Reviewed By: Emanuel Caros

Paul is a film that ends up being as dumb as its premise might suggest.  Despite a high-caliber cast consisting of Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and other great comedians, this one-trick pony of a movie can't overcome the vulgar, CGI alien voiced by the gruff, smoker's tone of Seth Rogan.  

Mind you, there are plenty of laughs to be had; but they're primarily in the first act.  That's because the writers (and stars: Pegg & Frost) took the "running gag" to a whole new level, and that's not a good thing.  Aside from little quips here and there, the film relies on just 3 jokes throughout the 104-minute runtime: the ambiguous relationship of the two male leads, Kristen Wiig's newfound filthy mouth, and alien nudity.  Of the three, the only one that doesn't bore by the 6th occurrence is Wiig's constant stream of obscenities; which could warrant an entire movie of its own.

Surprisingly, the usually endearing partnership of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, & Hot Fuzz) falls flat here.  What sets up as two best friends living out their lifelong nerd-dream at Comic-Con is never fully fleshed out, and thus any shortcomings in their portrayal have to be resuscitated by bit players like Bill Hader, David Koechner, and Jane Lynch.  Luckily for audiences, those three provide for the funnier scenes in the movie, which would be lacking otherwise.  The CGI alien, Paul, is weird; and made that much more awkward by the clear disconnect between the live-action actors and the post-production animation seen on-screen.  This obscure dynamic is never more apparent than during a painful dance sequence between the three protagonists. 

It is obvious that the film is one gigantic nod to all things sci-fi and nerdy.  At times, it felt like Fanboys on steroids, harmful side-effects and all.  But with a surprising R rating, it seems as though Paul would've been better off with a few less f-words, and packaged for younger, broader audiences.   

5/10

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Reviewed By: Emanuel Caros

Often times you want a film to hit you with such intellectual fervor that it alters your outlook on life.  Other times you want to see Jason Statham kill a guy with a belt and make it look like he died from auto erotic asphyxiation.  The Mechanic fulfills one of those desires, and it's certainly not the former. 

In this remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson film, Statham plays a stealth hitman obligated to teach the son of a former associate the ways of a "mechanic."  Statham covers no new territory with this one, as he more or less brings back every nuance of his "Frank Martin" character from the The Transporter movies.  Still though, it's difficult to deny the enjoyment of a suave, efficient, and British combat expert blowing up everything in his way.  Add to that the stark contrast of Ben Foster's (3:10 to Yuma, Alpha Dog) vengeful burnout character and the movie plays as either a watered-down Leon or another Crank sequel.  Either way it's exciting from start to finish and some pretty brutal action scenes induce plenty of gasps.  

Visually, director Simon West (Con Air, Black Hawk Down) fails to do anything noteworthy, as fight scenes are shot very typical and his attempt at artsy shots of New Orleans' nightlife lacks substance.  The story itself happens rather quickly, featuring no back story at all.  This results in characters the audience couldn't care less about, and makes certain scenes seem pointless and out of place.  Regardless, West rides a decent premise, uber-violent script, and consistent acting to a mediocre result that finds value in gruesome fight scenes and huge explosions.

6/10

Written By: Emanuel Caros

As a budding film buff, I take pride in seeing a larger quantity of films than most people.  In fact, what little free time I had over the past 12 months was spent at movie theaters all over South Florida.  But in preparing to list my thoughts on the best  films released this year, I was surprised to found out how few I actually saw.  Because of that I am sadly unqualified to make an assertion regarding 2010's best releases while omitting certain films that potentially warrant a spot on such a list.

In place of a top-10 list, I figured a listing of the most noteworthy movies of 2010 would work similarly:
10. 
Animal Kingdom - the foreign import was scarcely shown in the US, but highly regarded as akin to The Godfather.
9. 
Winter's Bone - the tale of a teenage girl in the mid-west bearing the obligations of her deadbeat father as she searches to keep her family afloat is unrelentingly dark and suspenseful, though borderline boring at times.
8. 
True Grit - The Coen Brothers' follow-up to last year's great A Serious Man is a re-make of an old John Wayne classic that possibly one-ups the original.
7. 
Shutter Island - criminally underrated, Scorsese 's suspenseful epic was extremely polarizing upon its release but should become a classic with time.
6. 
The King's Speech - The trailer made this Colin Firth vehicle look like the usual British Oscar bait, but in fact is a surprisingly humorous account of a war-time struggle.
5. 
Inception - Christopher Nolan hasn't made a bad film, and his summer mega-hit was no exception.  Despite a brain-wracking (don't you dare say "mind-blowing") plot involving three stories-within the main story, audiences still came in droves to see this blockbuster.
4. 
Kick-Ass/Scott Pilgrim vs. The World- the tie goes to the two comic book adaptations which elevated the genre to new heights.  Unfortunately at this point the taste of a third Spiderman (and second Fantastic Four) continues to linger in theater-goer's mouths, possibly keeping them from seeing these two films.  Either way, both were flawed, yet AWESOME, in their own right.  
3. 
Exit Through the Gift Shop - The documentary is evolving beyond straight-up talking heads re-telling a story.  The Banksy-directed (er, edited) film about street art involves a twist that outshines Catfish and I'm Still Here by miles.
2.
The Social Network - In the same exclusive group as Nolan, David Fincher has done no wrong.  With "The Facebook Movie" he deviated from his genre-driven themes and made a blockbuster; turning a rapid-firing Aaron Sorkin script into a full-blown wonder.
1. 
Black Swan - Add Darren Aronofsky to the list of the best directors if you haven't already.  2010 seemed to be the year of the director, and Aronofsky's major stepping-out was with this powerful drama set in the world of ballet.  Despite showing his cards too early, Aronofsky's film is gorgeous, and the best film of the year.

Runner's Up:
Enter the Void
Toy Story 3
Mesrine
Buried
The Crazies
Never Let Me Go
Restrepo
I Love You Phillip Morris
Catfish

Any disagreements?  Did we exclude a movie that should've been on this list?  Comment and let us know what you thought was the best of 2010.

Reviewed By: Emanuel Caros

It's not too often such a perfect combination of a mega-talented director, mega-talented leading actress, and mega-talented supporting cast is put together for an independent film.  But, in typical fashion for the director, Darren Aronofsky puts the pieces together to form a story-within-a-story that hits hard with such dramatic force from the start and does not relent.  But while the jumbled plot could've seemingly become convoluted, Aronofsky smooths the ride for audiences, making the dark themes and intense scenes palatable.  
As in all of the director's previous films (Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler) the film hinges on a strong performance from the main protagonist.  Natalie Portman delivers that and more as the naive and virginal Nina Sayers, a professional ballerina strenuously trying to steal the attention of the ballet director, played by Vincent Cassel.  Every actor plays to perfection, but their performances are dimmed by the wonderfully morose lead.
Still, until the end of the film brought it all together, the sci-fi elements had a cheesy feel; and what was built up to be an extremely dramatic final act didn't feel as epic as audiences are led to believe it will be.
Regardless, Darren Aronofsky puppeteers Natalie Portman into a near-perfect performance in a near perfect film that mashes together various genres and does so well.  With Black Swan, Aronofsky continues to show that he is the go-to director for storytelling that evokes drama and passion in the best of ways. 
10/10

The Fighter is an example of when the pieces don't fit together as well as they should.  Director David O. Russell makes the film look amazing, offering a fresh take on the once-stale boxing drama through an unexpected soundtrack, and a contemporary visual style that found him remaking telecasts of classic fights.  Mark Wahlberg FINALLY learns to play the common man after unfortunate attempts in The Happening and The Other Guys; and both Christian Bale and Amy Adams completely transform into the boxer's broken older brother/trainer and girlfriend.
Where The Fighter fails is in the way the plot rolls out.  The first act is short, the second brutally long-winded, and the final act seals up just as quickly as the first.  While the film notifies the audience that drama and suspense exist, they aren't parlayed on-screen, as the first hour and a half seem like the same couple scenes looped over and over again.  When the conflict finally reaches its apex, the difficulties that had been brewing into this huge complication are effortlessly alleviated by Wahlberg's character.  The film wraps up too cute and clean in comparison to the constant pounding of the "this is gonna be bad..." feeling that was rammed down the throats of the audience throughout the whole movie.  What results is a lackluster ending that puts to waste primo acting performances by a handful of Hollywood's best actors.      
6.5/10

Because this film lacks substance, so too would a full-length review.  Hence, the return of the "mini-review:"

Reviewed By: Emanuel Caros

As made apparent in other films, an all-star ensemble of filmmakers and actors working together leads to nothing less than good results.  But somehow with Due Date, director Todd Phillips (Old School, The Hangover) finds a way to make talent powerhouses Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis mediocre.  Both actors have such robust personalities and premier acting chops, that to box them into such shallow characters (a neurotic businessman and a doofus) is criminal.  Still, consistent with Phillips' past films comes a barrage of comedic quotables; and the back-and-forth between Galifianakis and Downey Jr. is enjoyable enough to overcome poor character development.  

But is it enough to make up for a hapless plot in which nothing substantial occurs?  While Seinfeld made the "show about nothing" cool, a movie about nothing doesn't work nearly as well.  Forced to drive cross-country together after an airplane incident that is wayyyy too familiar, what follows is a series of random events that become watered-down in the overall scheme of things.  The film strives for Apatow-esque heart, but doesn't delve deep enough into the sympathetic issues to work properly.  So while Zach and RDJ are charming as ever, Due Date fails to utilize them to their full potential, leaving but a shell of what could have been a hilarious film anchored by a big-time comedy duo.
6/10  

Reviewed By: Emanuel Caros

The melding of an Aaron Sorkin script about Facebook, Jesse Eisenberg  lead, and Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) musical score, all at the direction of David Fincher, makes for one outrageous combination.  But in the case of The Social Network that combo results in a spotless retelling of the genesis of a societal innovation.

Aaron Sorkin's (A Few Good Men, The West Wing) script floors viewers from the first minute by the biting dialogue between Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg (Eisenberg) and his soon-to-be-ex girlfriend (Mara Rooney).  Sorkin is able to do what breaks the backs of trying writers all over the world by effectively introducing the background and nuances of the lead character immediately without obvious attempts to do so.  The rest of his screenplay keeps a good pace filled with drama, intensity, and perfect bits of humor that make a steel-tough backbone for Fincher's dreary landscape. 

Known for his mastery of the macabre, David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club) adds to his repertoire by elevating what could have been a clone of Steven Soderbergh's average  The Informant into a fantastic behind-the-scenes look at corporate turmoil.  Stuck with a plot that lacked sci-fi or horror elements, Fincher still found a way to put his stamp on film with an eternal blue fog masking the streets of Cambridge, while keeping the look clean and crisp.  One scene in particular, the regatta, adds a cherry to the top of an already beautiful film. The director intertwines steadicam shots with tilt-shift photography (AMAZING!) to create an extremely fast and stunning sequence that wasn't necessarily relevant to the plot, but sure was worth Fincher taking the time to flaunt.

Finally, the portrayal of Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg by Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland, Zombieland) was shocking.  Known for being a poor-man's Michael Cera, Eisenberg showed he's got the chutzpah to take control of a tediously detailed character and play the hell out of it.  At first glance, viewers see the kid from Zombieland but by the end he has transformed into Zuckerberg through and through.  His co-stars play similarly well, specifically a promising performance by (future Spiderman) Andrew Garfield as Zuckerberg's best friend and business partner.

The Social Network has very few shortcomings as the second act goes a little long, and the end falls a little flat.  But while it may have dragged on a bit, watching Fincher's dark setting and Eisenberg act make the extra time worthwhile.  After stringing together a resume of palatable art, David Fincher secures himself as one of the best filmmakers of the past couple decades with a dramatic movie that exceeds high expectations.

9/10