Ca$h (2010)-Starring Sean Bean (Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightening Thief & The Hitcher (2007)) & Chris Hensworth (A Perfect Getaway & Star Trek). A man meets up with two "good guys" to recover what is unlawfully his, taking them on his whirlwind ride, doing things they never would have imagined, just to survive. A good premise ruined by unlikeable characters, bad acting, and a convoluted plot. "Rather Stab A Pen In My Eye than ever watch this movie again"
Frozen (2010) Starring Shawn Ashmore ("Fringe" & The Ruins), Emma Bell ("The Walking Dead" & "Dollhouse"), Kevin Zegers (Vampire & "Gossip Girl") Three skiers are stranded on a chairlift and forced to make life-or-death choices that prove more perilous than staying put and freezing to death. Original, ominous, well-directed and produced horror film that kept me on the edge of my seat and vowing never ever to go skiing. "Noteworthy"
The Secret of Kells (2009) Voiced by Emmy winner Brendan Gleeson (Into the Storm (TV) & The Guard). The animated story of the boy behind the famed Book of Kells. Well animated with a strong score, but boring albeit Oscar nominated Irish film. "Snailmail"
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) Nominated for 2 Oscars (Art Direction & Visual Effects) & starring Saturn award nominee Bill Nighy (Valkyrie), Saturn nominee Emma Watson (HP & the Sorcerer's Stone), Saturn nominee Daniel Radcliffe (HP & the Order of the Phoenix & I Am Harry Potter (short)), Rupert Grint (Wild Target), 2X Emmy nominee Alan Rickman (Something the Lord Made (TV)), 2X Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient), 2X Emmy nominee Michael Gambon ("Emma" & "Doctor Who"), & Clemence Poesy (Le Mystere). As Harry races against time and evil to destroy the Horcruxes, he uncovers the existence of three most powerful objects in the wizarding world: the Deathly Hallows. Well-acted, dark, but unfinished, no doubt because it is a 2 parter. Overall a good film despite some dragging in middle. "Noteworthy"
Charlie St. Cloud (2010) Starring Zac Efron (Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III (TV)), Amanda Crew (All That Glitters (V)), Oscar winner Kim Basinger (L.A. Confidential), & Emmy winner Ray Liotta ("ER" & The Details). Based on the novel, "The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud", Charlie St. Cloud is a young man overcome by grief at the death of his younger brother. So much so that he takes a job as caretaker of the cemetery in which his brother is buried. Charlie has a special lasting bond with his brother though, as he can see him. Charlie meets up with his brother (Sam) each night to play catch and talk. Then, a girl comes into Charlie's life and he must choose between keeping a promise he made to Sam, or going after the girl he loves. What should've come across as a truly powerful film, which I'm sure it was on paper, ended up playing out as a slightly above average made for TV movie. The book will probably prove better. Better options: The book or Just Like Heaven. "Stamped Out so why bother?"
The Town (2010) Nominated for 1 Oscar (Best Supporting Actor: Jeremy Renner).Directed & co-written by Ben Affleck & starring Oscar winner Ben Affleck ("Good Will Hunting & The Company Men), Rebecca Hall (Everything Must Go), 2X Emmy nominee Jon Hamm ("Mad Men" & "The Simpsons"), 2X Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), & the late great Oscar nominee Pete Postlethwaite (In the Name of the Father). Based on the novel "Prince of Thieves" by Chuck Hogan. As he plans his next job, a longtime thief tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager connected to one of his earlier heists, as well as the FBI agent looking to bring him and his crew down. Very well-directed heist film with great performances and well executed action sequences. Unfortunately the last 15 minutes delve into pretty familiar territory. Still highly recommended. "Noteworthy"
Wallace & Grommit: A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008 TV) Oscar nominee: Best animated short film. Wallace and his dog, Gromit, open a bakery and get tied up with a murder mystery. But, when Wallace falls in love Gromit is left to solve the case. Funny, irreverent, original for an animated film, and very well-animated. "Epic"
Kick Ass (2010) Starring Aaron Johnson (Nowhere Boy), Lyndsy Fonseca ("Nikita" & Hot Tub Time Machine), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon (TV) & "Party Down"), Chloe Moretz (Let Me In), & Oscar winner Nicolas Cage (Leaving Las Vegas & Season of the Witch). Based on the comic book, Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so. Unique, darkly comic satire of the typical comic book hero made difficult to watch at times due to the graphic violence surrounding the under age actors. "Kinda Like An Inkblot Test-Might be good to some, but I just didn't see it."
The Crazies (2010) Starring Timothy Olyphant ("Justified"), Radha Mitchell (Fugly!), & Joe Anderson (Across the Universe). Based on the 1973 motion picture. The inhabitants of a small Iowa town suddenly plagued by insanity and then death after a mysterious toxin contaminates their water supply. Far superior to the '73 original even though the ending left me with unanswered questions. Fun fact: Filmed in a few locations near my residence. Alas, I was not in this film as I sent in the my head shots too late. "Stamped Out but worth seeing"
Hereafter (2010) Oscar nominee for Visual Effects. Directed by 4X Oscar winner Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby) & starring Oscar winner Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting & True Grit) & Cecile De France (Gardiens de l'ordre (Off Limits) & High Tension). A drama centered on three people -- a blue-collar American, a French journalist and a London school boy -- who are touched by death in different ways. Visual stunning film that uses real life events as turning points in this film. Beautiful & unusually spiritual for a Hollywood film. "Noteworthy"
Tron Legacy (2010) Oscar nominated for Sound Editing & starring Oscar winner Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart & True Grit), Garrett Hedlund (Death Sentence), Olivia Wilde ("House M.D."), Beau Garrett (Kalamity & "Criminal Minds"), Emmy nominee Michael Sheen (The Special Relationship (TV) & Capture Anthologies: The Dimensions of Self), Saturn nominee Cillian Murphy (Red Eye), & Yaya DaCosta (The Kids Are All Right). Sequel for Tron (1982), the son of a virtual world designer goes looking for his father and ends up inside the digital world that his father designed. He meets his father's creation turned bad and a unique ally who was born inside the digital domain of The Grid. Visual stunning, with the exception of Clue, with an amazing film score by Daft Punk. Other than that, it was a contrived, messy sequel that didn't need to happen. Watch the original Tron instead. "Not the Brightest Crayon in the Box, but sure is pretty"
Life As We Know It (2010)- Emmy winner Katherine Heigl ("Grey's Anatomy), Emmy winner Josh Duhamel ("All My Children" & "Fanboy and Chum Chum"), Josh Lucas (Little Murder & A Beautiful Mind), Emmy nominee Christina Hendricks ("Mad Men"), Melissa McCarthy ("Mike & Molly"), Will Sasso ("$#*! My Dad Says"), & Majandra Delfino (Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth (TV)). Two single adults become caregivers to an orphaned girl when their mutual best friends die in an accident. Pretty standard romantic dramedy fare with a few intelligent moments. Nothing lasting, original, or special about this one aside from a few conversations between the two leads that seem like a peak behind the curtain of a real couple with real problems. I'm not mad I watched it, I've just already forgotten about it. See instead: Baby Boom or No Reservations. "Stamped Out so why bother?"
Black Swan (2010)- Nominated for 5 Oscars: Best Picture, Actress (Portman), Cinematography, Directing, & Editing. Directed by 2X Indie Spirit winner Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler) & starring 2X Oscar nominee Natalie Portman (Closer & No Strings Attached), Mila Kunis ("Family Guy"), Vincent Cassel (Our Day Will Come), Oscar nominee Barbara Hershey (The Portrait of a Lady), 2X Oscar nominee Winona Ryder (Little Women & The Dilemma), & Sebastian Stan. A ballet dancer wins the lead in "Swan Lake" and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan - Princess Odette - but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like Odette's evil sister, Odile, the Black Swan. Surreal, dark, visually stunning, epic journey of a descent into madness. I felt like I was watching an opera or an actual ballet. Perfect from beginning to end. I couldn't tear my eyes off the screen. Natalie Portman delivers the performance of a lifetime. "Epic"
Knight and Day (2010)-Starring 3X Oscar nominee Tom Cruise (Magnolia), Cameron Diaz (The Green Hornet), 2X Indie nominee Peter Sarsgaard (Kinsey & "SNL"), Oscar nominee Viola Davis (Doubt & It's Kinda of a Funny Story), Indie winner Paul Dano (L.I.E. & Meek's Cutoff), Marc Blucas ("Law & Order: Los Angeles"), Maggie Grace (Faster & The Experiment), Indie Spirit nominee Celia Weston (Dead Man Walking & "Modern Family"). June Havens finds her everyday life tangled with that of a secret agent who has realized he isn't supposed to survive his latest mission. Light-hearted, fun though not very original, spy comedy. It's nice to see Cruise in a comedic role. It's a nice change for him. Enjoyable. "Stamped Out but worth seeing"
Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010) Starring 2X Saturn nominee Milla Jojovich (Resident Evil & Dirty Girl), Saturn nominee Ali Larter ("Heroes"), Spencer Locke ("Cougar Town"), Wentworth Miller ("Family Guy"), & Sienna Guillory ("CSI" & "Criminal Minds"). While still out to destroy the evil Umbrella Corporation, Alice joins a group of survivors who want to relocate to the mysterious but supposedly unharmed safe haven known only as Arcadia. No plot, same dragged out story line, & too much slow motion. The only positive I can give for this movie is that it was shot very well with great cinematography. Skip it. See instead: Resident Evil, Underworld or Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. "Not the Brightest Crayon in the Box, but sure is pretty"
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