The Town

"The Town" will not bear a heavy impact on the future of filmmaking, but there are enough exceptional elements to it that certify the film as worthy of praise. Ben Affleck both stars and directs. His directing is impressive: sure and understated. Occasionally he'll place the camera at an unexpected angle or move the shot mid-scene. This can be jarring, but in "The Town" these maneuvers always work and do well to serve the story. Speaking of the story, it presents a couple of twists on the typical bank-robbers v. cops narrative. The twists are refreshing and feel real. Jeremy Renner seethes and mesmerizes as one of the robbers. He is excellent. Jon Hamm is good as their police foil, but unfortunately he is saddled with awful dialogue at times. He does his best with what he's given. "The Town" is a satisfying and surprising thriller that has me interested in Ben Affleck's next move. The man has re-proven his talent after a decade-plus of questionable career moves. Congratulation, brother: you're back on track.

I'm Still Here

Feel dirty as you watch Joaquin Phoenix debase himself. The truth is out now that this documentary is/was a hoax. The entire exercise seems pointless. We're supposed to feel hopeful by the end that Joaquin has "found" his true self, but he hasn't earned any of our sympathy along the way. He does earn points for courage under fire as he bizarrely attempts to pursue a career as a rapper. But it's all just sad and not funny. I guess he and director Casey Affleck - who is also his brother-in-law - are having a laugh, but for viewers this is just torture.

Catfish

"Catfish" is a documentary film in which a New York City-based photographer and his two comrades unravel a 21st century mystery. The less said about their discoveries, the better. Let's just say that "Catfish" will make you question the validity of web-based social networking. Interesting to witness how the subject of the film copes with the fallout as his optimistic outlook is stomped upon. The story ends up feeling slight, but there are some riveting moments.

Cyrus

This is uncomfortable to watch, and I love that. Rare that a film is able to present a truly original premise. I don't think a story with the components of "Cyrus" - a particular love-triangle, if you will - has ever been delivered on screen before. The cast is stellar and the movie has a buoyancy that surprised me. Beyond the inevitable gags, there is a beating heart.

Restrepo

Harrowing and intense, "Restrepo" is a documentary filmed by two journalists who embedded with U.S. troops in Afghanistan. You will be left questioning the Afghani conflict but even more so than that, any conflict in which tribal peoples are involved. U.S. efforts to curry favor with Afghani locals are typically met with blank stares. They don't care about democracy. They don't care about bin Laden or Taliban. They just want people to stop shooting guns on their land. I think I would want that, too, but there is bigger picture at work here, and the locals are in denial. For how long?

True Grit

The Coen Brothers' re-telling of the classic Charles Portis novel is for the most part. quiet and understated. Jeff Bridges is cast as the iconic eye-patched bounty hunter Rooster Cogburn, and he does well filling the shoes of John Wayne. Wayne memorably played Cogburn - and was awarded an Academy Award for Best Actor - in the original 1969 film version of "True Grit". The Coen bros. "True Grit" always looks and feels authentic. Newcomer Haile Steinfeld shines as the young female lead. She carries long stretches of the film by virtue of her steady conviction and hypnotic gaze. Matt Damon is also a lot of fun playing a doofus Texas Ranger. Perhaps this remake isn't a classic for all-time. And many may still wonder why anyone would choose to remake the much-lauded original. But still, this version has many charms, and I imagine it will reward repeated viewings.

Toy Story 3

Nothing I say here will convince anyone of the merits of "Toy Story 3". It has been universally praised. It is another fine entry in Pixar's burgeoning canon of film excellence. I struggle to think of another trilogy that is so fine throughout. Usually, when a franchise reaches the third film in the series, the storytelling spark has been lost and the cast is tired (see Spiderman 3, for example). Not so in "Toy Story 3". Woody, Buzz, et al are still a joy to spend time with. This third film serves as a perfect ending to their screen journey.

Exit Through the Gift Shop

One of the more stunning films I have ever seen. The world famous England-bred street artist Banksy subverts a film project into something he decides is more suitable. He turns the camera on the man with the camera. The result is "Exit Through the Gift Shop". Instead of learning more about Banksy (the initial aim of the project), we see the world through the lens of Thierry Guetta, a man obsessed with filming his life and the work of his friends in the street art underworld. All kinds of wacky hijinks ensue, and this finished work may be an elaborate put-on. But that doesn't make it any less fascinating.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work

Joan is awesome! My respect for her grew immeasurably after watching this documentary film on her life. She is a phenom in the entertainment world, but not because she is specially gifted. Her main talent is her incredible work ethic. This woman is in her mid-seventies now and all she wants to do is book her calendar with work. Any work will do. Outsiders may perceive her as vain and self-absorbed, but she is not these things. She simply has an outlook on life different than you or I. She wants the limos to keep arriving at her door, but she'll never take the luxuries for granted. They'll have to tug the "Queen of Comedy" mantle from her casket, because in her lifetime she will never yield.

Winter's Bone

"Winter's Bone" is an excellent film, heavy on atmosphere, drama, and tension. Newcomer Jennifer Lawrence shines in the lead role, playing Ree, a teenager desperately searching for her deadbeat dad. But her performance is outstripped by the raw humanity John Hawkes exudes as the character "Teardrop", Ree's uncle. Hawkes is truly awesome. I only wish that Ree's two younger siblings received more character development from the scriptwriter(s). As things stand, we sympathize for those two simply because they're young and helpless. It would have been nice if they were more than just sketches, if the writing could have given us more substantive reason to care about their fate.

The Social Network

A fascinating portrait of the collision point between friendship and ambition. There may be any number of half-truths in "The Social Network", a film that steadfastly refuses to change the names of the real people depicted on screen, but I didn't care about any that. I wanted to be entertained, and I was. I knew some of the backstory, the Mark Zuckerberg "Creation myth" if you will, but most of the details were new to me. The cast is awesome and the writing is stellar. The screenwriter Aaron Sorkin pings lines at the audience as though engaging his opposite number in a table tennis match. Jesse Eisenberg is particularly excellent as Zuckerberg, playing him as an outcast who may or may not suffer from Asperberger's. In "The Social Network", a cadre of young men get rich quick. We in the audience are left to toll the cost as friendships shatter and fade in front of our eyes. Ah, the impudence - and brilliance - of youth.

Date Night

The first 45 minutes or so are a lot of fun, but then "Date Night" sags disappointingly. One would think that talents like Carell and Fey could salvage any material via their winning chemistry, but even they can't work miracles here. Disappointing really, because the premise of the film is very promising. But proceedings "jump the shark" definitively when we viewers are subjected to a bizarre car chase scene that severely strains believability. "Date Night" turns out be mindless fluff and unfortunately does not deliver on its early promise.