Contagion

My View:  Contagion   Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Lawrence Fishburne headline an all-star cast in this movie about a disease outbreak that starts killing people at an alarming rate with no cure in sight.  The heroes of this story are twofold:  the husband (played by Matt Damon) who loses his wife (Gwyneth Paltrow) very early in the story and struggles to keep his family safe and alive and the doctors of the Center for Disease Control, who are trying to figure out what the disease is and how to treat it.  This is not a movie for the squeamish or the hypochondriac, as half the cast in this movie gets sick at some point.  Reminiscent of the all-star disaster movies of the 70’s (Airport, Poseidon Adventure), we become acquainted with many plots in this film, most of which are told very well.  Kate Winslet, as the onsite investigator on her first big case, and Jude Law, as a renegade blogger who feels the world is being lied to, stand out in this cast.  I enjoyed this film, but maybe because of the director, Steven Soderbergh. I came away wanting more from the story.   My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Contagion Website

Indyfest (A look at a small, Indie or foreign film):  Bellflower (2011)   Two lifelong friends, Woodrow and Aiden, are getting ready for the apocalypse and build a flame thrower and a muscle car named, Medusa.  One night at a bar, Woodrow (Played by Evan Glodell) meets Milly (Jessie Wiseman).  On their first date, she warns Woodrow that they can’t become serious about each other because she will break his heart, and of course, throughout this strange tale, she does.  This is a film where, after you see it, you will still be trying to figure out just what happened.  Be warned.  There is lots of bad language, sex and violence in this movie, but I did like it.   What I enjoyed the most was that your opinion of many of the characters changes throughout the film.  My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Bellflower Website

The 50(a movie from my best/worst films of all time)

#35 Best Film

The Lady Eve  (1941)   This is director/writer Preston Sturges at his very best with this screwball comedy starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda.  Stanwyck plays a con artist who, at the beginning of the movie, sets her sights on her next victim, Charles Pike, a shy explorer who is heir to a vast family fortune.  But Stanwyck doesn’t count on falling for the young adventurer, and after he discovers her plan, she must figure a way to get him back.  As with most screwball comedies, there are a lot of twists and turns, mistaken identities, plots that go wrong, and with most great comedies, interesting chemistry between the two leads.  Fonda is a joy to watch as he becomes putty in the hands of Stanwyck, while Stanwyck is so beautiful molding him.   The Lady Eve Info

Forgotten Film:  Peggy Sue Got Married  (1986)  Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and staring Kathleen Turner in her Academy Award nominated role as Peggy, a woman who is on the verge of a divorce and attends her high school reunion.  At the reunion, Peggy faints and wakes up back in 1960, her senior year of high school.  She realizes she has been given a chance to change her life.   Turner is superb in the role, and while the audience does have to suspend reality a bit to accept her in high school, she does an incredible job reliving her school years.  There are quite a few supporting players in this film who went on to become big stars, including Helen Hunt and a very young Jim Carrey, who plays a high school boyfriend.   Peggy Sue Got Married Info

In Case You Missed it ( A Film Just Released on DVD):  Thor (2011)  I thoroughly enjoyed this film when it was released in the theatres.  Directed by Kenneth Branagh, the God of Thunder is banished from his world by his father and is sent to Earth.  There he is found by a scientist (played by Natalie Portman), and Thor now must learn to live among the mortals.  The action sequences were first-rate, Chris Hemsworth is a worthy Thor, and there is lots of humor sprinkled throughout the film.  My Rating:   Full Price   Thor Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas   Sometimes I think Hollywood releases films just to make me wonder about their sanity.  Do we really need another Harold & Kumar film?   Where they have shot Santa?   In 3-D?  Why?  No, really, tell my WHY?   Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Contagion:  Snowmaking Coordinator

Flictionary (a Definition of a Film Term):  Screwball Comedy:  Screwball Comedy is a term used to describe a comedy (mostly ones made in the 30’s and 40’s, but it can also be applied to some recent films) where there is a combination of slapstick, fast paced dialogue, quick romantic involvement, and very often mistaken identities.   The romantic leads are usually opposites, such as the shy man matched with the strong woman.  Good examples of the screwball comedy are It Happened One Night, Bringing Up Baby, Some Like it Hot and Sullivan’s Travels.

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  What’s Your Number?   Anna Faris plays a woman who decides to find the past men in her life and see if one is her true love.   I hope this film is worthy of the comedic talents of Anna Faris.    What's Your Number? Website

Until Next Time!

The Debt

My View: The Debt (2011) In 1966, three Israeli agents track down a Nazi war criminal in East Berlin. Their mission is successful, but at a price – a price that is revealed and haunts the agents thirty years later. This is an intriguing and exciting story that has many twists and turns, some I didn't expect. Helen Mirren plays the female agent in 1997 who has to relive the mission because her daughter writes a book about the operation. But, the main reason to see this film is Jessica Chastain (The Help) who plays Helen Mirren’s character in 1967. She lights up the screen as the Mossad agent who is on her first mission and has to survive in Communist East Berlin with her fellow agents who use their cunning and wit.  My Rating: Full Price   The Debt website

The 50 (a movie from my best/worst film of all time)

#35 Worst Film

Heaven’s Gate (1980) This is the movie that brought a studio to its knees. Fresh off his award-winning direction of The Deer Hunter, Untied Artists threw the bank at Michael Cimino to make a Western about the land wars of Wyoming. Sparing no expense, Cimino filmed probably the most accurate looking Western ever made, but also one of the most boring with a running time that exceeds four hours.  Christopher Walken plays a cowboy who looks like he has arrived on set without really learing his lines.  Kris Kristofferson plays his role as if he hasn't recovered from his hangover from shooting A Star Is Born, and Isabelle Huppert, as the love interest, has such a strong French accent you almost need subtitles to understand her. This movie is summed up by the pivotal scene that takes place in a roller rink…a roller rink!  Heaven's Gate Info

Forgotten Film: Angels & Insects  (1995)  William (played by Mark Rylance) is a naturalist in Victoria England  who has come back from exploring the Amazon after losing everything in a shipwreck. He is befriended by a rich, amateur insect collector, who hires him to catalog his vast collection with the help of the family governess (played by Kristin Scott Thomas). The shy William meets his benefactor's daughter (played by the lovely Patsy Kensit), a recent widow.  Much to his surprise, she shows interest in him, and they get married. But, all is not well in the household, and there are many secrets in this privileged world that William has married into. Don't think that this is your ordinary Victorian costume drama as there are some rather explicit sex scenes that caused quite a stir when the film was released in 1995.    Angels & Insects Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD): X-Men: First Class  This was one of the better films of the summer and certainly the best from the "comic book" films, including Captain America and Green Lantern (ugh). This is really a first-class story about the origins of the X-Men, both good and bad guys. The two things that mostly stood out for me were the performance by Jennifer Lawrence as Raven  (soon to be named Mystique) and the chemistry in the bro-mance between Charles Xavier (soon to be Professor X) and Erik Lehnsherr (soon to be Magneto). My Rating: Full Price   X-Men: First Class Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea): Paranormal Activity 3  This movie is a prequel to the first two Paranormal Activity films. Do we really need to see more scary things in the room under low light? Isn't that what the Sarah Jessica Parker movie is going to be?   Paranormal Activity 3 Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark: Creature Voices - Guillermo del Toro

Flictionary (a Definition of a Film Term) Grip: Grips are lighting and rigging technicians on a film. Their responsibility is to build the rigs to mount lights or cameras on.  Camera Grips help move the camera during a shot if a camera is mounted on a movable base, such as a dolly.

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: The Ides of March  Director/Actor George Clooney brings this political drama to the screen. Clooney plays the front runner candidate for President, and Ryan Gosling plays his hot shot media consultant. Gosling learns something about Clooney that makes him question  his candidate and the political system, itself. This film has a great supporting cast with Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Marisa Tomei.   Ides of March Website

Until Next Time!

Colombiana

My View:  Colombiana  (2011)  After seeing her parents murdered in Columbia, a girl child is adopted by her uncle, and he, unexpectedly but lovingly, teaches her how to be a killer.  Zoe Saldana (Avatar) portrays the girl who has grown into an assassin for hire but has an ulterior motive: she is on the hunt to find who killed her parents and bring down the murderers.  In a gory film like this, an audience must believe a stoned-cold killer lurks behind the good looks of Zoe Saldana, but I could never accept Saldana as the elite killer.  The director, Olivier Megaton, uses the oldest trick in the book, a shaky camera with quick cuts and strobe lighting, in Saldana’s close quarter fights.  This is a sure sign the actor isn't very good at doing action sequences.  In fact, throughout this film, I kept thinking how action stars like Maggie Q (Priest) or Ziyi Zhang (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) would have been much better in the role…women who are bad-ass and show it well.

My rating:  Cable   Colombiana Website

The 50 (a movie from my best/worst films of all time)

#36 Best Film

The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)  Directed by Orson Welles, this film was to be a follow-up to his landmark film, Citizen Kane, but World War II began, and Welles was sent, on behalf of the American government, to produce a propaganda film to spread goodwill in South America.  When Welles departed South America after shooting Ambersons, he left behind extensive notes on how the film should be edited.  The studio, though, did not want another long film (like Citizen Kane) and made extreme cuts, deleting more than an hour of the length Welles had intended to release.  Editors also added a happy ending when the original, final scene didn't test well with audiences.  But, this is still a great film with incredible cinematography (by Stanley Cortez) and really strong performances, especially from Anne Baxter and Joseph Cotton. Cotton plays Eugene, a man who loses the woman he loves to a rival.  The couple gets married and have a son, George, who grows up to be a spoiled, overly-indulged brat.  When George's mother becomes a widower, Eugene comes back into the picture, but George and his aunt (played by Agnes Moorehead) do everything in their power to keep the couple apart.  This is an incredible film, and we can only wonder how much better it would have been if Welles had been allowed to  release the film as he had envisioned it.   The Magnificent Ambersons Info

Forgotten Film:  Little Big Man  (1970)  This film opens with 121 year old Jack Crabb (played by Dustin Hoffman), the oldest man alive, telling his life story to an historian.  We then see Jack's life, which begins with the death of his parents in an Indian attack, and Jack is taken to the Cheyenne village to become one of their own.  The rest of the movie depicts Jack's experiences, growing up and living in the West, at times with Indians and at other times among a cast of colorful characters.  The film mixes humor and tragedy and deals directly with the conflict between Indians and settlers, who are hell-bent on taking Indian land.  Hoffman is brilliant as Little Big Man, who tries to survive the rigors of the western land.  He encounters a number of historical figures in his adventures, including Wild Bill Hickcock and General George Armstrong Custer.  The actor, though, who steals this movie, is Chief Dan George, who plays the wise old man who adopts Little Big Man as his son.  George brings warmth and grace to a role that could have been a weak caricature with another actor's portrayal.   Little Big Man Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Trollhunter (2011)  Shot in "Blair Witch" style, three college students make a documentary for school on bear-poaching in Norway.  The students follow a mysterious man who drives a strange truck, as they believe he is the poacher.  The students soon discover, though, that the man isn't hunting bears.  He's hunting trolls.  This film is funny and scary at times, but it's Otto Jespersen, in the role of the Troll-hunter, that makes this film so much fun to watch.  He has a worn, weathered appearance, and he describes his job of Troll-hunting almost as if he drives a truck for a living instead of hunting Trolls.  This film never takes itself too seriously, which makes it an enjoyable film to watch, especially if you like horror movies.  My Rating:  Bargain Matinee   Trollhunter Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  I Don't Know How She Does It   Sarah Jessica Parker plays a finance executive who is trying to do it all:  have a great career, a good marriage and raise two kids.  But, she gets handed a new account and then, ugh... who cares?  A better title would have been, “I Don't Care How She Does It.”   I Don't Know How She Does It Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Colombiana:   Zoe Saldana's Acting Coach

Flictionary (a Definition of a Film Term):  Gaffer:  An electrician in charge of the lighting plan of a production.  This person makes sure that all the lighting needed for the day is in place, is setup correctly and is ready to go.  The Gaffer works closely with the Director of Photography to create the look of the film through lighting.

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Dolphin Tale   Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Harry Connick Jr. are cast in a film about a boy who befriends a dolphin that has lost her tail in a crab trap.  The boy inspires a group of townspeople to band together to create a prosthetic appendage for the dolphin.  The dolphin's story gets publicity and starts inspiring people with special needs.  Hey, hurt dolphins, Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd…count me in!   Dolphin Tale Website

Until Next Time!

One Day

My View:  One Day   Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter (Jim Sturgess) meet on the day they graduate college and spend the night together. They each go their separate ways, but they stay in touch. They have different career paths; he becomes a successful, late night TV host, but she can’t seem to find her way.  She continues to pine for Dex to the excessive point where you just want smack her in the head and say “Get it together.  He’s not worth it.”  That’s the biggest problem with this film.  You can (though it’s hard) accept that he doesn’t see how beautiful she is (Hathaway doesn’t play frumpy very well), and you can ignore her bad English accent, but you can’t ignore how much of an asshole he is!  And, that is why, throughout the film, you question (and can’t believe) why she loves him so much.  I won’t ruin the ending for you, but man is it frustrating.  Here’s hoping that “One Day” Anne Hathaway finds a good romantic film.   My Rating:  Cable   One Day Website

The 50 (a movie from my best/worst film of all time)

#36 Worst Film:

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band  (1978) This is one of those films that, when you’re watching it, your jaw drops and you just can’t believe what you’re seeing.  You almost expect your eyes and ears to bleed.  It’s that bad.  The idea behind this film was to tell the story, by using the songs of The Beatles, of a small town band that deals with the fame and corruption of the music business.  It stars The Bee Gees and Peter Frampton as the band members, with an extra “all-star cast” performing the other musical numbers.  Are you ready for an 80 year-old George Burns doing “Fixing A Hole?”  Frampton has to be one of the least charismatic leading men of all time, delivering his songs as if he’s auditioning for the chorus of Donny and Marie.  Legendary Beatles producer, George Martin, should be forced to give back all the royalties he made for creating this wreck of a film.   Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Info

Forgotten Film:   Sounder (1972)   This four-time Academy nominated film tells the story of a Black sharecropper family in the depression era south and their son who is forced to become a man before his time.  Paul Winfield, as the father, is convicted of a petty crime and sent way to a prison camp.  His family has to keep the farm alive in his absence.  This burden falls on the mother, played by the incredible Cicely Tyson, and on the oldest son, played by Kevin Hooks.  The son is eventually sent to find his father and experiences amazing adventures on his journey.  A moving film that uses strong performances from its cast and a brilliant soundtrack from bluesman, Taj Mahal, to create an emotional and touching story of family, struggle and perseverance.   Sounder Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD): 

Win Win (2011)   Paul Giamatti is a small town lawyer struggling to keeps his practice open and supplements his income by moonlighting as a high school wrestling coach. A troubled teenager (played by Alex Shaffer) shows up at an elderly client’s doorstep and, through a series of events, Giamatti and his family take him in.  Things start unraveling when the teen’s mother comes to town.  If you liked Little Miss Sunshine and Juno, then you should see this warm and touching film.  My Rating:  Full Price   Win Win Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea): 

The Thing (2011)   A remake or is it a prequel to the 1982 John Carpenter film of the same name?  At an Antarctica research site, an alien craft is discovered, and then people start dying.   Can’t scientists learn that it’s not wise to drill into an alien craft, especially if you are out in the middle of nowhere?  And, it’s never a good sign when you see the trailer, and you don’t recognize any of the actors other than the girl from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.   The Thing Website

Weird Credits:   From the credits of Fright Night (2011):  Jerry’s Vampire Vocals

Flictionary (a definition of a film term):  Foley Artist:  The person who creates many of the ambient noises in a film, such as footsteps or glass breaking.  Foley, the effects-making process, is done in a recording studio, and various, unrealized props are used to re-create the sounds you hear (and maybe take for granted) in a film.

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  50/50   Adam (played by Inception’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a writer at a radio station who finds out he has cancer with only a 50/50 chance at survival.  His girlfriend (played by Bryce Dallas Howard) and his best friend (played by funnyman Seth Rogen) rally around him for support, but he doesn’t really come to grips with what he is dealing with until he meets a woman (played by Anna Kendrick) who is training to become a therapist.   50/50 Website

Until Next Time!

30 Minutes or Less

My View:  30 Minutes or Less:  Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) is a pizza delivery guy who is kidnapped, gets a bomb strapped to his chest and is told he has ten hours to rob a bank, or it’s boom. He enlists his best friend, Chet (played by Aziz Ansari) to help him rob the bank, but things just don’t go right for the pair.  This is a comedy that has quite a bit of action and violence and, as with most recent films, goes for the cheap, crude joke.  I was disappointed that Eisenberg would stoop to do a film this bad as he has done some funny stuff in the past (Advertureland and Zombieland). With this film, the pizza was late, it wasn't what we ordered and it was cold. By the way, if you stay to the end of the film, you may want to hang through the credits as there is some bonus footage, but…why would you…stay?   My rating:  You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again   30 Minutes or Less Website

The 50 (a movie from my best/worst film of all time)

#37 Best Film

Kings Row  (1942)  Ronald Reagan and Robert Cummings play two young men growing up in a small town during the turn of the twentieth century.  Cummings is an idealistic man who is studying to be a doctor; Reagan is a carefree guy who is rich and enjoys being single.  There are troubles in this seemingly perfect community, and the two are forced to make choices in their lives that will affect their friendships and the lives of others.  Master cinematographer, James Wong Howe, does an incredible job of lighting this B&W masterpiece, and Reagan gives the performance of his lifetime.   Kings Row Info

Forgotten Film:  The Accidental Tourist  (1988)  After suffering through the accidental death of his son and his crumbling marriage, William Hurt plays a travel book writer who is just trying to make it through another day.  One day, he takes his dog to a dog trainer and meets a woman that changes his outlook on life.  Hurt gives a brilliant performance as the downtrodden writer, but it’s Geena Davis, as the single mom dog trainer, who steals this movie.   The Accidental Tourist Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD):  The Conspirator (2011)  Robert Redford directed this true story of trial of the mother (played by Robin Wright) of one of the conspirators of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.  A young lawyer (played by James McAcoy) comes to her aid as the government stream rolls the case against her.  Wright’s performance is worth seeing when she plays a mother who is willing to die for her son.  My Rating:  Cable   The Conspirator Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  The Sitter  Jonah Hill is a suspended college student who is forced to take a babysitting job.  In a rip–off of a much loved Adventures in Babysitting(1987), Hill takes the three kids he’s babysitting on a night of bar-hopping while trying to avoid drug dealers.  Man, does he know how to treat kids to an adventurous night.   The Sitter Info

Weird Credits:   From the credits of The Devil’s Double (2011):  Tax Shelter Financing

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Contagion  This thriller is about a team of doctors who try to halt the rapid expansion of a deadly outbreak of an unknown virus that has the potential to kill half the world in only months.  The all-star lineup is the attraction of this film with a headliner cast of Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow.   Contagion Info

Until Next Time!

The Help

My View:  The Help   Emma Stone plays Skeeter Phelan, a recent college graduate who returns home in 1962 to Montgomery,  Mississippi to work for the local paper.  She befriends two maids (played by Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer) and decides to write a tell-all book about their lives, working in the world of the privileged.  This is a touching movie.  While Stone and Bryce Dallas Howard (who plays the queen bee of the society ladies) are entertaining to watch, the heart of this film is the moving performances by Spencer and especially Viola Davis, whom, I predict, will be in the nominee mix for a supporting actress Oscar nod.  When I saw this film, the audience, rightly so, clapped at the end.  My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   The Help Website

The 50 (a movie from my best/worst films of all time)

#37 Worst Film:

Neighbors  (1981)  John Belushi is Earl, a mild-mannered middle class husband with a wife and kid, living the quiet life in suburbia.  It all changes when loud-mouthed Vic (Dan Aykroyd) moves next door with his wife, Ramona (played by Cathy Moriarty). While Aykroyd is fun to watch as the out-of-control character who creates a hellish world for his neighbors, Belushi appears as though he just wants out of this picture.  He apparently was so unhappy with the direction, he spent much of the shooting schedule drunk. Director, John Avildsen, seems to never decide if he is making a sit-com or a black comedy, and the film never settles into anything watchable.  Watching this film will make you want to sing the blues.   Neighbors Info

Forgotten Film:  The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings  (1976)  Billy Dee Williams plays a pitcher in the 1930’s, who acts out against the team owner, leaves the team and convinces other all star caliber players to join him on an All-Star team to barnstorm the Midwest.  The cast of players include James Earl Jones and a young Richard Pryor, who is very funny as a player who is always trying to figure out a way he can break into the big leagues.  This is a comical, well written film that showcases a long-forgotten segment of American history.   Bingo Long Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Jane Eyre  (2011)  This film, part romance, part horror, is  worth watching because of the two leads, Mia Wasikodska, who plays the plain and headstrong Jane, and Michael Fassbender, who plays the love of her life, the mysterious and troubled Mr. Rochester.  Jane has been hired to be a governess by Mr. Rochester, a man she, at first, finds cold and aloof, but soon falls in love with.  She soon discovers, however,  he may be hiding a terrible secret.  Waskiodska is brilliant in the part as she brings a multilayered performance to this role, much better than her other starring role in Alice In Wonderland.   My Rating:  Full Price   Jane Eyre Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Warrior:  Two brothers, who are struggling to survive in today’s world, meet in the finals of a mixed martial arts tournament.  Note to reader:  Please read the following sentence while listening to dramatic music.  The youngest brother is fighting to escape the demons of his past; the older brother is fighting for the survival of his marriage and family.   But one brother has an edge over the other, as his trainer is their father.  Wait!  Maybe it’s not an edge.  The father is played by Nick Nolte.  Could be game over for that fighter.  Warrior Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Salvation Boulevard:  Lizard Wrangler

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (2011)  A new horror film written and produced by Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth) about a young girl sent to live with her father and his girlfriend.  Early in the film, the girl discovers there are creatures living in the house, and they want to claim her as one of their own.  This film is getting noticed as a scary movie that is also intelligent - something that is rare these days in Hollywood.   Don't Be Afraid of the Dark Website

Until Next Time!

Cowboys & Aliens

My View:  Cowboys & Aliens:  This is one of those movies that you won't hate but you also won't really like.  You think this film “just has to be good,” but it's just not.  Jon Favreau follows up his Iron Man movies with this tale of a man (played by 007 Daniel Craig) in the 1870s Wild West, who wakes up with no memory and in the middle of nowhere, with a big, metal bracelet on his wrist.   He finds his way to the nearest town, a town that is soon under attack by…wait for it…aliens in spaceships.  And so our adventure begins.  While Craig and Harrison Ford, who plays the town’s robber baron, do an adequate job as cowboys, the weak link in this film is Olivia Wilde, the mysterious girl whom Craig is destined to get involved with.  Wilde seems to sleepwalk through her lines, and there's no fire in her performance, a role where supposedly she has survived the wide open west on her own.  I’m not saying this film would have been great with someone else (like Michelle Williams) in the role, but the film may have, at least, kept us awake before the big battle with the alien bad guys.   My rating:  Bargain Matinee   Cowboys & Aliens Website

The 50 (a movie from my best/worst films of all time)

#38 Best Film 

The Last of the Mohicans  (1992):  Michael Mann (Heat, Ali) directed this dazzling film about life in colonial America during the French and Indian War.  Daniel Day-Lewis plays Hawkeye, a trapper raised by the Mohican tribe, who becomes involved with the British army in their fight against the French.  Hawkeye is reluctant to join the fight until he meets the daughter of a British general, played by the gorgeous Madeleine Stowe.  Day-Lewis is perfect in his role, and he brings to the screen a quiet intensity in a man you can count on in a fight.  Incredible cinematography, beautiful North Carolina scenery and intense battle sequences make this a film that is quite memorable.   The Last of the Mohicans Info

Forgotten Film:  Flipped (2010)  This Rob Reiner-directed film was in theaters for about one minute last fall, which is sad because this is an amazing film, reminiscent of Reiner’s classic, Stand by Me.  Set in the 1960s, Flipped tells the story of a young boy and girl who live across the street from each other.  Juli (played by Madeline Carroll) falls in love with Bryce (played by Callan McAuliffe) the moment she meets him, but Bryce thinks Juli, who raises chickens and likes to sit in trees, is a little weird.  Their story is told "flipping" from one perspective of a boy's to a girl’s perspective.  As the boy and girl mature, we see, through their eyes, their blossoming relationship and the trials and tribulations of growing up.  This is a extraordinary film that has just the right amount of humor and heart to make it very enjoyable.   Flipped Website

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Soul Surfer   (2011)   This film is based on the true life story of Bethany Hamilton, a talented and promising surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack.  AnnaSophia Robb does well in the lead role as Bethany, and Dennis Quaid/Helen Hunt make a surprising turn (how the mighty have fallen) as Hamilton's parents; but the Christian overtones in this movie are just so over-the-top that the film becomes almost too uncomfortable to watch.  Another downfall is Carrie Underwood as Bethany's religious go-to person, who tries really hard to act but just can't.  My Rating:  Cable   Soul Surfer Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  Apollo 18   It turns out there was a mission to the moon that the government has never admitted.  It's being called Blair Witch in Space, but didn't we just determine by watching Transformers: Dark of the Moon what exactly is located there?   Apollo 18 Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Tabloid:  Vagina Dentata illustration by

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Restless   Directed by Indie favorite, Gus Van Sant.  Mia Wasikowska plays a terminally ill girl who falls for a boy, played by Henry Hopper.  The boy likes to attend funerals and has a sidekick who is the ghost of a World War II kamikaze pilot.  This is right down Van Sant's alley.   Restless Website

Until Next Time!