El secreto de sus ojos (The Secret in Their Eyes) 2009

Hands down, this is one of the best movies I've seen in 2010. It is smart. It is funny. It is tragic. It is very romantic. Dramedy does not begin to cover the range of genres this movie covers.

Ricardo Darín is marvelous as a retired investigator with the Buenos Aires police. He decides to write a novel based on one of his unsolved cases. To do this he goes back to the office and talks to his old boss played deliciously by Carla Quevedo. The chemistry these two have is equal to that of their characters.

Side characters make any good movie better, and this one is no exception. Guillermo Francella is wonderful as the comic relief, the true brain, the mock buffoon, and best friend of Darin's character.

The rest of the cast is up to the task and are brilliant together. None will be familiar to American audiences, but are very familiar faces to Argentine audiences.

The rape scene early in the movie is the hardest part to watch. Scenes of the crime investigation are next. But, they are relatively brief and can be dealt with the fast forward if needed without any loss to the story line.

If you like movies with a mix of suspense, mystery, humor, and romance combined with a surprise ending, you will certainly like this one. In Spanish with English subtitles, it moves to fast you hardly notice. But do pay attention to the quick witty repartee between characters.

Watch this with someone who knows how to hold a grudge.

Terriers

I'm breaking form and going WAY outside the movies-worth-a-watch realm here. But, there is a new TV series on FX called Terriers. San Diego based private detective show. Shows all sides of San Diego county - refreshing for some - dark and seedy for others.

Donal Logue plays a street smart but socially retarded ex-cop and recovering alcoholic. His business partner is the confusingly bipolar (brilliant-doofus) played by Michael Raymond-James. Other regular characters come and go depending on the week's episode (13 so far), but they are all very very good.

This may be the first TV series I've reviewed here, but not the first I have TiVo'd. Rescue Me and Castle are also both worth the watch in my opinion. I don't have time to watch many, and I consider these worth my time.

Watch this with someone who can see beyond the doofus to the genius behind.

Boogie Woogie

The bad news is that this movie is full of self-serving, egotistical, London art snobs. They lie cheat and steal. The good news is that they appear to only prey on each other. They other good news is that there actually IS a story. You just have to wait for it.

The other good news is that there are some great names and wonderful performances. There is also a very disturbing scene involving a removed body part that has little or nothing to do with the story.

Gillian Anderson, Heather Graham, Amanda Seyfried, and Gemma Atkinson lead a strong stunning female ensemble. Danny and Jack Huston, Stellan Skarsgård, Simon McBurney, Alan Cumming, and the legendary Christopher Lee all give the male gender a bad bad name. Very bad name.

The story, as such, is about a fictional painting that everyone appears to want. The story ends with as many questions as it poses. What really happened to the painting? Where did the money go? And where did it come from? Oh, and why do some characters appear to have different names depending on the scene. I clearly didn't have the score card to keep track.

Watch this if you are really really really into art, hard-R for sexual content movies, and vague story lines.

Erin Brockovich

Julia Roberts may have won the Oscar for her work here in 2001, but the rest of the cast is outstanding. Albert Finney was nominated, and maybe should have won given the competition that year. Everyone else from Aaron Eckhart to Peter Coyote to Marg Helgenberger is wonderful. Real California High Desert residents.

Even the real Erin Brockovich has a small role - can you spot her? Interestingly, her character is named Julia. The real Ed Masry is in the same scene. Mr. Tracey Walter, a veteran of big and small screen that all of us know by sight if not by name, has a pivotal role.

Can anyone however explain why this movie is so yellow? Agfa film maybe??

This is a good movie for older girls and young women to watch. Yes, it has an R-rating for language but the less to be learned is important. If you have not seen this movie since it came out, it's worth a watch again to see the familiar faces. If you have not, it's good to learn who this SoCal heroine is about.

Watch this with a single parent who is struggling.

John Rabe

Not quite "Schindler's List" but very very close. This German bio-pic is very high on production quality, drama, tension-breaking humor, and excellent acting. It may be very hard to watch for some - the atrocities of war often are.

Ulrich Tukur plays a German business exec who turns superhero to scores of Chinese citizens during the Japanese invasion in the winter of 1937. His connections with both the Nazi party and Siemens Corporation saved countless innocent lives.

After the siege he returned to Germany and was branded a traitor, the journal he kept was lost for decades. This movie is told directly from the pages of his own writings.

Steve Buscemi does his best acting to-date playing a cynical American doctor at the time. He even does a very funny song and dance routine. The rest of the cast is excellent but most of us won't recognize many names.

The dialogue is a mix of English, German, Chinese, and Japanese. It is very easy to keep up.

Watch this movie with someone who thinks they know all the WWII stories.

Date Night

Just out on DVD this goofy movie is fun for everyone over the age of about 18. No, it's not R-rated, but not many under that age will get all the best bits. Married couples, or couples who are in a comfortable groove will most likely appreciate the point.

Steve Carell and Tina Fey, arguably the funniest people on TV, star as a married couple out for a night of something different. Their worst crime, as you will see, is taking some other couple's reservation at a very in-demand restaurant. Non-New-Yorkers take note. You can shoot someone, steal their car, and even resort to blackmail, but worst of all is to pretend to be someone else and take their reservation. Be warned.

This movie is outrageous as it is funny. The guest appearances are very good. Mark Wahlberg is great with his limited role. But can anyone tell me while he needed a wardrobe assistant?

This is a great date movie because regardless of how the date goes, it's better than the one portrayed in this movie.

Watch this movie with couple who are stuck in a rut.

The Fabulous Baker Boys

Here is another excellent movie I recently watched again for the shear pleasure of it.

Dave Grusin is as well known for his movie music as John Williams. But you may not know his name. If you like jazz however, you know the Grusin brothers. And no, this movie is most definitely not about them.

Rather, this movie is about a pair of other brothers who are part of the small-time lounge entertainment scene in Seattle in the late 80s. As their act grows stale they add a female vocalist.

Jeff and Beau Bridges play the brothers, and Michelle Pfeiffer plays the singer. The chemistry or lack thereof between the 3 is very good and often quite funny. This is probably my favorite Pfeiffer movie and one of only 2 times she has been nominated for a best actress Oscar. Supposedly Madonna turned this role down because the scrip was too "mushy".

If this is a romantic comedy, it is a fairly dark one. If it is a musical, it is one with some great dialogue. If this is a drama, it has some very funny bits. Either way, enjoy the music and the ride. It is a no stress PG-13 (lots of f-bombs) date movie.

Watch this with someone who remembers Swedish knit leisure suits. Oh my.

December Boys

Need a pleasant evening with mildly funny entertainment? Need some beautiful scenery you've probably not seen before? Need to see Harry Potter get some? This might be a good choice.

Daniel Radcliffe plays the oldest of a group of orphans in Australia's Outback who are given a summer holiday at the beach. Each boy has a different experience. Each of the residents of the small community have unique reaction to the boys. And what Australian movie would be complete without Jack Thompson. His is not the star, but clearly an important fixture.

This movie is about community - about family. We all have a love-hate relationship with our families, either conscious or subconsciously.

As truly interesting as any of the characters is the Black Stallion. What was the point of that?

This movie has funny bits for anyone who has had a summer vacation in a totally foreign environment. It might also appeal to someone who was once an awkward lonely boy. Otherwise this movie is at best a look at Australia most of us rarely see.

Watch this movie with someone who won't notice that the music comes from a decade after the events supposedly happened.

OSS 117 - Lost in Rio

Originally titled "OSS 117: Rio ne répond plus" this French spoof on Bond films is so bad some people might think its good. I didn't. But, if you like very campy, intentionally offensive, but very well told spoof movies, this is a good choice. Clearly in the vein of Pink Panther classics there is even a homage to Marathon Man and Vertigo in the final scenes.

Jean Dujardin is perfect as the flawed but legendary One-Seventeen of the French spy service. He looks enough like Sean Connery to pull off the obvious nods. How he kept a straight face during all this is beyond me, but I would love to see the out-takes.

Louise Monot is stunning as the Israeli agent paired with doofy 117.

The rest of the cast is just plain funny. Some of it is local Rio humor. Some of it is anti-Semitic. some of it is anti-Nazi.

If you choose, watch this movie with somebody who will get the Rio humor and not be offended by the rest of it.

Eastern Promises

This movie is certainly worth a watch again. If did not see it before, for whatever reason, consider any of the following reasons.

Viggo Mortensen did his homework very well. He comes off as a very credible Russian. And why not? He went there and lived among the "Vor" to learn how. We walked the walk AND talked the talk. Chilling portrayal.

Director David Cronenberg always goes for gritty reality in his pictures. He worked with Mortensen on History of Violence which you may also want to see.

Naomi Watts is the pivotal character of the story as a Labor and Delivery Nurse in a London hospital.

Armin Mueller-Stahl is perfect as the head of the crime family operating just below the radar in London. Vincent Cassel is his loser son. Great casting with a strong international group.

Yes, it is violent. Yes, Mortensen's character bares all in a steam room scene. That adds a level of reality that we don't usually get in crime movies.

While not for everyone, this movie is certainly a must-see for anyone who likes gangster stories, crime thrillers, or naked kings.

Watch this with someone with a high tolerance of cut-throat bad guys.