Hey, I'm as surprised as anybody. Normally when I see the words "Jennifer Aniston" on the marquee I run away screaming like a schoolgirl. The Switch presents itself as a raucous gross out pregnancy comedy similar to The Back-Up Plan, but in reality the two couldn't be any further. Sacrificing slapstick in favor of genuine, heartfelt emotion and comedy, The Switch stars Aniston as a 40-ish woman who desperately wants to have a child, choosing to be inseminated. Through a convoluted string of events, the semen of choice gets switched with that of her gloomy best friend, played by Jason Bateman. It's Bateman who really owns this film much more than Aniston, as he forges an unbreakable bond with the son he never knew he had.
2. Get Low
There might not be a better actor more capable of expressing the deepest emotions with so little effort than Robert Duvall. The legendary actor shines as Felix Bush, an old hermit who's watched the world transform and pass him by over the last 40 years. Now seeing the end in sight, he wants to do something nobody's ever done before: attend his own funeral. Expect an Oscar nomination next year for Duvall, and possibly a supporting nod for Bill Murray as the greedy funeral parlor owner put in charge of the event.
1. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Michael Cera kicks ass video game style against seven deadly, super powered exes in the most unique film you will see all year. Director Edgar Wright(Shaun of the Dead) has done what few have ever done, which is truly combine gaming, comic books, manga, and everything you ever loved and made them literally explode on screen. A true fanboy classic.
DVD Pick of the Week: Dead or Alive (Blu-Ray)
How slim were the DVD pickins this week? Well, it was either this or choose something I didn't really care for like The Last Song
. Those who are video game addicts like I used to be will quickly recognize Dead or Alive
, the fightin' game that's much more about bouncing boobies than jumpkicks. Hey, it had an option to increase the cup size of the female combatants. Perhaps no other video game film has ever been quite as simpatico with it's origins as this, as director Corey Yuen(The Transporter
) throws an endless string of well endowed brawlers at us, along with a heaping helping of cheesecake. Jamie Pressley, Devon Aoki, and Holly Valance lead the buxom brigade, but don't sleep on the martial arts action either which is top notch.
