2010 Movie Reviews: "Solitary Man" and "Easy A"

#63: Solitary Man. Starring Michael Douglas. Rated R. 1 hour 30 minutes. Critics Grade: 82%. My Grade: B. This is a movie about an older man whose going through his mid life crisis a bit late and it spiraling downwards towards his own self demise. This is not a depressing drama though, more of a seriously dark comedy. While watching the movie I was honestly a bit annoyed by the story and the character. This character isn't exactly likable. But I think that was the point of the film. We are there to watch this guy ruin himself slowly. To see him alienate himself from his family and sleep around with girls three times younger than him. To me the story was all sort of familiar and kind of bland. I mean it was well written, but I've seen this kind of story before. This is the kind of story and movie that has to rely on an excellent performance, and it get's that. Michael Douglas is brilliant in this movie. He makes this character believable and you hate him a lot of the time, but you really do feel for the guy. Douglas carries the film on his shoulders with one of the stronger performances I've seen from him lately. Good small performances from Susan Surandon and Jenna Fischer. A decent movies that works so well with a great lead performance.

#64. Easy A. Starring Emma Stone. Rated PG-13. 1 hour 32 minutes. Critics Grade: 85%. My Grade: A+. There's a lot of physical references to 80's teen comedies in this film, mainly John Hughes films. The movie deliberately tries NOT to be one of those movies, the main character even says "this isn't one of those stories...sort of". Truth is, it ends up being similar to a lot of present day teen high school sex comedies. I mean honestly you can't really make this genre of film a whole lot different. There's only so much you can do with the actual story element. But this movie does TRY to be different. In the end, the director breathes some much needed fresh life into this particular teen flick. The writing is fantastic, and the characters are awesome! I've never paid to much attention to Emma Stone and her acting career, but man alive she is one hell of a solid actress in this film. She carries this film on her shoulders and then some! In terms of characters, she was a much needed change to the lead character of this kind of film. She was funny, she was charming and sweet. THIS is THE best female performance so far of this year. She was amazing! Not to mention the brilliantly funny performances from Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson as her parents. This was a unique family to say the least. If I had any say, I would nominate Emma Stone and Stanley Tucci for Oscars this year! Not since Mean Girls has their been such a fantastically amazing and fresh high school genre film. I loved every minute of this movie. It was hilarious. It has a dark storyline, but it's well told and fun to watch. If I had a top 5 list to put our right now...Easy A would be right there in it! A GREAT movie!!

2010 Reviews: "Diary of a Wimpy Kid", "The Town" and "Devil"

#60: Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Starring Zachary Gordon and Robert Capron. Rated PG. 1 hour 34 minutes. Critics Grade: 55%. My Grade: C+. Honestly, I can go either way with this movie. I was a bit surprised that I actually found myself enjoying the movie as a whole. I thought it had a pretty good story, and one that is fairly realistic. This is almost how a real junior high is, and almost exactly like what real junior high kids act. I thought the funniest part of the movie was Robert Capron, the pudgy best friend of our main character. He had some pretty funny lines, obviously this is kid humor though so it wasn't hilarious for an adult per say. I liked the random supporting actors that popped up, there's a few big names in here I wasn't expecting to be in a movie like this. I thought the main star, Zachary Gordon carried the movie rather well on his shoulders. However, he's not exactly a likable character. Honestly, this kid is a little piece of shit who thinks he's God's gift to earth. I wasn't a fan of the character, but Gordon delivered an overall good performance. But the main character in a movie like this should have redeeming qualities...but my God he was a little turd. Overall I was happily surprised by this film. It has a good message in the end, although the message just kind of pops up last minute so it doesn't really resonate. Pretty good movie for the kids. For adults...it's a decent one time viewing.

#61: The Town. Starring Ben Affleck and Jeremy Renner. Rated R. 2 hours 5 minutes. Critics Grade: 93%. My Grade: A+. Ever since I first saw the preview for this movie, I was pumped to see it. Affleck directed the film Gone Baby Gone a few years back and that was one of the best films of that year. Now with The Town, Affleck has absolutely found his calling. I've never been a fan of his acting but his directing is top notch! However he also delivers quite a great performance here. He should direct himself more often! The Town is a brilliant heist film with a fantastic group of characters. It has a great and believable love story in the middle that is not your average tale of two lovers. The movie is so well written and has a great deal of tense scenes. The robbery scenes are filmed very well. Although there is a LOT of gun fire and barely anyone ever gets shot. That's always a common cliche in movies like this I just wished Affleck would have been more gutsy in that regard, but oh well no big deal. But yes, the writing is amazing. The story moves so smoothly and rarely ever gets boring. You kind of root for these characters, even though they are kind of scum. It also has another side story of the FBI agents trying to capture this criminals, and is led really well by John Hamm of TV's Mad Men. Like I said earlier, Ben Affleck probably delivers the best performance of his career. His character is troubled and wants to get out of this business. He falls in love with one of his robbery victims and she has no idea who he really is. His character is believable and you like him. There is also a supporting performance from Blake Lively (from Gossip Girl apparently) that was surprisingly good! I think she was supposed to the Amy Ryan type character (from Gone Baby Gone) and she does well with it, not nearly as good as Ryan's Oscar nominated performance however. The best performance comes from last year's Best Actor nominee Jeremy Renner. The guy plays a loose cannon and he is pretty nuts. It's a far cry from The Hurt Locker, but man this guy can act! I don't think he will get any Oscar credit this year, but he is certainly deserving. This movie is smart. This movie is high octane fun. It's entertaining. It's a brilliant, nearly flawless film that at this point...might very well be my favorite movie so far of 2010. But there's always Inception so....grr, I don't know. This movie is a must see, it's amazing! Go see it!

#62: Devil. Starring Chris Messina and Logan Marshall Green. Rated PG-13. 1 hour 20 minutes. IMDB Member Grade: 66%. My Grade: B+. Devil, for me, is the surprise hit of the year so far! The preview made the movie look cool, but M. Night Shymalan's name was spread across the ad's for this movie and honestly...I was expecting the movie to be a total shit fest. Well I'm happy to report that I was super wrong! I loved Devil. It's one of the better horror movies I've seen in recent years. It's light on the gore, and heavy on the mind screwing. 75% of this movie takes place in the small confines of an elevator (something I have a great fear of) and the cast is a group of relatively unknown actors so you don't know who to trust. We know from the ad's, and from the title...that one of these people is the devil. That's no surprise. Finding which one of them is the devil and which one is killing these people off is the tricky part. Also interesting is the reason why these people are together in the elevator and why the devil is going after them. On the outside, a police detective is trying to piece together who of these 5 people are killing everyone. All he has is a video monitor to watch them and can only communicate one way. So he has to figure out who each person is and what their dark past holds. He has a troubled past himself. When each person dies the lights in the elevator go out and so we as an audience don't know who is killing everyone as well. It's like a game of Clue that involves the devil. The story (the only part M. Night had any part of) is very simple and very easy to follow. It's a horror movie that uses a story element over shock, gore and tons of violence. It's a pretty damn tense movie, mainly for me because I HATE elevators! I loved the mystery aspect. I also enjoyed the fact that there weren't any stupid characters like we see so often in horror movies. Everyone does things that makes sense. The cop doesn't believe the idea the devil may be doing this for most of the movie which makes his story believable. The dialog is well written and there really isn't anything cheesy about anything these people say or do. This is a horror movie that is tense and creepy. I was really into the whole movie and it never got boring or ran off course. The movie is only 1 hour and 20 minutes long so it goes by fairly quickly. A horror movie should be short and simple. By the end, it did not disappoint. I thought the final act of the movie was perfect and did not go down a typical "dumbed down" horror movie road. I haven't seen many horror movies this year, but this is certainly one of the best. The Last Exorcism is probably going to be my favorite horror movie this year, but Devil is not very far behind. This may not be a common opinion about this film, but for me...I loved this movie! It was a great surprise and I think fans of horror films will enjoy it as much as I did. I highly recommend it!

2010 Review two-fer: "Don't Look Up" it's "Resident Evil" in 3D!

#58. Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D. Starring Milla Jovovich and Ali Larter. Rated R. 1 hour 37 minutes. Critics Grade: 20%. My Grade: C+. I have to let you know that before this, I've only seen the original Resident Evil film. I did not see the two sequels that followed and came before this movie. However I don't really think it means anything, because this fourth film has virtually no actual story elements. It is merely a continuation of the previous film's stories which I already have a pretty basic knowledge of. This is just another chapter of a group of people, led by Alice, trying to escape this apocalypse. Now we have a sequel in 3D. So the only reason at this point you go to see this movie is to see some great action and to be entertained. I have to admit, on that level, this movie works pretty well. I thought most of the action was pretty cool. We have scenes of slow motion action that actually fits the movie (unlike some other recent action flicks that attempt this technique). The action is loud, gruesome and just a lot of fun. Some it goes on a little to long and becomes a little to ridiculous but hey...that's what the film is all about. It's not trying to garner awards it's just trying to entertain it's target audience. The movie feels like a giant video game, which again...is why the movie works well. I didn't LOVE the movie, but I think it does it's job and will please the audiences that want to see the movie. It entertained me, bada bing, bada boom.

#59: Don't Look Up. Starring Reshad Strik and Kevin Corrigan. Rated R. 1 hour 38 minutes. IMDB User Grade: 42%. My Grade: F. I could have told you before actually watching this movie that I was not going to like the film whatsoever. I was right...but I chose to watch it anyway. You see...I just go on Netflix and add movies that come out in the current year (theatrical or straight to DVD) that might SOMEWHAT appeal to me, and I suffer through shit like this movie. I've seen a LOT of straight to DVD movies over the past couple years and this is probably in the bottom 5 of worst ones I've had to bear. Really stupid story, horrible (and actually so bad it's hilarious) acting...I mean there's not much more to say. This movie sucked big time, but I chose to watch it so it's my fault. Other people may enjoy it (although according to IMDB...not many audiences cared for it either)...but I certainly did not. Ugh!!!

Review Trifecta: "Babysitter Wanted" to watch those "Killers" who are "Losers"

#55: Killers. Starring Ashton Kutcher and Katherin Heigl. Rated PG-13. 1 hour 33 minutes. Critics Grade: 12%. My Grade: D. Oh Boy, here we go. Killers never looked like a good movie to me, but I watched it because I'm on vacation from work and I've been bored. Thought it might be a fun little movie to pass the time. Fun is not a good word to describe this movie. Entertaining? Nope. Funny? No sir. Good? Hell no. Awful? Eh, debatable. It depends on who's watching the movie. Some may find the chemistry between Kutcher and Heigl slightly charming and humorous, I however thought it was boring and bland. Nothing new here in this movie. You've seen this a thousand times before. We all know there's barely such thing as an original movie so when we have movies like this we still expect something fresh or at least the concept done well. It's not here. Not for me anyway. I couldn't stand Heigl and all her screaming and unfunny lines. Kutcher may be pretty to look at it, but then he opens his mouth and ruins everything. I was not a fan of Killers. To me it was not funny, it was tiresome, it was WAY predictable and it didn't even have a good ending. Boo.

#56: The Losers. Starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana and Idris Elba. Rated PG-13. 1 hour 37 minutes. Critics Grade: 47%. My Grade: C+. Again, wasn't to thrilled about actually watching this movie but...lot of time to kill. I was expecting to possibly hate this movie but in reality it was...eh, OK. I didn't thoroughly enjoy the movie through and through, but I didn't despise it either. The acting was quite good from everyone and the action was loud and for the most part quite entertaining. I got a little tired of the constant use of slow motion scenes though. They didn't just do it in action moments, but also in random moments of people walking, etc. I mean good lord there was a lot of slow motion here, the movie might have been 15 minutes shorter had all these scenes been at normal speed. The story was weak and the bad guy plot to kill everyone was kinda lame. But again the action was decent and kind of fun. Jason Patric, who plays the villain...was the best part of the movie. He was a very unique action villain in that his personality was ridiculous and really funny! So yeah, Losers is a slightly enjoyable action movie but isn't anything all that special. It's a fun filler movie that you might forget in about a month.

#57: Babysitter Wanted. Starring Sarah Thompson and Bruce Thomas. Rated R. 1 hour 33 minutes. IMDB Member Grade: 56%. My Grade: C. This was a straight to DVD horror movie that was made a few years ago but came out this year. I totally thought it was going to suck big time, hence the reason I rented it. Sometimes I like to rent crappy movies just to entertain me, and usually these would be horror movies. The reason for me not giving this some horrendously low grade was because I was kind of surprised by the movie. Now this is not a great horror movie and I wouldn't even say it was "good". Here's the thing, it was tolerable. The acting for the most part was good, especially from the crazy father. The film making was above average for this kind of movie. On a technical level this movie looks and sounds good. Story wise it's nowhere near original. Hell there was a much better film earlier this year called "House of the Devil" that had almost this exact same premise. That movie used subtlety as opposed to in your face gore like this movie used. It started off as a "When a Stranger Calls" type of movie then went right into a devil child kind of movie. Two different horror flick concepts mushed into one and it actually kind of worked. Not original, but at least they did the most they could with it to make it a tolerable film to watch. I was NOT a fan of the musical score. It has one of the most obnoxious scores ever for a horror movie. Every action this girl takes is accompanied by a loud shrieky musical note and apparently we are supposed to jump every 48 seconds or so. Basically this movie could have been a train wreck but honestly, to me it was not. It is really gory and really gross so I would not recommend it to the weak of stomach. For me though, this movie was worth a one time viewing. Slightly enjoyable...and I mean slightly.

2010 Review #54: Repo Men

Repo Men

Rated R
(strong bloody violence, grisly images, language and some sexuality/nudity)
1 hour 51 minutes (2 hours 1 minutes unrated DVD version)

Storyline:
Set in the near future when artificial organs can be bought on credit, it revolves around a man who struggles to make the payments on a heart he has purchased. He must therefore go on the run before said ticker is repossessed.

Directed By: Miguel Sapochnik

Starring:
Jude Law
Forest Whitaker
Alice Braga
Liev Schreiber

Critics Grade:
22%
(Consensus: Repo Men has an intriguing premise, as well as a likable pair of leads, but they're wasted on a rote screenplay, indifferent direction, and mind-numbing gore.)

My Grade:
B-

I don't see why the Rotten Tomatoes critic community gave this film a 22%. Sure it's not a fantastic movie and of course it's ridiculous. I honestly thought this was a fairly entertaining film. The premise was actually kind of cool, interesting and different. It was a refreshing set up for an action film. The action was usually fun, loud and exciting...in my opinion. Duh, it was over the top but that's what makes a decent action flick. Jude Law and Forest Whitaker were great and that's rare in an action movie to have two good performances.

The movie was definitely predictable for the most part. Although the "twist" ending I honestly did not expect...but I also wasn't really shocked by it or blown away by any means. I had some issues with what goes on in the ending, but I can't say anything because it will spoil it for people who may not have seen the movie. I like Liev Schreiber, but when he's in a movie...you pretty much know his character is going to be a turd. He always plays that smooth talking asshole. Or he plays the guy you think might be good but turns out to be a villain or just a money grubbing jerk. Movies like this can't have actors like him because the audience will figure him out quickly. I did. Nothing against him though, he's a good actor. He just needs to branch out and pick different roles. The gore in this movie was abundant and pretty graphic. I almost gagged a few times at the scenes where they reach into someones chest or stomach or whatever. UGH!

Honestly though, take this movie for what it is: an action movie with a fresh premise. Sure you pretty much know the direction it will take. Sure you will know who all the bad guys are. But listen...this movie does it's job. It gives us good action, it's fast paced, and there's rarely a dull moment. I had some issues with the story elements (but who really gives a shit about that)...but overall this is an entertaining movie. It kept me into it the whole time. It's not a great flick, but it's an action movie. Action movies are rarely "great" but when done right...they are fun and good movies to pass time. I liked it. A lot of people may disagree with me. Such is life.

2010 Review #53: Cop Out

Cop Out

Rated R

(pervasive language including sexual references, violence and brief sexuality)

1 hour 47 minutes

Storyline:

A comedy about a veteran NYPD cop whose rare baseball card is stolen. Since it's his only hope to pay for his daughter's upcoming wedding, he recruits his partner to track down the thief, a memorabilia-obsessed gangster.

Directed By: Kevin Smith

Starring:

Bruce Willis

Tracy Morgan

Critics Grade:

19%

(Consensus: Cop Out is a cliched buddy action/comedy that suffers from stale gags and slack pacing.)

My Grade:

D

Buddy cop movies seem to be an audience favorite. We see so many of them and unfortunately they are all the damn same. Rush Hour is one of the better examples of a recent (well sort of recent) good buddy cop comedy. Cop Out centers around two veteran cops played by Willis and Morgan who both seem bitter and tired. They bicker like an old married couple but seem to be best buds at the same time. Their dynamic on screen is a bit strange though and to me was way to forced. I didn't really find any of their antics all that funny. I laughed a few times at Morgan, but only because some of this shenanigans reminded me of his dumb but hilarious character on 30 Rock. This movie is just WAY to cliched and almost all of the humor is just stupid and to overly wacky. The premise about Willis loosing a prized and very pricey baseball card...is something you would see in a film about young children. The story was silly and idiotic. The performances were not very funny and this whole movie was just a dud. Huge swing and miss. HUGE!