Walk into this adventure making comparisons to a certain tattoo headed boy wizard and you might be surprised by how well this film measures up. Taking the already fantastic tales of Greek and Roman legend and spinning them into the modern age, Percy Jackson tells the story of a young boy who discovers he's the son of Poseidon, Greek god of water. His quest to find out who stole Zeus's lightning pits him against a who's who of legendary creatures, including the Hydra, minotaurs, and Uma Thurman as the snake-haired Medusa.
2. Fish Tank
Andrea Arnold's gritty drama is all rough edges and sharp elbows, showing the anger and emotionally desperation in one volatile 15 year old girl. Katie Jarvis puts on a star making performance as Mia, who puts up with her young, irresponsibile mother who would gladly do away with her. They live in an area that makes our ghettos look promising. Life remains bleak as usual until mom brings home a new boyfriend, who Mia reluctantly takes a liking to. Fish Tank is a morally complex character study, a tougher, dirtier version of one of my favorite films of last year, An Education
. Much like that film, it's propelled by Jarvis' maturity and screen presence. 1. Shutter Island
The reunion of Scorsese and Dicapro might be their most satisfying yet. Shutter Island is a desolate, atmospheric mind screw that plays with your own sense of reality just as much as the lead character. Dicaprio stars as Teddy Daniels, a US Marshall sent to a remote island to track down the whereabouts of an escaped murderer. Along the way, he discovers that there might just be something even more sinister at play. Shutter Island plays like a dime store crime novel. There's a huge storm thundering overhead at all times; every corner is dark and shadowy; every character a potential suspect with an ulterior motive. Scorsese's most visually unique and diverse film yet, practically every scene is a jarring, haunting nightmare. A must see film by the most reliable duo in the business.
DVD Pick of the Week: Good Hair
What the hell is up with women and their hair? More specifically, what's the deal with African-American women and their hair? Chris Rock's documentary takes a mostly humorous approach to finding out the answer to that question, and the results...well, they don't surprise me one bit. Every man in America needs to see this film so they can see just low on the totem pole we actually rate compared to a woman's beloved locks. When Rock isn't mining humor from numerous interviews with some of Hollywood's top actresses about their hair, he's shining an accusatory finger at the hair care industry as a whole. The most interesting part of the film for me, though, was showing the origins of most of the hair used in weaves and wigs, a story which takes him all the way to the Middle East. One of the best documentaries from last year, both funny and insightful.
