The Sunday Drive: 2/6/11

This was one lousy week for new releases, to the Top 3 remains essentially unchanged. But believe me there are a host of good flicks coming our way starting next week. Who says the winter months have to suck?

3. Black Swan/The King's Speech
Yeah, I'm cheating a little bit. It's the first time I've ever allowed a tie, so cut me some slack.  With both films surging in theaters following the Oscar nomination bump, there's no excuse for folks to not check out two films that on the surface may seem either outlandish(Black Swan) or generic(The King's Speech) but are lifted up by the strength of the central performances by Natalie Portman and Colin Firth.

2. Another Year
Mike Leigh delivers another enchanting slice of life drama, focusing on a contented married couple in their autumn years, and the many needy, troubled friends and family who encircle their lives.
1. The Mechanic
Jason Statham does what he does best, kick butt and take aim in this ultra-violent vengeance thriller from Simon West(Con Air). The always excellent Ben Foster(The Messenger) lends his combustible energy to this amped up remake of a 1972 Charles Bronson classic.

DVD Pick of the Week: Let Me In 

Ok ok, put down your pitchforks and torches, you Swedish vampire flick lovin' fools! Let Me In is by no means a slap in the face to it's predecessor, 2008's Let the Right One In. In every way that matters, director Matt Reeves(Cloverfield) matches the icy emotions of the original, maintaining the same level of horror and fear that vampire movies have been lacking for so many years(thanks a lot, Twilight!). Chloe Moretz, while not as viscerally frightening as Lina Leandersson, her likability from previous roles somehow adds a savage twist to the performance.