Just because it’s a tradition on this website to burn bridges annually. Just because Ken sounded off a bit more on HIS least favorite films in the conversations below. Just because people have to be warned about these things. Here is my list of the five worst movies of 2010…

LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS 

One of the most infuriating scripts of the year. All the press leading up to it talked about how the nudity was so raw and realistic. None mentioned that the conversations and the characters were neither. The inhabitants of this clunker are bad television constructs: the ladies man, the hip sick girl and the obnoxious fat guy. In past efforts, when characters have said exactly what they’re thinking it’s played as painfully honest (Broadcast News, Greenberg) but here it just plays as painfully lazy. It’s the truth so technically it’s honest but it’s not genuine, it’s not affecting, it’s not earned. Honestly, there were just too many head splitting contrivances to even enumerate here (the Canadian bus ride, the epilepsy Google search, etc.) so I’m just gonna say, this was truly my least favorite movie of 2010.

ANTICHRIST

Nonsensical & upsetting in so many ways. This movie is the worst kind of pretentious – it doesn’t challenge, it just nauseates. A lot of people are big Lars Von Trier fans, and I’ve found his xenophobic misogyny mildly interesting (if never entertaining) in the past, but this film is on a whole other level down. When you learn the main characters are called ‘Man” and ‘Woman,” after you’re made witness to a dead baby and an erect penis in the first five minutes, you know you’re well on your way down the rabbit hole to some strange art house shock schlock Hell. With ‘Antichrist’ Lars Von Trier has less in common with an artiste provocateur than a man biting the heads of chickens and then making spectators watch him poop them back out. I have as much contempt for this ponderous junk as Von Trier has for an audience.

THE LAST AIRBENDER

This year’s big Razzie winner with good reason. The acting's so bad I found it unnecessary to even rip too deeply into Shyamalan the first time I wrote this one up. I was less aware of this source material, but this feels like a Jake Lloyd-ish situation in the lead. Although, to be fair, EVERYONE in this is either terrible or miscast or both. I mean a Daily Show correspondent plays a hard ass villain and some girl who looks like Michelle Trachtenberg's understudy plays an Eskimo(?!). I pity every fan child who really wanted to see this. I only endured it because it sounded a little like Captain Planet, and I wanted to see how badly the hacks at the helm could eff that up. (Answer: Quite, quite badly). Here’s what’s really amazing though…M. Night’s last two movies were even worse. My oh my. How the indulgent have fallen.

ROBIN HOOD

To quote Patton Oswalt, "I don't care where the stuff I love comes from. I just love the stuff I love." This is the real backstory of Robin Hood, but who needs it? It plays like the un-fun version - as boring and welcome as a historically accurate version of Iron Man. Robin Hood is easily Ridley & Russell's worst collaboration.

[For more check out 17.3 below]

STONE

The GREAT Robert DeNiro played a closeted gay sky pirate in Stardust, and I found that more plausible than his character in this idea-ridden mess. It's meant to be challenging, but just comes across as frustrating. I don't know who at Overture Pictures DeNiro owes money to, but I think we should all pitch in and pay it off.

(Written January 2011 - prior to the recordings you've all been savoring.)

There were a lot of pretty good/kind of great movies rounding out 2010, and I know a lot of them are going to win awards, and many of them with good reason. But here’s the thing, I didn’t include them on my list because, well, it's mine. I wanted to fill my list with movies I loved, not with movies I was supposed to love.

 Last year, I made The Hurt Locker part of my 2009 curtain call, and that was a lie (sniff). I really liked it, but not enough to warrant this highest of meaningless honors.

So brace yourselves, nerds. You’ll not see Black Swan, Blue Valentine, or The Kids Are All Right on my list. They were all great, but I honestly prefer the rogues’ gallery I’ve assembled just past this paragraph. Unlike last year - I can say to you now, with my head held high, that these are truly my 10 favorite movies of 2010… Then, promptly thereafter, I plan to say, “So there. Shut up. Leave me alone.”

#10…the one by Banksy… 

EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP

“I used to encourage everyone I knew to make art… I don't do that so much anymore.” -Banksy 

The fun of this documentary is that it’s so hard to describe what it’s about, and whether you’re angry or just bemused by what goes down within the graffiti-tagged walls of its unique story structure.

The film begins with purpose as if it’s meant to provide the end-all/be-all record of the street art movement that started to pick up real respectability 15 years ago. But then, we watch, we cringe as this initial source material gets completely coopted by the film’s existence. It’s an unprecedented turn of events, a colossal joke, and I don’t want to give away too many particulars, but I will say they did find the right man to deliver the punchline correctly.

The always anonymous Banksy - the mysterious artist behind some of the most challenging and cheeky street art installations in the world - starts as one of the film’s talking heads, but halfway through he finds it necessary to become it’s author as well because it’s original narrator is no longer trustworthy. 

This is a seminal work for Banksy, and as with all his best art he lets the viewer make up his or her own mind about what this all “means”… although you can certainly tell where he’s leaning, and it’s hard not to agree with him.

#9… the quirky one that crawled out of the abyss…

I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS 

“This really happened… It really did!” (Opening Disclaimer)

One of the best romantic comedies of the year even though it’s subversive, wacky and, to quote it’s own main character, “Gay…Gay, gay, gay, gay, GAY!”

This highly original, completely unorthodox biopic wandered for so long in the distribution wilderness that I had absolutely no expectations going in … and, for that matter, absolutely no knowledge of what it was about. To my surprise I discovered that this is one of those rare true stories like Catch Me If You Can or last year’s The Informant that is too good to be true, but too bizarre to be completely made up.

This dark, but often oddly touching, piece of material needed just the right scribes to not take it too seriously, and Glenn Ficarra & John Requa (Bad Santa) do a wonderful job bringing their alternatively melancholic & abrasive wit to the proceedings. If main character Steven Russell didn’t already exist they seem like the sort of people that would’ve invented him.

#8…the one whose place on this list seemed pre-ordained…

TRUE GRIT 

“…You are not LaBoeuf…” -Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges)

The Coen Brothers have subverted the western genre so often it should hardly surprise us how much they seem to be reveling in the exercise of doing one (more or less) straight up.

Now to be honest… I had to see the film twice. The first time I watched it expecting something else entirely. The second time I appreciated it/loved it for what it actually was. The trailer made this picture look like the second coming of Unforgiven (or in the Coen-verse No Country For Old Men), but it’s not. It’s part comedy, part adventure wherein revenge is not conflicted but wholly righteous.

Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Barry Pepper, Josh Brolin and a slew of Coen Brother character actors with etched faces and amazing mustaches all have their moments and add to the rich landscape of this old fashioned tall trek, but the real breakout and saving grace is Hailee Steinfeld. The young actress is pitch perfect as the verbose, hyper confidant Mattie Ross, the book and this version of the movie’s real hero.

Years from now, I don’t know if this movie will be considered a classic western. It’s hard to tell, especially since it’s already a remake. It is clear however that the Coen Brothers appreciate classic westerns and have done their best to create one worthy of our consideration.

#7…the one that makes you go, “hmmm”… 

GREEN ZONE 

“The reasons we go to war always f***ing matter.” -Miller (Matt Damon) 

The mishandling of the American occupation of Iraq and the shady intel that pulled us into that particular sh*t storm has been well documented in some brilliant, well received non fiction – for example, Charles Ferguson’s No End In Sight, the Oscar winner Taxi to the Dark Side and Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s top notch book Imperial Life in the Emerald City (from which this film was loosely inspired). But before this it’s been an absolute bust as a subject of cinematic fiction/drama. Rendition, Lions for Lambs and In the Valley of Elah all bombed… and, to be fair, so did this, but the difference is I don’t think this one should’ve. Its lack of success was based more on bad timing than the usual sins of ponderous story telling and over speech-ification.

These filmmakers know how to best inform the masses, and that’s with velocity. ‘Green Zone’ is an exceptional genre movie, a war picture, even at times a mystery, where real life intrigue has been truncated but not falsified for maximum movie effect.

It’s all in here. The WMD goose chases. The looting. The naïve attempts at quick fix democracy. The press manipulation. The departmental in fighting. The torture. It’s all on display in a corker of a thriller conceived by Paul Greengrass and his usual collaborators.

This is a mash up of the two types of films Greengrass has done to much acclaim previously. It’s both an intense, involving thriller (like his Bourne pictures) and a powerful reenactment of recent world changing history (like his Bloody Sunday & United 93). Matt Damon (again) provides Greengrass with a perfect western hero caught up in a Middle East not designed for his character’s clarity of purpose. Greengrass’ quick cutting, hand held documentary style makes everything feel immediate, important, and most impressively NOT BORING.

As to whether this will still be at all provocative, or if it’s too late for this movie to be relevant. I choose to agree with the New York Times’ A.O Scott. I think it’s “about time” for a populist movie this good about something this important.

#6…the one that actually made some money…

INCEPTION 

“You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.” -Eames (Tom Hardy)

Inception is awe-inspiring. You’ll find that even the film’s detractors cannot deny the scope of this movie. It’s an auteur piece from a big budget maestro.

I loved this movie and so did a lot of other people if we are to ween anything from the box office money piles currently blocking the gates to Warners’ Burbank lot. What I fail to understand however is how complicated (even confounding) a lot of fans and non-fans seem to find the film. The film IS unquestionably, inherently dense but straight forwardly so, thanks to the firm architecture established by Christopher Nolan’s script and his top-notch visual and editorial storytelling.  

Now, I understand people’s desire to read deeply into a movie this (quite literally) layered. In fact, I believe this is one of the most layered pieces of mainstream entertainment ever conceived… but c’mon. This is not Kubrickian (There are far too many machine guns and hugs). Inception is “Die Hard in a brain.” It’s a classic caper movie taken to new depths. That’s why it was a hit, not just a think piece.

#5…the one that seems to be polarizing moviegoers and cinefiles alike …

NEVER LET ME GO 

“We didn’t have to look into your souls. We had to see if you had souls at all.” -Miss Emily (Charlotte Rampling) 

Now this… this is Kubrickian… the emotional distance, the cold but beautiful compositions, the boldly reserved performances (all somehow imbued with more emotion than a hundred Louisiana domestic scuffles), and the resonance, my god the resonance.

At first, I wasn’t even sure if I liked this picture, but in the end I knew it’s hopes and fears stayed with me.

Romanek and screenwriter Alex Garland - dealing elegantly with matters of life and death - took a genre-exploding piece of source material and managed to wrestle it to the ground. The plot for this movie is essentially Gattaca if it were interpreted by Merchant Ivory.  If prize worthiness were based solely on degree of difficulty then Never Let Me Go would be a lock for the SAG ensemble award, the Oscar and the highest honor Del Monte gives.

These filmmakers attempted the same sort of tonal gymnastics Kubrick did with his strongest work, and they succeeded. That said, they never make the film feel like an homage or (heavens forbid) a rip off but rather an instance of great minds thinking alike...

#4…the one with the grin on its face…

THE GHOST WRITER

“What have you gotten me into?” -The Ghost

…Taking into account what I just said about #5 on this list… 

Even better than when a member of the new guard reminds us what made a master’s work great is when one of the few remaining masters gets to the beautiful business of just being himself…

The Ghost Writer is Roman Polanski’s best/most signature work since Chinatown. It’s a return to form. It’s what all his best work is/was… mischievous. Every character seems to be up to something. This whole movie seems to be up to something. From the opening shots of an abandoned car and a creeping boat with their jaunty score to the final shot which is both powerfully cynical and more than a little Looney Tune - this is classic Polanski.

The legendary director was clearly revitalized by this material and his entire ensemble all comes to play from the leads to the villains to the bright red herrings. Everyone is on board, excited to make one like they used to: fun, smart, adult and, yes, a little naughty.

#3…the one that was supposed to be as great as it is…

THE KING’S SPEECH 

“Apparently she has certain skills… acquired at an establishment in Shanghai.” -Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter)

Period pictures and Oscar bait were (over the last few years) starting to become parodies of themselves. Exhibit A, public enemy number one being: The Reader. Great actors, classy source material, historical context, award winning technicians across the board, but nowadays I can’t even scoff at that movie because the world has forgotten it ever existed.

Well, this is an odd phrase, but I’ll use it anyway, “The King’s Speech makes classy pictures respectable again.” This is a movie with pedigree up and down the line, a movie that’s supposed to be great, and is.

Colin Firth warms up another cold, chippy Brit with dignity and humor. Geoffrey Rush shines in a role that seems to have been written by the fates specifically for him. And Helena Bonham Carter gives Maggie Smith at her crispness a run for her money.

Director Tom Hooper brings the same energy to these potentially stuffy proceedings that he brought to my favorite of his previous films: the underrated, underseen The Damned United.

The King’s Speech is classy. It’s moving. It’s gorgeous. It’s what it should be.

#2…the one that’s dangerously close to being autobiographical…

GREENBERG 

“…All the adults dress like children and all the children dress like super heroes...” -Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller) 

Some people HATE this movie. Few people LOVE this movie, but I say phooey to that. I say, chalk it up to charmed lives or high blinders.

This melancholy black comedy about a hyper critical neurotic trying to make sense of aging, loneliness, and Southern California is at times harsh, but also uncomfortably honest – like all of director Noah Baumbach’s best work.  

In an early scene, breakout star sent from heaven Greta Gerwig, says to a man she may sleep with, “I’ve been out of college for as long as I was in, and I just wonder if anyone cares if I get up in the morning.” That is a crippling concern held by a lot of young people, but it’s usually kept to oneself. That may be what people find so off putting about Greenberg. The characters keep NOTHING to themselves. However, I didn’t relate to another movie more all year…and yes, that may be because I too am aging alone in Southern California and as such there but for the grace of self-awareness go I.

And the #1 movie of 2010 is…the one that’s clearly just better at everything…

THE SOCIAL NETWORK 

“You’re going to go through life thinking girls don’t like you because you’re a nerd, and I want you to know from the bottom of my heart that won’t be true. It’ll be because you’re an asshole.” -Erica Albright (Rooney Mara)

Every once in a while all the finest examples of cinematic craftsmanship in a particular year occur in a single movie: the best directing, the best writing, the best photography, the best editing, the best score, the best acting, so on and so on. And when a movie like that comes around you have to stop and acknowledge it… The Social Network is such an instance. 

Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay is less a presentation of actual events then a fast-talking whip smart thesis taking us through to its natural conclusions. The greatest shift in social interaction was brought forth by one of the more anti social characters one could ever imagine.

Jesse Eisenberg plays the, for lack of a better term, anti-hero, perfectly. His work is reminiscent of Faye Dunaway in Network only with less theatricality and a greater potential for humanity. His Mark Zuckerberg (who should not be confused with the real Mark Zuckerberg at all times) is the smartest person in the room, out to rewire human interaction into quantifiable terms he can better understand and more easily navigate.

David Fincher and his crew are in top form. They bring energy, darkness and humor to match Sorkin’s screenplay – giving scenes of typing and rowing the same energy of a bar brawl or a dance finale.

The Social Network is a movie that defines our time, for better or worse. It’s the ultimate movie of the moment. Maybe it will lose its luster like past mile markers (hello, Easy Rider) or maybe it will live forever (see Dr. Strangelove). Who knows, but for now it is quite clearly the best of the best.

IT AGREES TO DISAGREE… Ken hates the term “bro-mance” and avoids forging any such thing by dismissing many of poor Bennett’s favorite movies of the year. You might think this show is just a lot of jabbering about movies, but really it’s about the differences between people…specifically, correct people and incorrect people. Enjoy the conclusion! (Discussed: The King’s Speech, The Kids Are All Right, Greenberg, The Fighter, 127 Hours, The Social Network, Black Swan) 

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IT WILL NEVER LET YOU GO…Good times return as our hosts discuss more of their favorite films of 2010 AND finally agree on something unreservedly… I know. It’s rare. It freaks me out just thinking about it. (Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Never Let Me Go, The Illusionist, The Ghost Writer, Hereafter)

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IT TAKES A BREAK FROM ALL THE LOVIN’…Ken steers the discussion in a darker direction as he fills us in on the pictures that made him want to cut his arm off, Franco style. (Discussed: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, How Do You Know?, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Love & Other Drugs, Robin Hood)

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IT GETS LOW…Bennett defends getaway music as Ken defends modulated hermit yarns. The fun continues, as does the parallel enumeration (Discussed: I Love You Phillip Morris, True Grit, Get Low, Green Zone, Fair Game)

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IT KEEPS IT REAL…AS IN NON-FICTION…NOT HOW BLACK PEOPLE MEAN IT TYPICALLY…HOWEVER THAT IS…Ken and Bennett ease back into old routines, taking a few casual swipes at recent releases before insisting they’ve ALSO sat through some classy & cutting edge documentaries. Let the top tens begin! (Discussed: Unknown, The Dilemma, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Inside Job)

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(that's a Pogues' song)

I was just notified by my producer that over a thousand people have continued to come to this site to either see what I think, or wait for me to drop some pertinent information so they can steal my identity.

Here's the deal. I am busy-ish still, but I have sent communications out to potential guests and old favorites. Hopefully, we can knock out an audio file or two before the holidays conclude.

If nothing else I do plan to keep up my top 10 list tradition with my friend Ken Pisani. (You've been warned!). As a whole, it has been a better year than 2009, but I don't see too much potential to close strong on the horizon. We'll see. Maybe Little Fockers will blow my mind.

For now...

(updated 11/28/10)

THE AMERICAN – C- - George Clooney's dullest movie since he started picking his own projects. This is European to a fault. Often pretty but always dull. Kinda plays like a Bourne film without energy, action or intrigue. Clooney is asked to play the character without any charisma which yields results on par with asking Nathan Lane to play someone a little less gay.

ANIMAL KINGDOM – B- - Compelling when I wanted it to be exciting. There are scenes of undeniable operatic power and potentially Shakespearean characters, but it often lacks the connective tissue to make the whole thing work. 

CONVICTION - B+ - The title and the trailer kind of made me throw up a little in my mouth. However, the movie based on this "incredible true story" is quite well done. Yes, it's simple but elegantly so. Swank is authentic yet again, and to those who are about to Rock(well). I salute you.

DEVIL – D+ - I saw this movie because I thought it was a good idea for a campy thriller, and I like the notion of a Twilight Zone-ish series of films which this is supposed to kick off... I thought it could work as long as M. Night Shyamalan didn't influence the scripts too much... well no such luck... this movie has all the earmarks of the indian egomaniac's laziest work - my favorite trait of course being a character whose sole purpose is to explain why the story as written is really clever as the story is going on. 

EASY A – C+ - Emma Stone is the lady equivalent of Ryan Reynolds for me. I have a pretty good feeling that if she played the lead a good movie I would like her, but she has yet to do such a thing. I thought this was pretty messy and pretty smug. I'm in the minority. I don't love the old John Hughes movies, so I'm even less enamored with movies that won't shut up about them. Stanley Tucci is very funny, but he seems to be making up his own dialogue.

FAIR GAME - B - solid piece of work, but timing is important. What if "All the President's Men" came out in 1990. Would it have played as well or been as remarkable? I mean I'm not saying this is like putting out a movie about Whitewater on September 12th, 2001 but I will say that I'd understand if this picture didn't do too well as smartly assembled as it is. Unlike Green Zone (which also tanked despite my affection) this movie doesn't even bother to mix in some morphed genre conceits. This is a well meaning statement of known, infuriating facts and liberal ideas, and it might sting a bit too much in the wake of last Tuesday.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1 - A- - The movie starts elegantly and stays that way throughout. David Yates remains the man for this job. He has produced a gorgeous beginning of the end. Yes, I would understand if non-fans found this too bleak, but they must understand that for millions this stuff could not be more serious.

HEREAFTER - B - After opening with an awkward Roland Emmerich impression, Clint Eastwood regains his bearings and produces one of his patented slow, dignified pictures for grown people. By no means perfect (one taste test scene in particular is almost unwatchable) but I stayed interested.

INSIDE JOB - B+ - The director's frustration is even more prominent in this movie than in his last documentary (the brilliant "No End In Sight"). This leads him to be a little cheeky and a little on-the-nose when he doesn't have to be, but no matter. His conclusions are still well reasoned and impossible to refute.

IT'S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY – C – Even the faint praise of the title is a little too generous. Showy direction and acting without depth do not play well together. I never felt anything for the main characters so I couldn't accept it when nothing much of interest happened to them.

LET ME IN – B+ - A remake so solid and respectful that I found it to be downright justified. Although I wasn't crazy about some of the jittery, super fast vampire effects; I thought the all new car crash sequence was pretty impressive. No, it's not as good as the original, but it could never be. 

MACHETE – B - The ladies love Machete and so do I. Quentin Tarantino may be the artist, but Robert Rodriguez is the world class party animal. This is a giddily stereotypical, blood soaked, Seagal-infused C-movie celebration. Robert Rodriguez should've been put in charge of 'The Expendables.' This guy knows how to have a good time. 

MEGAMIND - C - Just as 'Deep Impact' was no 'Armageddon'; 'Infamous' was no 'Capote' and neither of those volcano movies were any good - 'Megamind' pales in comparison to the other animated-super-villain-whose-really-a-good-guy picture ('Despicable Me'). It's all old jokes, pop culture references and AC/DC montages. It's a step backwards from the fine animated films we've had this year.

MORNING GLORY - C+- 'Network' is the sire of all TV polemics/comedies. 'Broadcast News' is its romantic but educated offspring. 'Morning Glory' is that offspring's pet bunny. Undeniably "cute" but unable to sustain one's attention for long periods.

NEVER LET ME GO – A- - A haunting, sad, beautifully shot, incredibly bold mesh of completely conflicting genres. Its premise could be equated to "Merchant Ivory's Gattaca." I mean it's bizarre. But it not only sucked me in, it grew on me, fascinated me, and has stayed with me. It's not for everyone, but I think it's probably the most resonant movie I've seen this year.

THE NEXT THREE DAYS - C+ - The miscasting of some fine actors clouds the first two acts, and a complete lack of believability sullies the third.

RED - C+ - A bit of a let down even as camp. The people in the movie were having way more fun than the people watching it. 

SECRETARIAT - C - Made with painful sincerity but not enough scope. It short changes a legend. Secretariat was the most remarkable horse ever, but Seabiscuit is a way better movie.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK – A – A great script. A great film. Points too for editing and score. Yes, it's just people talking about nerdy things, but Fincher and his team give the whole affair an abundance of energy and humor.

STONE - D - The GREAT Robert DeNiro played a closeted gay sky pirate in Stardust... I found that more plausible than his character in this idea-ridden mess. It's meant to be challenging, but just comes across as frustrating. I don't know who at Overture Pictures DeNiro owes money to, but I think we should all pitch in and pay it off because the legend just looks lost.

THE TOWN – B – People will really, really like this movie. This is an expertly made heist picture that isn't too edgy for anyone or too soft for anyone else. I have my issues with the tidiness of the ending, but I'm sure most people will dig it.

UNSTOPPABLE - B - This movie got an LA audience to cheer, clap, and cry all around me. There's something to that. This is a beautifully shot, DUEL-like man movie. And its self aware enough to keep the whole thing under 90 minutes.

WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS – B- - A sequel made for a reason, this film provides a pretty succinct, intelligent explanation of why the economy took such an epic dump a couple years ago. Unfortunately, the story surrounding these financial Cliff Notes is a bit mild, a bit safe, especially for Oliver Stone, but it's still likeable enough. Yes, it's a shame the movie centers around the cypher rather than the shark, but the same could be said of the original Wall Street.

As some of you know I can be heard cursing like a sailor and drinking like a sailor and dressing like a sailor on a few quality / tasteless episodes of another longer, far flashier podcast...

drinkradio.posterous.com

I'm sure I will return to my airwaves soon enough whether you like it or not, but right now I'm spending what other free time I have seeing motion pictures, and I gotta say 2010 already kicks 2009 in its proverbial butt hole. I had barely seen three great movies by last November. This year I've seen three truly great, grade-A movies and it's only April...Whose excited?

Here's what I've seen so far this year...

(updated 5/17/10)

ALICE IN WONDERLAND - B+ - By no means perfect, but there's real magic & imagination in this picture. (Perhaps the biggest surprise/pleasure: Alice and the two queens outshine the Mad Hatter - not that he's bad. They're just better. I didn't see that coming.)

THE BOOK OF ELI - C- - The Hughes Brothers know how to stage an action sequence, and the cast is filled with people I like that are trying their hardest. But as the movie hammers home what it's "about" it all becomes more and more ridiculously heavy handed and eventually just plain ridiculous in general. The Book of Eli plays like a graphic novel nobody asked for.

CHLOE - C+ - A (for lack of a better term) erotic thriller from Atom Egoyan, director of the saddest & sexiest films in all of Canada (this one has whores AND hockey). Here's how it breaks down plot-wise, two-thirds interesting character piece, one-third Cinemax after dark. If you like those odds, go for it!

CLASH OF THE TITANS - C - I wish this movie spent more time with the Gods than the humans. The humans are a bunch of boring stiffs. It IS better than Percy Jackson. It might be as good as the original, but I'm still not sure why I bothered with any of these movies. Doctor, I think I have a serious going problem.

COP OUT - C+ - I don't understand why you would hire Kevin Smith to DIRECT your movie. He handles the incessant banter as well as anyone (if not better), but all the action sequences feel off, maybe even a little desperate.

DATE NIGHT - C+ - At under ninety minutes it still feels long. At no point is it ever as funny as a good episode of '30 Rock' or 'The Office.' BUT the two stars do have good (comedy) chemistry, and they skate pretty far on charm alone.

EDGE OF DARKNESS - C+ - Not great but certainly not as bad as advertised. I'd love to watch a movie about the peripheral characters (especially Ray Winstone)

THE GHOST WRITER - A - The first great movie of the year. This one is going to stick with me. Roman Polanski brings his trademark mischievous tone to a political thriller and produces his best film since Chinatown.

GREEN ZONE - A- - Another immediate, intelligent, utterly engrossing thriller from Team Damon-Greengrass. It's got as much in common with the slyly educational Charlie Wilson's War & the mind blowing documentary No End in Sight as it does with the best of the Bourne pictures. I loved it even though it should've come out a few years earlier.

THE RUNAWAYS - C+ -This movie has three main characters/meaty roles. Michael Shannon and Kristen Stewart shine as a puppet master and Joan Jett respectively. Dakota Fanning as the self-destructive lead singer does not. As a child star Fanning always exuded a confidence beyond her years but in this very adult role she doesn't seem as up for the task. She can't sing, and she comes across as a girl prancing about in her mother's clothes... if her mother was a drug addled coke hound.

SHUTTER ISLAND - B+ - The lesser of the two rainy Massachusetts movies released recently, but still a fine way to pass the time. The twist is evident throughout, but the throwback filmmaking and strong supporting performances are so engrossing that doesn't really matter. You still enjoy the magic show even though you know where the rabbit is hidden.