The Fighter 2010 David O Russell

The Fighter, is a drama about boxer "Irish" Micky Ward's unlikely road to the world light welterweight title. His Rocky-like rise was shepherded by half-brother Dicky, a boxer-turned-trainer who rebounded in life after nearly being KO'd by drugs and crime.Written by anonymous

The Fighter is a film not only about the fight game but the fighting one does with in a dysfunctional family. A brilliant actor's picture with an ensemble cast that shines. Christian Bale should be on the short list of Oscar contenders. Too bad they don't give finest group performance, because the collective feminine gale force storm that is Melissa Leto's Alice and the Harpies that make up the sisters of Micky and Dicky were brilliantly realized. The were more fearsome than any of the fights. Russell does brilliant work of using Beta cams that HBO used in their fight programing that gave the drama that is contained with in the ring a sense of urgency and intimacy. Amy Adams is both tough and sweet and monumentally sexy. A great performance in a film of great performances. Highly recommended and easily one of the best films of 2010!

Bad Ass

Chapter Two from Paul Proulx & Jessica Sargent on Vimeo.

The Last Exorcism Daniel Stramm 2010

A troubled evangelical minister, Cotton Marcus agrees to let his last exorcism be filmed by a documentary crew. Trying to debunk the practice he and his crew get more than they bargained for.

The also Was way more fun than I expected. A creepy Exorcist rip off that works on almost all levels. I loved the lack of special effects and reliance of the performance of one great little actress; Ashley Bell. Although the end mostly falls apart the lead up and idea of the thing are fun and freaky. Lots of fun!

Unstoppable 2010 Tony Scott

Unstoppable is a drama about a runaway train carrying a cargo of toxic chemicals. Pits an engineer and his conductor in a race against time. They're chasing the runaway train in a separate locomotive and need to bring it under control before it derails on a curve and causes a toxic spill that will decimate a town. Written by secret_agent

This movie was waaaay better than I expected.

I was kinda drug to this but I ended up liking this much better than I thought it would be. A taught exciting drama with blue collar guys as our hero's and our leads. Denzel Washington and Chris Pine are two railroad workers on opposite ends of their careers.

Both but in simple performances with relative understatement Chris Pine could have been played by pretty much anyone but a nice job none the less. No James T. Kirk hammieness.

Denzel always does a great job and can usually be a bright spot in a "meh" movie. This film however is a white knuckle ride that moves at break neck speed. Rosario Dawson,Ethan Sluppe( My Name is Earl) and Kevin Dunn all add to a fun cast. and The two things that bothered me was the estranged wife of Pine's character played by Jessy Schram. If you knew where the site of possible the biggest industrial chemical spill in your state's history, would you bring your son there?

No? Me either. The other thing, just because 20th Century Fox is releasing your film and that production company is owned by Newscorp, does mot mean every television spot in the movie shall be a Fox news promo. Just sayin. Still a lot of fun!

Robin Hood- Ridley Scott 2010`

The Origin story of Robin Hood...Birth of a legend. Following King Richard's death in France, archer Robin Longstride, along with Will Scarlett, Alan-a-Dale and Little John, returns to England. They encounter the dying Robert of Locksley, whose party was ambushed by treacherous Godfrey, who hopes to facilitate a French invasion of England. Robin promises the dying knight he will return his sword to his father Walter in Nottingham. Here Walter encourages him to impersonate the dead man to prevent his land being confiscated by the crown, and he finds himself with Marian, a ready-made wife. Hoping to stir baronial opposition to weak King John and allow an easy French take-over, Godfrey worms his way into the king's service as Earl Marshal of England and brutally invades towns under the pretext of collecting Royal taxes. Can Robin navigate the politics of barons, royals, traitors, and the French?Written by don @ minifie-1

A fun big movie of epic proportions. I was pleasantly surprised. For those who know the band "Great Big Sea" it was kinda cool to see Alan Doyle as one of the lead supporting "Merry Men" A couple of songs made it even more fun. Kinda hokey with an ass kicking Maid Marion played with sufficient hammie-ness by Cate Blanchett. Russell Crow and Mark Strong are both good as the title character and the bad guy. But the best role goes to an aging William Hurt as a former aid to the king. As I said before: pleasantly surprised

The Other Guys- Adam McKay 2010

Two mismatched New York City detectives seize an opportunity to step up like the city's top cops whom they idolize -- only things don't quite go as planned.

... Nor did it for me. I have seen some bad comedies but this was exceptional in its badness. Great talents wasted on a bad story and a annoying lack of continuity, There are so many bloopers that it was hard to even pay attention to the shitty story in the first place. Trying to take its cues from the financial meltdown the sscript made little to no sense and had a variety of tangental plot lines that add little, other than to confuse an already convoluted storyline. CA-CA

The 10 best of 2010

To be fair I have not seen a number of great films that are now out. Alas, time has yet to allow a marathon to take place. Winters Bone, The Fighter, The Kings Speech, Never Let Me Go, Let Me In, The Kids Are Alright, Exit Thru the Gift Shop, Inside Job, Four Lions, Rabbit Hole, and Carlos are still on my "to do" list. And Now... with no further a due and in no particular order...

1.Black Swan

2.True Grit

3.Kick Ass

4.Inception

5.Toy Story 3

6.Marwincol

7.The Social Network

8.127 hours

9.Shutter Island

10. Ghost Writer & Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

True Grit 2010 Joel and Ethan Cohen

Following the murder of her father by hired hand Tom Chaney, 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross sets out to capture the killer. To aid her, she hires the toughest U.S. marshal she can find, a man with "true grit," Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn. Mattie insists on accompanying Cogburn, whose drinking, sloth, and generally reprobate character do not augment her faith in him. Against his wishes, she joins him in his trek into the Indian Nations in search of Chaney. They are joined by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf, who wants Chaney for his own purposes. The unlikely trio find danger and surprises on the journey, and each has his or her "grit" tested. Written by Jim Beaver

Another triumph for Those Crazy MN boys. Jeff Bridges is a force of nature as Roster Cogburn, a roll made famous by the Duke himself. How does one top John Wayne. By making the man your own, the only thing left of old "Marion" is the eyepatch and the drinking, the rest is totally the Dude. However the real star here is the dialog. Such as these lines between titular bad guy Berry Bepper and Bridges' Cogburn;

Ned Pepper: What’s your intention? Do you think one on four is a dogfall?
Rooster Cogburn: I mean to kill you in one minute, Ned. Or see you hanged in Fort Smith at Judge Parker’s convenience. Which’ll it be?
Ned Pepper: I call that bold talk for a one-eyed fat man.
Rooster Cogburn: Fill your hands, you son of a bitch!

With that the reings are placed between the teeth and a thrilling recreation of the 1969 versons most memorable gunfight begin. Matt Damon is having fun and preens like a peacock The young Mattie Ross, who's film this truly is, is played with a religious determination by Haliee Steinfeld is a vision and this was her first film! Roger Deakins the DP does beautiful and austere work leaving the landscapes to do the heavy lifting. hese two filmmakers are brilliant and True Grit is one more great film in their already packed cannon!

Too much fun !

Filmography 2010