Kill the Irishman (2011)

Did this movie escape your radar? If so, it is well worth the watch.  The long list of big names makes this story increasingly interesting as it unfolds.

Ray Stevenson is the constant in this equation.  The common thread, and a very good one. Val Kilmer, Vincent D'Onofrio, Christopher Walken, Finnula Flanagan, and many others play a mix of Cleveland organized crime figures in the late 1970s.

Tony Lo Bianco, Robert Davi, Steve Schirripa, and Paul Sorvino among others play their New York connected Italian competition.  All do a super job.  This is a great all-star cast.

With a great mix of archival news footage this story unfolds as it happens.

Watch this with anyone who has lived in or been to Cleveland.

The Rite (2011)

Because this story is based on people who are real, and still alive, and no doubt some input into the telling, it is more tame than the usual exorcism tale.  Far more so than something conjured from someone's tortured imagination.  To some tame may mean lame.  So be it.

In my opinion, only true believers will "get" the message of this movie.  Belief in one is totally dependent on belief and faith in the other.  No spoilers here.

Anthony Hopkins plays multiple roles here, again no spoilers, but he is his usual brilliant.  I loved his line spoofing the 1973 classic The Exorcist.

Colin O'Donoghue is gorgeous, but I'm unclear on his acting skills just yet.  Let's see another film or two?

And no, the motorcycle worked on by the old priest is working on in the movie is not the world's fastest Indian.

Watch this with someone who ponders the question or the reality of The Devil.

The Company Men (2010)

Most of us, maybe all of us, know somebody who is represented by the main characters in this movie.  That makes it a little more real, a little too real, and a little painful to watch.

Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, and Tommy Lee Jones are guys in the way upper middle class who lose their jobs. There has been a ton of that going around in the last half decade.  If we have not experienced that ourselves, who know someone who has.

The painful process of losing one's job and making the necessary life-adjustments is only vaguely familiar many of us.  There but for the grace of some higher power go we?  Several scenes in this movie are painfully real.

Watch this with someone who has not lost their job recently.

Carancho (2010)

The best way I can describe this story is one of constantly turning tables.  Just when you think you have it figured out, things change.  There is enough drama, enough funny, enough blood, and plenty of little surprises to make this otherwise slow-moving story interesting.

Ricardo Darín is too good for words.  His chemistry with Martina Gusman is tragic, magic, and works.  I usually love Argentine cinema.  They have such a wide range of quirky topics.  This one included.  Happy endings do not appear part of their repertoire.  No spoilers here.

Watch this movie with someone who worries about their car insurance.

También la lluvia (2010)

When the local water conglomerate turns off the water to the residents of Cochabamba, Columbia, the leader of the revolt says they've taken the river, the lakes, the wells, and "even the rain".

This same revolt leader played smartly by Juan Carlos Aduviri, is chosen for a key role in a movie being shot in the area.  As the story unfolds, similarities appear between his character and his personal life.  The story is as much about his and the transformation of the film crew come from Spain to shot a movie about a Franciscan Priest's revolt against Columbus.

This is a slow-moving, thoughtful story about power and the people as well as the power OF the people.  The pace quickens and the story moves along until close to the end.  Unlike many movies, most characters here evolve in different directions.  It is not just about one key player changing.

Watch this with someone thinking about joining a grassroots movement.

True Grit (2010)

I'm still surprised how many people do not realize this movie is a remake.  John Wayne played this role originally, in 2 different movies in the late 1960s and early 1970s.  Jeff Bridges does a most worthy job.

Thanks to the genius Cohen brothers, the movies are very different even though the story is the same.  I actually think this new version is better.  Forgive Duke.

Matt Damon and Barry Pepper are almost unrecognizable in their roles here, and both do a great job.  This story has so few characters, each moment on screen is precious.  Everyone did a fantastic job.

This is a dark period comedy indeed, and not everyone will appreciate how things unfold.  But I believe this is a faithful retelling of the story.

Watch it with someone who has a strong sense of justice.