The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)

In his first role as a less-than-attractive character, Matthew McConaughey does a great job.  And by great job I mean he is totally credible as a scum-sucking bottom feeder.  But as expected, his character redeems himself by the end of the story, sort of.  Consistent with my theory of human nature, people don't really change unless threatened in some way, and when the threat is gone, so goes the changes.  But I digress.

Marisa Tomei is hot but subdued here.  No scene stealing here, just a solid performance.  Love it.  William H. Macy is great in his limited but hugely pivotal role here.  This guy can do no wrong in my opinion.  Other great names giving just the right amount of flavor to the story include John Leguizamo and Josh Lucas.

Evil personified here is played by Ryan Phillippe.  He does the pretty-boy thing well, but in my opinion, did not pull off the real depth this character could have.  Okay, granted, he is not the true evil "genius" here; slight spoiler alert.  But, I think he could have played it a little more over the top.

Watch this with someone who may not be aware there are creatures thriving among us just like every character in this story.

Lone Star (1996)

A good friend recommended this to me recently, and he was right, its is a very good movie. There are actually multiple interconnected stories going on in this small Texas town. But isn't that the case with all small towns?

Chris Cooper plays a reluctant county sheriff who is haunted by the ghosts of the two previous sheriffs. Not literally a ghost story, but close enough. Elizabeth Peña plays a school teacher who is haunted by the romantic memory of Cooper's character. Kris Kristofferson and Matthew McConaughey play the two former sheriffs who hated each other.

This story is both a murder mystery and a love story. Behind both are parent-child relations. Connecting the two plot lines are eco-political scheming, inter-racial relations, some very submerged rage, and some great lines. The acting is superb and the music is classic tex-mex. Toss in a bit historical reality and you have a very interesting story.

Watch this movie with someone who forgets they have immigrant ancestors.