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:

And then...

Seriously Overdue Movie Reviews - 2010 Catch-up, Part II: Dinner for Schmucks, Animal Kingdom, The Ghost Writer, Machete

Dinner for Schmucks
To its credit, Dinner for Schmucks has a lot more going for it than just about any other comedy that you'll end up thinking terribly of.

Of course, by "a lot," I'm really only referring to two aspects of the film, so you can see pretty quickly why they ended up carrying little weight overall. Clearly, the world of film is in need of more dioramas starring taxidermal animals, just as the infusion of can't-not-be-funny Jemaine Clement is never a bad idea.

Unfortunately, the remains of dead mice are funnier than Steve Carell, playing a buffoon that might kindly be described as "cartoonish" and harshly described as "an insult to the mentally challenged." I wasn't all that offended by the portrayal and treatment of this deranged individual (though a few utterances of "That's just wrong." no doubt slipped from my lips), but was left pretty sour at the severe lack of funny.

If you love movies with poor physical comedy and life lessons about how the retarded can teach all of us self-centered folk to be more caring, this was the movie of last year. If not, avoid at all costs (but do check out the taxidermy work on display in the film - it's phenomenal).

Fletch's Film Rating:

	Expectation: "You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you."
	Reality: "I want you to punch me as hard as you can."

LAMBScore:

Animal Kingdom
It's funny how much your relative familiarity with a cast can influence your thoughts on a film. I might have seen many of the cast members of Animal Kingdom prior to seeing it, but if I had I didn't recall (i.e. Luke Ford, who I didn't know until just now co-starring as Brendan Fraser's son in the third Mummy film...of course, I didn't bother to watch the whole thing, but that's another story). The draws for the film to me were the words of Tom Clift some months before it was even released in America, along with the inclusion of Guy Pearce and Joel Edgerton, two favorites of mine (who, incidentally, don't have very large roles in the movie).

What I was left with was a cast of unknowns (to me). you wouldn't think it would or could have such a large effect on you, but the benefit to the film was significant. I was going in pretty cold, not only with the story, but with all archetypes and pre-conceived notions of what types of characters these actors 'normally' play gone from my head. Rather than, for example, seeing Ben Mendelsohn and thinking "Well, let's see what type of creep he comes up with this time" [which may or may not even be the case], I was put in the shoes of the main character, "J" (James Frecheville). J is a son with no parents, forced by the nasty circumstances of life to live with his grandmother and uncles - a family he doesn't know at all. The film tracks his getting to know them -who's the pack leader, who's the runt, who's the wild card - and having to navigate his way in or out of the clan.

This is writer-director David Michôd's first feature, and it's a compelling, brilliantly acted crime saga...keep an eye out for more.

Fletch's Film Rating:

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

LAMBScore:

The Ghost Writer
Roman Polanski's latest is equal parts whodunit and political commentary, marked by touches elegant (Ewan McGregor's ghost is just that, as his character is never even granted a name) and odd (the casting of Kim Catrall proved distracting more than anything). It comes as no shock that Polanski had a hand in writing the screenplay, as the stamp of his true-life exile situation is emblazoned all over the arc of Pierce Brosnan's Tony Blair-ish former Prime Minister. It adds an extra layer of depth (as well as some humor) to the proceedings, but despite my liking it, is probably too on the nose and out there. As much fun as it is to see the director thumbing his nose at authorities, it's about as subtle as a frying pan to the face and is only ancillary to the murder mystery at hand.

McGregor is solid playing an everyman, but as usual, it's Olivia Williams that steals the show as Brosnan's wife. That she wasn't given more attention come awards season is expected yet still depressing - hell, it's practically become the hallmark of her career (Rushmore and An Education come to mind as well).

Fletch's Film Rating:

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

LAMBScore:

Machete
The problem with Machete is not that it is political - at their basest level, exploitation films are meant to be so. The problem is that every time Machete heads down that road, director Robert Rodriguez brings the vehicle to a screeching halt and tears his kids (the fun) out of the back seat and proceeds to spank them (the political messages) on the side of the road before taking off again.

I was one of those folks that was screaming "They gotta make that into a full-length feature!" when the faux trailer premiered during the Grindhouse intermission. The premise was can't-miss: Danny Trejo starring as an innocent man wronged by corrupt politicians, out for revenge with his trusty machete by his side and a penchant for nailing any and all hot babes that happen to get in his way. It was full of insanely over-the-top action sequences (the flying motorcycle) and nudity and overacting.

In extending the trailer to a full-length feature, though, Rodriguez saw the chance to capitalize on the never ending immigration debate, a chance to put his .02 in loud and clear. Nothing necessarily wrong with that, but I have a request for you, Bob, should you decide to make something along these lines again: don't forget that you're making a B movie.

Fletch's Film Rating:

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

LAMBScore:

And then...

Seriously Overdue Movie Reviews - 2010 Catch-up, Part I: The Other Guys, Micmacs, Inception, Cyrus

Film reviews? What are those? Here are capsule reviews of some of the movies I've seen yet not yet reviewed from 2010. If memory serves correctly, these will be in order of viewing.

The Other Guys
It's hard for comedians to have long-lasting film careers because, with each film added to their resume, it becomes harder and harder for them to surprise us. We've seen Will Ferrell play overgrown children, we've seen him play it straight, and we've seen just about everything in between.

So the success or failure of The Other Guys would have to come from elsewhere, and it does on both counts. Success in the 85th comeback of one Michael Keaton, going goofy as the police chief that needs results (and, in an inspired bit, peppers his language with references to a certain R & B bands from the 90s); failure (for the most part) in another attempt to turn Mark Wahlberg into a comic actor; he's spotty at best, with the high points coming from his incredulity at whom Ferrell is married to.

The story - something about a corrupt financial businessman - is largely irrelevant, and it's penchant for attempting social commentary falls flat. Your liking or lack thereof of Guys largely depends on how funny you find Ferrell to be in general, and whether or not you can stomach yet another mismatched buddy cop comedy.

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:

Micmacs
I could talk for awhile about the way that Jean-Pierre Jeunet can make even a Parisian landfill look beautiful or how he somehow seamlessly meshes a story about a man who becomes homeless with a satire on global arms dealings, but it'd much easier to just say this: if you dug Amelie, you're likely to feel 80% of that towards Micmacs, and probably vice versa. See or don't see this accordingly.

Fletch's Film Rating:

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

LAMBScore:

Inception
The less said here the better, I'd imagine, given the press it received. I've already crowned it my favorite film of 2010 - you've likely granted it a spot in your top 10 (or 5) as well. For those of us that bemoan the Michael Bays of the world and their brainless (and admittedly, sometimes fun) action flicks were salivating from the moment the teaser for Inception hit. The tag line told us from the gitgo that we were in line for something a bit more cerebral: "Your mind is the scene of the crime." But what was the last mind-bender that had suck kickass set pieces? Or award-winning international casts? None - and that's why Inception will live in a class inhabited by few others, the most recent of which is the first Matrix. Bring on the sequel...
Fletch's Film Rating:

	Expectation: "You're the best around!"
	Reality: "You're the best around!"

LAMBScore:

Cyrus
I'm still confused by the definition of the "mumblecore" genre - how it's any different from the low-budget indie comedies/dramedies of the 1990s and 2000s is beyond me. Low budget, improvisation, no-name actors (hence the low budget) - it's all there. Of course, Cyrus has name actors, so it's inclusion in the genre is even more bewildering. I suppose it just means that one or more of the Duplass brothers are involved in the film's making.

What I'm not confused about is said brothers' film making abilities. That they could take what is essentially a stock comic setup - mother dotes on her only son, son rebels when mother starts dating again - and turn it into a funny, charming, realistic movie is evidence of that. That they could wring out the best performance of Jonah Hill's career to date (admittedly, not an overwhelming task there, but still...) is icing on the cake.

Fletch's Film Rating:

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

LAMBScore:

And then...