Young Adult (2011)

Charlize Theron plays Mavis Gary, a writer of teen literature who returns to her small hometown to relive her glory days and attempt to reclaim her happily married high school sweetheart (Patrick Wilson). When returning home proves more difficult than she thought, Mavis forms an unusual bond with a former classmate (Patton Oswalt) who hasn't quite gotten over high school, either.

Jason Reitman has been a director that always manages to fascinate me with his very different but awesome films such as Thank You for Smoking and Up in the Air; even the one I didn’t love and feel is slightly overrated, Juno, was still a fairly entertaining flick. With Young Adult, Reitman makes a movie that feels so far away from Hollywood, it’s hard to not fall in love with it. Young may not be his best film to date, but he does manage to create his best character yet in Mavis Gary.

You know that bitch in high school that was slutty hot, got whatever she wanted, and stepped all over everyone she thought she was better than? Young Adult tells the story of that girl once she moves past high school and is inserted into the real world. Right from the start you are thrown into her world that has now become a state of depression clinging to the glory days of the past. When she gets a invitation to her ex flames- now wife’s birthday, she gets it stuck in her mind that the only way she can be happy is to have him back; and so begins the bizarre journey of Young Adult. You witness Mavis go through a lot of effort to woo her ex Matt, but it’s all pretty much moot. Right from the start you get a pretty understanding that he’s very much in love with his wife and are happy. What’s entertaining is that she doesn’t care; she will break the marriage if she has to. It’s quite comedic, but depressing at the same time, watching her go through this so blindly. She really has nothing and watching her head spiral to the end, never grasping what’s she’s actually doing is sort of tragic. At its conclusion, you feel sorry for this woman, but like all bitches, she doesn’t care about you.

Charlize Theron is absolutely perfect in this movie. Everything about her, from her clothes, to her face, her preparation, and her dialogue, just oozes out a person so disgusting, the devil himself would be proud. Despite appearing to have it all, she is a broken shell. Theron kills it going against the Hollywood type in playing a character that nobody is supposed to like, but still find enjoyable to watch. It’s because of her. The character is a lovechild from Reitman and Cody and what they produced was the best side of Theron. In a smaller, sort of buddy who asks questions to fill in back story role, Patton Oswalt is great. He’s a comedian that has shown flashes of a dramatic actor and he’s given the chance to show a darker side that you can hear in his comedy. His character is key in unraveling the disguise off of Theron’s Mavis and did a splendid job with it.

Young Adult is a dark social comedy that centers on an unlikeable character that does nothing but keep you watching. It’s one of the very best performances of the year that flashes the brilliance that is Charlize Theron. She is more than just a pretty face. If you’ve ever loved Reitman, you’ll surely love this. It’s almost if they continued Juno’s story and had her regret giving the bay away and she fell into a fire of chaos. It’s a late tiny sleeper of a film that is big in more ways than one. Be sure not to miss it.

Overall Score: 9/10

Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

This is not just another mission. The IMF is shut down when it's implicated in a global terrorist bombing plot. Ghost Protocol is initiated and Ethan Hunt and his rogue new team must go undercover to clear their organization's name. No help, no contact, off the grid. You have never seen a mission grittier and more intense than this.

Earlier this year, there was the fifth entry in the Fast and the Furious series and it was filled with so much over the top action that it ended up being awesome. That was a movie that used action as its story; because of it the story was actually a piece of shit. Mission Impossible IV is the perfect example of when a movie uses action set pieces as a part of its story rather than it be its story. It’s really an amazing accomplishment when you take it all away because the plot is every bit as generic as you could come up with.

To sum up the movie in one sentence; Tom Cruise and company must save the world from a nuclear world war started by a man out for power. It doesn’t end up going the path you completely expect it to go, but if you really expect the bomb to drop, then you’re fooling yourself. In-between the big action pieces, they actually put together a plan, reveal interesting tidbits about the characters and what has happened to them in-between installments. They feel like a bigger mystery then they are because they slowly reveal this information over the entire film rather than throwing it all at you at once. It’s actually some good material that works well with the series.

Where the film takes a giant leap is in the action. Some films have one or two wow moments, three fi you’re pushing it, but Mission Impossible ends up with five completely wow moments that end up going all out. Whether it be a ten minute fight inside a futuristic parking garage of moving spots and levels to a building being completely leveled to badass cat fights. They have it all and do it well. The two sequences that are so god damn awesome come fairly close to each other so it never gives you a chance to catch your breathe. Ethan Hunt has to climb the Burj Khalifa (the tallest skyscraper in the world) and get into a room from the outside. IA lot of shit goes wrong and it gets you on the edge of your sea, jumping up at times for fear of the constant reminders of the height. This is a great accomplishment considering you know there’s no way he would fall, but it still keeps you in awe. Moments after that scene, there is a long chase through the city during a sandstorm that is nothing short of badass.  It’s one of the best forty minute stretches of action I’ve ever seen.

Tom Cruise comes back as Ethan Hunt and for the first time in years, seems like he’s where he belongs. Climbing buildings and running through cities catching bad guys is what he does best and would love to see him do more of it.  Paula Patton as the sexy eye candy not only handles that well, but actually contributes as well. It’s nice to see a film not hold the woman back and treat her as the agent were told she was and can be. Simon peg returns this time as a field agent and not an analyst, but still manages to bring the jokes with him about the change for him. He’s the bulk of the comedy that never overstays his welcome. The new addition to the franchise is Jeremey Renner as Brandt. This was an origin story for him that could possibly spin-off into another story that could be a lot more interesting, but for this film, he was a little bit cheesy and portrayed in the wrong manner. I think I’d rather just see Hunt and Brandt team up again for another installment. I loved what I got from this ensemble.

Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol is the action movie even critics will love. That seems to be a rare combination that you really shouldn’t be taken for granted because the two just don’t normally mix. If you want to sit down and have a badass two hours, you cannot go wrong with this, it’s the best in the series by far and probably reignited a candle that was thought to be on its last wire.

Overall Score: 8.5/10

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (2011)

Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson), plus those they love, must deal with the chain of consequences brought on by a marriage, honeymoon, and the tumultuous birth of a child...which brings an unforeseen and shocking development for Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner).

Every film in this franchise has improved slightly each time. With that trend contuing with the fourth one, you’d think it’d be a pretty decent film by now. The thing being though is that the very first one was so bad that even a drastic improvement wouldn’t make it all that much better. The one really positive thing that can be said about the third is that it has finally made the franchise somewhat bearable when a member of the wolf pack isn’t on-screen. But when they happen to be on-screen, get ready for a riot because they are so bad, you may find yourself getting some good laughs out of them.

This time around the gang gets into a little trouble when Edward doesn’t pull out and knocks up Bella. This isn’t your typical pregnancy either; you see this is a vampire baby that is killing Bella from the inside and she refuses to get rid of it.  This is the part of the story that doesn’t manage to blow. The choices have consequences and this baby seems to affect each character in a different way. It helps establish some sort of development for these vampires for the first time in four movies. This journey to keep her alive keeps the story going, but it all feels a bit boring because the ending is already written in stone and the world knows it, so they miss out on a few opportunities to actually establish itself seriously. Instead they have to show these damn wolves. Their storyline of wanting to destroy the baby and Bella in the process is every bit as a joke as it sounds. There isn’t a single moment when they are on screen that doesn’t make you want to stop watching. The build-up to this epic battle between the two races comes to a shitty conclusion that feels all but made up on the spot. There are times when you stick to the books material and you don’t; this is one of the times you don’t follow true to the pages.

Kristen Stewart seems to finally decide to show a bit of emotion rather than do her famous stare into the screen. Part of that came from the effectively haunting CGI used on her to make her skin and bones; it is quite scary and very believable looking. Pattinson continues to be stuck in a terrible page to screen character that never quite feels right and unfairly looks bad. The key to the film and the complete downfall of this franchise has to go to Taylor Lautner. I have never seen somebody so bad on screen. Nothing about him is real nor likeable; he is a complete moment actor that hopefully goes away as fast as he came. Anytime the films attempt to get something going, here comes Jacob and time to give up trying.

You already know if you’d like to see this. You’re either a fan or not, and if you thought the third was watchable, than you should be able to get through this one. Its better, but not by much.

Overall Score: 5.5/10

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

This English-language adaptation of the Swedish novel by Stieg Larsson follows a disgraced journalist, Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), as he investigates the disappearance of a wealthy patriarch's niece from 40 years ago. He is aided by the pierced, tattooed, punk computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara). As they work together in the investigation, Blomkvist and Salander uncover immense corruption beyond anything they have ever imagined.

When they announced they were going to re-adapt The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for the American audience, there was a lot of clamor from fans of the Swedish version; especially since it just came to the States last year. There really didn’t seem to be a point for another adaption so quickly. Then the studios made the easiest choice they could to shut the fans up and start second guessing themselves; that was hiring David Fincher, of course. For once he was hired, it seemed like a project that he was destined to make. A dark tale of rape, revenge, mystery, and psychological horror fits all too perfectly into his realm of comfort.

At the center of the story, there is a mystery; who killed Harriet Vanger? She disappeared 40 years ago her killer has sent a framed flower every year since in a somewhat taunting matter. This mystery is a slow, somewhat boring, slightly confusing investigation that ends up with a huge payoff for the audience. Its very conclusion is tense, scary, and rewarding. What’s not surprising is it seems to take a backseat to the title character, Lisbeth Salander. You are introduced to her and her lifestyle before the mystery even begins, and it winds up being the films strongest parts. You are allowed to enter the domain of the characters mind through the camera and see intimate moments of her private life that help define her character throughout the rest of the film. Her eventual involvement into the mystery feels natural and she helps light a flame, giving it more life and getting the wheels to the train going a bit faster. When the mystery comes to an end, the story continues in a somewhat dragging way that feels a bit unnecessary, but moments before the credits roll, it comes together nicely and truly gives the film’s movie title meaning.

Rooney Mara is downright impressive. Had I walked in blind, I know I wouldn’t have guessed that she was underneath that disguise. She goes into a place I never thought she could and the result is one of the best performances of the year.  The key difference between her and the original, Noomi Rapace, is that I feel like I was more connected to Mara’s version. She seemed to show her insecurities better and her willingness to want more then what she had; which made me cheering more for her. It’s a career role for her that not only did she not fuck up, but even surpassed an already critically acclaimed performance of the same character.  Impressive. Daniel Craig takes a backseat to Mara, and seems happy to do so. He does enough to make him suitable match for her, which he only manages to break your heart. Dick. Some of the smaller roles with Chrisopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgård, and Yorick van Wageningen manage to get a lot of smaller roles that help keep the mystery moving but still staying intrigued by it.

If you saw the original, let the fear of a commercialized version go. David Fincher does what eh does best and creates a great adaption of his version of the bestselling novel. It feel every bit as good, and to me better than the Swedish version. If you haven’t already been introduced into the world of Lisbeth  Salander, here is the perfect place to start. It’s a long but fun ride that you can only get from a Fincher film.

Overall Score: 9/10

The Sitter (2011)

When the world's most irresponsible babysitter takes three of the world's worst kids on an unforgettable overnight adventure through the streets of New York City, it's anyone's guess who's going to make it home in one piece.

The Sitter is a comedy that is so god damn lazy that almost nothing about it is all that funny. Their line of thinking must have been to steal funny scenes from these other funny films and create one long epic laughing roller coaster that the crowd would just eat up, but it was a complete mess. Even when they hit on something funny, they got lazy again ad used the exact same joke fifteen minutes alter. Just how awful is the film if it stoops all the way down to that level? The answer is awful.

A story is never a big thing in a comedy. The only real accomplishment that’s needed is to keep the characters moving from one joke to the next. Anything more than that is just icing to the cake. Here with The Sitter though, it takes a few tame situations and tries to mix in sentimental and outrageous moments together at the same time and instead of triggering a laugh or a heartfelt moment, all you can think about is how the hell they just changed directions without wrapping up the previous encounter. The Sitter is a shining example of when a story is so badly paced and revealed that it actually makes you hate it despite any good qualities it might have had. In this case, ti had none, but that’s beside the point.

For those disappointed that this will be the last we see of fat Jonah Hill who could be funny at times, don’t be, because if it keeps making movies this this, his career will go in a downward spiral causing him to get depressed and become fat again. It just sucks that fatty couldn’t go out with a bang instead of a whimper. And what the hell did Sam Rockwell see with this? His character was stupid, had a lot to do with the repetitiveness of it all, and once again did a movie that will only make the public hate him even more. The guy needs a new agent.

If you want to watch something so unfunny and stupid, give the Sitter a chance, but you’re better off choosing just about anything else if all you’re looking for is some type of entertainment. The only real good jokes this film throws at you come with the trailer; everything else is just pure crap.

Overall Score: 1/10

The Descendants (2011)

The Descendants is a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic journey for Matt King (George Clooney) an indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki. The event leads to a rapprochement with his young daughters while Matt wrestles with a decision to sell the family's land handed down from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries.

The best word to describe The Descendants is raw. It’s a movie that revolves around the death of a mother and the resulting effect it has on her family. It doesn’t avoid any topic and never attempts to be blunt. It answers them thoroughly and effectively in a manner that feels all too realistic. It throws its emotions at the screen and have you react to them rather than trying to force one out of you. It does a lot without actually doing much work, if that makes any sense at all.

One of the keys to this film is that it treats its characters as if they are real. That doesn’t seem like that hard of a job, but other films seem to struggle with this aspect heavily.  They are not perfect and the film slowly un-wraps them and the best and worst of them are revealed that help define them. Their actions before become clearer and the path forward seem appropriate once they finally move on. It’s really fascinating actually.  Seeing the struggles of a family come together has been portrayed so realistic. It parts where you feel a clichéd moment coming, catches you a bit off guard, taking another direction instead. It’s wonderful. This journey this family takes comes off a bit daunting, but it places some effect comedy in the right situations, to try and not be too depressing of a film. In fact its only real weakness can come from the audience and their expectations. If you expect that big moment where everything gets fixed in a nice little bow, you’re going to be disappointed.  It wants you to actually feel for these characters by the time it ends.

It helps to achieve that when you have George Clooney in your lead. He uses his famous emotionless stare and hides the emotions that his character so easily hides. He’s perfect for it. He’s always been able to do a lot within the frame simply by talking. It may not be the best actor nominee a lot are begging to give him, but he’s very effective in the film. In fact the more impressive co-star is his film daughter Shailene Woodley. If you ever saw her before this, you’d know just how god awful she has been. But here, she proves, with the right script, that she can be a good actress. It helps that her character never falls into the trap of clichéd territory, but Woodley plays with her emotions on her shoulder for all to see and nails it. Very impressive work, one that very well could lead into a best supporting nomination.

 This will be one of the easiest films to recommend. It is a charming heart filled film with an indie-Sundance vibe but with a much more substantial production value. Even if the trailer turned you off, this is still a film that is filled with so much reality, it’s bound to hit somewhere close to home. Give it a chance the first opportunity you get. And don’t worry its not all sad and mopey, at certain points had me cracking the hell up.

Overall Score: 8.5/10

The Muppets (2011)

On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets' former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate.

The Muppets have never been something I was interested in. I never wanted to watch them as a kid, and I never really had any longing to see them now. Then the marketing kicked into full gear and did just an awesome job with its constant parodies. It did its job in pulling you in, but I somehow forgot this was going to be a Muppets movie with Muppet problems filled Muppet characters; something I have never found myself enjoying all that much.  

The gang this time around is past their heyday. All spread out around the world living their lives apart, but when the Muppet Theater is about to get destroyed because there is oil under it, an outside named Walter rally’s the troops together to try and save it. The formula is 100% predictable, but that’s now why people go and see this brand. Its for the humor which I thought was absolutely the complete opposite from their parody trailers, and had me practically falling asleep. I am just apart of the audience that doesn’t trigger with this film. I cannot get past a movie where the characters break out in dance and song and then when they are finished, continue along as if nothing just happened. My brain can let a lot of things go in a film, but that is the ONE thing I can’t just let go. That happens way too much for my liking.

With this film, you should be able to walk into it knowing full well if you’re going to enjoy it already. If the previous installments of the Muppets brought joy to you, I don’t see why you wouldn’t have a fun time with this one. If you are like me and have never been a fan, but was intrigued that it may have been something a little different based on the marketing, you will have to be cautious. If you don’t like the first ten minutes, you may as well turn it off because it doesn’t get any different then what you saw. It’s a long one note movie that seems to have a nostalgia factor that swooed the critics into remembering their past, therefor giving it a great review. I simply cannot do that because they were never in my past to begin with. I wanted to love it, but it just didn’t happen.

Overall Score: 4/10

Hugo (2011)

Hugo is the astonishing adventure of a wily and resourceful boy whose quest to unlock a secret left to him by his father will transform Hugo and all those around him, and reveal a safe and loving place he can call home.

If you are just walking into Hugo and watching it based solely off the trailers, you’d think it was going to be a kid’s movie. Just about everything about it screamed: FOR KIDS!!! Then you see it was directed by Martin Scorsese and you just know that something doesn’t add up. There is no way Scorsese would waste his time to direct something so pointless. Then the movie starts and about 5 minutes into it you knew you were right. This isn’t a kids movie, this is a film fans movie; a movie that takes you on a journey through cinema and relishes in the love for the past. One review said it perfect; it’s essentially a love letter.

The film begins as a child adventure with the protagonist on a journey to fix a machine that is dad never finished in hopes that it will fill the hole in his chest that his dad left upon him. This is surprisingly exciting to watch as he maneuvers around the train station hidden in walls and ceilings above. Once he meets a girl who has the key to everything he’s been looking for things really start to kick into gear. The mystery starts to feel more intense, the thrill of what is yet to be found keeps you on your toes leaning forward in anticipation. It’s very well-paced and doesn’t slow down until the reveal. Had the movie ended at the reveal, it would have been a tremendous disappointment because it initially comes as a let-down, but it doesn’t stop there. The background of the reveal is shown and this is when the real movie fans sit back and simply enjoy what’s on screen. All I can say with ruining it for the everyone is that it’s just pure nostalgia that should leave you with a big ass smirk when its finished. Martin Scorsese just simply outdoes himself here. It’s too bad the trailers didn’t sell it to an older crowd because that’s exactly the audience that should give this a watch.

There were a lot of recognizable faces in the cast, but the unknown lead Asa Butterfield does a great job here. Normally child actors just annoy the sit out of me, but under the direction of Scorsese, he controls his emotions and delivers a heartwarming performance that only wants you to cheer for him more. Chloe Mertz in a much more defined role then were accustomed to proves she has got to be one of the best child actors to ever walk into Hollywood. She can simply do it all. Her grandfather, Ben Kingsly, seems to get most of the credit in the awards circuit, but he was just alright to me. He didn’t do anything wrong, but I feel when it came down to it, Butterfield showed more raw emotion then Kingsley when called upon. Even somewhat annoying actors Jude Law and Sacha Baron Cohen managed to impress me as much as Kingsley.  It’s no wonder this film wound up so well when you can get the most out of your cast. Not a single character seemed to have been wasted.

If you a fan of movies, you owe yourself to go and watch this. Its one fo the most charming and enjoyable films you can have at the theater. Martin Scorsese use of 3D might be the best I have seen since Avatar, maybe even better since it was used in every single scene, rather than in just sections.  It may be the surprise hit of the year critically speaking, and most certainly deserves to be so. I thank you Scorsese for branching out of your comfort zone and giving us something so unexpected that we can all enjoy.

Overall Score: 9/10

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

Martha Marcy May Marlene is a powerful psychological thriller starring Elizabeth Olsen as Martha, a young woman rapidly unraveling amidst her attempt to reclaim a normal life after fleeing from a cult and its charismatic leader (John Hawkes). Seeking help from her estranged older sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) and brother-in-law (Hugh Dancy), Martha is unable and unwilling to reveal the truth about her disappearance. When her memories trigger a chilling paranoia that her former cult could still be pursuing her, the line between Martha's reality and delusion begins to blur.

Martha Marcy May Marlene is not only one of the biggest tongue twisters in the world but is one of best character dramas of the year. It centers on a character that is compelling enough to reveal two phases of her life at specific times to show the audience just how much control a cult has gained over her.  It dominates the screen time and reveals with fascinating detail exactly how it happened and what becomes of it.

The film takes place immediately after she escapes this cult and begins to live with her sister and brother-in-law. Through series of timely placed flashbacks, you see how she cannot do certain things in current time due to things they reveal during her time with the cult. Things from simply pouring a cup of water to sleeping come with oddities and difficulties that seem somewhat insignificant to us are a chore for our protagonist. The film’s accomplishment of establishing the cult into her life at a slow pace works wonders.  You begin to understand the cult and the purposes of its core just as you learn about the protagonist. The two gel into a pace that eventually feels like one thing. The editing of jumping between timelines with no warning help reveal tidbits you wouldn’t normally catch, and helps setup the ending of the film. A lot of people don’t like the ending because they probably didn’t understand it. If you paid attention to the similarities between he two timelines, the ending shouldn’t be as sudden as you thought. It has a pretty straight forward scenario that can only end in two ways and it does up to the audience too decide which one it will be. My guess, go with the one that makes the film feel better.

This is a cast that is controlled by two people. The newcomer Elizabeth Olsen, who is indeed a sister of the Olsen twins. She is great here, partially because it comes as a shock to some people because nobody thought an Olsen sister could act, but also because she controls the role ironically to a character whose actions have been twisted around one man. That man being John Hawkes, the leader of the cult. Hawkes has very quickly established himself as a threat to win an Oscar once again, and will surely be nominated for the second time in as many years. As the leader, he is charismatic, deceiving, and powerful despite his form simply because of the way Hawkes portrays himself. He has moved himself up the list of actors I’d pay to see in a movie.

Martha Marcy May Marlene is a rare film with an evener rarer subject matter. It’s wonderfully made; from its acting, to its score, and in the editing room. It is just all around well-done. When you finally get a chance to see this limited release gem, make sure you don’t pass it up.

Overall Score: 8/10

Take Shelter (2011)

 Curtis LaForche lives in a small Ohio town with his wife Samantha and six-year-old daughter Hannah, who is deaf. Money is tight, and navigating Hannah's healthcare and special needs education is a constant struggle. Despite that, Curtis and Samantha are very much in love and their family is a happy one. Then Curtis begins having terrifying dreams about an encroaching, apocalyptic storm. He chooses to keep the disturbance to himself, channeling his anxiety into the obsessive building of a storm shelter in their backyard. But the resulting strain on his marriage and tension within the community doesn't compare to Curtis' private fear of what his dreams may truly signify. Faced with the proposition that his disturbing visions signal disaster of one kind or another, Curtis confides in Samantha, testing the power of their bond against the highest possible stakes.

Take Shelter is a psychological thriller that can be downright haunting at times when it finally gets moving, but it seems to be standing still too long at certain moments in the film to keep you on the edge of your seat. But man o man, when it does get going, it gets 110% of your attention because it has moments of pure gold in filmmaking. Had it kept that pace for most of the film, it would surely be sitting near the top than the middle.

Our protagonist, Curtis, has a problem. He thinks the crazy gene that is passed down in his family has been passed to him. He sees things that nobody else seems to see, hears things only he can hear, and has strong panic attacks that take over his body.  Watching the paranoia overtake him and the eventual climax to all the build-up is fucking perfect. It reminds you exactly why you fell in love with movies in the first place. Its climax and ending both keep the tension at its highest point, and place dozen of questions into your head where the answers can only come from you and your interpretation of the film. Where I didn’t really enjoy it comes from the slow pace to that eventual climax. I don’t mind slowly paced dramas, but at times some of the material didn’t really add anything to the film, distorting your attention away from the film. It affected me from falling deeply in love with the film.

What I did fall in love with was Michael Shannon and the dynamite performance he gives here. He just dominates the screen and watching Shannon slowly go nuts is fascinating. His actions during the climax are enough to warrant his performance a top three for the year. Hopefully, during award season, he gets the attention he deserves and it leads to more roles like this instead of direct-to-dvd type of shit he’s put it out recently. His co-lead Jessica Chastin, the year’s breakout actress with 7 critically acclaimed movies, is in the unfortunate position to be once again cast in the shadow of somebody else. It seems to happen in all her movies, and it sucks because she is good in this, but will no doubt go unnoticed.

Take Shelter was one of this year’s most buzzed about films. Since its debut at Sundance, nothing but great things has been said about it.  It helped create an expectation that just couldn’t have been reached. It’s a film with a very strong performance carrying a good enough storyline that relied on a metaphor that could be the focal point on whether you like the film or not. It wasn’t the gritty drama I wanted, but still a film that tried enough to be worth your time.

Overall Score: 7.5/10

Like Crazy (2011)

A love story is both a physical and emotional tale, one that can be deeply personal and heartbreaking for an audience to experience. Director Drake Doremus' film Like Crazy beautifully illustrates how your first real love is as thrilling and blissful as it is devastating. When a British college student (Felicity Jones) falls for her American classmate (Anton Yelchin) they embark on a passionate and life-changing journey only to be separated when she violates the terms of her visa. Like Crazy explores how a couple faces the real challenges of being together and of being apart.

Like Crazy is a very raw film. You can detect the films low budget and improvised set pieces simply by watching. It’s one of the more important factors that prove to be a strong technique in its story telling because this isn’t your typical romance movie. It doesn’t try to be flashy and come off as a “typical” teenage romance, but instead aims for a far more realistic perspective through the eyes of two people that want to be together, but always find themselves apart. It’s a compelling watch, which at times, becomes hard to get through.  

The relationship of the couple is the films entire story arc and very much like the relationship itself, the interest in watching it does up and down. When the couple is at its happiest, the film is good; when they are at rock bottom, it is fantastic, but when they are middling in-between, it becomes a bit frustrating to watch. You see this is a long-distance relationship that becomes annoyingly repetitive in their goals to keep them apart. Some of the obstacles placed between them make you roll your eyes, become annoyed and just wait for their next plan to fail. This is the aspect of the film that can really flip you from enjoying it. If you can get past this, you can get a unique look into this couple. A lot fo the techniques the director chose to use place these two young adults into interesting scenarios that come to test them. It makes you wonder if they are meant to be, or even if they will end up together. It tries to stray away from predictability and that’s where the appeal comes from. It’s a story that can end in so many different ways, but the only way to see which one it concludes with is to see for yourself.

In the two starring roles as the couple are Anton Yelchin (who has been on the rise for a while) and relative newcomer Felicity Jones. They both are really strong throughout the film, but there best moments come when there characters are truly at their worst. The emotions between them ooze through the screen and even affect the audience. This is the film that will have started it all when you look back at these two stars twenty years from now. Included in the cast in a small but crucial role is Jennifer Lawrence. Despite what the trailers made it seem, she’s a very minor character but steals scenes in them. It helps establish the notion in my head that Winters Bone wasn’t a one hit wonder for her. It’s a small but wonderful cast the gels together to establish an all-around good film.

If you’re in the mood for a thoughtful, sometimes messy, romance film in the same veins of Blue Valentine, this is exactly what you’re looking for. It’s a great detour from all that flashy predictable shit Hollywood tries to sell you. It can be a tough watch but seems worth it for a movie where the young protagonists don’t come off as dumb twats in needing of a slap to the back of the head. Try not to let this indie fly past you, you may regret it.  

Overall Score: 7.5/10

Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings (2011)

Friends on a winter break snowmobiling excursion make a wrong turn during a snowstorm and get lost in a nightmare. Seeking shelter in a presumably abandoned sanatorium, they awaken the horrific residents, including former patients and cannibals.

When you get to the fourth film in a horror series that has only gotten progressively worse with each film, you know you’re in for a real treat. You can expect to see plenty of dumbass things, but the entire point of it all is to just sit back and enjoy the film for the B movie that it’s trying to be. Wrong Turn 4 does a really good job with this concept for the first hour or so, but then the film reaches a point to where only the brave and insane dare test their eyes.

To the viewer’s familiar with the franchise, this film reveals the origins of the deformed, people-eating, psycho hillbilly brothers. It’s fairly standard stuff from this genre; mental hospital, escaping and killing everyone, living there for 15 years, you know, standard. Everything is dark and gloomy for them until a bunch of college kids get caught up in a storm and are forced to seek shelter in the now abandoned hospital. Here is when the crazy brothers go to town and they pick them off one by one, and then eat them in front of the camera for your viewing pleasure. It gets disgusting, violent, and terribly acted; in other words, exactly what you wanted. Its fun watching amateur actors taking no these type of shitty roles in hopes that it’s a jumpstart into something bigger. They put themselves in some terrible situations to fail, and they accomplish that goal with flying colors. I’d need more than two hands to keep track of the number of times I got a kick out of something someone did or said. Seeing these brothers again just ripping through these kids is just plain dumb fun.

Then something happens about an hour into the film and it completely raises the stakes in pure awesomeness. In a blatant spoiler, our protagonists have the brothers trapped in a jail cell and right before they go to burn them alive a character suddenly has a change of heart and convinces them not to become like them. SO they leave one person in charge of watching them while they go off and have sex. Then this character in charge of watching falls asleep right next to the cell where the brothers that killed a bunch of his friends now secretly escape and continue onward with their reign of chaos over the hospital. The rest of the film is so god damn bad, you’ll either find yourself looking with disgust or laughing with a smile. This is the type of film you already know if you’d love and if this is the crap that keeps you entertained, have yourself a good laugh. It really makes up for the god awful third one in the series.  

Overall Score: 3/10

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

 In 1988, young sisters Katie and Kristi befriend an invisible entity who resides in their home.

Another year, another installment in the ghostly “realistic” franchise. It’s strange because unlike a lot of folks, I thought the first was terrible and the second was awesome. There was something about the second installments audio that scared the shit out of me; so when the third entry leaned more towards the second than the first, I was somewhat excited to see what kind of scares they had in store for its audience this time around.

They went into prequel territory again, but this one feels a little too much for the audience to believe in. The entire setup of getting the camera involved is came about in a very absurd way and really hampers any type of thought that this is reality, but it’s a necessary component because it’s the key selling point for the franchise. If you can get past that, you get a much more complex plot, filled with twists, annoying characters, and daresay witchcraft. This idea to bring in witchcraft helps prolong the franchise, but for me personally, I immediately get turned off with this type of shit. I bet others are in the same boat as me. Then to make matters worse, these choices the parents of these children make are downright awful to the point that you want to go through the screen and give them a nice slap in the back of the head.

As far as the scares come, the film does a few things right. The audio is fantastic once again that only a theater or a great home theater system can provide. The vibrations cause more scares then what’s on the screen itself. It’s about the only improvement each film has made. The on-screen material is very creative and relies less on CGI this time around, but a lot of the characters reactions quickly cause you to react much differently. You may have a decent time with Paranormal Activity 3, but it’s not very good. It’s probably the worst entry and makes the franchises original appeal feel stale and repetitive now. Unless something drastically changes for the next one, the upcoming sequels can be in real trouble. If you’re in the mood for a few jumps and a pretty quick watch, give the third installment a go.

Overall Score: 3/10