Sherrybaby

Sherrybaby: Maggie Gyllenhaal stars as a woman who just got out of prison for drugs. She intends to unite with her 7 year old daughter, although that may not be that simple. Her daughter has been raised by her brother and sister-in-law for the past few years. The acting by Gyllenhaal is tremendous – it is the reason to see this. The character keeps opening up letting the audience understand more about her as the story progresses. This story really sheds light on the difficulties some people have in life and where those difficulties start.

“Pick It Up”

The Last Kiss

The Last Kiss: Summed up – Garden State for the 30 something crowd. Zach Braff plays almost the same character in this film as he did in Garden State and again has a big life decision to make. Although the film does tackle some tough issues, it really comes off as shallow. Braff plays a guy who just turned 30 and is expecting his 1st child with his girlfriend who he lives with. Suddenly, for what appears to be no reason, a young 22 year old girl falls for braff and tries to lure him away. The other side plots taking place did nothing for the film as a whole – while mildly entertaining, I can not recommend

“Kick it on the Floor”

The Illusionist

The Illusionist: Ed Norton, Paul Giamatti, and Jessica Biel star in this drama/mystery centered around a magician in the early 1900s. We open up on a young Eisenheim (Norton) learning his magic and falling in love with a women of a higher class. We then fast forward to when Eisenheim is an adult and filling theaters up to see his mysterious shows. All is good until he runs into his old love. The film has a very authentic look to it. The filmmakers did an excellent job conveying to us how the people back then must have felt about the mystifying illusions they were seeing. My only complaint would be that this movie about magic did not trick me as much as I would have liked. Even still this is an easy film to recommend just for the intrigue…..

“Pick it Up”

Invincible

Invincible: Mark Wahlberg stars as Vince Papale – a Philadelphia bartender who walked on to the Philadelphia Eagles during an open tryout in 1976. It is a story you really can’t mess up, plus Disney has a formula for these sports movies (see – The Rookie , Miracle). Not being a huge fan of Wahlberg I do have to say he was right for this role and pulled it off well. I appreciate that they put the actual footage of Vince Papale in during the credits so you can see that he did make some big plays – even though the movie dramatized them all a bit.

“Pick it Up”

Friends With Money

Friends With Money: Jennifer Aniston, Catherine Keener, Joan Cusack, and Francis McDormand star as four friends – each with their own problems. Their problems become our business as they talk about them and how they are each having a tough time. Aniston is financially in the worst spot as she is single and cleans houses for a living. The filmmakers thought they were conveying a serious message – but it really translated into a lot of mumbo jumbo, boohoo talk.

“Kick it on the Floor”