Twi-Hardly: 'Breaking Dawn' Fails to Deliver, but Payne's 'The Descendants' is One of Year's Best

I've never exactly been a fan of the "Twilight" series, but "Breaking Dawn Part 1" is pretty much a mess. This is a shame because the picture was directed by Bill Condon, of whose "Kinsey" and "Gods and Monsters" I was a big fan. But this latest in the series of films based on Stephenie Meyer's popular novels is an all-around bust - wooden acting, melodrama galore and semi-ludicrous plot twists.

The weekend's brightest spot was Alexander Payne's "The Descendants," which features a particularly vulnerable performance from George Clooney. I've always admired Payne's work - from "Election" and "About Schmidt" to "Sideways." His latest represents a shift toward more dramatic material. "The Descendants" is often funny, but it's a more solemn occasion. Regardless, I really liked it.

I also caught up with Paddy Considine's directorial debut, "Tyrannosaur," which I admired, especially for its performances by Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman. But it's a tough sit - and by that, I mean it's brutal and bleak. I'd recommend it, but be prepared for an uncomfortable experience.

Here are my reviews for Patch.

This coming weekend, I'm definitely going to catch David Cronenberg's "A Dangerous Method," Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" and new Oscar frontrunner "The Artist." I'll also eventually see "My Week with Marilyn," but most likely not this weekend.

Apocalypse Wow: Lars Von Trier's 'Melancholia' (and Eastwood's 'J. Edgar')

Lars Von Trier's "Melancholia" could be the cynical brother of "The Tree of Life." In Terrence Malick's film, a man views the origins of the universe through the scope of his own life and fall from grace. Von Trier's picture tells the tale of a woman who witnesses the destruction of the Earth through the prism of her crippling depression. It's a fascinating movie and a highpoint in Von Trier's career.

I also really enjoyed Clint Eastwood's "J. Edgar," which has been getting some (what I consider to be) unfairly negative notices. Critics have chided the legendary filmmaker for apparently letting the notorious G-man off the hook, which begs this question: Were we watching the same film?

Regardless, it's a complex movie with a fantastic lead performance by Leonardo DiCaprio.

Here are my reviews for Patch.

I tried, but just couldn't make it to "Immortals," "Into the Abyss" and "Letters from the Big Man" this week. I'll try to catch up with some of them soon, especially the Werner Herzog film.

This week, I'll definitely review Alexander Payne's "The Descendants" and Paddy Considine's "Tyrannosaur... as well as "Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part I." You heard correctly.

Yuk, Yuk, Yuk: The Hollywood Comedy

To say the least, I'm a little late with my post this week. But late is better than never.

Here are my Patch reviews for "Tower Heist" and "A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas," both of which had me going meh, the latter more so than the former.

This week, I'm going to review Lars Von Trier's "Melancholia," Clint Eastwood's "J. Edgar" and Tarsem Singh's "Immortals." At some point, I'm also going to have to catch up with Werner Herzog's "Into the Abyss" and Christopher Munch's "Letters from the Big Man."

This Week at the Movies

Happy Halloween!

This past weekend, I caught up with three movies - "In Time," "The Rum Diary" and "Like Crazy" - that I reviewed for Patch and one, "The Mill and the Cross," that I did not (but liked). 

Here are my Patch reviews.

This coming weekend, I'm going to review "Tower Heist" and, most likely, the "Harold and Kumar" movie.

Also, doing a Nicolas Winding Refn festival. I'm going to see the "Pusher" trilogy for the first time and rewatch "Bronson" and "Valhalla Rising."

Season's Bleedings: The Halloween Movie Canon (Plus Ten More)

This morning, I posted the Halloween Horror Movie Canon on Patch. The piece includes a number of titles you'd expect to see on such a list - "The Shining," "Nosferatu," "Halloween" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

But I've also added a top ten list of horror movies you might have missed, such as Nicolas Roeg's atmospheric freakout "Don't Look Now" or the surreal African fright film "Dust Devil."

Check out the list here.

And, because nobody's perfect, I realize I left off a few choice movies, including "The Last House on the Left," "Inside" and "Blood and Black Lace." I purposely left off a number of classics, such as "Frankenstein," "Dracula" and "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" and stuck with films made between the 1960s and the present. One exception, obviously, is F.W. Murnau's "Nosferatu."

Any other noteworthy horror classics I missed?

This Week at the Movies: Le Havre, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Paranormal Activity 3

Note to Hollywood: stop locating found footage! To be fair, "Paranormal Activity 3" has a few truly creepy moments. But on the whole, it's another long slog through an hour and ten minutes of tedium for ten minutes of payoff.

Sean Durkin's debut, "Martha Marcy May Marlene," is much creepier and includes a breakout performance by Elizabeth Olsen. I was not quite as blown away by the picture as a number of other critics have been, but it's still a solid independent thriller - eerily shot, beautifully acted and retaining a sense of dread throughout.

The week's piece de resistance was Aki Kaurismaki's "Le Havre," which is one of the Finnish auteur's finest films to date as well as a movie that stays with you long after having seen it. In fact, the movie expands in my mind the longer I think about it. Plus, it features Little Bob! You'll have to see for yourself.

Here are my reviews for Patch.

For some non-related film content, take a look at my list of the top ten worst items to receive in your trick or treat bag on Halloween.

Later this week, I'm going to post a piece on Patch on the best Halloween films you've likely never seen. This coming weekend, I'm going to try to catch up with "The Rum Diary," "Like Crazy" and "In Time."

Almodovar's Mad Scientist Movie (And Department of Been There, Done That, '80s Edition)

It's going to be light posting today due to a busy week.

Last weekend, I caught up with Pedro Almodovar's creepy "The Skin I Live In," which is not among the maestro's best films, but still better than most psychological thrillers.

My reviews for Patch also included "The Thing," a tepid prequel to John Carpenter's 1982 film and one of two '80s rehashes I saw this weekend, and "Texas Killing Fields," an average serial killer drama.

Check out my reviews here.

I also managed to squeeze in Lucky McKee's "The Woman," an extremely horror film in the torture porn genre. I found the picture's brand of horror movie feminism intriguing, but was pretty turned off by its repulsive violence. Also, caught "Footloose." Meh. A few good dance numbers and some pretty bland remakes of '80s chestnuts that should have been left well-enough alone.

This coming weekend, I'm going to definitely catch "Martha Marcy May Marlene" and Aki Kaurasmaki's "Le Havre" and will most likely end up seeing "Paranormal Activity 3."