conan the barbarian

i really love jason mamoa, but this one is a turd. 

expendables

this movie is terrible.  it does better at following through on the promise of its premise than the first one, a bunch of 80's action stars teaming up for the first time, but it still couldn't be classified as 'good'.  the only thing that lifts this from a 1 star review is the 5 minute glorified cameo of chuck norris.

getting even with dad

no, its not as bad as you hope, and its not as good as you want.  i really love ted danson, and macaulay culkin is great, but the two of them couldn't do a thing with this limp story and terrible directing.  this one is a step down from a hallmark movie, if that's even something that's possible...  its not even good in a bad way, it just sort of sits there like a dead fish.  the humor is lame and the drama is trite.  unfortunately its bad on all levels.

cyrus

a wonderfully fun movie about a man who falls in love with a woman and then has to deal with her fully grown son who still lives at home.  jonah hill does a fantastic job as the son who, at times, seems mentally unstable.  reilly is fantastic as the man who tries to navigate the relationship between a possessive son who doesn't want to give up his mother, and a mother who doesn't really see a problem with it.

lincoln lawyer

this is a pretty by the numbers lawyer movie, the kind of thing that doesn't really exist much anymore in theatrical movies- its become more the realm of television, amongst the hundreds of procedurals.  the only thing that makes this one stand out is the performance of matthew mcconaughey and the slower pace that allows for character beats to stand out above the standard plot.  i liked it, though it was immediately forgettable.

hemingway and gellhorn

an interesting hbo movie about the romance between the famous writer and the war journalist he fell for.  it follows the ups and mostly downs of their life together, through marriage and divorce, and all that lead up to each of those life choices.  owen plays an angry hemingway who doesnt quite seem to have given up on life just yet, while kidman is a feisty gellhorn who isnlt too impressed with all that she's seen.  it's ok, but not really worth the time.

the american

a pretty good political drama that doesn't waste it's time with explanation.  that can be a detriment at times, but its intriguing enough that you don't have to fully understand what's going on to be invested in the situation.  clooney does his best james bond as he tries to portray a lonewolf in the gorgeous foreign locals. 

barney's version

a story of a man with very few redeeming qualities as he looks back at the women who have loved him and why they left.  paul giamatti does a fantastic job of playing the jerky shlub who continues to make the wrong choice time after time.  its a pretty interesting drama with great performances by giamatti, hoffman, and the three former flames.

wolf

i remember when this one came out- i really wanted to see it because of the two leads.  both of them were still hot off their performances from the batman movies, and it was kind of cool to think of the joker and catwoman in a werewolf movie!  though the story is threadbare, the performances by nicholson and phiffer are outstanding enough lift it to a pretty fun film.

Benny and joon

i'm sure this is one of those movies that was a gem at the time, but i didn't see it when it came out, so i don't have nostalgia-colored glasses on.  its a pretty basic movie with the only interesting part being the 'quirky' performance by johnny depp.  since we have now come to understand that that's the only sort of performance he gives, it certainly dulls the sheen of this one...