Silver Linings Playbook

Upon seeing this posting up 92% on Rotten Tomatoes & two personal recommendations, I knew I needed to see this despite my general hatred of rom-coms (romantic comedies). Bradley Cooper plays a mentally ill (bi-polar & rage issues) former teacher who starts our story in a mental institution. Slowly the layers get peeled back and you find out he snaps after his wife, who he's still in love with, was cheating on him with a fellow teacher. He's trying to figure out how to control his rage episodes and attempt to live a normal life. His friend invites him to dinner with his wife (Julia Styles) and Julia's sister played by Jennifer Lawrence. She just lost her husband and is in a seemingly fragile state as well. The two start spending time together attempting to form a friendship. Robert De Niro plays Cooper's dad who runs a sports book illegally and is attempting to reconcile with the fact he feels partially responsible for Cooper's characters mental issues since he spent more time with his older brother. Damaged characters played effortlessly and perfectly by an amazing cast. It's such an interesting story of people. Cooper's brutally honest all the time, he doesn't know how else to be. Everyone has quirks that are exposed. Bottom Line: 9.2 out of 10. I feel it a cop-out to vote like Rotten Tomatoes, but this film is just excellent. It's really a film you should head out and see. I can see where the Oscar buzz is from, just phenomenal everything.

Flight

I'm a big Denzel Washington fan, so feel free to chew on this with a grain of salt. Flight follows airline pilot Capt. Whip Whitaker through a crash, and the subsequent troubles. The real story is that he's a functioning (for the most part) alcoholic. The role is amazing, deep & complex. A lessor actor wouldn't be able to OWN it like Denzel. He plays the role just incredibly. Kelly Reilly is a heroin addict who is recovering at the same time Whip is trying to stay sober. Whip was drunk and drinking while the plane crashed because he drinks every day & night. Don Cheedle jumps in as his lawyer and is great in limited action. John Goodman is Whip's friend/fellow addict Harley. The story is just gripping and it takes you places. Bottom Line: 8.7 out of 10. Just an excellent picture following around a riveting character and actor known as Denzel Washington. I hope he picks up another best actor on this one. Go out and see this. I'll be watching this one again.

Battleship- I Bit the Bullet for You All

You'll see a ton of people you recognize in this one, but don't be tempted. They may have spent $200 million dollars on this piece of shit, but that only bought some cool CGI. This is just a ton a CGI and garbage thrown together. It just epitomizes every cliche' ever used in an action film. A bunch of shitty one-liners after killing stuff. Attempt at drama and sadness which completely misses. A useless love story that's just pathetic and contrived. A "bad-boy" turned hero. It's just never-ending. Peter Berg is done directing I have a feeling. The story follows "Harper" and his journey from loser to national hero. He's in the Navy because his brother is a C.O. in the Navy and he gets him in despite the fact he's a huge fuck-up and a felon. We make alien contact with a planet similar to Earth and they send back an expeditionary force. Somehow it coincides perfectly with Naval training exercises with Japan, YEAH, THE GUYS FROM PEARL HARBOR! It's all fucked up, don't waste your time. Bottom line: 3.3 out of 10. All flash, no substance. Amazing CGI, lots of people you'll recognize, but just a garbage plot & writing doom it from the moment it starts.

The Americans

On the verge of refusing to watch a seemingly pretty good show in Kevin Bacon's The Following, I started watching FX's The American's. It's very good. It made me wonder why I don't remember Keri Russell in anything other than knowing she was "Felicity". It made me wonder why I never knew who Matthew Rhys was, or really remember him in anything either. They are both phenomenal, and I love the premise. They are undercover KGB agents completely engrossed in American society. They have two children, "jobs" at a travel agency, and are seemingly completely normal. They carry out KGB missions while attempting to maintain normalcy in our society. You also recognize a few of the other characters like Noah Emerich, who I eternally remember as Coach Craig Patrick in Miracle. This has my recommendation to jump on the band wagon as another excellent program on FX. Bottom Line: I'm giving it around a high 7-low 8 right now. It's just really interesting and well done. It blends the complexities of the life of double agents living in another country. Really good stuff.