Seriously Overdue Movie Reviews - 2010 Catch-up, Part III

Winter's Bone
Chilling meth-flavored noir. Expertly filmed and acted; feels so real it'll scare you away from the hills of Arkansas (because you know you wanted to go there real bad beforehand). Jennifer Lawrence will stow away her beauty in a duffel bag and John Hawkes will bring memories of Dennis Hopper to mind.

Fletch's Film Rating:

	Expectation: "It's in the hole!"
	Reality: "It's in the hole!"

LAMBScore:

Restrepo
Doesn't so much straddle the political line as ignores politics altogether, being one of those documentaries that, you know, merely documents its subjects and lets them do the talking rather than talking for/over them. All the same, it's deconstruction of what the US is doing in
Afghanistan will still boil your blood, regardless of your political affiliation. The soldiers' lives and the taxpayers' money might be getting wasted, but neither your time nor money will be watching this.

Fletch's Film Rating:

	Expectation: "Darn tootin."
	Reality: "Darn tootin."

LAMBScore:

The American
It's not an insult to the film, but it's greatest asset is the juxtaposition between its title - and the inherent de- and connotations that come from being labeled "American" - and the telling of this simple story, which couldn't be much further from being American unless it were in Italian. Clooney attempts to turn down his charisma merely by not smiling, and it works save for the fact that it looks like doing so literally pains him. Shot by a photographer, it's the most beautiful story about a hit man I can recall seeing, with pleasures of the eye in many forms abound.

Fletch's Film Rating:

	Expectation: "Darn tootin."
	Reality: "It's in the hole!"

LAMBScore:

Let Me In
No, it's not the abomination we feared. And no, for the last time, it's not better than the original, and I'll thank you for ceasing to spread that lie.

Fletch's Film Rating:

	Expectation: "You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you."
	Reality: "Darn tootin."

LAMBScore:

Buried
A better experiment than a film. It's interesting to watch the elements of the story continue to throw obstacles at Ryan Reynolds for him to sneak his way out of, but by the time the end rolls around, you can't escape the fact that it's more gimmick than anything else, despite having the advantage of unpredictability (kind of) over its thematic sibling from 2011, 127 Hours.

Fletch's Film Rating:

	Expectation: "You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you."
	Reality: "You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you."

LAMBScore:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I
I know that their are plenty of people out there (for example, Nick) who read the books (like Nick) and think that these last two films have been amongst the best of the series (like Nick). Well, I can't help but wonder how many people are out there like me (like me) who didn't read the books (like me) and feel as though this series has been more or less running in place since the end of Order of the Phoenix (like me).

Bring on the finale.

Fletch's Film Rating:

	Expectation: "It's in the hole!"
	Reality: "You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you."

LAMBScore:

The Town
I imagine the Heat comparisons wouldn't come flying so frequently had the word "heat" not been used 3,872 times during the course of The Town. No matter; there are few worse films to be compared to. The Town is neither the Best Picture contender that it almost was nor a mere knockoff, though - it's tight filmmaking with a number of intense action scenes and more than a couple memorable characters (Pete Postlethwaite would and should have nabbed a Best Supporting Actor nom had his character had a bit more depth; still, his villain was amongst the best in recent years). On the not-so-bright side, everything plays out according to Hoyle, and Jon Hamm is given a non-character to work with. As usual, Rebecca Hall is terrific and is likely the forgotten X factor to yet another film.

Fletch's Film Rating:

	Expectation: "Darn tootin."
	Reality: "It's in the hole!"

LAMBScore:

TRON: Legacy
Will history repeat itself? Will the legacy of Legacy be that it, too, is destined to find a larger audience on video (which is a weird as hell question to ask about a movie that's made nearly half a billion worldwide)?

It would seem so, or at least it would seem as though that's where it will be appreciated a bit more. To be sure, TRON: Legacy has issues in spades: Garrett Hedlund could use a few more charisma points, the deageifying of Bridges can't quite cross the digital uncanny valley, Michael Sheen's character is just a shade bit too much, etc. But it's story, while of the stock drop-and-rescue variety, is still compelling, and Bridges is captivating in all forms, however creepy and/or Dude-like they may be. Oh, and the soundtrack kicks ass.

Fletch's Film Rating:

	Expectation: "It's in the hole!"
	Reality: "Darn tootin."

LAMBScore:

127 Hours
Danny Boyle on cruise control - and I mean that as a compliment, since Boyle has been traveling at around 80 mph over the last few years. I was shocked and disappointed that he didn't earn a Best Director nod.

That said, is it possible for a director to constantly dash from one genre to another and yet consistently make the same film? Dare I say, as much as I enjoyed 127 Hours, Boyle's trademark may just be a bit too strong these days - varied as they may be, the effervescent energy he brings is always there like a brand on a cow, so much that it's become a shade too familiar. I'm really trying not to complain about a guy that makes quality film after quality film, but I wouldn't complain if he were to take a Red State-like left turn every now and then tonally.

Oh, and I know he got a nom, but somehow I still don't think James Franco got his due. He probably wasn't the first person that people thought of for a movie in which the lead would be the sole character on screen for 85% of it, but the guy wailed on this movie, spanning an impressive array of emotions and never once leaving the audience bored, even though we were all sitting there for 80 minutes waiting for a certain scene to finally happen.

Fletch's Film Rating:

	Expectation: "It's in the hole!"
	Reality: "It's in the hole!"

LAMBScore: