The deliberate pacing my throw some people off, but Aaron Schneider's heartfelt story of the reclusive Felix Bush(Rober Duvall) is a gift for those who invest the time in it. Duvall shines as the grizzled old loner, who when realizing that his last days may be approaching, throws himself a funeral party where the entire town can come and tell all the wild stories they've heard about him over the years.
2. The Last Exorcism
It's a rarity nowadays. An extremely well-acted, intelligent horror film. Sure, the Eli Roth produced flick covers familiar territory: exorcism, shaking windows, vomit spewing teens, and men of God experiencing a crisis of faith. But so what? The Last Exorcism takes what we've seen before and plays it straight, providing some genuine thrills and enough scary moments to make you sleep with the lights on for awhile.
1. Animal Kingdom
Whoever said crime pays has never lived in the shoes of the Cody family. A low-rent crime family that is being besieged from every side. The dirty cops want their cut; the good cops want them behind bars; and the normally tight-knit brothers are falling apart at the seams. Things don't get any easier when "J" Cody, is forced into their midst and he instantly becomes a weak link in the chain. It's up to their ferocious, manipulative mother(Jacki Weaver) to do whatever it takes to see her boys through. An amazing, gritty drama unlike anything you'll see this year.
DVD Pick of the Week: City Island
Secrets will almost always tear any family apart. Yet in the home of the petulant Rizzo clan, secrets seem to be what keep them going. Andy Garcia plays the patriarch, Vince, a prison guard with a secret dream to be an actor. Juliana Marguiles is his spicy, quarrelsome wife, who hides her smoking habit and boredom with her life. The kids are no prizes either, each with their own issues hidden under lock and key. When Vince brings home one of his prisoners who may or may not be his long lost son, their fragile happiness threatens to be shattered by this outsider who truly sees them all for what they are. City Island feels like one of those quirky indie flicks from the 90s, but with more genuine honesty and emotion. It doesn't hurt that the entire cast is impressive, starting with Garcia and Marguiles, but also Emily Mortimer as Vince's sexy acting school partner.
