The Rum Diary (2011)

Moneyball (2011)

Ides of March (2011)

Buried (2010)

OK, so this guy is buried in a box... wait, that's a different joke.

In this movie, there's a guy buried in a box...

Well anyway, let me make this clear: guy, box, and it's buried under ground.

Anyway, all kidding aside, this is intense. Intense. I rarely hope for reprieve, but in this movie I was praying for it--I was feeling claustrophobic despite the ample comfort of my recliner. Powerful movie, but I'm still not sure if I'd recommend it to you.

Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

So let's get this out of the way: I hate it when previews for movies contain lines that the theatrical release does not. Ocean's 11 did this, and The Lincoln Lawyer did this "Why can't you get a real office?" "What's more fun, my office or mom's office?" when his daughter is in the car. See the trailer:



Why do they do this? I guess the movie marketers do their own thing, but still, it just pisses me off!

Aside from rants like the above, this was a great movie. Probably not Matthew's most powerful performance, I do like to see him do a bit more, but in general good movie, and the twists and turns kept me on my toes.

Michelle read the book, and said it stayed true to the book, so that's always a plus with movies.

The Road (2009)

It was true to the book. The film making definitely gave an accurate portrayal of this post-apocalypse landscape, but otherwise not much else.

Conviction (2010)

Good movie. I found the pace expectedly slow, but the acting was well done.

Rabbit Hole (2010)

I was expecting something different. Even from the movie poster above I anticipated the characters to use their emotions to take them down dark paths or something. Instead, the movie was generally less emotionally intense than expected, the acting was great, and I ultimately enjoyed the movie.

The King's Speech (2010)

Very well acted, from the pompous performance by Geoffrey to the growing-into-majesty by Colin, there's a lot to see here.

The Fighter (2010)

I want to punch something. Maybe it's all the familial drug use during the first half, and the low-income family scenes, but I was annoyed by the start of the movie. Staying the course, as I often do, and now I feel rewarded. In the last three minutes my heart rate was up, and I nearly cheered.

Parts they got right include an accurate representation of the characters (at least, according to the last few minutes of showing the real people that inspired this movie).

Parts they could have done better? Well, I love Mark, he's a great actor. I like most of his movies. Here, when he's not in the ring, he's almost dead on his feet, with Christian dancing around him. I didn't like the imbalance of energy.

Amy... WOW. Incredible... comparable to Elizabeth Shue in Leaving Las Vegas. Raw, confident, enthralling.

In retrospect, I have to give it to the writers and directors... they likened the pace of the movie to the pace of Mickey's fights. With the bell rung, and the championship title won, I think I can respect that.

And finally, to be cliche: watch it till the end, it's a knock out.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)

Shia and Michael usually provide powerful performances, but were underwhelming here. The story felt very segmented and left me feeling unfulfilled.

Eat Pray Love (2010)

Julia's on-screen presence really lacked, and I was quite disappointed. What else is there to say? Julia had to carry this movie, and she couldn't. Had it been done with an unknown lead, I think it would have resonated better.