Okay, welcome to 2011, and seeing we are in the middle of January already, I am hear by foregoing my New Years Resolutions. I'm going to be my same old rotten nasty self all year.
Moving on, I'm now going to give you my review of the 4 movies I've seen so far this year. SPOILER ALERT: If you are planning to see any of the four movies named in the title, you may want to stop now, I might give away plot elements you don't want to know. In particular, Black Swan and Country Strong. If you continue now, don't be mad at me for giving things away.
I'll start with LITTLE FOCKERS-- For the third installment in this series Ben Stiller sticks with the familiar. There is really nothing new or surprising here. If Stiller's comedy is something you enjoy, you won't be disappointed. If your tastes run in different circles, stay away. The addition of Jessica Alba is nice for the men, sorry girls, no real eye candy for you, unless you're into Owen Wilson. 2 1/2 stars on a 4 star scale
BLACK SWAN-- Natalie Portman is amazing in this film, as is Mila Kunis. All the praise for the acting is well deserved. Given that, it is a very dark film, with a tragic ending. I think Portman's character could have been just as strong even if the film had had a happier ending. I was not disappointed with the film, until the ending. I was however a bit freaked out at parts of it. NOT a family film, and not for the fain of heart. 3 1/2 stars.
THE DILEMMA-- The movie, out of all 4, perhaps confused me the most. With a cast featuring Vince Vaughn, Kevin James and Queen Latifah you would expect a film full of laughs, and probably a lot of slapstick; a light fluffy film. This movie is surprisingly much heavier than that. There are funny moments, mostly when Latifah is on the screen. But for the most part it is a kind of serious film. And this is my problem...I don't think Vaughn or James are good enough actors to pull off a heavy film. I know Steve Martin, and Robin Williams have been able to tackle more serious roles, but Vaughn and James just aren't ready for it. I would have enjoyed this more if they had stuck to their comedy guns, and just made this a funny film, forget the heavy message. Or conversely, if you want to handle the topics of this film seriously, get Tom Hanks and George Clooney, or even Matt and Ben, and make it a straight out serious film. Either way, it would have been a better film. 2 Stars.
COUNTRY STRONG-- A movie about an alcoholic country singer trying to make a comeback is bound to be a bit heavy, but the ads do not prepare you for the very unhappy ending. The ads show Gwyneth Paltrow giving a strong performance and strutting off stage...happy ending right?..No, she goes back stage and has a bad mix of drugs and alcohol...sad ending. Cheers to Paltrow for becoming a decent country singer. But overall, a very depressing movie. 2 1/2 stars.
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