My Not-so-bold 2011 Oscar Predictions

Here are my not-so-bold predictions for tonight's Academy Awards. My predictions are based on precursors, industry insider selections and a few on personal taste. The only race that seems to be like a real horse race is the one for supporting actress between Melissa Leo (THE FIGHTER) and Haillee Steinfeld (TRUE GRIT). I was a believer in Leo, but after her self-promotion for the award, and further thinking about Steinfeld's impact on TRUE GRIT, I'll be pulling for the youngster during tonight's ceremonies.

If you're curious to see who I picked, particularly if you're in the pool I'm in (I'm looking in your direction Big D), you'll need to double-click on the picture of my picks below.

Good luck to Anne Hathaway and James Franco tonight. The early buzz has been bad for the show, so expectations are low. I think Franco may have a trick or two up his sleeve. Let's hope so.

GNOMEO AND JULIET

Photos courtesy of Miramax Films
A William Shakespeare classic romance gets the animated treatment with GNOMEO AND JULIET.

This Capulet/Montague struggle is set in modern times, with feuding next-door neighbors serving as the leaders of their factions. The factions are garden gnomes, the red ones as Capulets and the blue ones as the Montagues. In the midst of the gnomes backyard brawl, a blue gnome named Gnomeo and a red one named Juliet meet on neutral ground and fall in love.

With several different versions of Romeo and Juliet being displayed on the big screen, it was bound to be animated.

As many liberties as Baz Luhrmann took with his 1996 Leonardo DiCaprio/Claire Danes, MTV-stylized version of Romeo and Juliet, the wild director has nothing on GNOMEO AND JULIET. To call GNOMEO AND JULIET an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet is not really a just statement. To call it an excuse to capitalize on the classic’s timeless popularity is more accurate. GNOMEO AND JULIET is a thinly-veiled version of Romeo and Juliet, one which realizes as much on pop culture as it does the literary masterpiece.

References and source material aside, this kiddie romancer does have a few things going for it. A sub-plot involving a pink flamingo provides more substance then the central conceit, and an on-line add for lawn mowers, voiced by Hulk Hogan, delivers some much needed laughs. I also liked the inherent danger in being a garden gnome, and the clank or clink at which most of their encounters begin and end.

GNOMEO AND JULIET is loosely based on Romeo and Juliet, so much so, that it dodges the tragedy completely, and yet fails to capture much comedy in a genre that almost always demands it.

Grade: C

ANOTHER YEAR

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Writer-director Mike Leigh once again examines middle-class British angst, this time with the drama ANOTHER YEAR.

Leigh drops us into the world of Tom and Gerri, an upper-middle class couple that are happily married and dutifully employed. Tom is a geologist, while Gerri works as a guidance counselor in the public sector. Gerri works with Mary, an administrative assistant, who outwardly seems to be bright and bubbly, but upon further review isn’t so happy with her lot in life.

From time to time, Gerri invites Mary over to her home for dinner or drinks. This is where Mary finds herself the most comfortable, and also open to revealing her fears and inhibitions.

Mike Leigh films have never been heavy on plot, but ANOTHER YEAR really is nothing more and nothing less than a carefully observed character examination.

Tom and Jerri, played by Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen, serve as this drama’s foundation. Both provide wonderful, understated performances as well-adjusted professionals, parents and friends. They serve as our eyes and ears for understanding the issues that surround Mary, Tom’s friend Ken and his brother Ronnie.

In contrast, Mary is the film’s lightening rod. When Mary rolls into the dinner party, the summer cookout or just to pop in, she changes the atmosphere upon arrival. Mary is a difficult character, but is handled terrifically by actress Lesley Manville. Mary’s loose lips, nervous ticks and flirtation with Tom and Gerri’s son Joe pushes the limits when it comes to bearing an often annoying character. Yet through Manville’s eyes, and her weekend disposition, we can sense that these nuances are just the cusp of a deeper problem.

Leigh tells ANOTHER YEAR in exactly a year’s time, breaking down the film into four segments: spring, summer, fall and winter. By utilizing the seasons, Leigh alters the tone with each segment, and the emotional make-up of Mary. This choice also allows a smooth transition from segment to segment and some foreshadowing into our characters plights.

ANOTHER YEAR might not have as many grand things to say as past Leigh works, but it’s yet another brilliant dissection of everyday Brits.

Grade: B

TOP 10 OF 2010 (#10 - #6)

10) GREENBERG
Ben Stiller shows he’s more than just a funny guy in the comedy-drama GREENBERG. Stiller sacrifices his lovable nature and slips into the skin of Roger Greenberg, a complete jerk. Although Stiller’s humor still shines through, the talented actor delivers several layers to a flawed and tormented individual. Greta Gerwig is also terrific as Greenberg’s love interest, creating an apprehensive, masochistic and yet likable presence as Florence.


9) MARWENCOL

A traumatic experience provides the basis for the melancholy, oddly funny and moving documentary MARWENCOL. Mark Hogancamp was beat into a coma when five men jumped him outside of a bar one night. After therapy doesn’t work, Mark finds solace by creating a post-World War Two town where dolls inhabit his imaginative world. Through the interaction with the characters and situations he creates, Mark provides his own therapeutic experience, revealing a lot about his feelings, inhibitions and desires. MARWENCOL is an emotional wallop.


8) HEREAFTER

HEREAFTER is a moving and contemplative exploration of what lies ahead when our souls move on. Director Clint Eastwood taps into the synchronicity of Peter Morgan’s script and provides a haunting and emotional trek into the psyche of three fractured individuals. A terrific cast headlined by Matt Damon conveys various levels of grief in reflective and humanistic ways.

　
7) THE SOCIAL NETWORK

THE SOCIAL NETWORK examines our current state of societal affairs and an intriguing rise-to-the-top story of Facebook creator Mark Zuckerburg. Director David Fincher works a clever script by screenwriter Aaron Sorkin into an excellent morality tale, and benefits from a familiar, but no less effective performance from Jesse Eisenberg. The bookends to this drama are as wonderful and biting as any film last year.

　　
6) THE GHOST WRITER

As suspenseful as it is thrilling, THE GHOST WRITER is an original, edge-of-your-seat, overseas thriller. Following the death of the original writer, Ewan McGregor is called in as a ghost writer to pen the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang, played by Pierce Brosnan. The mystery that ensues is a throwback to yesteryear, building thrills and intensity from a myriad of characters and a plot that weaves its way in and out of hot-button political terrain.　

Photos courtesy of Focus Features, Open Face, Warner Bros. Pictures, Columbia Pictures and Summit Entertainment

TOP 10 OF 2010 (#1 - #5)

5) BLACK SWAN
Darren Aronofsky’s BLACK SWAN is a rare find, a horror film with substance. This psychological horror film benefits from a shockingly good performance from Natalie Portman. Portman stars as Nina, a ballet dancer cast as the leads in BLACK SWAN, as both the white and black swan. Nina’s gradual unravelling from prim and proper princess into a darker more disturbing individual is haunting thanks to Portman’s performance, and Aronofsky’s handling of the material.



4) 127 HOURS

Director Danny Boyle and star James Franco deliver a gut-wrenching, self-discovery drama with 127 HOURS. This true tale of outdoorsman Aarron Smith’s tragic fall and trappings in the cavernous rock formations in Utah is a harrowing, but inspirational awakening of one man’s soul. Boyle’s manic directorial eye is more subdued in 127 HOURS, but the talented director still leaves his mark. Franco delivers a performance that is straightforward and yet nonetheless effective, conveying anguish, despair and redemption with minimal dialogue.

3) MOTHER

The most thrilling movie of 2010 came from overseas with the Hitchcockian Korean film MOTHER. A desperate mother pulls out all the stops to prevent her son from spending a lifetime in prison in director Joon-ho Bong’s latest. THE HOST director has improved upon his already impressive early work, delivering a truly suspenseful mystery wrapped around one woman’s personal conundrum. Hye-ja Kim is mother, the anchor of this odd, funny, slightly disturbing and thrilling tale. Kim’s performance runs the gamut of emotions: anger, sadness, vengeance and elation, all conveyed with deep sincerity. The only thing rarer than Kim’s fine performance, is a genuinely shocking finish. MOTHER delivers both, and is as enriching as it is entertaining.

2) BLUE VALENTINE

Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams deliver a lifetime’s worth of emotions in the modern love story, BLUE VALENTINE, my runner-up as the best film of 2010. Gosling and Williams, as Dean and Cindy, along with co-writer and director Derek Cianfrance purely capture the thrill of falling in love and the heartbreak in seeing it end. Cianfrance wisely juxtapositions Derek and Cindy’s initial encounters and romance with their later marital struggles, lending a bittersweet touch to the flashbacks, and tear-jerking moments to the couples’ strained ending. BLUE VALENTINE wonderfully and painfully examines the honeymoon and when it is over.

1) INCEPTION

Writer-director Christopher Nolan’s science-fiction masterpiece is said to have been in the works for ten years, and it was worth every minute of it. This imaginative and explorative trip into the psyche of dreams and one man’s burdensome past is a feast for both the eyes and mind. Nolan enlists Leonardo Dicaprio to navigate us through the structure of one’s subconscious in spite of being oblivious of his own. Dicaprio is surrounded by a talented cast including Ellen Page, Michael Caine, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ken Wantanabee, but Nolan is the real star. The director’s visionary work is a complex experience built on philosophical, emotional and thematic pillars. INCEPTION is complicated, but Nolan’s skill in delivering this mind-blowing dramatic thriller is the ease at which his story is told through its narrative and visuals. INCEPTION is the cinematic event of the year, and my top film of 2010.

Photos courtesy of Fox Searchlight, Magnolia Pictures, The Weinstein Company and Warner Bros. Pictures

2010 Honorable Mentions (continued)

THE TOWN THE TOWN sounds a lot like an old-western and this modern day thriller feels just like one. Ben Affleck, just like Clint Eastwood, may find his best cinematic years behind, not in front of, the camera. Just like his directorial debut, GONE BABY GONE, Affleck captures the essence of his Beantown roots, creating authentic characters and intense confrontations from a plot that could have gone in the wrong direction. THE TOWN isn’t your average action film, one with brains and heart.

SHUTTER ISLAND Although SHUTTER ISLAND doesn’t break any new ground, it does feel frighteningly authentic thanks to director Martin Scorsese and actor Leonardo DiCaprio. This psychological horror film centers around a police investigation at a remote insane asylum and is terrifically creepy thanks to the aura Scorsese creates and the determined character that Dicaprio encompasses.　

FROZEN FROZEN is a well-orchestrated thriller that shrewdly adapts its surroundings into its participants perils. Three friends are marooned at the top of a ski-lift during sub-freezing temperatures for the weekend, and writer-director Adam Green finds plenty of obstacles outside of the weather to give FROZEN all of the chills it needs.

EDGE OF DARKNESS EDGE OF DARKNESS is another thriller that benefits from the forceful presence of Mel Gibson as a father seeking revenge for his daughter’s death, and a screenplay that doesn’t let anyone off-the-hook. This personal and political pot-boiler has more brawn than brains, but there’s enough intellect in the subtext to keep it from masquerading as standard action fare.

SALT
SALT, on the other hand, is extremely well orchestrated standard action fare. Angelina Jolie is a spy, or an agent, or a double-agent in this crazy, exhilarating and utterly entertaining romp from director Phillip Noyce. Noyce, who’s most recent works have been more serious, cuts loose with this fun and completely ridiculous mystery.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Anchor Bay Films and Warner Bros. Pictures

2010 Honorable Mentions

THE FIGHTER

Director David O’ Russell crafts the real-life tale of an underdog boxer into a best picture nominee with THE FIGHTER. Mark Wahlberg boxes his way towards a championship as prize fighter Micky Ward. Although his route to the title is tough, Micky’s bigger bout is with his antagonistic, but well-meaning family. O’Russell’s dissected family dynamics before, but not nearly as well in this realistic and emotional family drama. Melissa Leo and Christian Bale lose themselves in self-destructive, but hopeful characters.

TOY STORY 3, TANGLED and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

Although no animated features cracks my top ten in 2010, it was still a fine year for the genre. TOY STORY 3, TANGLED and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON each brings something unique for kids and their parents.

TOY STORY III picks up where one and two left off, dazzling us with thrilling action sequences, laugh-out loud jokes and heartfelt moments between Woody, Buzz and the rest of Andy’s favorite toys.

TANGLED is a throwback princess movie in the standard Disney mold. Although the lead characters are rather bland, the humor stemming from the film’s sidekicks was on-the-mark, and the magical moments are highlighted with a romantic scene on the sea and a terrific twirling montage with Rapunzel’s golden locks.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is Dreamworks finest from 2010. A friendship between former foes in a Viking and a dragon is reminiscent of another foreign friendship between an extraterrestrial and a boy named Elliott. Although not as exquisite as E.T., DRAGON still soars with terrific aerial shots and coliseum encounters, and even benefits from the 3D technology that many pictures still struggle to get right.

WINTER'S BONE

It’s not often that films cut to the core of basic human necessities, but WINTER’S BONE serves up a drama that is equally thrilling and moving. Jennifer Lawrence, at only 19, conveys a deep determination, tough attitude and wisdom beyond her years as the heroine of this gutsy tale of a teenager who must find her estranged dad to save her family and home. WINTER’S BONE is a riveting look into a slice of life that screenwriters typically avoid.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, Dreamworks Pictures and Roadside Attractions

The Worst Ten Films of 2010 (#6 - #10)

Thanks to the birth of my second daughter Claire, and a reduced production schedule, I avoided a lot of bad films in 2010, so much so, that I won’t call my list the worst films of 2010, but rather the worst films I saw in 2010. With that said, these ten should still be avoided.

10) MONSTERS
MONSTERS is an awkward love story with a monster movie as its backdrop, failing to ignite much passion or sparks between its leads. The impromptu screenplay hangs the romantic leads out to dry, while the monster moments are effective, but cut short by writer-director Gareth Edwards. The monsters are frightening, but they had nothing on the interaction between Whitney Able and Scoot McNairy.

9) THE RUNAWAYS

THE RUNAWAYS is a bio-picture about controversial girl rockers, featuring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning. The film may have seemed edgier, had it not been so boring. The on-stage performances by these young stars are convincing, but the backstage theatrics and melodrama make this Joan Jett coming-of-age production a real yawner.

8) LITTLE FOCKERS

Robert Deniro and Ben Stiller reunite for more odd encounters in LITTLE FOCKERS. Although Deniro and Stiller walk away unscathed, Jack and Greg did not, with a collection of screenwriters and director Paul Weitz forcing the characters into ludicrous and humorless situations. LITTLE FOCKERS plot involving Greg’s kids is just another excuse to drag out another series through Hollywood’s comedy remanufacturing plant.

7) COUNTRY STRONG

COUNTRY STRONG is neither strong, or very country. A weak narrative scattered amongst three country pop stars and their manager is completely hollow. The performances deliver second-rate tunes well enough, but it’s the other moments when their mouths are open that make this made-for-TV melodrama grating. Gwyneth Paltrow’s diva Kelly Canter is a new low for the actress. Despite the less than stellar screenplay, Paltrow draws no empathy for this miserable alcoholic.

6) WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS
Gordon Gecko returned from the dead, or at least from behind bars in the not-so-thrilling sequel, WALL STREET: MONEY NEVER SLEEPS. Michael Douglas reprises his role as Gecko, and Oliver Stone returns, but the controversial and talented director leaves his significant scripting and directing skills in the 80’s. Although money never sleeps, I nearly did gazing at the dollar signs wasted on this tedious retread.

Photos courtesy of Vertigo Films, River Road and Linson Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox

The Worst Ten Films of 2010 (#1 - #5)

5) LIFE AS WE KNOW IT

Tragedy and comedy collide in the romantic comedy mess LIFE AS WE KNOW IT. Katherine Heigel and Josh Duhamel are de facto surrogate parents after mutual friends die in an auto accident, leaving their young son in the hands of these singles. Even if you buy into the far-fetched set-up, there’s little to accept from these sometimes selfish and often foolish characters.

4) VALENTINE'S DAYThere’s nothing sweet that comes from VALENTINE’S DAY. This bloated, syrupy and ridiculous romantic comedy, mixes several story line and stars, each of which is less compelling then the next. Some things could only happen in the movies, and others could only happen in a Garry Marshall movie. This one is the latter.

3) COP OUT

COP OUT busts in minus any thrills or laughs. Writer-director Kevin Smith hits rock bottom with this so-called, buddy-cop comedy starring Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan and Sean William Scott. Each star is type cast in a role that is equally unfunny and annoying. The only thing less effective than Smith’s by-the-book script, is the half-hearted action sequences pasted in between the ineffective humor. COP OUT lives up to its title.

2) THE WOLFMAN

An Oscar pedigree encompasses the at-times, laugh-out loud, bad thriller and horror film THE WOLFMAN. Past Oscar nominees Anthony Hopkins and Benico Del Toro should have foreseen the unintended laughs in the film’s mono-y-mono finale as fighting wolves. What isn’t unintentionally funny, is extremely crude, following the standard werewolf set-up and payoff. Emily Blunt attempts to bring some levity to this nonsense, but is trumped by horrific and grotesque killings. Seriously, beware of THE WOLFMAN.

1) THE LAST AIRBENDER

The worst film I witnessed in 2010 was the nearly incomprehensible fantasy adventure, THE LAST AIRBENDER. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse for writer-director M. NIGHT SHYMALAN, it does, with this tame, lifeless and illogical tale of a magical child with unearthly powers. The Nickelodeon based film offers nothing for adults, and little for anyone else familiar with the animated series. Half-baked special effects, porous 3-D and some of the worst child performances of the year encompass this grand waste of imagination and dollars. Please, bend over backwards to avoid Shylaman’s last gasp of air.

Photos courtesy of Warner Brothers, Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures

RABBIT HOLE

Photos courtesy of Lionsgate Films
Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart grieve over the loss of their four-year old son in the drama RABBIT HOLE.

Eight months have passed since Becca (Kidman) and Howie’s (Eckhart) son Danny died, and the grieving process continues. They enroll in a support group for parents who have lost a child, but the group provides little support for what ails them. Making matters more difficult is the fact that Becca’s single sister, Izzy has recently become pregnant.

Becca and Howie work through mourning in different ways. Becca wants to put the memory of Danny behind her, while Howie finds comfort in watching old videos of his son.

Tackling the subject of grief, particularly the loss of a child, is a daunting task. RABBIT HOLE takes a mannered approach to the subject, and in spite of its best intentions, feels contrived and shallow.

Just like many other dramas, when the going gets tough for middle to upper class suburbanites, the middle to upper class suburbanites turn to pot smoking and possibly adultery.

In addition to these clichéd actions, the film at times feels stagy. The film is based on a stage play by David Lindsay-Abaire and some of the more dramatic moments play as such.

This is no fault of Kidman and Eckhart. Both actors convey genuine emotions in their portrayals, with Eckhart the more sympathetic of the two. Eckhart’s Howie wears his love for his son on his sleeve, remembering the fondest of times with his boy. Kidman’s Becca finds no solace in the memories, and seems to resent the fact that life goes on as usual around her. It’s through their performances that RABBIT HOLE does illicit signs of humanity.

RABBIT HOLE doesn’t wallow in shame, but the examination of grief, particularly that of losing a child, deserves better.

Grade: C

THE MECHANIC

Photos courtesy of CBS Films
An assassin trains his mentor’s son at his own sadistic trade in the action remake THE MECHANIC.

Jason Statham is Arthur Bishop, an assassin who’s mentor Harry, played by Donald Sutherland, is double-crossed and murdered. Following his death, Harry’s son Steve, played by Ben Foster, wants revenge and wants Arthur to teach him the tricks of the trade. Arthur reluctantly agrees, and eventually learns that Steve will be a difficult pupil.

In standard action movies, there are good guys and bad guys. In THE MECHANIC, there are bad guys and worse ones. This proves to be the Achilles Heel of the film, a film which demands a rooting interest.

The setup is simple enough to establish a hero and a villain, but this remake, based on the 1972 Charles Bronson revenge flick, seems to relish the fact that all of its participants have an evil streak.

THE MECHANIC may have been able to get away with nary a hero had the action delivered the goods. The early scenes are the most interesting, with Arthur relying on his cunning skills to escape would be assailants. Steve isn’t the sly type though, so the latter scenes are less reliant on execution, and more on brute force. These scenes do not play as well, sacrificing suspense for shock value.

The performances are decent, yet unimpressive. Foster is solid, delivering a quirky and weird sense to Steve, while Statham is workmanlike, continuing to be Hollywood’s deadpan Bruce Willis.

The film concludes with a bit of a twist, but I was hoping for some form of personal redemption. THE MECHANIC could have used a bit of a tune-up.

Grade: C

I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS

Photos courtesy of Europa Corp.

Jim Carrey falls for a fellow inmate in the romantic comedy I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS.

Carrey is former police officer, now inmate, Steven Russell. After a near-death experience in an automobile accident, Steven decides to come out of the proverbial closet. After divorcing his wife, played by Leslie Mann, and being booted from the police force, Steven desperately needs an income. Unable or unwilling to find employment, Steven generates money through faulty lawsuits involving injuries.

Eventually his life of fraud lands him in prison where he meets his soul mate in Phillip Morris, played by Ewan McGregor.

Romantic comedies typically don’t lend themselves to twists and turns, but thanks to Carrey and a script that wouldn’t seem plausible if it weren’t actually true, I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS delivers a refreshing blend of surprises, humor and romance.

Carrey, channeling his inner Ace Ventura, delivers a truly unique character, one which would typically be classified as a crook, but through his performance earns several big laughs. Steven’s fraudulent escapades seem more ornery than mean-spirited, and thanks to Carrey’s wild, funny and heartfelt antics we root for Steven to find his path in life.

Carrey’s counterpart McGregor doesn’t fare quite as well. McGregor’s Phillip is supposed to be as naïve and innocent as Steven is eccentric and outlandish, but the talented Brit has a hard time pulling it off. McGregor, just months shy of his 40th birthday, has been cast in a role that seems appropriate for someone half his age.

Nevertheless, screenwriters and directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa structure the screenplay to make the romance between Steven and Phillip not only plausible, but sincere.

I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS isn’t a romantic comedy for everyone, but for those a bit more adventurous, this gay prison laugher is no fraud.

Grade: B

THE GREEN HORNET

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures
A medial mogul’s son takes over the family business and also becomes a crime fighter in the latest superhero film, THE GREEN HORNET.

Seth Rogan is Britt Reid, a reckless twenty-something thrust into the role of newspaper owner after the untimely death of his father. Although Britt takes over a powerful role in the media world, he becomes more fascinated with his father’s cars and Kato, the mechanic behind the machines.

Britt decides with Kato’s souped-up rides and fighting skills, the two should masquerade as superheroes during the night, beating up bad guys and more or less having fun.

Just as Britt and Kato are thinly disguised as superheroes, so THE GREEN HORNET is thinly disguiseed as a superhero movie.

THE GREEN HORNET is first and foremost a buddy comedy, attempting to capitalize on Rogan’s recent popularity and boyish charm. This works in flashes, but the film begs for something more.

A flimsy script is held together by adequate action sequences that fail to ignite, and performances that deserve to be in a better film. Rogan and Jay Chou, as Kato, make for an unlikely, but effective duo, with Chou’s pitch-perfect deadpan reactions to Rogan’s wisecracking and childish tricks. Adding some extra fun to the mix is Christoph Walz as the Green Hornet’s nemesis Chudnofsky, the crime kingpin of LA. As he did in INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, Walz chews up every scene he’s in. Chudnofsky is as over-the-top as one should and could expect.

In spite of the right performers in the right roles, THE GREEN HORNET’s screenplay seems to be on auto-pilot, and the direction by the talented Michel Gondry is lackluster.

THE GREEN HORNET may be a buddy comedy, but it’s one that could have used a little more sting.

Grade: C

HOW DO YOU KNOW

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures
A former team USA softball star finds herself in limbo in love and softball in the latest James Brooks romantic comedy, HOW DO YOU KNOW.

Resse Witherspoon is Lisa, a softball veteran recently cut by team USA, who isn’t sure what to do now that she isn’t playing the game. Lisa is dating Matty, a womanizing, but likable Washington Nationals relief pitcher played by Owen Wilson. She’s also been set up by one of her friends on a blind date with George, a businessman who is about to be indicted by the feds.

George, played by Paul Rudd, is in legal hot water, and is left to sink or swim by the company’s CEO and owner, Charles, his father, played by Jack Nicholson.

HOW DO YOU KNOW would be an interesting companion piece to Ricky Gervais’s THE INVENTION OF LYING. Gervais’s comedy was a somewhat scathing look at what life would be like if everyone told the truth. THE INVENTION OF LYING was occasionally funny, but drenched in cynicism.

HOW DO YOU KNOW features four characters who also always tell the truth, ones which wear their emotions on their sleeves, and a script that is hopeful about human nature. Although the dialogue in HOW DO YOU KNOW doesn’t always sound realistic, it does evoke emotions from the characters that are honest and revealing.

By allowing his characters to speak their minds and their hearts, director James Brooks has concocted a messy, but thoroughly enjoyable romantic comedy, one which adeptly balances both humor and heart.

A film like this wouldn’t work without strong and likable leads. Witherspoon and Rudd are naturally charming, but do not have an instant spark. This actually plays to the strength of HOW DO YOU KNOW by allowing both Lisa and George time to learn about one another and fall in love.

Owen Wilson also creates a winner in Matty, a confused womanizer who believes he’s finally met the woman for him. By creating such a strong supporting character, Matty creates suspense for Lisa’s romantic decision.

The only disappointment is Nicholson, who is saddled as the controlling father figure, and is alloted only a last minute moment of redemption.

HOW DO YOU KNOW is not a conventional romantic comedy, allowing the viewer to not only see within the characters, but also hear it.

Grade: B-

LITTLE FOCKERS

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures
Ben Stiller is still vying for Robert Deniro’s approval after all these years in the comedy LITTLE FOCKERS.

Stiller again reprises his role as Greg Focker, the lovable, but flawed son-in-law of Jack Byrnes, played by Deniro. While reviewing the Byrnes family tree, Jack has a mild heart attack and begins to assess his family’s structure. As the family patriarch, Jack believes Greg is the man to take over that role once he has moved on. Greg still has a few things to prove though.

The title LITTLE FOCKERS would lead you to believe that this third installment of the MEET THE PARENTS series would focus on Greg’s kids and his life as a father. Wrong, this is more of a side note, and an excuse to drag out another series through Hollywood’s comedy remanufacturing plant.

The jokes are as flat as this three-film drawn-out plot of Greg trying to win over Jack’s approval. For every minor joke that hits, there are several wrong-headed jokes and scenes that don’t. Whether it’s Jessica Alba assisting Greg with inserting a tube up a man’s rectum, Greg providing Jack a shot after taking a pill for erectile dysfunction or Greg and Jack engaged in a slugfest at Greg’s son and daughter’s fifth birthday party, there’s little that director Paul Weitz and a collection of screen writers get right.

A proverbial who’s who of actors encompass the cast including Dustin Hoffmann, Barbara Streisand, Harvey Keitel, Laura Dern, Blythe Danner, Owen Wilson and the aforementioned Alba, but their appearances serve more as cameos than characters. Although Stiller and Deniro go unscathed with their performances, the scenarios they find their characters involved in are either ludicrous or tired.

Here’s to LITTLE FOCKERS being the last Greg and Jack reunion, for their sake and ours.

Grade: D+

THE TOURIST

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

Angelina Jolie seduces Johnny Depp aboard a European locomotive in the thriller THE TOURIST.

Depp is Frank, an American tourist headed towards Venice in hopes of soaking up the sights and forgetting his ex. Jolie is Elise, a woman caught up in her husband’s escapades and also in harm’s way. In order to throw off her pursuers, Elise chooses Frank, an apparently innocent, but willing participant in her twisted game.

THE TOURIST feels like a softened and less thought out version of the unheralded, but clever little thriller A PERFECT GETAWAY.

Both films are thrillers set across exotic landscapes, with attractive leads and a mystery biting at its core. Not only does THE TOURIST not thrill like A PERFECT GETAWAY, but the revelation in this romantic thriller feels false and forced.

All may have been forgiven had Depp and Jolie been able to create any sparks in the chemistry department. Both former Sexiest People of the Year, the steam between the two is surprisingly absent, and the rest of the screenplay, penned by four writers, including director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck doesn’t provide any assistance.

Henckel von Donnersmarck, who directed the brilliant thriller THE LIVES OF OTHERS, fails to find the right tone for THE TOURIST. The proceedings are too laid back, capturing the beauty of the European countryside and Venice canals, but failing to nail down any intensity in the mystery, the love affair or the police investigation. Depp, Jolie and Henckel von Donnersmarck are wasted, as are a name supporting cast consisting of Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton and Rufus Sewell.

THE TOURIST is nothing more than pretty faces and landscapes.

Grade: C-

TRON

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

The creator of video games and a major corporation finds himself trapped in one of his own creations in the science fiction adventure TRON: LEGACY.

Jeff Daniels is Kevin Flynn, the owner of a successful technology company who still enjoys working on the ground level of the industry, continuing to experiment with the possibility of virtual explorations for mankind. Kevin is a father to his 12-year old son Sam, and a widower. One night after putting his son to bed, Kevin heads to his arcade for more research and experimentation. He never returns.

Twenty-years later Sam is now the majority owner of his father’s corporation, when his surrogate father and a board member of the corporation receives a page from the arcade that Sam’s father once owned. Sam travels to the arcade, and discovers the porthole to the virtual reality his father created.

TRON: LEGACY is a visual and auditory feast, the quintessential moving picture of 2010. TRON: LEGACY is such an entertaining film in those regards that you almost forget that it doesn’t amount to much.

This science-fiction flick is much more fiction than science, leaping into a virtual world and never looking back. Where a more cerebral film would have explored technology’s impact on society, or at the very least explored something more than surface material, TRON: LEGACY is what it is, a video and audio celebration of technology.

The world of Tron is a unique experience, creating a land that is imaginative and futuristic, but also simplistic enough to follow its concepts and limitations. Means of transportation appear from thin air, the characters often move in sync to the film’s soundtrack and the palette of colors is limited, but effective.

First-time film director Joseph Kosinski’s experience with art direction in video games and commercials pays off in TRON: LEGACY, even if a collection of screenwriters don’t provide much assistance in regards to plot or characterization.

Letting the soundtrack play and the images unwind, TRON: LEGACY is easily enjoyed as a mind-numbing, but sensory-invigorating trip inside a video game.

Grade: B-