Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, Mark Ruffalo, and Michelle Williams
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Rated R for disturbing violent content, language, and some nudity
2 hours 18 minutes
Shutter Island refers to the location of a fictional facility for the criminally insane. Someone has gone missing there, so U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) goes to investigate. On the island he finds a disturbing collection of patients, uncooperative doctors with radical treatment methods, and mysterious locations everywhere. Combine that with the onslaught of a hurricane and Teddy’s struggles with migraines and you’ve got the makings of a nice thriller. It’s a little long and a little bloody for my taste, but it does have a nice twist at the end (my wife saw it coming but I didn’t).
Starring Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Colin Farrell, and Robert Duvall
Directed by Scott Cooper
Rated R for language and brief sexuality
1 hour 51 minutes
Jeff Bridges won the best actor Oscar for this performance as Bad Blake, a washed-up alcoholic country singer who is struggling to put his life together. While on the road he connects with journalist Jean (Gyllenhaal) who tries to uncover who Bad really is. The acting and music (by T-Bone Burnett) are great, but the story is a bit of a downer. There are some plausibility issues as well, most notably with the connection of the lead characters who don’t seem to be in the same league. This one’s probably only for die-hard Jeff Bridges and traditional country music fans.
Starring Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie, Jonathan Lipnicki, and the voices of Michael J. Fox, Nathan Lane, Chazz Palminteri, Steve Zahn, Bruno Kirby, and Jennifer Tillly
Directed by Rob Minkoff
Rated PG for brief language
1 hour 24 minutes
Usually I’m not a big fan of talking animal movies (in this case mice and cats), but this one gets it right. And why wouldn’t it? Check out this list of actors and voice talent, then add a score by Alan Silvestri, a song by Lyle Lovett, and a screenplay credit for M. Night Shyamalan and you can see why it was successful. Sure, the story is predictable and childish, but that’s what a family movie is supposed to be. It’s definitely worth adding to your family DVD collection.
Starring Max Records and Catherine Keener
Directed by Spike Jonze
Rated PG for mild thematic elements, some adventure action and brief language
1 hour 41 minutes
I’m not really sure how to classify this movie about a child who runs away to a fantasy land. I wanted to say “family”, but it’s too dark for younger kids. It’s not a comedy and the presence of imaginary creatures would suggest it’s not a traditional drama. It’s pretty much just unique. Visually, that means it’s interesting. As a whole, however, that means that it was boring and I really didn’t get it. I know that some have found this movie whimsical and fun. I’m not one of them.
Documentary
Directed by Anders Ostergaard
Not Rated, but likely PG-13 for violence
1 hour 29 minutes
A corrupt government holds its people hostage and doesn’t want the world to know about it, so they cut off all media outlets. Foreign news reporters are banned and the Internet is shut down. The only way the news gets out to the rest of the world is via a group of underground reporters with handheld video cameras that find a way to smuggle the news out of the country. It is a fascinating true story that amazingly happened just a few years ago in 2007. Unfortunately, the movie is not as amazing as the story itself. This is due in part to the frequent use of the actual shaky camcorder footage and also in part to the broken English used by the narrator. This movie is a great history lesson, but not nearly as entertaining as fellow 2010 Documentary Feature nominees Food, Inc. or The Cove.
I wouldn’t call it the most sophisticated collection of movies ever made, but there are a couple worth seeing (Juno and Ratatouille). Click on the movies to see my reviews.
Documentary
Directed by Kevin MacDonald
Rated R for language
1 hour 47 minutes
I saw this one on a best documentary list and though I’d check it out. Like Man on Wire, this story is so amazing it’s hard to believe it’s true. Two hikers set out to scale an extremely dangerous, previously unclimbed peak in a remote part of Peru. They miraculously make it to the top, but a horrible mishap derails their descent and leads to an incredible tale of survival. Narrated by the climbers themselves and expertly recreated by director MacDonald, Touching the Void is as thrilling and captivating as you could hope any movie to be. Highly recommended.
Starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language
2 hours 14 minutes
It’s hard to imagine not liking this sports-themed historical drama about Nelson Mandela and the 1995 South Africa world cup rugby team. It’s got all of the ingredients for greatness, but comes up a little short. I’m a big fan of Clint’s movies, but he seems to have come of short (or a bit long) on a few points in this movie: odd music choices, non-emotional competition, and about 20 extra minutes. Still, Freeman seems like he was born to play Mandela and a happy ending makes almost any movie better. This one should have been great. Instead, it’s just a…
Starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman
Directed by Rob Reiner
Rated PG-13 for language, including a sexual reference
1 hour 37 minutes
It seems like everyone has seen this movie, so I figure it’s about time for me. The popularity of The Bucket List is easy to understand with its beloved stars and popular director. Plus, it confronts the universal theme of death and dying in a supposedly funny way. But does it live up the the hype? I guess that depends on the hype you heard. This movie is somewhat touching, somewhat funny, somewhat well-acted, and somewhat enjoyable. I won’t see it again, but I’m not disappointed I saw it once.