The Town (2010)

This may be the best thing Ben Affleck has done since Good Will Hunting. Once again he is acting his own material, but this time he directs too. This is also one of the smarter bank heist movies in a while, but not as smart as Inside Man.

Rebecca Hall definately adds a touch of class to what would otherwise be a pretty grim, gritty, tale. Jeremy Renner is once again great as the guy who skates the fine line between sanity and psyho-killer. Jon Hamm is very smart the FBI agent going after all of them.

No spoilers here, but I love the bittersweet ending.

This was Pete Postlethwaite's next to last move, and while his role was small, it WAS pivotal. I have been a fan of Pete's work in the Sharpe series on BBC. Pete will be missed.

Watch this movie with someone who has a strong tolerance of Boston accents, rough language, and car chase scenes.

The Hurt Locker

According to the urban dictionary a hurt locker is an intense period of emotional or physical pain. It is also the place wherever you happen to be when you experience that pain. Yikes.

This movie is about so many different kinds of pain that it's hard to describe. This movie is about ordinary people doing super hero things. This movie is about the amazing things soldiers go through on and off the battlefield. One more thing this movie does very very well, perhaps unintentionally, perhaps on purpose: it shows the huge difference between the war depicted in Saving Private Ryan and the war being fought now in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This movie will most likely touch you in a variety of different ways depending on your generation, your gender, your political views, your religious leanings, and your sense of adventure. But it will touch you.

Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, and Brian Geraghty are the real stars of this show. Right, who? I am very impressed with how the bigger names have smaller roles, fewer lines, and shorter lives. Guy Pearce and especially Ralph Fiennes usually are headliners. Here, they are in a total support role and are outstanding. Hats off to both for taking on these characters. David Morse is also in the picture but I'm not sure why.

Watch this movie with someone who is not sure if we're winning this particular war.