The Fighter (2010)

It takes a very tough person to stand in the ring for more than a few rounds. Same goes for this movie. It is not for the weak-minded or faint of heart. But it is well worth the pain of watching horrible people ruin each others lives. Mark Wahlberg was the main character here and did a great job, but as in the fiction, his older brother played by Christian Bale, gets all the glory and won the Oscar. And their clueless, self-serving mother played by Melissa Leo also won. There is no lack of talent or great performances here, but one one can win. Amy Irving was also nominated for her role as the champ's love interest, but the wicked witch of Lowell won out. Based on real people and events, this movie is a mix of actual and mocked footage. Very well done. And, some of the people in the real story of the early 2000s play themselves. This adds a great feel to the movie. Watch this movie with someone who feels they have to choose between family and success.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)

It appears that 8 Hollywood years have passed in the last 23 real world years. But then again if you factor in the court time and appeals etc, the ratio may be much closer. Either way, and the bottom line is, this sequel is not as good as the original. Hopefully they will let it end at that.

Michael Douglas and his character make one helluva comeback here. Charlie Sheen and a few others from the original make cameos. But the story is really about young idealistic lovers played by Shia LaBeouf and Carey Mulligan. It is also about Fathers and Daughters; greed and trust; and a small dose of redemption mixed in.

If you have not seen the original I recommend watching it first even though you may feel let down by the second. A decent job is done telling the back story because so many of today's movie public never saw the first one. But having seen the original I didn't have to spend any time trying to figure out who did what to whom.

Watch this movie with someone who does not understand the financial industry bailout.

Hot Fuzz (2007)

The creative team who brought you Shaun of the Dead are back, without their zombies. What they did bring was twisted respect for Dirty Harry movies. What did that translate into? According to their own claim in the special features, a whole new genre of cop movies. Did they succeed? You decide.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as more or less complete opposite police officers in a small English village outside London. They come up against a very unusual set events, all while trying to figure out what kind of cops, and men, they really are.

Along the way, with the help of some extreme harsh editing (I used to call this MTV editing), the boys learn all sorts of things in some very funny, very graphic, ways. While this movie is very different from Shaun, the sense of humor and fun is clearly the same.

Watch this movie with someone who is obsessed with cop-buddy movies.

Red (2010)

Retired: Extremely Dangerous. Hope to be there soon!

What is NOT to like about this movie? It is dark, funny, violent, twisty, fast, outrageous, and smart. What a fun ride. I really did not know what would happen next. On that alone I can recommend this movie.

Bruce Willis has played many fun, exciting characters, but this one if my favorite so far. DC Comics may have created Frank Moses, but Warner Brothers missed the boat on this one. Kudos to Summit Entertainment for picking up this project and bringing him to life.

This is the Space Cowboys of spy films. I loved it as much as I love Sneakers.

Watch this with someone who does not believe John Malkovich can do comedy.

The King's Speech (2010)

Clearly one of best movies of the year, but I'm not sure it was the best. It is almost impossible to compare this movie with the likes of Inception. Fiction and biographies don't line up well on the things used to score a film. But compare The King's Speech to the Social Network or one of the other bio-pics from 2010, and it's a solid winner.

That said, this story has appeal for all. The message is healthy and the main characters are all wonderfully real. This movie helps define courage for the vast majority of us who never really have to show any. And it is done in a way we can completely relate to.

Watch this movie with someone who has a personal challenge to overcome.

Megamind (2010)

Very much along similar lines as Despicable Me which was released 4 months earlier, this movie is enjoyable for most of the same reasons. Almost all the characters are over-the-top outrageous and look nothing like their voice-celebs. Both send a good message to kids and have a tidy ending. Both are funny on levels all ages can appreciate.

What I don't understand is why this movie cost almost twice as much to make. Sadly for the suits in Hollywood it made less than Despicable Me so far. I'm guessing the list of big name talent behind the voices had something to do with it?

Bottom line, this movie is funny and smart and moves at a good pace. Because I did not know the names behind the voices ahead of time, I had a great time trying to guess. In almost every case I was pleasantly shocked. If you have a knack for voices and don't know who's who in this movie, I suggest you do the same.

Watch this movie with someone who has yet to discover their true calling.

The Pacific (2010)

This HBO miniseries from the same folks who brought you the award-winning Band of Brothers is maybe a little more raw and real at showing the ugly sides of war. This series has also drawn a number of awards.

If you like long historical war dramas, you will most likely enjoy this one. The characters are likable and the whole feel of the movie is real. They've done a great job weaving several stories together.

The cast is outstanding and there are too many to name. But the 3 prime Marine characters are played masterfully by James Badge Dale, Joseph Mazello, and Jon Seda.

The Blu-ray version has tons of extras, including maps, facts, and a Tom Hanks narration.

Watch this series with someone who might think the Japanese have always been our friends.

Magnum Force (1973)

Some refer to this movie as Dirty Harry 2, and in a way there are absolutely correct. It IS the perfect sequel. I say perfect because it directly addresses the controversy created by the first movie. It is almost as if the creative team thought "okay, you think THIS is fascism in America, we'll show you fascism in America". Dirty Harry was not about fascism but about law, order and justice in a broken system. And the system can be broken in both directions as this installment shows.

Clint Eastwood reprises his iconic folk hero of a San Francisco cop who gets bad guys, regardless of what side of the law they are on. Hal Holbrook does a wonderful job of being his boss.

If you have not seen this series in a long time, watch to see how many familiar faces you can spot and how many other rogue cop shows follow this pattern. If you have not seen the series at all, put this on your list and see how the genre was perfected 30 years ago.

Watch this movie with someone who thinks law and order is the solution.