'Avatar' Returns August 27

'Brooklyn's Finest' on Bly Ray and DVD Rates *1/2stars

good cop, bad cop, indifferent about to retire cop. priest who gives cop absolution for committing cold blooded murder and gets 'one hail' mary as penance. talk about a hail mary pass...damn. same old same old with some good acting by ethan hawke, richard gere and the always better than most of his films don cheadle.

fagetaboutit!

'The Last Station' *stars

'the last station' or 'the history of histrionics as offered by 'watch me over emote' helen mirren'.

as the countess sophia who all but kicks her husband leo tolstoy in his nuts ms. mirren proves she is the most overrated british actress of her time. she is such a 'phony' actress. it's all kind of ''watch me act. am i not wonderful? i'm going to scream and shout now. am i not a brilliant actress?". no ms. mirren you are not brilliant. you are damn annoying is what you are.

those who follow this blog know that my love and admiration for british actresses are bountiful and always has been. julie, judy, maggie, keira, deborah and kate are always at the top of all my lists. but mirren my god stop already. you are maddening.

christopher plummer what can i say? you gave an admirable performance considering the scene chewing ham you were playing against. she actually recieved an oscar nomination for this. makes one wonder.

the film itself is a waste of 1:53 hours. the one star is for the location shots, james mcavoy and the cinematography. i am being kind much to kind.

oh well...my suggestion is do not buy, do not rent...pass it by.

'Invictus' ***1/2stars

in lesser hands this might have been titled 'guess who's coming to the world cup'. however, damn good direction (clint eastwood) and two amazing performances by morgan freeman and matt damon raise this film above the sentimental or just another sports film based on historical events. trust me i know nothing, zero, nada about sports nor do i want to but the final minutes of this film had me on the edge of my seat and holding my breathe. eastwood did something my parents never could: get me interested in sports. trust me it's surely a once in a lifetime moment. god i pray it is.

rent this or buy this...just see it.

p.s. yet this is another 2009 film that lost the oscar to 'the hurt locker'.actually it wasn't even nominated for best picture. i still don't get it!

'The Messenger': ***stars on DVD and BluRay

a good script, a military subject rarely seen yet not directed terribly well, kind of too slow paced, gets this 3 stars. why? well with different actors it may have gotten fewer stars. but for no other reason it gets one star for each of the three amazing performances by ben foster, woody harrelson and a super amazing samantha morton. if you appreciate good acting, great considering samantha morton, rent this film.

'(500) Days of Summer' Recut as a Thriller

'The Big Gay Musical' on DVD and Blu Ray *1/2stars

a silly romp that takes on some serious topics in a retelling of 'adam and steve'. the music and lyrics are mostly inane and definitely forgettable. i think it can only appeal to those who enjoy camp. if i want camp i'll revisit 'valley of the dolls' or 'the legend of lylah clare' which are sooooo bad that they are make good camp.

'Precious' Now on DVD and Blu Ray: ***1/2stars

i have to admit i avoided 'precious' when it was released. i just didn't want to deal with incest, child abuse and the poverty depicted. i come from nyc where i saw all this first hand especially when i taught in an inner-city school. well i have now seen it on blu ray and have to say it is great bordering on brilliant. it is gritty and real. it can even seem hopeful. i highly recommend 'precious' now.

it also is yet one more oscar nominated film that could have won the oscar for 'best picture' over the dreadful 'the hurt locker'.

'The Lovely Bones' on DVD and BluRay: *1/2

not even rachel weisz, mark wahlberg, saoirse ronan or the brilliant stanley tucci were, are, able to save this overdrawn movie. admittedly i was not a fan of the novel but this adaptation is 10 times more boring. skip it!

'Up in the Air': ***1/2stars

i had no desire to see this film when it opened. i had been disappointed by most of george clooney's films. color me wrong! thank the gods for netflix. this is one helluva brilliant film. i now think it was the best film of 2009. and clooney was brilliant and brilliantly supported by the always amazing vera farmiga and the up and coming anna kendrick. director jason reitman has made a classic film.

so now i had to re-look at and readjust my best of the past decade and add this brilliant work. and as an aside it also has the best opening credits i've ever seen on film.

'Nine':B+

Screw the critics. I thought 'NINE' could not be made. The fact is the Broadway show was not made.
Rob Marshall used the musical as a starting point to make something more cinematic. He got it!
Truth be told Ii enjoyed it more than 'Chicago' that was poorly cast.

'NINE' has near perfect casting.
Day-Louis, Dench, Fergie,Cruz and surprisingly, for me, Nicole all shined.
The exception being Kate Hudson. What the hell was she doing in this ensemble?

The true gift was the performance of Marion Cotillard as Luisa. Needing to be sad or angry or sweet she had it all and gave it her all. She's extraordinary she is as she goes from jubilation to desperation without missing a beat. I'm falling in love with this woman...this damn good actress. It's not by accident that Marshall had Marion wear a little black dress, Audrey Hepburn style, and then basically recreated Audrey's 'Roman Holiday' screen test for Marion's character. Inspired!

The Films of 2009 in 3 Minutes