Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
I'd say that Edgar Wright was taking a break from the genre flicks(zombies, buddy comedies) but the last thing you can say about Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is that it's a break from anything. Michael Cera stars as the titular slacker, in a fast paced, kinetic, video game battle against the League of Seven Evil Exes in order to win the heart of his lady love(Mary Elizabeth Winstead). I had some issues with the way the exes were utilized but overall this one is too much stupid fun to ignore. Consider it bought.
Ramona and Beezus
That's right. I'm not afraid to admit that I sorta liked this adaptation of Beverly Cleary's girl centric children's books. Mainly due to the arrival of newcomer, Joey King as the troublemaking Ramona, adding a youthful energy that is sorely needed to pep up a somewhat depressing, current storyline. Ramona and her sister Beezus(pop star Selena Gomez) are watching their entire world crash around them when their stoic, reliable father is downsized from his job. Effective turns from Josh Duhamel and Ginnifer Goodwin as Ramona's favorite Aunt Bea, round out a solid cast.
Grown Ups
On paper, combining the comedic talents of Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, and Rob Schneider(I'm leaving off Spade on purpose) seems like a slow curveball ready to be knocked out of the park. Instead this sappy, feeble attempt at finding maturity when you're already middle-aged is a groundball into a double play. The gang stars as a group of friends who reunite after the death of their coach and mentor. Childish shenanigans collide with solemn familial responsibility in this tired old comedy.
Charlie St. Cloud
Zac Efron makes his best case yet that he's more than just a dancin' teen heartthrob in this poignant family drama. He stars as a young man who closes himself off to the world after the death of his younger brother in a tragic accident. The material isn't perfect, and I think it gives up on the main premise far too easily, but Efron shows that perhaps more adult roles could be in his future. He's certainly better in this than he was in Me and Orson Welles
. Antichrist
I want everybody to drop what they're doing and rent or buy this movie right now. Not because it's necessarily good, but because Lars Von Trier plays with your head and the concept of good and evil like nobody else before. Even trying to describe Antichrist, which stars Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg as a troubled couple looking for a fresh start after the accidental death of their child. Instead what they find is pure, unadulterated chaos, shocking acts of sexual violence, and pure despair. More than one person walked out of the theater at the showing I was at. Wimps. Do yourself a favor and check out a movie I swear you'll never ever forget.
The Elia Kazan Collection
This collection of fifteen classics from the amazing director, Elia Kazan, features one of my all-time favorites: A Face in the Crowd, starring Andy Griffith as "Lonesome" Rhodes. But besides that you get a ton of other gems like A Streetcar Named Desire and Marlon Brando's On the Waterfront.
Love Ranch
You'd think a flick about the tumultuous couple that began this country's first legal brothel would be a real barnburner, but you'd be wrong. Taylor Hackford(Ray
) directs his sexy wife, Helen Mirren, in a warmed over love story about an older woman who falls in love with an oafish heavyweight boxer. Joe Pesci stars as Mirren's husband and brothel owner, who is none too fond of the budding relationship.
