good at different things who complement one another, as opposed to here where Holmes is such a clear alpha and Watson is just bitchy.
(BONUS: Here’s Kiel’s review!)

District 9
Ultimately perhaps the most disappointing thing about District 9 for me was that I think had they made the firm choice to be a light-calorie action movie from the start it would have been a good one, as Blomkamp clearly knows how to craft a blockbuster and Copley has a great sense of timing to toss out the one-liners. On the flipside, I was totally buying into the more down-to-earth angle, so I would have loved to see more of that too. However, when the two worlds mashed up against one another, I didn't feel fully satisfied with either.

Couples Retreat
Not a lot of depth to the plot as it's pretty cookie cutter stuff for the genre with the usual physical comedy bits thrown in, but points for there actually being some realistic stakes even if they're not blockbusters.

The Hurt Locker
This was not a showcase for acting, but rather for process, and I found myself appreciating that far more than I'm accustomed to. To that end, I understand and agree wholeheartedly with the praise for Kathryn Bigelow for her directing work as, again, this was an instance where I actually noticed things like camerawork and placement of set and was riveted by that in the place of over-the-top characters and performances. The use of silence, slow motion shots, shaky cams, lighting, etc. put me totally in the moment as I was utterly engaged in the dangerous situations the characters were placed in even if I found them disposable in large part.

Julie & Julia
I watched this movie pretty much only to see if I should pick Meryl Streep in my Oscar pool but ended up walking away with quite an enjoyable experience…Julie & Julia is one really good movie and one decent movie mashed together where the end result is fun, but runs perhaps a bit too long and makes you wait too long between courses; great comfort food though.

The Blind Side
The Blind Side is a fun movie about issues that aren’t so fun with a good cast that seems to enjoy what they’re doing; I doubt it will change the world, but I don’t think it sets out to...[This] role is such a departure from a lot of [Sandra Bullock’s] stock characters, showing her range, but she also walks the delicate tight rope of portraying a strong, tough female lead who gets her way by being blunt and outspoken yet does not make her just another “bitch.”
The Informant!
[Matt] Damon continues with these random fact voiceovers throughout the film and I could have listened to just that for the full hour and forty-five minutes because I laughed out loud nearly every time. However, outside of those little nuggets of goodness, the plot is so byzantine and confusing that I couldn't follow it to any great degree of satisfaction and found myself extremely frustrated.

Get Him to the Greek
[It] turns out not only does a more layered and nuanced Aldous Snow make for a great lead character, but Russell Brand has more than enough facets to his own talents to make it work; the stuff that was supposed to be funny almost always was with Brand's performance, but seriously, some of his more down-to-earth and heartfelt scenes were probably my favorite bits.

Moon
I wasn't so much blown away by Moon as deeply impressed; I don't think I'll be watching it again, but it held my attention quite well and I certainly came away with a deep appreciation for the work put in.

Zombieland
This movie had a tiny cast, which was perfect because it was composed entirely of actors I really dig. The actual zombie/comedy structure of the story was really incidental for me, as it was the characters, the performance and the chemistry that upped the quality and the post-apocalyptic setting just provided a nice backdrop for them to bond against.

Inception
To me, Inception was, at its heart, a really good heist movie; the science fiction and higher concepts trappings built around that central caper for the most part helped though in a few cases hindered the guts of the film. The world in which the story takes place does require a bit more exposition than I generally like to see in a movie, but for the most part the actors did a good job not making it too clunky and I think it was a good choice to have the idea of traveling through dreams be one the general populace was already familiar with rather than having one character be discovering it entirely out of nowhere.

The Baxter
It's not easy to come up with a clever take on the worn out genre that is the romantic comedy, but I proclaim this movie a success in that regard. Writer/director/star Michael Showalter's premise of following the jilted "other guy" from every other romcom who gets shoved aside so the destined lovers can get together in the end is a unique one with plenty of material to mine.

The Other Guys
As far as I'm concerned, [Mark] Wahlberg should do more and more comedic roles because he's so funny without even seeing to try that hard; just that he's self-aware enough to poke fun at his own tough guy image makes me chuckle. [Will] Ferrell is actually more of the straight man despite being so quirky here, while Wahlberg just throws wild temper tantrums, and it works.

Easy A
There are some films that are above all else a showcase for a single actor, which is what this was for Emma Stone, and she was spectacular, elevating the movie from something that would have been forgettable with another lead into the one we'll probably all look back on as her big star turn.

The Social Network
I'm impressed how well [David] Fincher and [Aaron] Sorkin paced the movie, as it comes in at a smooth two hours and never leaves you bored (it could have been longer). They definitely improved on the book in many ways, using it as a guide but not becoming slavish to it…[Jesse] Eisenberg's [Mark] Zuckerberg is like a robot or reptile who chillingly and without interruption moves from one task to the next with single-minded purpose; when he displays human emotions for even a moment, it's as if he's simply straining to mimic those around him rather than feeling for himself, and it works perfectly.

The Kids Are All Right
Rather than being about coming together or overcoming anything, this movie showed how some challenges can be insurmountable when it comes to interpersonal relationships, people don't always live up to your hopes for them even if it seems they will at first, and yet in the end there is still the lesson that those who truly care about you will find a way to make it work. There is positivity in this story and just enough feel good, but you come to it through a filter of refreshing realism.

MacGruber
I am so glad I ignored every review and all conventional wisdom to watch this dumb movie. There was certainly nothing to distinguish it as any sort of classic, but it provided me with a bizarre and intangible entertainment for an hour and a half...and for this I am grateful.

Black Swan
Enthralling, engrossing and frankly terrifying at times with a last half hour that will blow your mind, this is maybe the most intense and well-done psychological thrillers I've ever seen and among the better flat out movies I've been to in quite some time. If ever I've seen an instance where a director can be a star, it's here, as this film has Darren Aronofsky's fingerprints on every aspect and is the better for it by far. However, as much as Aronofsky brings as a director, Natalie Portman matches him as an actor, delivering the most breathtaking performance I've ever seen her give.

Paragraph Movie Reviews: Black Swan

If you don't have plans to see this movie, you can check the spoilers here and then come back.

Enthralling, engrossing and frankly terrifying at times with a last half hour that will blow your mind, this is maybe the most intense and well-done psychological thrillers I've ever seen and among the better flat out movies I've been to in quite some time. If ever I've seen an instance where a director can be a star, it's here, as this film has Darren Aronofsky's fingerprints on every aspect and is the better for it by far. It's got all his signature flourishes from the surreality created by the way he shoots to the excruciating focus on the physical pain a body can endure to the slow descent into paranoia that makes the last act incredible; you can see the love and care bordering on obsession this filmmaker had for his subject matter. However, as much as Aronofsky brings as a director, Natalie Portman matches him as an actor, delivering the most breathtaking performance I've ever seen her give. Her metamorphosis over 108 minutes is measured and powerful, mirroring the transition of her character from model of tortured restraint to out-of-control dynamo perfectly. Her line readings are great, but what really sells it is how much she gives of herself physically, from her face to her movement; you can feel her struggle and get swept up in her pain and (here's that word again) obsession. The rest of the cast is dynamite as well, in particular Barbara Hershey walking the line as Portman's Nina's caring but somehow unhinged mother; she does a great job keeping you guessing as to what's really in her head, has amazing chemistry with Portman, and can jump from maternal to chilling on a dime. Vincent Cassel provides solid glue as the visionary but philandering director while Winona Ryder has little to do but is well-cast as a dancer just past her prime; the worst I can say about Mila Kunis is I felt she wasn't quite on Portman's level, but that's a near-impossible thing to ask here and she did solid work. This is also that rare movie where I really noticed the sound work, from the way passing subway cars sounded like ruffled feathers to the rising and falling volume of Portman's breath. And while I'm at it, let me praise Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin for a brilliantly-written story and script as well. Just an incredible movie all around and one of those times I can't really do it justice with words, so just go see it!

Paragraph Movie Reviews: MacGruber

If you don't have plans to see this movie, you can check the spoilers here and then come back.

I am so glad I ignored every review and all conventional wisdom to watch this dumb movie. There was certainly nothing to distinguish it as any sort of classic, but it provided me with a bizarre and intangible entertainment for an hour and a half...and for this I am grateful. The vast majority of what makes this flimsy premise actually pretty funny is how enthusiastically Will Forte throws himself into making an utter ass of himself as MacGruber with a refreshing lack of self-consciousness, dynamite timing and great physical comedy; whether he's making bizarre noises during sex or griping about his car stereo getting stepped on, he made me chuckle quite a bit. Kristen Wiig is as funny here as I've seen her lately and Ryan Phillippe works perfectly as essentially the Greek chorus of rationality and good taste to the stupidity around him. Despite looking like he's hit about three hundred pounds or so, Val Kilmer is slick as ever and takes an infectious glee playing the villain here. I can't believe they stretched one of SNL's most hit-or-miss gags into a feature length film--and I love how they incorporate the traditional skit--but it was far better than a lot of its contemporaries in that category. I sure wouldn't recommend going out of your way to see this movie, but if you find yourself with nothing better to do, I don't think you'll hate it. Oh, and Chris Jericho is gold in his one scene.

Paragraph Movie Reviews: The Kids Are All Right

If you don't have plans to see this movie, you can check the spoilers here and then come back.

I dug this movie in large part because it defied my expectations of it. I went in not really knowing what I was getting other than knowing I liked the cast and it had good buzz; early on, I settled into thinking I'd be watching a decent feel-good flick about families coming together, overcoming the adversity of differences, etc., but this film is insidious in that way, as things are not as cut and dry as they appear from the onset and that was what I really sunk my teeth into. Indeed rather than being about coming together or overcoming anything, this movie showed how some challenges can be insurmountable when it comes to interpersonal relationships, people don't always live up to your hopes for them even if it seems they will at first, and yet in the end there is still the lesson that those who truly care about you will find a way to make it work. There is positivity in this story and just enough feel good, but you come to it through a filter of refreshing realism, not to mention an entertaining script that makes the drama and angst go down easier with healthy doses of wit and some great performances. Even amongst a pretty much uniformly strong cast, I'd say Mark Ruffalo stands out as the easygoing sperm donor rediscovered by his teenage kids who at the onset seems the ideal cool guy, but has so much more bubbling beneath the surface; trying to figure out whether or not Ruffalo's Paul was a decent person, a heel or somewhere in between was probably the most engrossing part of the movie for me. Annette Bening also does a great job as the more pragmatic and neurotic of the two lesbian mothers in the non-traditional family the film centers around; she brings both fire and realism to her portrayal of an imperfect woman doing her best not to lose her family. As the third point of the adult ensemble triangle, Julianne Moore is excellent (as she generally is), bringing great chemistry and subtle comedy to her part. The titular kids really are all right (forgive me for that) as both Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson prove capable of hanging right in there with their more experienced castmates and propelling things forward while getting some great lines in. I'll only take points off for the dismount in that the first two thirds of the film are far stronger than the final half hour or so, where after the big revelation things seems to grind and go on longer than necessary, with a conclusion that didn't fully satisfy me after a great set-up.

Paragraph Plus Movie Reviews: The Social Network

If you don't have plans to see this movie, you can check the spoilers here and then come back.

I did not like the first 15 minutes or so of The Social Network. The very first scene drops you too quickly into fast-paced Aaron Sorkin dialogue without introducing you to the principals and then the subsequent sequence of tech-heavy action again doesn't give you a way in. However, get past that rough start and this is an excellent movie bearing the very best marks of screenwriter Sorkin as well as director David Fincher and their trademark specialties on a compelling story packed with fantastic acting performances. The tale of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and the friends and enemies he wittingly or unwittingly lied to and/or betrayed on his way to the top made for a book I could not put down in "The Accidental Billionaires," and the creators of this film did yeoman's work taking that framework--which was certainly not quite ready for Hollywood--and translating it to the cinematic medium.

Without question in my mind the shining star of the entire piece is Jesse Eisenberg, who as Zuckerberg leaves his previous roles as hapless nice guys way behind and creates an unnerving yet memorably and believable character (as reportedly the portrayals here were based not on the real people but on Sorkin's dramatized script) like few I've ever seen. Eisenberg's Zuckerberg is like a robot or reptile who chillingly and without interruption moves from one task to the next with single-minded purpose; when he displays human emotions for even a moment, it's as if he's simply straining to mimic those around him rather than feeling for himself, and it works perfectly. Eisenberg captivates you with what a frankly terrifying genius and honestly borderline (albeit relatively harmless) sociopath his Zuckerberg may be, while also carefully making you feel flashes of sympathy, but only flashes; when he feels remorse, it looks more like a glitch in the system than a human emotion.

As Napster founder Sean Parker who leeches onto Zuckerberg's burgeoning empire, Justin Timberlake comes in with the perfect combination of smooth charisma and childish paranoia; the people I saw this movie with felt like he wasn't straining much, basically just playing "Justin Timberlake but as a bit more of a douchebag," but I'd disagree, as he displayed true vulnerability in some scenes that made the character for more complex. Andrew Garfield is the guy we're supposed to emphasize with, Zuckerberg's hapless buddy Eduardo, and he does fine, but I wish he'd been given more to work with. As the alpha male Winklevoss twins, from whom Zuckerberg "steals" the Facebook concept, Armie Hammer--aided by body double Josh Pence and some impressive CGI--displays both power and poise, plus he gets off some of the best lines of the movie.

I'm impressed how well Fincher and Sorkin paced the movie, as it comes in at a smooth two hours and never leaves you bored (it could have been longer). They definitely improved on the book in many ways, using it as a guide but not becoming slavish to it. Honestly part of me wishes I hadn't read the book first if only because I knew that two of the film's primary motivations for Zuckerberg (losing a girlfriend and jealousy over Eduardo's place in the Harvard Final Club hierarchy) were either trumped up or manufactured, but while the actual "he more or less did it because he could" reasoning is fascinating, it probably wouldn't make for a great film.

Oh, and before I forget, Trent Reznor's soundtrack seriously added a lot to the movie.

This was a great story that was going to be either an easy hit for smart filmmakers or fumbled badly by guys looking to make their own mark, and I'm glad it wasn't the latter. I'll need some time to let it settle before I decide if it's the primo Oscar bait a lot of people are proclaiming it, but I certainly liked The Social Network.

Paragraph Movie Reviews: Easy A

If you don't have plans to see this movie, you can check the spoilers here and then come back.

This was a passably entertaining movie, but not a great one; by that I mean I enjoyed it, there were some legitimately funny bits, it moved along nicely and so on, but if you want to break it down, the plot was pretty slapdash, the transitions were awkward and there were huge logic holes even for basically a teen romantic comedy; however, none of this mattered. There are some films that are above all else a showcase for a single actor, which is what this was for Emma Stone, and she was spectacular, elevating the movie from something that would have been forgettable with another lead into the one we'll probably all look back on as her big star turn. I can't remember the last time I saw a legitimate turn the corner "whoa, he/she's going to be huge" performance like this, but it really bowled me over; Stone was endearing and fun in Superbad and Zombieland, but she carried the show here as the headliner and seemed to do it with ease. She seemed incredible relaxed with whatever was asked of her and able to seamlessly toss off every piece of dialogue or physical gag into something that made you laugh out loud; she really seemed totally at ease, like this wasn't even work for her, and that made you feel similarly relaxed, allowing you to just kick back and have fun with it. Stone is an incredibly endearing star who did a lot with a decent amount here, so I can't wait to see what she does with headier material. To be fair, she also had a pretty great supporting cast, particularly Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson as her laidback parents, who legit seemed to be having the time of their lives and just goofing around as they stole every scene they were in, Stone's "let's just have fun" enthusiasm" spreading to these veteran actors; Thomas Hayden Church was also funny as the dryly witty favorite teacher and my boy Penn Badgley delivered as the nice guy who rides in on the white horse (really the only role he seems able to play, but hey, he does it well). Ultimately though, this was Emma Stone's show, and she rocked the house.

Paragraph Movie Reviews: The Other Guys

If you don't have plans to see this movie, you can check the spoilers here and then come back.

This buddy cop flick send-up had probably some of the flat out funniest dialogue I've heard in a comedy in years, I'm pretty sure in large part because Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg seemed to be ad-libbing most of the time. These dudes have more than just good chemistry together and a clear sense of comfort with one another, they provide excellent balance as they're not just two guys doing the same act with one doing it better as seems to be the case too often with Ferrell movies. I enjoyed Ferrell more than I have in awhile here as he seemed to settle into the character and fight the urge to go too over the top. As far as I'm concerned, Wahlberg should do more and more comedic roles because he's so funny without even seeing to try that hard; just that he's self-aware enough to poke fun at his own tough guy image makes me chuckle. Ferrell is actually more of the straight man despite being so quirky here, while Wahlberg just throws wild temper tantrums, and it works. Can I watch Mark Wahlberg make jokes without picturing Andy Samberg? Honestly, no, but that's ok (and his character's understated delusional view of his world is just great). However, great as Ferrell and Wahlberg are together and though I could just watch them play off one another for hours, that's pretty much all The Other Guys is, and aside from two funny guys telling jokes, there's not a lot to hang on as far as emotional heart. That's fine, and if you adjust your expectations I think you'll certainly dig this, but be forewarned. As far as supporting cast, they could really be anybody given how huge the two stars loom, but Eve Mendes and Steve Coogan are still pretty inspired; Michael Keaton is fine, but given how rare a performance by him is these days, I guess I was expecting more. Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson are both clearly having a blast sending up their usual action personas and it shines through, but pretty much what you see from them in the trailer is all they're in the move for. One final thought: For a guy who just does Will Ferrell comedies, Adam McKay directs some pretty great action sequences.

Paragraph Movie Reviews: The Baxter

If you don't have plans to see this movie, you can check the spoilers here and then come back.

It's not easy to come up with a clever take on the worn out genre that is the romantic comedy, but I proclaim this movie a success in that regard. Writer/director/star Michael Showalter's premise of following the jilted "other guy" from every other romcom who gets shoved aside so the destined lovers can get together in the end is a unique one with plenty of material to mine. Showalter's goofy charm is perfect to propel an off-center protagonist like Elliott Sherman and he does a good job balancing the quirky sense of comedy he and his "State" buddies generally bring to their work with a full-on send-up of what you'd expect from typical movies of this fare, tongue firmly in-cheek and overselling the dramatic moments hilariously. Fantastic supporting cast as well, particularly Justin Theroux who does brilliant over-the-top parody work as the "right guy," milking his character's oversensitive monologues and breathless admissions of love. You can see Elizabeth Banks beginning to come into her own as the amazing comedic actress she is today here, not quite fully as developed as she'd soon become, but showing signs of greatness in her more manic scenes. Michelle Williams isn't out-and-out hilarious, but she's cute, which is really all that's asked of her. Great cameo work by Peter Dinklage, Michael Ian Black, Paul Rudd, and David Wain, who gets perhaps the funniest scene in the whole film, fill things out. My issues with "The Baxter" would be that it could maybe stand to lose at least 20 minutes or so, as the plot meanders in the middle somewhat, killing time to get us to a destination we've already caught a glimpse of. Also, as funny as most of the movie is, there are times where Showalter and company botch the transition between touching and absurd, which can be a bit awkward. Mostly a solidly entertaining romp with lots of heart and more humor though; I'd recommend it.

Paragraph Movie Reviews: Inception

If you don't have plans to see this movie, you can check the spoilers here and then come back.

To me, Inception was, at its heart, a really good heist movie; the science fiction and higher concepts trappings built around that central caper for the most part helped though in a few cases hindered the guts of the film. The idea of using dreams as the backdrop for a story like this is definitely unique and Christopher Nolan does a great job coming to the table with a complex and smart idea of how it all works. The world in which the story takes place does require a bit more exposition than I generally like to see in a movie, but for the most part the actors did a good job not making it too clunky and I think it was a good choice to have the idea of traveling through dreams be one the general populace was already familiar with rather than having one character be discovering it entirely out of nowhere. Nolan and Leonardo DiCaprio collaborated nicely to concoct a strong protagonist in Cobb, and I felt his personal stake was well-realized and helped give weight to the plot; I did find DiCaprio's performance a bit too brooding and maudlin at times, but for the most part it was strong. I could harp on the fact that I figured out the bulk of the mysteries revolving around Cobb well before they were revealed (and seriously, I'm not that clever), but upon reflection I think I prefer that to when a filmmaker tries too hard to make their twists come out of nowhere and succeeds by having them make no sense. I also thought Marion Cotillard was particularly haunting as Cobb's lost love, playing equal parts alluring and terrifying, plus riding the wave between flirtation and insanity perfectly. I almost felt bad for Ellen Page in the sense that this was another instance in which she was excellent but I can't deny that her youthful looks take me out of the scene for at least a moment, particularly when she's interacting with Cobb, which almost seems unfair; she can more than hold her own against any other member of this cast when it comes to acting, but unfortunately she can't help her genetics. Ditto to a lesser extent for Ken Watanabe, whom I love as an actor, and his difficulties at times with English. Obviously neither factor was a huge problem, but it frustrated me because I like them both. Joseph Gordon-Levitt got a nice suave sidekick role and also the best action sequence of the whole movie (and there were some real good ones) plus he handles the exposition stuff better than anybody. Tom Hardy was welcome comic relief and quite quick-witted about it. Frankly, Cillian Murphy was window dressing, which is a shame. The movie clocked in at over two and a half hours, but I was enveloped enough in both the plot and action that I could have definitely hung in for another thirty minutes easy. I do think something that will work against Inception is that the advance bill sells it as a bit more revolutionary than it might be, particularly as the much-ballyhooed special effects for creating the dream world are sprinkled in extremely sparingly, but if you don't go in with those expectations, you'll be rewarded with a fun, engrossing film.

Paragraph Movie Reviews: Zombieland

If you don't have plans to see this movie, you can check the spoilers here and then come back.

This movie had a tiny cast, which was perfect because it was composed entirely of actors I really dig. The actual zombie/comedy structure of the story was really incidental for me, as it was the characters, the performance and the chemistry that upped the quality and the post-apocalyptic setting just provided a nice backdrop for them to bond against. I'm so high on Jesse Eisenberg, who is just so endearing in the nerdiest of roles and makes the little hero moments much sweeter and does the little under-his-breath lines so well. I'll admit I didn't enjoy him quite as much here as I did in some other stuff he's done, but at 80% he's still real good and he has this intangible quality of being able to make me want to see him get the girl like no other actor I can think of. Really the biggest strength of Emma Stone's performance was her chemistry with Eisenberg, and I'm not sure how much of that was him, but she's convincingly slick and totally desirable, so I'm pretty sure she could hold her own; honestly, I wish they'd given her more to do. Abigail Breslin was probably my least favorite here, but that's because she's at a weird stage between cute child actor and capable adult performer, and it kind of seemed like the writers or whoever didn't know how to handle that. But hoo boy, Woody Harrelson, man; dude's got so much manic energy and charisma that he brought to bear in full here. His every action screams bad ass, but he's fully capable of making a line or a look funny or even sad as well. No question Woody was the MVP here and his Tallahassee was just an awesome character. Overall, the story is serviceable and the dialogue swings from clever to clunky, but this cast is totally good enough to carry the bad bits. I was a little let down by the big Bill Murray cameo, but probably because I had it so crazy hyped. Oh, the other good thing the zombies brought along was a fantastic action sequence at the end. Didn't blow me away as a classic and could have tanked in other hands, but with this group of actors I sure laughed and cheered a lot and would totally sit through a sequel.

Paragraph Movie Review: Moon

If you don't have plans to see this movie, you can check the spoilers here and then come back.

A slow start, but then this movie becomes very interesting very fast, then by the final act downright riveting. Mostly I'm impressed by what principal actor Sam Rockwell and director Duncan Jones as well as the crew were able to do with what they were given/had to work with. I've been a fan of Rockwell awhile now, but clearly this film is a next-level move for him as he's the only performer for nearly two hours and more significantly has to play off himself, a feat that no amount of technology can make easier. Rockwell defies expectations and excels, playing the range of emotions masterfully, deftly differentiating his two roles, providing some light comedy as well as heart-wrenching moments, handling difficult physicality and generally giving the story its arc; it's a pretty incredible feat. Similarly, Jones and his crew manage to recreate the freaking moon on what doesn't look to be a huge budget with an end effect in many ways more believable than any amount of CGI and also shoot the same actor interacting with himself both in conversation and even fight situations so well you don't even notice "the strings." I really had an appreciation for the music chosen (probably no surprise given that Jones is David Bowie's son) and the uncomfortably good makeup job done on the ailing version of Rockwell's character. And hey, Kevin Spacey has had quite the career, but the voice of a semi-sentient computer may well be the role he was born for. I wasn't so much blown away by Moon as deeply impressed; I don't think I'll be watching it again, but it held my attention quite well and I certainly came away with a deep appreciation for the work put in.