Two 'Dark Shadows' and Two Others

The best thing I saw this weekend was "Dark Shadows," but I'm not referring to the Tim Burton film or the 1960s TV show on which it was based. This week's episode of "Mad Men" just so happens to bear the same name. And, as always, the show is - for my money - on par with the best of today's cinema and better than much of it.

As for Burton's "Dark Shadows," it was the week's best cinematic selection, but still a mixed bag. Johnny Depp gives an amusing performance as Barnabas Collins and the picture is aces in the art direction department.

But the director, for some reason, takes his narrative from the realm of oddball comedy to that of an action film in the final 20 minutes, complete with explosions, fight scenes and a few unnecessary reveals. It's unfortunate because without those scenes, the movie would have been a recommend. All in all, it's uneven.

I also caught up with the Filipino horror movie "The Road," which is one of the rare exports from its nation of origin. Unfortunately, it's also a mixed bag. The movie is occasionally creepy, but also a bit convoluted. Here are my reviews for Patch.

I managed to catch a screening of the wannabe provocation "Elles," but did not review it. If nothing else, this picture just goes to show that even the best of them - in this case, Juliette Binoche - occasionally pick a bad one. In the film, Binoche plays a journalist researching prostitutes for an article. The story lurches about aimlessly and unevenly before arriving at a non-ending. Needless to say, I can't recommend it.

This coming weekend, I'll be seeing "The Dictator," "Beyond the Black Rainbow," "Polisse" and "Battleship."

Team Work: 'The Avengers' and 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'

This week's cinematic selections were both team efforts - a super-hyped comic book extravaganza ("The Avengers") and a fish out of water comedy that has assembled some of Britain's finest actors over the age of 60 ("The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel").

I liked both films, but didn't love them. "The Avengers" has some decent set pieces, but also a few too many. My favorite moments in Joss Whedon's film involved the banter between his league of superheroes. Robert Downey, Jr. gets the best lines.

"The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" was charming but, perhaps, a bit slight. The cast makes it worthwhile. It's funny without quite being hilarious.

Here are my reviews for Patch.

On a side note, I find it interesting that we're already into the fifth month of the year and there are barely any films that I'd think would be contenders for my end-of-the-year best list. The year's finest film so far is "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia."

I also liked "The Deep Blue Sea," "The Turin Horse," "The Hunger Games" and "The Cabin in the Woods," but I'm not sure any of them would make a top 20 list. Maybe "The Deep Blue Sea."

I'm hoping this summer's movie slate is solid. This fall, there are a number of great looking films.

This coming weekend, I'll catch Tim Burton's "Dark Shadows" and either "Where Do We Go Now?" or "Bonsai."

This Week at the Movies: 'Five Year Engagement,' 'The Raven,' 'Sound of my Voice' and 'Bernie'

It was a busy week at the movies as you'll see from my latest piece for Patch.

This weekend, I saw three films I liked - the affable romantic comedy "The Five Year Engagement," Richard Linklater's oddball "Bernie" and "Sound of my Voice," a strange indie about two journalists attempting to infiltrate a cult.

I wasn't as excited about "The Raven," which had a few good set pieces, but was weak in other departments. Gotta keep it short this week. I'll let the reviews speak for themselves.

This coming weekend, I'll be seeing "The Avengers" and "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel."

Good Directors, Not So Great Movies: 'The Moth Diaries' and 'The Lucky One'

I was a little let down by Mary Harron's "The Moth Diaries" this weekend, especially being such a big fan of her brilliant adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's "American Psycho." The film felt curiously flat and lacking in subtext or substance.

The same can be said for Scott Hicks's "The Lucky One." I've enjoyed some of Hicks's other films, most notably "Shine," but his latest was pretty blah. Granted, the picture was based on a Nicholas Sparks novel. I can't say I've been particularly crazy about any of the Sparks adaptations I've seen thus far.

Here are this week's reviews for Patch.

I also finally caught up with "Bully," which I found to be moving and mostly successful. If the film has any problems, it's that it is a bit anecdotal, rather than bringing together its various victims' stories into one narrative. Nevertheless, it's an effective documentary.

This weekend, I have a lot to see: "The Raven," "The Five-Year Engagement," Richard Linklater's "Bernie" and the acclaimed indie "Sound of My Voice."

Genre Bending Exercises: 'Cabin in the Woods' and 'Damsels in Distress'

I gotta say, I had a lot of fun at Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon's "The Cabin in the Woods." It's not particularly scary, but it's a whole lot of meta fun and pretty clever to boot.

The film not only lampoons the horror genre, but also people's expectations of it.... and even a little something more, I'd say.

I was a little let down by "Damsels in Distress," the first film from Whit Stillman in 14 years. It has the same witty banter as his previous efforts, but it's often too twee and light on substance. It's not bad, but just sort of middle of the road.

Here are my Patch reviews.

The week's other - more significant - letdown was Guy Maddin's "Keyhole," which I'd heard was good as well as described as Lynchian. Alas, I thought it was one of the director's weaker efforts as of late. It has some good atmosphere and some expected loopy moments, but overall lacking.

But the fact that this season of "Mad Men" has been getting so increasingly fantastic almost makes up for a few cinematic bummers. I thought last night's episode was another knockout - and you'll hopefully appreciate my choice of words if you saw it.

Also, I decided to have a little fun this week. If you're linked to me on Facebook, search for my photo album titled 'Amazing Photos.' I know, not the most ingenious title, but I think it could provide you with a laugh. Be sure to read the captions.

This coming weekend, I'll catch up with "The Moth Diaries," which is the latest from Mary Harron.

So, what does that leave? There's a new film from Lawrence Kasdan and that Zac Effron picture, "The Lucky One." I also wouldn't mind catching up with "Bully." We'll see, I guess. But you can count on the Harron film.

This Week at the Movies: 'American Reunion'

I was out of town doing wedding preparation this past weekend, so my viewing was light. I managed to catch up with "American Reunion," which I occasionally found charming - catching up with a couple of characters I liked from the previous films, for example - but also unnecessary.

Here's my review for Patch.

This coming week will be one for catching up - first and foremost with Whit Stillman's "Damsels in Distress" and Guy Maddin's "Keyhole."

Next weekend, I'll definitely see "The Cabin in the Woods" as well as "The Three Stooges."

Hollywood Blahs: 'Wrath of the Titans' and 'Mirror, Mirror'

Needless to say, it was not the best weekend for movies. My reviews for Patch this week were "Wrath of the Titans" and "Mirror, Mirror," of which neither was I particularly fond.

The first was a by-the-numbers sequel to a mostly unnecessary remake of "Clash of the Titans," while the second was a visually lavish, but under-scripted take on Snow White.

Take a look at my reviews.

On a brighter note, I finally caught up with "Friends with Kids," which I enjoyed. Much credit is due to the film's able cast. I didn't review the picture because it has been out for several weeks. But it's a solid indie dramedy.

This coming weekend will find me knee-deep in wedding preparations, but I'm planning on catching "American Reunion" for the sake of my Monday movie column.

The weekend's other releases - Guy Maddin's "Keyhole" and Whit Stillman's "Damsels in Distress" - will have to be viewed during the following week. I'll either post an update with my thoughts on those movies on this blog or will include them in my Patch roundup for the following week, which will also include "The Cabin in the Woods."