Renee's In Town

I am beyond thrilled when movies surprise me - and that's just what the new Renee Zellweger romantic comedy, New in Town, did this weekend. This movie flew in well below radar. I didn't see a trailer for this film, a tv promo, an article - nothing, until about two weeks before its release. And factoring in that it's January, this was not a good sign. The trailer I eventually did see was nothing to write home about. Look at the poster, for crying out loud. It's a bad poster. But all this aside, I was very pleased with this film. It was charming, sweet and had quite a few laughs. New in Town is a treat.

Bashir and Nominations

It's been pretty sparse this year for foreign films. I missed my opportunity to see I've Loved You So Long, so catching a viewing of Waltz with Bashir was a good thing. Almost a kind of documentary, Bashir tells the story of Ari (who also wrote and directed the picture), a former Israeli soldier who realizes there are gaps in his memory surrounding his military service. He then sets off on a quest to try to remember the truth. Bashir was really engrossing. I was hooked from beginning to end. Waltz with Bashir is completely deserving of its Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.

And speaking of Oscar nominations - what the heck happened this week? Where were the Best Director and Best Picture noms for The Dark Knight? Where was the love for Revolutionary Road? Why was Marisa Tomei invited to the ceremony? And why, for the love of God, why was Rosemarie DeWitt not nominated?

World War II

Defiance is the extraordinary true story of the Bielski brothers. After the murder of their parents, four brothers, along with countless strangers, retreat into the Belarussian forest in order to survive and avoid being sent to concentration camps. Shamefully overlooked by awards and praise, I think Defiance deserves to be included when discussing the best films of the year. The story here is remarkable and I think the performances - especially by Craig, Schreiber and Bell - were all exceptional.

Following along with our theme for the week is Valkyrie. Plagued by rumors and bad press, I'm pleased to report that this untold story of an attempted Hitler assassination has been unfairly criticized. Valkyrie works very well as a thriller and was quite suspenseful.

Love Is In The Air

Another advance screening this week. This time it was Last Chance Harvey starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. This is another splendid film in the all too rare category of good adult story telling and romance. As Harvey, Hoffman is dealing with losing his job and finding out that his daughter has chosen her step-father to give her away at her wedding. His path crosses with Kate (Thompson), a lonely woman looking for love and happiness. Harvey and Kate connect and through their sadness they find something uplifting in one another. Last Chance Harvey is a very entertaining film. Hoffman and Thompson are a treat together.

Like September, January has traditionally been the dumping ground for Hollywood's crap movies. However, in recent years, January has produced some surprisingly entertaining films - Cloverfield, 27 Dresses and Alpha Dog to name a few. Adding to that list is Bride Wars. Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway star as best friends turned enemies when their dream weddings are accidentally scheduled on the same day. The cast here was my biggest apprehension. I didn't think I would buy Hudson and Hathaway as best friends. I was thrilled to be pleasantly surprised. Hudson and Hathaway worked really well together. Hudson's tough as nails attorney was a great compliment to Hathaway's sweet as can be teacher. Bride Wars was very cute and I found myself laughing quite often.

Christmas Leftovers

Saw a couple more movies over the holidays. Just some quick reviews.

Darren Aronofsky's new film, The Wrestler, was good. Mickey Rourke, as the past his prime wrestler dealing with loneliness, was solid and I thought Evan Rachel Wood, in a very small role, packed a nice punch.

In Gran Tornio, Clint Eastwood plays the most racist, multiple gun owning old man you'll probably ever meet - and it's pretty fun to meet him. I had an enjoyable time while watching this movie, but it's clearly not the "Eastwood Oscar Bait" we've seen consistently over the last few years.

All About Kate

This Monday I was treated to a double dippin' of Winslet. Kate Winslet. In The Reader she plays Hanna Schmitz, an older woman who has a passionate love affair one summer with a much younger high school boy, Michael Berg (David Kross). After the abrupt end of their relationship, their paths cross years later when Michael is a law student and Hanna, a former concentration camp guard, is on trial for murder. I saw one reviewer describe Winslet's performance as "devastating." That is 100% accurate. Winslet, and parts of the film, are completely devastating and just heart breaking to watch. In addition to Winslet, I think Kross (who is only 18!) deserves some recognition for his work on this film also. He was really great and at times carried the weight of the world on his young shoulders better than a man twice his age. Ralph Fiennes, who portrays Michael as an older man, also gives a fine performance and is able to continue Kross's indifference and love with great success. The Reader is a fantastic film.

My second helpin' of Winslet came via an advance screening of Revolutionary Road, costarring Leonardo DiCaprio. Director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) again treats us to a slice of American suburbia, this time in 1950's Connecticut. The performances of DiCaprio and Winslet are what stand out from Revolutionary Road. As Frank and April Wheeler, each is unhappy in their cookie cutter lives, but each go about dealing and coping with it in different ways. What's glorious about this film is the knock-down-drag-out fights between the Wheelers. To see DiCaprio and Winslet travel the full range of emotions and do it to such a high magnitude is terrific. I do have to mention the small, but great supporting role Michael Shannon played. He stole every scene he was in. Neither The Reader or Revolutionary Road will leave you feeling particulary happy, but I took comfort in the fact that I had just seen two remarkable films.

And you gotta give it up to Winslet. How she has not won an Oscar yet, I'll never understand. Hopefully this will be her winning year. She's at the top of her game in these films. As DiCaprio said, she really is the best actress of her generation.