The Place Beyond The Pines

A dark movie. No, I mean a really dark movie, one of the darkest movies I’ve ever seen--like you're watching this thing in a cave. That dark. It's definitely grand in scope, in some ways almost Shakespearean, especially in its sense of tragic inevitability. Moody, heavy on atmosphere, and featuring a truly excellent performance by Bradley Cooper, this is ultimately, an admirable work--you just need to steel yourself for the grimness.

Stuck On You

Those Farrelly brothers--they're quite the enigma, aren't they? They've made a couple of the funniest movies of the last decade or so (There's Something About Mary and the wildly under appreciated Kingpin), but apparently, "funny" is not really their thing. At least judging by some recent outings. Here's a case in point. It was "sold" as a comedy, and there are certainly some funny moments, good gags, humor-laden premise, etc. But then again, they seem to be more interested in making a point about people and what makes them who they are. The boys deserve credit for trying, but they didn't completely pull it off. Maybe they'll nail it with the next try.

Training Day

Intense, troubling and all too real. Good work by Denzel Washington, but Ethan Hawke should not be overlooked here--he certainly holds his own against the award-winner. This is the sort of movie that gets you thinking about the state of society for many days after viewing, and the thoughts are not comforting.