The Kingdom

All for naught. The ambitious, skillfully filmed action sequences aren’t emotional because the script isn’t clear about who the bad guy is. When we finally learn who the bad guy is, they are captured, it’s the end of the movie and we never learn their motives. Then the movie tries to preach some vague moral about the reasons people wage war. It’s a shame. It’s obvious a lot of time and work went into the technical aspects of this movie to make it exciting. If the script had made sense, it would have been.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

I rarely fall asleep in movies. I had to FIGHT to stay awake as the pace is coma-inducing. Perhaps lingering on the beautifully composed shots by Roger Deakins was the filmmakers scheme for disguising this boring, hamstrung script. But without a tangible story, the movie could be better suited as a National Geographic special. “Wheat: Nature’s Paintbrush.” The title and the film are both way too long. There are no likable characters. There is no interesting story. The narration is terrible. And Jesse James was not charismatic. He was an asshole. This is a dud.

Resident Evil: Extinction

Milla seems to get prettier as she gets older. But, as unusual as this sounds, there is a bad, distracting lack of make-up continuity. At times her skin is so pristine, she looks like a mannequin. Other times, she gets dirty, and she looks BETTER. It switches from shot to shot. Weird. She’s not really naked enough either. But aside from all of this objectifying of Milla, she kicks lots of zombie ass. And that’s really the point, isn’t it? And, like Mad Max, she emerges from the desert to help the plucky band of survivors who need the hope that only a mysterious, telekinetic desert nomad can give them. The filmmaking is good, the action is strong, and the character development is, well, minimal. It’s mainly about Milla killing zombies.

Across the Universe

I wanted to like this, but I didn’t. It’s too corny and on the nose. With Beatles songs throughout, do the character’s names really need to be “Jude”, “Lucy”, “Prudence”, or “Rita?” The Beatles weren’t so obvious. Even Jude’s name wasn’t “Jude.” Certain segments are beautifully designed. There’s a great number in a bowling alley. But the script forces songs into the movie, not for story or plot’s sake, but to have a number. So you end up getting a bunch of guys together to sing “With a Little Help From My Friends” but then you never see the guys again. Some friends! These departures are symptomatic of a weak, directionless script, with very little point. The singing and performances are played in earnest, but they’re all trapped in an inert, overblown music video. Definitely not for Beatles fans! It’ll drive you crazy. But non-Beatles fans might appreciate a fresh take on some of the songs.

Eastern Promises

Viggo Mortensen’s commitment to his character is unwavering and consummate. It has to be, as he is portraying a man so committed and loyal to his crime family. This starts out a little pokey; lots of voice-over of Naomi Watts reading a diary. But the pay-offs and reveals are worth it, featuring one of the best, most audacious fight scenes ever filmed. Though not the mind-blower that A History of Violence was, the plot, script, and performances here are all exceptional. One huge drawback and the worst thing about this movie by far: the title. “Eastern Promises” sounds like a corset drama, not a Cronenberg movie.

The Brothers Solomon

Aspires for a high level of distilled creepiness, but it turns out to be very uneven. Will Forte is pitch-perfect, but Will Arnett, whose brazen cluelessness on Arrested Development was sublime, stumbles here. He’s too lecherous, and not innocent enough to be sympathetic. Kristen Wiig is unfortunately underused and plays it straight. Not the worst movie of the year, (it gets points for daring), but under no circumstances can I recommend it.

Shoot 'Em Up

This was a lot of fun, but it could have been better. There aren’t enough characters. There are lots of shootouts, but not a lot of action -- as in acting to achieve a goal. The hooker with a heart of gold, Monica Bellucci, was terrible. She can barely speak and they saddled her with all of the expositional dialogue. Individual scenes were a blast, paying respectful tribute to John Woo, The Coens, and the Loony Toons. But when the cast is so small, the weak links can cause the whole stage to collapse.

3:10 to Yuma

Christian Bale can make anybody look good. So can Russell Crowe. And Ben Foster, Crowe’s weasel-y minion, makes Crowe look like a saint. Mangold’s direction is skillfully reserved. The whole team are powerhouses, and they can protect against small weaknesses in the script with ease. It’s not all that upbeat of a story. It’s no Little Miss Sunshine. But Crowe’s admiration of Bale’s principles are subtlety but sublimely evident. It’s a bittersweet triumph when he finally decides what to do.