The Lincoln Lawyer was a solid legal thriller. Good story and pretty entertaining. I thought I'd be thinking of Jake Brigance the entire time, but I wasn't. McConaughey did a good job. It was kinda fun to see he and Josh Lucas share the screen - good to know they're not the same person. Haha!
I loved Paul! I thought this movie was really clever and super funny! Go see Paul!
Battle: Los Angeles got railed on by the critics, but it's really not that bad. It reminded me of other ensemble military action flicks like Black Hawk Down, although it's not quite as good. Good characters (Eckhart!!), a fine enough story and plenty of action throughout. A nice introduction to the big action blockbusters of the year.
That being said, Take Me Home Tonight is a movie that should have opened in January or September. The long delayed film was somewhat of a bore to sit through and it just wasn't very funny.
The Adjustment Bureau was supposed to open in July 2010. After seeing it, I can see why it was moved to March of this year (after being slated for September of last year as well). That's not a negative in this case. I think it would have gotten lost among all of the summer blockbusters. I really liked this movie! What I adored was the interaction between Damon and Blunt. It was irresistible. My only complaint is that I wanted more of it. Actually, that would be my only complaint for the entire picture - I think it could have been longer and more detailed. As it is, it's a very tight picture and very entertaining, but I would have enjoyed an expanded version that explored everything a little more. I'll have to wait for the DVD.
The Oscars weren't particularly exciting this year...chalk it up to predictability. No surprise winners (mild surprise for Best Director) and no stunning moments from the broadcast. Franco and Hathaway got slammed for their lackluster hosting abilities, but I think more fault lies with the producers and writers of the show for not giving them good material to work with. They did the best with what they had, which wasn't much. I did think that Bullock was the best presenter - of course. Here's a pic of the well deserved winners.
I remember when The Company Men played at Sundance in January 2010. It got great reviews and I thought it'd be an Oscar contender this year, but the buzz for it kind of fizzled. It is a good movie, though. Fine performances and a good story. I wish it had just a little more heart, but otherwise a reasonably solid film.
While in California, I checked out the new Liam Neeson thriller Unknown. Neeson's carved out a nice action hero niche for himself and Unknown is a nice addition to his resume. My only complaint is that it seemed a little too long, but otherwise I thought it was a pretty fun action thriller. And I agree with my movie going companion - very Jason Bourne-y. :)
Have the Farrelly Brothers become irrelevant? I would expect so much more from them than the new comedy Hall Pass. The best parts are in the trailer and the rest of the movie just seems stale and poorly written. However, I will say that there one or two nice "red band" moments that weren't in the trailer, but not enough for my recommendation.
