Midnight in Paris

It’s terrific to see Owen Wilson in this role. The Oscar nominated screenwriter playing -- a screenwriter and Woody Allen’s surrogate/neurotic leading man. But Wilson brings a WHOLE different energy to the Woody Allen signature quirks and rhythms. His laid-back Texas style makes Woody’s uptight and tense comedy slide down as easy as an ice cold Shiner Bock. Woody’s writing here is also refreshing. He doesn’t get bogged down with explanations for supernatural twists. There’s no Jeff Goldblum-type scientist forcing a bunch of science fiction gibberish down our throats about how time travel could possibly happen. It just HAPPENS and we accept it. Great! The last Woody Allen movie I saw was Match Point, which I hated. The addition of Owen Wilson to the Woody Allen ensemble is an inspired success.

Tree of Life

It’s impossible to describe this contemplative, meditative chronicle of family life in Texas in the 1950’s. It’s non-linear, abstract, but also a strongly-themed montage about the significance of life and death on Earth. People expecting a traditional plot will hate it. It’s like a nature film, except instead of frogs or cheetahs as the subject, it’s humans. “Watch the young, male humans compete for dominance in the pride. Now watch them play. See them frolic with their mother as their father is away on a hunt.” It’s extremely ambitious, and unlike a lot of movies, never underestimates the intelligence or the emotional capacity of its audience. It’s beautifully made and gloriously filmed. It’s also way too long and frustratingly oblique. But however you slice it, Tree of Life definitely provokes a lot of juicy, after-the-movie conversation, which makes it worth seeing, but riskily divisive.

The Hangover 2

** SPOILERS AHEAD **

Reminded me a lot of Rush, Blow, Sid and Nancy, and Requiem for a Dream. It’s a stark drama about the toll that drug and alcohol abuse can take on an entire family and community. The trio of addicts featured here seem to regret their decisions and the consequences, but never express any desire to seek help. The tragedy depicts a never-ending cycle of despair resulting in, like Requiem for a Dream, a character losing a limb – shattering his limitless potential as a cellist and surgeon. This drama of destructive excess and the ruins left when the main characters lives descend in to a maelstrom of booze and pills offers no comfort or solutions, but only holds up a mirror to the reality of binging and addiction.

On a strange side note, the end credits of this searing portrait of drug abuse are incongruously humorous – funny even – and might fit better into a movie that was intended to be a comedy.

Win Win

It’s a tribute to Paul Giamatti that he can play such a flawed but relatable character. Fueled by greed and financial desperation, he’ll screw-over a helpless old man and you can still root for him for an entire movie. His first acts of selfishness don’t lead to negative consequences, but to unexpected circumstances. These unexpected twists are what make the movie special and worth seeing. The acting from the entire cast is great. Big, big kudos go to Alex Shaffer, an actual high school wrestler, apparently, who’s never acted in a movie before now and turns in a low-key, unaffected performance better than most seasoned actors his age. Kudos, too, to Burt Young – still alive and kicking, and still delivering real characters. It’s a worthwhile and unique family drama.

Bridesmaids

The premise and story aren’t interesting – they aren’t intended to be. They’re only a means to loosely tie together a structure so that the screenwriter and star Kristen Wiig can perform shtick. I laughed at some of the shtick. But if she’s going to stay in the zeitgeist, she’s going to have to hunt down projects with higher, sillier concepts than Bridesmaids. The Waterboy, Blades of Glory and Smiley Face come to mind.

The Beaver

It’s an interesting and courageous drama, helmed by ballsy Jodie Foster, who, throughout her career, has never shied away from the weird or unsavory. Despite the title, the casting of Mel Gibson and the ridiculous premise, the Beaver is not a comedy. It’s a serious portrait of a psychologically damaged person and the collateral damage to his family. Besides the alcoholism, you will not find too many other parallels between Mel Gibson and the forlorn father he plays. But his personal life and struggles with alcohol are all the more tragic knowing that, behind it all, there’s a pretty decent actor.

Thor

A fun comic book take with cool, otherworldly visuals, some decent acting and some great acting. Kenneth Branagh must have pulled some favors from his Shakespearean-trained pals, because the Frost Giants, villains determined to destroy Thor’s heavenly home, were BADASS and damned articulate. Anthony Hopkins was especially good, too. I didn’t carry too much away from this. It’s no great metaphor for anything. It’s no Spiderman 2. But it’s fun to watch.