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[mateostarr]

Unstoppable 3.5/5

One of Tony Scott's better projects in a while, certainly an improvement over Pelham and Domino and I have not seen Deja Vu. I really like Denzel here, he seems natural and at home in this role. The editing is fluid as we are dealing with many difference characters in different locations involved with stopping this train. I still wish Scott would tone it down a bit with the caricatures and unnecessary explosions/collisions but if he did I guess he would cease to be Tony Scott and instead be Paul Greengrass.

Made in Dagenham 3.5/5

Solid film about the female Ford plant workers in Dagenham who fought for equal pay. The highlights are the performances from Sally Hawkins, Miranda Richardson and Rosamind Pike (who I think is going to be doing great things pretty soon). It is very much point and shoot direction though and the story is never taken to a higher thematic level. It's simply this is the story and how it happened and I guess with that target in mind they succeeded.

Love and Other Drugs 3/5

This really could have been one of the better films of the year but Zwick has difficulty mixing drama and comedy effectively. The problem is that a lot of his comedy is the type of stuff you see in Hangover as opposed to the dry, sarcastic comedy you need if you are also gunning for drama and emotion. The best at mixing the two right now is Jason Reitman. Zwick feels the need to spoon feed the audience all emotional aspects through use of zoom ins, overly dramatic scoring and annoying musical cues. However the chemistry between Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal is fantastic and really carries the film above its flaws to make for an overall entertaining experience.

[transformers2]

Due Date 9/10

Another great 2010 comedy. Todd Phillips shows off his knack for creating hysterical situations for his characters to get into. Zack Galinfinakis top notch as usual and Robert Downey Jr. is a good straightman. I laughed my ass off throughout.

[Donte77]

Due Date: 8.5 (maybe 9 on a second watching) out of 10.

So damned funny. We laughed our asses off. It was not as straight up funny as Hangover but it had more heart. It was really good.

[silversurfer19]

I thought you were going to be taking part in the 100 favourite movie list, Donte? I was looking forward to seeing your picks. It's in the Movie Club thread if your interested.

[numbersix]

I'd hardly call Downey Jnr the straightman. He was the most obnoxious character I've ever seen. You just don't come back from punching a kid in the stomach. I wanted him dead by the end.

[Shrykespeare]

Unfortunately, surfer, Donte has informed me that some difficulties in his personal life has precluded him from joining us in our endeavor. Hopefully, that may change soon enough for him to join us in the second half. Here's hoping.

[numbersix]

Pass on our well wishes to Donte, Shryke, will you?

[BanksIsDaFuture]

For Colored Girls - C+

Some great performances, but the movie is brought down by Tyler Perry "Tyler Perry-ing" it up. Melodramatic and sometimes unrealistic, this would've been an amazing film had someone else written it.

[mateostarr]

127 Hours 4/5

Boyle's style holds it back from the experience it ideally should feel like. Franco and of course the source material are able to overcome some poor stylistic decisions and make for an inspiring cinematic experience.

[numbersix]

Is 127 Hours better or worse than Slumdog Millionaire, Matt?

Anyway, I managed to watch a few recent movies in the last few days....

American: The Bill Hicks Story 6/10
A fascinating story poorly made. I'm sure the makers wanted to do something more than the usual talking heads, but it oversues the South-Parking of old family photos by animating them. And for the first half of the movie I really wanted to see the faces of the people who were talking, especially since it gets confusing after a while. I also felt that the film is so in awe of Hicks (and they should be, as he was a great comedian even at 16!) that they didn't venture enough into the darker side of him. Sure, they reference the alcoholism, but what about his relationship with women. It's not even referenced. Still, Hicks was more of an inspirational figure than I thought, and I finished the film respecting him more.

The Kids Are Alright 7/10
A very entertaining film that deals with a lesbian-led family but doesn't make it a blatent issue. I thought the characterisation of the children was very well done, and the dynamic between Benning and Moore was great. Mark Ruffalo was perfect as the male equivalent of a bimbo that disrupts the "normal" life of the lesbian couple. My only major criticism is that the film paints a suspiciously perfect society in which no one questions/doubts/is disgusted by a same sex couple, but that was a sacrifice made in order to make it a family dramedy as opposed to an "issue" film.

Mother 6/10
The follow-up to The Host isn't as good or as innovative, but it does boast an excellent lead performance. It's a watchable drama about a simple mother trying to clear the name of her semi-retarded son who is accused of murder. I had some issues with the plotting, and especially the portrayal of the mother, which takes a savage turn and risks equating simplicity with manical. But it's still worth a watch, if only for a great female performance.

[Buscemi]

My problem with The Kids Are All Right was that Annette Bening was so damn unlikeable and she basically wins at the end despite the fact that she probably deserved what was coming to her (she was always mean to her wife, the kids and the donor). I hope Julianne Moore gets all of the awards buzz over Bening seeing that Moore not only had the better performance but her character wasn't a frigid shrew.

[numbersix]

My problem with The Kids Are All Right was that Annette Bening was so damn unlikeable and she basically wins at the end despite the fact that she probably deserved what was coming to her (she was always mean to her wife, the kids and the donor). I hope Julianne Moore gets all of the awards buzz over Bening seeing that Moore not only had the better performance but her character wasn't a frigid shrew.

But what worked with Bening's character was that while she was indeed cold, she acknowledged that she was part of the problem, and that Moore did what she did because of how Bening was treating her. Her character demonstrated self-reflection and remorse, making her far more that just a frigid shrew. Plus, her last line to Ruffalo was spot-on and summed up his character perfectly.

[mateostarr]

Slumdog is a better film than 127 Hours in my estimation.

As for as Kids Are All Right. I also liked Moore better but they are both excellent and worthy of awards recognition, and both in the LEAD category as well.

[BanksIsDaFuture]

Unstoppable - A-

Whew, what a ride. The last hour is complete non-stop action, with tension building up steadily for almost the entire runtime. Denzel and Chris Pine turn out to be a good team together, and I liked how the story took the viewpoint of several different levels of people who are involved in the train situation in one way or the other, whether it'd be the people in the town that might get blown to bits or the corporate guys who are just trying to save face and make sure their stock doesn't drop too much.

It's also pretty damn funny, which was unexpected.

[BanksIsDaFuture]

Due Date - B

Funny, but only in spurts. It only lands about half of it's jokes, but when it does, it lands hard. However, I hope Zach G grows out of the big bearded child role he seems to be falling into over and over. It's Kind of A Funny Story was a little different, but still it was pretty close.