Film

Several months ago when I first saw the trailer for Country Strong, I could take it or leave it. I don't like country music and haven't been impressed with Gwyneth Paltrow since The Royal Tenenbaums. My interest piqued, however, when I saw Paltrow perform on an episode of Glee this fall. Her voice was surprisingly good, and her performance on the show was refreshing. After a newly sparked interest in Country Strong, I knew Paltrow had the vocal chops, but how would she do playing an addict?

It’s taken almost two years for I Love You Phillip Morris to finally reach mainstream theaters. Premiering at Sundance in January 2009, the movie was a near casualty for nervous American distributors, but had a showing here at last year's BendFilm festival to glowing audience reviews. After lying dormant in cinematic limbo, you can rest assured that this flick is now out in all its screwed up glory, with Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor doing gay-for-pay in a crazy twist on romantic comedies.

This crazy trend to make 3D movies these days only pays off if… let me think… it has really cool freakin' 3D looking things popping out at you. The only thing popping out during Jack Black's insipid new movie Gulliver's Travels were my eyes in astonishment at how bland, generic and totally sluggish the entire flick was on every level.

Don't hate Colin Firth just because he's playing a real person who overcomes an obstacle in The King's Speech. But don't love him just for that reason, either.
Longtime observers of movie awards know that there's a formula for the acting categories, and that one of the surest ways to stand at the podium with a statuette is to play a real-life character, or someone with a handicap – and preferably both. It's too easy to laud Firth for his performance here, when he's been better in other films. And it's too easy to fold your arms defiantly against the high-toned look of The King's Speech, thus missing its considerable charms.

True Grit version 2.0 opens on a dead body, with snow drizzling and a quote from the Old Testament dangling, “The wicked flee when none pursueth.” It's immediately clear that this film is more than just a remake of the 1969 John Wayne Western of the same name. This time around directors Joel and Ethan Coen were reverent to Charles Portis’ novel, telling the story from the young girl’s perspective. To do so, they re-teamed with No Country for Old Men producer Scott Rudin. The narrative centers on young Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) who enlists the services of “Rooster” Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to help her capture her father's killer. Accompanied by Texas Ranger Le Beouf (Matt Damon), the unlikely trio ventures forth hoping to either bring her father’s murderer to justice or kill him, whichever comes first.

Choosing the top ten movies of the year is tough, especially in Bend when we haven't gotten the chance to see some of the most raved-about flicks, but at least it leaves room on the list for some awesome movies.
1. THE SOCIAL NETWORK:
Yes, it's on the top of every other list, too, but for good reason. The acting is superb, the content topical and relevant, and the cinematography sublime.
2. BLACK SWAN:
Natalie Portman amazes in this mind-bending psychological thriller.
3. INCEPTION:
We couldn't dream of something this fantastic.

The list can go on and on. Considering the onslaught of duds there really wasn't a lot of flicks vying for best movie category this year, which is why I compiled a list of the ten films I just absolutely hated.

1. Babies
Goo-goo dada. This is just a garbled batch of poorly made home movies in which only cuteness is documented. One can only take so much crying, peeing, grinning and crawling no matter what country they're from. For those of you smitten by babies, cuddle onward. But if you are one who is immune to the charms of, or perhaps even afraid of, babies – avoid this at all costs.

Natalie Portman is amazing. The 29-year-old actress has perfectly crafted her career – making stunning choices for the films she stars in and her most recent project doesn't find her veering off course. Black Swan stars Portman in a both mentally and physically challenging role as Nina, a ballerina who is cast as the Swan Queen in a ballet troupe's revamped production of Swan Lake. While the storyline may leave you a bit confused, there will be no question when you leave the theater that Portman should run away with the Academy Award for Best Actress.

What's that you say? David O. Russell, the guy who directed Spanking the Monkey, Three Kings and I Heart Huckabees made a boxing movie? Yes it's true that the king of quirky has made a straightforward boxing pic based on a true story, fueled by performances of compelling grit and layered intensities, simply entitled The Fighter.

Finally, the gods of Hollywood have fulfilled one of my biggest hopes and dreams in cinema – Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie are staring together in a movie. As pathetic as that may sound, you know you were secretly hoping for the same thing. The big question looming on everyone's minds though: Will they have the kind of chemistry we've made up for them in our twisted, celebrity-obsessed consciousness? And will the movie itself live up to our fantasies? Here's how The Tourist stacks up: