Four Sheets to the Wind (2007)

This is not a very good movie.  The acting is fine between the two leads - the siblings Cofe and Miri.  Miri is a messed up gal living in Tulsa, drinking too much, going thru the guys, and stealing to make ends meet.  When her father dies, she goes home for the funeral and re-connects with her family, particularly her younger brother.  Cofe then visits her in Tulsa.  Cofe meets a girl, there is some drama with the sis, mom starts dating.  There is no end or resolution, which is fine.  What is not fine is the lame dialogue, poorly set up shots, and crappy acting by the supporting cast. 

I would pass on this. 

We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)

This is an interesting and disturbing film.  It is about a family with a son, Kevin, who goes to school and kills people when he is just shy of 16.  Kevin's mom, played by Tilda Swinton, knows that something is wrong with Kevin, but can never get her husband, played by John C. Reilly, to believe her.  The acting is superb.  I was particularly blown away by Jasper Newell, who plays Kevin at around 8 or so.

The problem with this movie for me was the tone. The use of occasional humor (religious people knocking at the door and asking if the mom knows where she is spending the afterlife) and a folk music soundtrack did not work for me.  The tension in this movie was appropriate, and should have been left as it was.  The story was told primarily in flashbacks, which the camera focused on Kevin smashing cereal or picking at a scar.  These images disturbed and were effective, but the over-riding banjo music did not fit. 

I would still recommend if you can handle the topic.  Although the whole movie is off, the acting is top notch.

Woman in Black (2012)

I was scared!!  This movie is rated PG-13 and I was checking behind the couch for monsters.  There is virtually no blood, but plenty of mist, doorknobs turning, a woman in the shadows, children rising from the grave - you get the idea.  It is really spooky and unsettling.  I liked it.

Daniel Radcliffe plays a young attorney assigned to clean up the estate of an obviously haunted, very isolated house.  Nice setup and well executed.  And watch for Janet McTeer!  She rocks.

Safe House (2012)

This is much better than the typical action adventure flick! There are no surprises in the plot; if you've seen LA Confidential or the Bourne movies you'll ID the bad guy in the first 15 minutes.

There are surprises in the execution. The fight scenes are often ugly and brutal rather than stylized and easy-looking. Ryan Reynolds sweats when he's nervous or scared, gets hurt and looks like he's ready to collapse. I like that. There's a great death scene. There's a couple good car chases. And Denzel was way better than he has been recently, though his action scenes are getting really unbelievable. I would watch this again, which is something.

Battle Royale (2000)

Somewhere on the spectrum after Lord of the Flies and before the Hunger Games, we have Battle Royale.  In Japan after the Millenium, kids are out of control, so the government kidnaps a 9th grade class each year and drops them on an island.  The last survivor wins.  Of course there is infighting and paranoia and panic, but there is also friendship and love and absolute nut-jobs who love to kill.

This is Japanese, so there are geysers of red red blood and the kids are in uniform.  It's more than a bit sick, and really great.  Takeshi Kitano plays the messed-up adult who eats cookies while they battle, and his scenes are some of the best.  This guy does so much with an impassive face that it astonishes me every time I see him.  Plus the movie has a couple scenes that are a bit fantasy-like; I found myself asking - did that really happen?  Did someone imagine that?  Does that mean something?  Needless to say, I'm watching it again.

Supposedly this is Quentin T's fav movie.  I can see why.  Pick it up.

Rampart (2011)

I am astounded and amazed (yes amazed!) that Brad Pitt got nominated for Moneyball but Woody H was denied for this one. This is a great movie with complex characters and performances. IMDB users are giving it a 6 out of 10 at this time, which is probably why it wasn't nominated.

Woody plays a dirty / renegade cop who lives with his two ex-wives (who happen to be sisters) and two daughters in a house or group of houses / apartments in LA. He doesn't eat, appears to be very ill, drinks and smokes non-stop, and spews racial crap. He beats people up, kills people, steals, gets caught on video, and all the while tries to make it home for dinner with his girls.

His life is a disaster. He is under investigation, finding defense attorneys, figuring out how to pay for defense attorneys, you name it. The director, Oren Moyerman, did a fantastic job portraying a really crazy character. Also, virtually ever role in this film is played by a star - even one paragraph performances. And they are all great. No screen hogging, just a great film. I watched it twice - I recommend you pick it up.

Pariah (2011)

I cannot believe Glenn Close got an Oscar nomination for Albert Nobbs and Adepero Oduye did not for portraying the older daughter in this movie, Alike. (And I would still pick Elizabeth Olsen over both of them.)

Alike is gay, and her parents know it but don't want to admit it. Her parents have a very troubled marriage, and it seems Alike's mother would rather focus her anger and hurt on Alike's inability to dress in pink and wear makeup than on her husband's infidelity. This is a messed up family. The fights between the parents are nuts, and the atmosphere of the house is very tense.

In the midst of this mess, Alike is trying to deal with being 17, being gay, being horny, feeling alone, and all the other teenage nasty bullshit. And she knows her parents question every item of clothing she wheres and every statement she makes for signs of straight versus gay. No wonder the girl wants to leave early for college in California.

This is not a great movie, but the performances are great. It's a good rental.