Crazy Heart (2009)

Jeff Bridges stars in this Academy Award winning role as "Bad" Blake a once great Country musician who is down on his luck. Jeff Bridges is one of my favorite actors and I'll love anything he in. This film has a lot goin right for it, great acting, great writing and great music.

Bad Blake is going through a rough patch in his life. Hes taking life hard to the bottle and hasn't wrote a new song in 3 years which results in no record opportunities nor big gigs. Following on small bar show he gives an interview to a local reporter, Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal), through a few interview sessions the two become very close. She knew the risks before begining a relationship with Bad, but she caved anyway. She often would urge him to quit drinking or at least not drink in front of her son, and just when he seems to be making a real change his drinking causes him to lose her son at a mall, and finally forces himself into AA.

I can't help but compare the style of this film to another great from '08 The Wrestler. It is very similar to that, in regards to the main character at least, just with 2 different outcomes.

The performances of Bridges and Gyllenhaal ar fantastic and great minor appearences from Robert Duvall and Colin Ferral. I havn't yet seen all the nominees for Best Actor but I doubt any of them will be as good to me as Bridges was.

And as with many automatically great films, it makes you care about the characters. I cannot stress enough how important this is in writing screenplays because if you don't care about what happens to the characters...then what was the point in the film?


This was an overall good film that anyone who like Jeff Bridges, Country Music or Musical Biopics should give a watch.

Crazy Heart recieves 7 "Achievers"...out of 10.

A Serious Man (2009)

My Relationship with Coen brothers film have been a wild. Easily a love hate relationship, no inbetween. I loved Big Lebowski, Fargo and O' Brother but absolutely hated No Country, Burn After Reading and Ladykillers. I think this is the first of their that fall Inbetween didn't hate it but didn't love it. And thats the easiest way to describe the film.

Quite frankly NOTHING happens in this film. It is simply just someone's life. It could be anyone so the acting is nothing special since the reactions are generic.


It's just about a Physics teacher who deals with some hardships in life. He bores his students and deals with a failing South Korean who bribes and threatens him. Has to put up with his incompetant brother and his giant neck boil, his wife seeing another man and wanting a divorce. Additionally dealing with 2 annoying and uncaring kids with one nearly becoming a man at his Bar Mitzvah.

And one thing that really pisses me off with Coen brother films is the endings. The majority of their film build up to a big climax and then just ends with out any resolution. I think this was the worst ending of the bunch that I've seen of theirs.


A Serious Man was a Seriously boring film and nothing happens. Save yourself the time and skip this

A Serious Man recieves 4 "Bowling Balls"...out of 10

When You're Strange (2010)

A documentary about my favorite band of all time, this is the film I've been waiting for. This is the anti-Oliver Stone film, which I loved, but this is the real deal. Restored footage of the American-Born equivilent of The Rolling Stones. I give you The Doors, as narrated by Johnny Depp.

When You're Strange chronicles the tumultuous times of America's most influential band, The Doors and their iconic frontman, Jim Morrison. It details through footage shot by the band, their rise from jamming in a small apartment to playing the big venues like MSG.

One thing I really liked about this was that it did give some focus Krieger, Densmore, and Manserak but as any fan knows Morrison was the one the people came to see. The doc portrays Morrison from his time as a UCLA Film School Dropout to becoming the Epitome of the Rock 'n' Roll frontman and his descent into the world of drugs, recovery and back.

For me it is sad because they are my favorite band and I'll never get the chance to see them live. But at least music live on forever and Morrison depp poetry-like lyrics will always be playing on my speakers.

I would recommed this for any fan of REAL talented music but the DVD doesn't come out till late June. I wanted to see this in theaters but they were only playing it in NYC, and with train tickets these days that deterred me. But luckily PBS decided to play it and I got to see real, raw footage of the Greatest band in American History. R.I.P. JM

Brothers (2009)

It's not often that I may say this about a particularily bad film but if it had been a little bit longer it would have been better. It felt very rushed and before I knew it, the film was at its climax. Which they basically show in trailers.

This film has a few major flaws and leaves me wondering if there are any ORIGINAL ideas left in Hollywood. This was basically a feature length film of the romance aspect of 2001's Pearl Harbor. Being that one guy (Tobey Maguire - Sam) goes off to war, is pronounced dead. Then a friend, or brother in this case (Jake Gyllenhaal - Tommy), begins a relationship with the fallen mans wife or girlfriend (Natalie Portman - Grace). But it turns out he is not dead and it ruins everyone's relationships. except in this film Tommy and Sam's wife do not hook up, it's all in Sam head.

The other subject the film borrows from is Homer's Odyssey. Sam's heli goes down in Afghanistan and is captured by terrorists. The only thing that keeps him going it the hope to one day see his wife again. I love anything to do with ancient greece but i'm getting tired of movies borrowing the subject and I'm still wating for a big-budget production of the actual Odyssey. So if I want to if people apparently want to see the Odyssey...why not make the actual movie. There has only been one acceptable substitute in Oh Brother Where Art Thou.

There is no point in giving a real summary because weve seen it all before. The acting on the other hand was very sub par for these "established" actors. Nothing was believable their grief their anger it just felt they were...just acting, not getting into the role. Portman's role gets a pass because if she didn't seem sincere in her grief it's because her character did not feel like Sam was dead. I am no fan of Tobey Maguire and this did not help my opinion of him. I still have hope for Gyllenhaal though. I hoping he can give a good name to video game - movie conversions.

Brothers recieves 5.5 "Frank the Rabbits"...out of 10

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)

Heath Ledger's final film, a subject that has overshadowed his final 2 films (this and Dark Knight), but for good reason...the man was good at what he did. Even if Ledger had not died I would have been excited for this film because it is written and Directed by one of my favorites, Terry Gilliam, of Monty Python fame who also directed (Time Bandits and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen), so im already a fan of his work. So when Ledger died I was saddened for 2 reasons, he was gone and this movie was in danger of being scrapped. But Terry Gilliam was able to save the film and re-worked some of the script in order to replace Ledger.

The title comes from the traveling troop that the film centers around. The Imaginarium is actually a portal into the head of Dr. Parnassus (Similar to the film Being John Malcovich). At the beginning a young drunk man wonders beyond the mirror and into the imaginarium, where he face plants and his appearence changes. I believe signifying that "bad" people change in there. This is how they justify the use of Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Ferral, every time Tony (Ledger) enters the imaginarium his appearence changes into one of those 3. It is rather sad the Ledger first scene in the film is him hanging by the neck off a bridge...

The majority of the film center around to relationships. Dr. Parnassus vs. Mr. Nick, who represents The Devil. And the relationship between Tony and Valentina (The Dr.'s daughter). Parnassus is well over 1000 years old after making a deal of immortality with Mr. Nick. But for years he has been trying to win back his soul, through a series of bets about who can collect the most souls. Finally with Tony and his charm and charisma Parnassus finally has a chance to win.

The film can be a bit confusing so you need to pay a great deal of attention. The acting was fine, I kinda wish Ledger had done some more comedic roles because the lines in his last 2 films have been great. Christopher Plummer (Parnassus), Verne Troyer (Percy) amd Tom Waits (Mr. Nick) all have great chemistry together together. Altough Waits' voice can be difficult to understand at times. My only demerit towards it is I think they should have just used Johnny Depp to replace Ledger, He actually kinda looks like him and hes a helluva better actor then the other two.

This is a movie the I would say go out and rent especially if your a Monty fan like I am.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus recieves 7 "We miss you Heath Ledger's"...out of 10

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

Let's start with one simple word: Overrated.

There was a lot of hype surrounding this film but I was kinda let down. I always love a good detective story. I never actually read any of the Doyle stories but, as Im sure many people do, I know enough about the characters. But I love dectective novels and Holmes is the greatest Literary detective in history. But as for this version of the film it just does catch the awe that the books might hold.

The big disappointment for me was suprisingly RDJ, with his monotonous voice and 10 mile stare. I think they were trying to make him appear to be a thinking man but it just comes off as awkward. I thought Jude Law was goin to the Achilles Heal of the film but he actually make for a pretty good supporting character in Watson. Rachael McAdams was lovely as usual as Irene Adler. The thing the makers got best was definatly the scenery. The really captured the essence of Late 19th Century London.

I do not know If the plot parrallels any of Doyle's stories until the ending when they become aware of Holmes' archenemy. No to much hapenns in the film though, They thwart the plans of a Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) who is then hanged. He rises from the grave then the rest of the movie deal with them trying to recapture him. And as with most detectives, the whole revelation of the entire plot at the end, it just wasnt satisfying. I could care less how Blackwood got away with it and the real was nothing more than cheap parlor tricks.

I have to say that I was dissappointed in this film. There have been talks of a sequel, this already sounds like a good idea because it could have been a lot better and at least the sequel would have a worthy villain.

Sherlock Holmes recieves 5 "Dudes playin' the dude, disguised as another dude!"..out of 10

2012 (2009)

There is just far to much wrong with this shit-fest of a film. For a few main reasons...

This films only purpose was to capitalize on the 2012 theories craze that the world wants to buy into. I have a strong dislike for anything just just tries to capitolize on a fad that isnt Pokemon or Spongebob. Except for True Blood because that is one of the best shows on TV.

Then the 2nd big issue is it is way way way way way too longgggg. This film clocks in at about 160 minutes (2:40 hrs). For the subject its way beyond what it needs to be. If I want to watch nearly 3 hours of end of the world theories Ill watch the History Channel, itll be more entertaing and itll use actual facts. With it length and constant use of meaningless scenes I was often left confused and had now idea what was happening. And even weirder, despite how dragging it may be..it feels rushed, I do not know what to make of this.

The acting was subpar except for Oliver Platt who pulled off the idea of the typical American Politican pretty good, and I am not a fan of his work. By the main man John Cusak, another person I am not a fan of (true I havnt seen what many deem his best work...in due time). Overall It just didnt feel like the emotion was there considering the world was about to end. A rare bright spot was Woody Harrelson's cameo as the woodsman/radio personality/end of the world theorist who lives off of pickles and beer in a winnebago

The plot was just rife with confusion, I couldn't figure out what was causing the destruction, at first it the Sun then its the Chinese and along the way they just lose you. And then when the main group is escaping first there in L.A. then Vegas, Paris, Hawaii and finally China. Just no...

Do not waste time or money renting this movie, if your desperate get it from the library, it's just a bug budget shit fest that could have been an hour shorter and still been more effective.

2012 recieves 4.5 "Pickles"...out of 10