DVD UP-CHUCK

New York, I Love You was fun and sexy but hit-and-miss. Surrogates was enjoyable in the moment but is the very definition of "forgettable." The Box is a typically heady brew from writer/director Richard Kelly; I enjoyed it more than I expected too. Cold Souls is Kaufman-lite but very entertaining in a space-case kind of way. Peter and Vandy is a wonderful indie romantic dramedy with two terrific performances from Jess Weixler and Jason Ritter; loved this one. If you're looking for some sexy, trasy, silly junk-food, look no further than Women in Trouble; the sight of Carla Gugino and Connie Britton in lingerie should be enough of a reason to warrant a rental. Parenthood remains one of Ron Howard's best comedies. Patton Oswalt is incredible in Big Fan, a darkly funny look at an obsessed mind. If you're a fan (like I am) of actress Vera Farmiga (The Departed, Up in the Air), check out the hard-hitting indie Down to the Bone; rarely does an actress get this raw on screen. The Burning Plain deserved more acclaim than it got. And the sweetly affecting romance Adam, about an autistic guy learning to love a woman, is worth checking out as well.

UPCOMING/OF INTEREST

NO EXPLANATION NEEDED

MOVIES FOR THE WEEKEND

Shutter Island. Big time. Can't wait. It's all about Scorsese.

From Netflix I've got the indie rom-com Peter and Vandy and I also rented Cold Souls with Paul Giamatti.

SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TOO

Faces come out out the rain...when you're strange...no one remembers your name...

HOPE TO SEE IT

From the guys who did wrote Bad Santa. I have heard some amazing things about I Love You Philip Morris. It sounds extra raunchy and way crazy. Very curious to see what the deal is.

MY NEW CINEMATIC OBSESSION

If you've never heard of this film, go look it up. Then immediately rent/buy it. It'll knock you flat on your fuckin' ass.

LOTS GOING ON

I have had a lot going these last few weeks so postings/reviews/updates around these parts have been scarce of late. However, I have had a chance to see some stuff. I really enjoyed An Education but wasn't floored by it. Carey Mulligan is obviously the-next-big-thing and Fred Molina was aces (as usual). A Single Man was incredible; pure cinema, extremely emotional, engrossing as all get out to look at, it's one of the best (and most stylish) directorial debuts in recent memory. Fashion designer Tom Ford has a major filmmaking career ahead of him -- if he chooses to continue. And Colin Firth's performance was yet another reminder of how quietly excellent an actor he is. I have been re-watching A Serious Man and it's just amazing how fucking brilliant the Coen brothers are. It's definitely one of their top 5 films of all time. Yesterday I watched the staggering British film Bronson, which contains one of the greatest pieces of acting I've ever seen, courtesy of Tom Hardy. This is a brilliant, provocative, and highly original biopic of Britain's "most famous" criminal, a psycho named Charlie Bronson (not his birth name), who entered prison on a 7 year stretch for armed robbery, but then proceeded to kick, punch, bite, and maul his way through the prison system until the British government said enough and let him out. And then...things get very interesting. If I had seen it in the theaters in 2009 it would have made my top 10 list. On a lighter note, the Ricky Gervais comedy The Invention of Lying was a lot of snarky, charming fun. It's silly as hell but very enjoyable and the performances from the deep cast are all breezy and effective.

I am really looking forward to Marty Scorsese's Shutter Island, which opens this coming Friday.

MOVIES FOR THE WEEKEND

I'm not sure when/if I'll get to the theaters this weekend, but a ton of stuff I haven't seen yet either opened or got re-released around my area. An Education, Crazy Heart, A Single Man, and Precious are all up for potential viewing.

From Netflix I've got the indie drama Down to the Bone, starring Vera Farmiga. I saw it once about five years ago but want to give it a re-watch.

I still have to do a write up on the gloriously entertaining (if a bit deranged) The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. This Cage/Herzog match-up delivered on its promise for something unique.

My latest Blu Ray shipment from Amazon just arrived yesterday; The Aviator, Domino, Jesse James, 12 Monkeys, Boogie Nights, and L.A. Confidential are a few of my new grabs.

BIGELOW BRILLIANCE

With The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow is basically a lock for a Best Director nomination (which would only be the fourth time -- I think -- that a woman has been nominated). I really hope she gets the nomination and wins; the work she displayed in The Hurt Locker was nothing less than a tour de force of direction. And speaking of tour de forces, does anyone remember the opening sequence of her brilliant sci-fi film Strange Days? This movie really needs to get the Blu Ray treatment. This is a raw, tough, amazing piece of filmmaking/storytelling, a film that got short-shrift from audiences upon initial release, but has now rightfully found a cult following. It's still her most ambitious effort, and one of the movies that really opened my mind to the cinematic experience.

BOOGIE BLU

Should be arriving any day now...