Crazy Heart

2/5/10

Crazy Heart is your classic story about a past his prime struggling musician, battling addictions and demons just trying to become relevant again in the industry. No big deal, right? Wrong... Jeff Bridges plays the incredible role of Bad Blake (a horrible name, in my opinion), a very believable down to earth country singer struggling to make it to his next gig. After he is interviewed by a small town local, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, his life begins again through a series of events strung together by good music and incredible acting by the previous mentioned. Again, the storyline is not unique, but the quality of the acting and if you enjoy good music throughout a movie like I do, you will enjoy this one.

Edge of Darkness

1/29/10

Mel Gibson in a suspenseful action thriller...Blah. Well, Edge of Darkness I caught out of necessity while in New York on an extremely cold night. Gibson plays Thomas Craven, a detective that is struggling to put the pieces of his daughter's life together after a crazy circumstance during a visit to her father's home. I will give this movie one prop; there are several times within a few different scenes that were quite shocking and certainly woke you up and made you pay attention. Overall, however, this movie did very little to make me remember it. Wait for the cable version on a cold day.

Avatar

1/25/2010

Sherlock Holmes

1/15/10

A Serious Man

11/24/09

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

11/12/09

Made it to an early sneak of Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans last week, which is a film based on a character from the original movie Bad Lieutenant (1992), starring Harvey Keitel. Nicholoas Cage plays Terence McDonagh in this dark dramedy showcasing a horribly, yet effective unethical detective carrying numerous addictions including drugs and gambling. I was concerned about seeing Cage in this film after several sub par, predictable performances, but I found myself pleased overall his character. Yes, there is some Cage quirkiness, and the rest of the acting is very questionable, but somehow, I really enjoyed this movie. Also, this movie falls into my category of the uncomfortable "rooting for the protagonist even though that character does awful things," a la Godfather-esque rooting for Michael Corleone. Give this movie a chance and you will catch yourself enjoying and laughing and scenarios that you probably shouldn't.

Zombieland

10/31/09

Caught this comedy horror flick late on Halloween night, and to my suprise, I really enjoyed it. Yes, I dozed of one time, but that had more to do with the long day and late night because I found myself laughing during the parts that I was awake. Zombieland is pretty self explanatory as indicated by the title, but essentially you have a couple of guys that have figured out a way to survive in a land that has been overtaken by zombies. Originality alone gives this film a solid "B" for me, but when we meet Bill Murray playing himself in a cameo role, it is worth the price of admission alone. Have a good time and check out this film whether at the theater or on DVD.