And the winner is?

I am way behind on the movie reviews. I have got a butt load of movies that I've seen and haven't posted up. This weeks is tough for me. There were a lot of good movies (in my opinion).

21. Haven- What a disturbing movie. So disturbing. This movie had me still thinking about it all almost a good week after. This is another adult content type movie. Severely. There were so many good things but truly I just found this one upsetting to me-on a personal level. I didn’t understand the character of Zoe Saldana. She really just threw me for a loop. I believe I had such a tough time because so much in the movie was the complete opposite of what I believe personally. Even though I feel I’m incredibly in tune with the role of fiction and usually have zero problem with extrication from movies and viewing them as entertainment or for artistic value or catalyst for conversation etc., this one in particular just seemed so authentic to me and it was disturbing. Matty watched this one with me and even he said “Wow, I can’t tell if that was good or not,” at the end. The depiction of human greed, the distortion of real love, the severe and almost normal practice of drug use and Zoe's character and all the character lines Crashing into each other (came out the same year) makes this a complex movie that just resulted in this viewer feeling heavy. It was a heavy movie

22. Derailed- A really good Jennifer Aniston movie! Ok this movie is adult content but I thought it was good. I was afraid that it was going to be scary (I don't do scary) but actually it was a thriller. The storyline was unexpected and it really had some good twists in it. Now, I’m sure that Matty would have said he knew what was going to happen from the beginning credits (he’s just that way) but I thought the movie unfolded beautifully and while I was trying to figure the pieces and how Clive would get his footing again it wasn’t annoyingly textbook predictable. I find that these days that I've seen so many movies that I get irritated when they all start to play out to be the same thing- didn't have that tinge here. Boy, I’ve already split my selections up a couple times but there are some close contenders this week.

23. Lucky Number Slevin – I’m telling you Bruce is still doing his thing as he gets up there in years (52). Though as a sidenote I'm not sure if the new Die Hard is going to be too over the top for me. What if Willy goes out like Harrison Ford who should have stopped years ago?
Anyway- There were many parts of this movie that was so unbelievably predictable but then there were things that came as a “surprise” just as well. It was great to watch the whole plot unfold because they did a lot of the story telling out of order. The characters were quirky and I’ll even use the word fun. I’ve decided that between seeing the Black Dahlia and a couple other Hartnett flicks that I like him. (Could it be the manjaw?) I liked the movie. I thought all the characters where well acted and I really liked the unveiling at the “resolution” of the story of how everything came to be. I was surprised at how much I was rooting for the love connection for Hartnett and Liu and I liked the depiction of their relationship because at first it doesn’t seem that serious but as time goes on you realize it’s something more.

24. Crank- Usually I’m all about the action and with a name like Crank I was expecting a lot of it. I was disappointed. Don’t get me wrong there was violence and high energy-lots of high energy but it was mainly shooting and chopping and seaming. I prefer my violence to come from a good aggressive butt kicking; I mean he (Jason Statham) kicked butt in the Transporter, so what happened? Did he get too caught up in making a “cool and trendy” vicely action flick instead of sticking to martial arts? While the film style had form of humor that was presented differently and somewhat entertainingly and more unconventional than what you see on some levels (which I could appreciate) I didn’t really dig the movie; I found it to be a little crass and even offensive at times. I tried to imagine how I would feel watching this movie in the theatre or in mixed company. I even had the thought, geez, I wouldn’t want to watch this with anyone who I cared what their opinion was of me…like a mother in law or a nephew or something. It’s definitely not a movie for little ones. There were humorous moments thrown in there with this crazy quick concept of a movie but there actually wasn’t enough for me to call the movie good. I’m glad I did not pay money to see this in a theatre. It’s one of those movies that in 6 -12 months you’ll look back and amuse yourself in regard to some of it's corniness. I thought the ending was the best part of the movie…seriously it was clever.

25. Ask the Dust- The box said “exceptional performances”. I don’t know about that but you see, there is something to like about this movie but I’m not quite sure what it is. The acting seemed good but not “exceptional” it was sometimes cheesy even, the storyline (I believe intentionally)got goofy at times and I felt like there was so much more they could have done with some of the characters. Still, the movie has something. Albeit, sex appeal. Salma jumps into a twilighted ocean naked as a jaybird with her disgustingly dang near perfect form ( I want that body..now) without an uncomfortable blink or twitch of shyness or embarrassment. Later they (Colin and Salma) have a love scene. I picked up the box to double check the rating again. “Is this porn?” I mumbled. Also, there is something drawing about the fixation and focus that both characters place on race and their own social status and economic status in this particular era. They are very open and confrontational with their bias’ (is that a word?) and struggles with prejudice to one another and their own self oppression is constantly looming and evident. I liked the movie though I’m fairly sure that most won’t. I found the ending in the desert quite moving.

Boy who will it be this week? The only reason I’d recommend Haven is so you all could be as confused as I was. The other movies were really good but where they better than each other? Though undoubtly “lighter” (which isn’t saying much considering you’ve got thriller/drama’s) where they better than Haven? Though disturbing there was just something about story and the presentation even. The gritty feeling of it all...something. I choose Haven but do rent Bruce and Salma and Jennifer. ;-)