Movie Review: "The Green Hornet"

Most superhero movies require a familiarity with the source material. "The Green Hornet" may be the first to demand tolerance for the star.

Those who find Seth Rogen's sarcastic, slacker shtick grating will likely not make it to the end of "The Green Hornet" without wondering whether their headache is from the 3D or his smoker's-cough laugh. Fans of the "Knocked Up" star will fare better, although even they may find themselves wishing he were more like his silent sidekick.

A mashup of "Pineapple Express" and "Batman," but not nearly as cool as that sounds, "The Green Hornet" is entertaining in fits and starts but ultimately disposable, empty fare.

Not that Rogen isn't trying. The formerly rotund comic slimmed down for his role as Britt Reid, immature son of a newspaper magnate (Tom Wilkinson) who spends his days acting out his daddy issues by throwing wild parties and making out in the family garage. The role is basically an amalgam of all of Rogen's previous roles, and if you found him funny in "40-Year-Old Virgin," you'll probably find some chuckles here.

Things get serious, though, when Britt's father dies of a bee sting. Unsure of how to proceed without his dad's domineering shadow over him, Britt refuses to become involved in the newspaper business and fires all of his family's personal staff. When he learns that his morning coffee will no longer be made to his liking, Britt demands to see the man responsible, his father's mechanic, Kato (Jay Chou). Kato's something of a renaissance mechanic, fixing up Britt's father's cars with indestructible armor and weaponry, ably sketching beautiful women and possessing incredible martial arts knowledge. After a night of heavy drinking and ill-advised heroics, the two decide they should team up as superheroes who masquerade as villains. I'm still not really sure why they go that route, except that it allows for several scenes of Rogen being able to fake acting tough around drug lords.

It's not really a secret that Kato was always cooler than the Green Hornet. After all, mostly everyone knows that Kato was played in the 1960s TV show by martial arts icon Bruce Lee; few people are aware who tackled the role of Britt Reid (trivia: it was Van Williams). And while Rogen has notably slimmed down for his first superhero role, it is Chou who does all the heavy kicking and punching. Rogen's just around for the wisecracks.

It may sound like I'm ragging on the funnyman, and that's not my intention. I've been a fan of Rogen's work since "Knocked Up" and think he's funny, likable and surprisingly nuanced, even in films that don't completely work, like "Funny People" or "Observe and Report." There's a lot of humor to be had in "The Green Hornet," particularly because of the chemistry between Rogen and Chou, who rarely speaks, which nicely compliments the movie's star, who never shuts up. Britt's "I don't give a care" attitude is funny in the film's early scenes and there's a fanboy humor to his elation at actually going out and being a superhero.

Were this a straight comedy, like "Pineapple Express," the humor would be fine. But the script by Rogen and his frequent co-writer Evan Goldberg wants us to truly invest in the superhero story at its heart. Rogen is so constantly mugging and cracking jokes that he makes Britt an unlikable jerk throughout much of the movie. When he makes his inevitable turn to the light at the end of the movie, it doesn't register because we never believe Rogen's sincerity for a moment. Again, were this strictly a comedy it might work - but we're supposed to be engaged in the adventure, laughing with, but never at, our hero.

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" director Michel Gondry is surprisingly adept at the action sequences and brings a nice visual charge to Kato's battles; when the sidekick gets ready to attack, the world slows down and the background elongates - a pretty cool effect, especially in 3D. Gondry delivers a few fun action sequences, including a climax that goes wonderfully over the top, but he fails to hold together the patchwork plot whenever the focus shifts from Britt and Kato, letting both Edward James Olmos and Cameron Diaz flounder in supporting roles that somehow weigh down the story even though the characters are nothing but fluff. Only "Inglourious Basterds'" Christoph Waltz registers some laughs, as a villain who only wants to be feared. Waltz brings a slightly different shade to his low-key villain and garners some entertaining moments, although the film struggles to shoehorn him into its already convoluted plot.

My reaction to "The Green Hornet" is fairly complex. Yes, I laughed quite a bit while watching it, particularly at the chemistry between Rogen and Chou. But even as I headed out to my car I found myself irked and irritated by how weightless and unnecessary the entire affair was. Perhaps were we not in an age where superhero movies are consistently great - or if we went back four years, where Rogen was still fresh and new - I would have laughed more. Here all I can do is ambivalently swat "The Green Hornet" away.

Movie Review: "Best Worst Movie"

A few years back, a friend and I used to make a habit of having a "bad movie night."

Basically, one of us would pick out a movie that was getting panned by critics and audiences. "Glitter," "Left Behind," "Carman: The Champion." We had a blast looking watching those movies and laughing at their awfulness. Our breaking point, I believe, came with "Gigli," when we realized that some movies' badness just wasn't worth it.

Bad movie connoisseurs know that not just any bad movie is a "good" bad movie. Some films are just plain terrible and better left alone (I'm looking at you, "Last Airbender") while others are just so wrong-headed and made with so much misdirected passion that they spawn a cult following, with people gathering just to revel in their awfulness.

So what is it that makes an awful movie become beloved, and what are the fates of those who dared lend their names to the credits of such infamous flicks? That's what Michael Stephenson's documentary seeks to find out in "Best Worst Movie."

I haven't seen "Troll 2," a horror flick from 1986 that has garnered infamy as the worst movie ever made--accruing a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 0%. I should also probably state that I haven't seen the original "Troll," although I quickly learned that this was a quickie sequel made by an Italian director that has no connection to the original film. "Troll 2" is actually not even about trolls at all--it's about vegetarian goblins, who attempt to turn a family into vegetables so that they can eat them. Just hearing that description was enough to make me add it to my Netflix Instant queue for watching later this week.

As films about vegetarian goblins are wont to do, "Troll 2" took a critical drubbing and failed to make a peep at the box office. Most of the amateur actors involved went back to their day jobs and some didn't even see the movie until they had VHS copies shipped to them. But as the film began to circulate on videotape and in rotation on HBO, it gathered a cult following. People began throwing parties and midnight shows, with some calling it the new generation's "Rocky Horror Picture Show."

As these screenings begin to pop up throughout the country, Stephenson gathers the film's cast to assemble and take a look at the phenomenon they've become a part of. It ends up being a funny and surprising look at pop culture and the weird things people latch onto.

Having seen and cherished my share of low budget, horrible horror movies over the years, I've often wondered what becomes of the cast. Every once in awhile, you'll have a movie star who started in drek, like Jennifer Aniston ("Leprechaun") or Kevin Bacon ("Friday the 13th"). But most of the time, these horrid little flicks are just opportunities for local men and women who wanted to try their hand at being in a real movie.

That's what happened with George Hardy, who commands most of the doc's screen time. A Dentist living in Alabama, Hardy is a friendly and talkative chap who is always smiling or chatting someone up. He readily admits that when he saw the film for the first time, he was immediately aware of how bad the film was and promptly went on with his life of dentistry. When he gets word of "Troll 2's" unexpected popularity and attends a midnight screening, he begins to have a blast with interacting with the crowds, signing autographs and regaling audiences with his classic line, "you can't piss on hospitality."

The film largely follows Hardy as he attends screenings and conventions, trying to assemble as much of the cast as possible. Sometimes this results in getting other people eager to share in the experience--such as the actor who played his son and is game to sit around a recreate scenes for the camera. Other times--such as when the two attempt to recruit the woman who played Hardy's wife--the results are so bizarre that it could only happen in a documentary like this...upon their visit they find a reclusive, cat-obsessed woman whose own shut-in mother seems constantly annoyed at her own child. When they ask her to join them at a screening, they get a bizarre rant about how scary and risky it would be. Also, this woman truly believes "Troll 2" turned out to be a meaningful, magical film.

One thing I've always suspected about these low budget fiascoes is that, despite how horrible the film turned out, the cast had a great experience just being in a movie. Hardy is probably the best type of person to center a film like this around--he's pleased as punch to have the lime light shown on him. And while the cast reminisces about a shoot where they constantly had no idea what kind of movie they were making and were further confused by the crew's language barrier, we get the sense that they all enjoyed their one shot at making a movie. It was fun and, for the most part, they have a fun time talking to the movie's unexpected fan club.

Stephenson is a little less successful at capturing why "Troll 2" has become such a beloved bad movie. He has no trouble in finding large groups of people who gather for viewing parties, midnight shows and Question and Answer session. Some of these people appear to genuinely believe that--despite its bad acting, directing and everything else--"Troll 2" is actually a truly enjoyable and even magical film. Others seem to be content just to admit that they love to laugh at ever terrible line of dialogue. I might have liked to see some more film experts polled on what makes a bad movie a cult hit and maybe a digression further into the works of Ed Wood or some sort of analysis about why people love to laugh at these movies. I would venture to say, at first glance, it's a result of our postmodern culture--but I also then have to remember that generations before me loved to laugh at "Plan 9 From Outer Space."

Of course, I could be expecting a little too much scholarly work from a movie that follows the global impact of "Troll 2."

One fan posits that people flock to bad movies that have been made with sincerity and belief in the product, and I would agree that a good bad movie has to truly believe that it is, in fact, good (which is why "Snakes on a Plan" has its merits, but doesn't hang on as a cult classic--it's too aware of its badness.) But surely, I thought, "Troll 2" would have to be excluded from that--it was a sequel to a little seen horror movie, a cash-in by an Italian film crew.

And then Stephenson brings in Claudio Fragasso, the film's director. Claudio, through a translator, recalls that he made "Troll 2" as a movie about family values with an important comment to make. He still believes that it's an emotionally moving film and sees its new found popularity as a vindication from critics who panned it upon release. He gladly visits the midnight screenings and shakes hands with "fans," even believing that he inspired some to go into the film business.

Claudio, of course, has no concept of irony. And he's baffled when people are laughing not only at the film's humorous moments but--even harder--at the moments intended to be serious. At the end of the film he lashes out at the actors who have all taken part in the joke, calling them "dogs." When someone asks him why there are no actual trolls in "Troll 2," Claudio's only response is "you know nothing." Watching him slowly catch on and react to what people really think about the movie is one of the most entertaining--and awkward--moments of the documentary.

But the film also finds a bit of resonance in Hardy's experience reliving "Troll 2." At first, he seems to take every moment to go to screenings and talk about the film. He talks about it with all his patients--not really understanding that some people just don't think bad films are all that funny. He throws a screening his hometown and even begins to think about quitting his dental career to go back into film. But there's a sadness to scenes set at horror and sci fi conventions, where Hardy and his crew are ignored by fanboys who aren't part of the cult and they see how out of place they are in the world of geeks. "Troll 2" fans, I guess, truly do breathe rare air and aren't found everywhere in the country.

The film never truly gains the momentum or heart to be on par with a "King of Kong," probably the champion of quirky documentaries. But "Best Worst Movie" is enjoyable in its own rights, as a look at the legacy even the worst movie can have and for watching people truly get some enjoyment out of a movie that they thought was long forgotten.

Best Films of 2010

Backstabbing computer geniuses, arm-hacking survivalists and incinerator-avoiding plastic toys were just a few of the characters movies had in store for us in 2010.

As I initially approached this list, I considered that this was not a particularly great year for movies. But as deciding on the top 10 became a greater challenge the more I hit the theaters, I realized there were quite a few great films out this year. Here's a look at the 10 best:

1. The Social Network: Proving it's more than just "The Facebook Movie," David Fincher's fast-talking drama could very well be this generation's defining film. Powered by Aaron Sorkin's breathless and intelligent script, this is a thrilling look at the personality clashes, betrayals and possible ethics violations that led to the creation of the world's most popular website. Sorkin's dialogue launches off the page, delivered by a pitch-perfect ensemble that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake and Andrew Garfield. It's a film about a revolution that changed the way we connect with our friends, business partners and families - and it may have all been thought up by a man who was too brilliant to navigate any of that correctly himself. Funny, tense and almost dangerously brilliant, this is far and away the best film of 2010.



2. 127 Hours: Much of this film's publicity centered on the "keep your eyes open" climax, when Aron Ralston - played with wonderful nuance and depth by James Franco - cuts off his own arm with a pocket knife to free himself from death in a narrow gorge. While the scene is one of the year's most visceral, the film is not the extreme experience many have hyped it up to be. Directed with boundless energy by Danny Boyle, "127 Hours" is an exciting, powerful and moving meditation on survival and the things we cling to to keep ourselves alive.




3. Four Lions: Chris Morris' debut film has not opened on Detroit screens yet and I'm not sure when, or if, it will ever get a wide release. This British film follows a group of Islamic suicide bombers as they plot a massive attack - and it's a comedy. Understandably, many aren't ready for a "terrorism comedy" yet, but Morris' film defangs the jihadists by making them a group of bumbling, in-fighting idiots who can barely keep from blowing themselves up during practice runs. Full of surprising wit and insight, while still being explosively funny (pun intended), Morris manages to take the wind out of terrorists' sails by exposing them as hypocritical oafs, but also keeps in mind the dangers that stupidity can cause.




4. The Fighter: David O. Russell's boxing drama embraces and transcends its formula trappings with this tale of Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg), a Beantown fighter with a shot at the championship. On the surface, "The Fighter" is the typical underdog story we've seen hundreds of times before. But, like "Rocky," it's elevated to greatness by a cast of diverse, fleshed out characters, most notably Micky's brother Dicky, a one-time contender felled by a crack addiction. Played with manic energy by Christian Bale, Dicky is the unpredictable livewire who could help or hinder Micky's career. Bale finally delivers on the greatness he's been promising for years, and forces Wahlberg, Melissa Leo and Amy Adams to match him with their solid work.




5. The King's Speech: Director Tom Hooper makes history engaging, funny and all too human with this fantastically portrayed look at King George VI's struggle with speech. Colin Firth delivers the best performance of the year as the hot-tempered, easily-frustrated and reluctant monarch. Geoffrey Rush is hilarious and humane as the doctor who befriends and helps the king as he prepares to address the nation in the early days of World War II. By focusing on fears of public speaking, Hooper grabs our attention from the first scene, and Firth and Rush have never been better in this inspiring film. It's "Rocky" with a radio.




6. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: Each year, there's a film that I love unconditionally because it's shown me something I've never seen before. Edgar Wright's adaptation of Brian O' Malley's underground comic is that film for me this year. Michael Cera brings new shades to his awkward young man persona as a self-obsessed indie rocker who must literally fight for the love of a beautiful woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Proving that his phenomenal comedies "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" were just warm-ups, Wright infuses this action-comedy with so much energy, wit, visual flair and joy that it nearly explodes off the screen. I've seen "Scott Pilgrim" three times since its release and each time I discover some new trick Wright throws into the mix. The most fun I had at a theater this year.




7. Get Low: Just as much a pleasure as "Scott Pilgrim," but more deliberately paced, "Get Low" is a funny and touching look at guilt, forgiveness and friendship in a small Depression-era village. Robert Duvall is at his grizzled best as a recluse who comes out of hiding to throw a funeral party for himself and Bill Murray is as wonderfully sardonic as ever as the undertaker looking for ways to exploit the situation. Director Aaron Schneider's film is funny and beautiful to watch, and its final moments reveal a surprising resonance. A wonderful little gem.




8. True Grit: Joel and Ethan Coen may appear to have gone mainstream with this remake of the popular John Wayne film, but a closer look reveals all their quirks are still intact in this enormously entertaining take on the Charles Portis novel. Once again, Roger Deakins delivers breathtaking cinematography. Once again, the Coens' love for language results in dialogue that tickles the ears. Once again, they get a phenomenal performance out of Jeff Bridges and, once again, their film perfectly balances darkness, humor and heart. And so, once again, they've made one of the year's best films.




9. Toy Story 3: There are few greater pleasures each year than watching a new Pixar film. Not content to simply recycle old gags for their third go-round with Buzz, Woody and company, the animation wizards concoct what may be their funniest and most heartfelt adventure yet. Bursting with originality, this prison-break take on the tale has more laughs than the majority of the year's comedies and yet it also manages to deliver some of the year's darkest adventure scenes, mixed with a heart-tugging meditation on loss, mortality and growing older. Anyone with dry eyes in the final scenes has never truly been a child.




10. Inception: How did Christopher Nolan decide to follow up "The Dark Knight's" commercial success? By gambling on an inventive, labyrinthine and visually exhausting action movie that makes his "Memento" look like an episode of "Two and a Half Men." The gamble paid off and, fueled by a phenomenal ensemble and deliriously inventive special effects, "Inception" became the year's most complex, original and enjoyable head trip.

The 2010 Dubbies!

Alright gang. This time next week I'll be posting my thoughts on the 10 best films of 2010. But every year I decide to do an "alternative" list, where I make not of films I particularly enjoyed that were just did not make my top 10 list.

This year there were plenty of films that were hard to cross off my list in order to make room for the best. But here are some of the films I greatly enjoyed and, in fact, will likely return to more than the ones on my top 10 list for sheer entertainment value. Enjoy!

1. The "Seriously, this was Number 11" award--Winter's Bone: I went back and forth about whether I was going to include this great little thriller on my top 10 list and, sadly, I had to sacrifice it for another film that I loved just a little bit more. But don't let its absence fool you--this is a fascinating little film. Jennifer Lawrence is phenomenal as Ree Dolly, a teenage girl in the Ozarks who must navigate a labyrinthine community of pseudo-related meth cookers and addicts to locate her father's body and save her home. There's a wonderful sense of setting to this film and the town of tightly-related, closely-guarded folk is perfectly realized. John Hawkes should also be recognized for his role as a grizzled hick with a heart of gold. A fantastic little movie.



2. "The Best Non-'Inception' Mind Game of the Year"--Shutter Island: Leonardo DiCaprio fried audiences' collective brains on several occasions this year. And while Inception is the more complex, tightly-wound piece, it's Shutter Island that packs the more emotional punch. Directed with wonderfully tense and disorienting "bump in the night" flair, this dark mystery--set on an island asylum in the 1950s--is twisty and unsettling, getting more dangerous and bleak as its secrets are revealed. DiCaprio, as a US Marshal with some secrets of his own, is perfect and the film's final moments turn Dennis Lehane's original pulp twist into one a harsh, disturbing and unforgettable rumination on guilt and fear.



3. Best Horror of the Year--"Let Me In": Being an ardent fan of the original "Let the Right One In," I wasn't too thrilled when it was announced "Cloverfield" director Matt Reeves was going to helm an American remake. But Reeves' take on the story keeps tale's dark heart alive, in this sad, brooding story about a lonely young boy (Cody Smit-Mcphee) who befriends a girl (Chloe Moretz) who is not what she seems. A haunting and poetic meditation on lost innocence, Reeves gets surprisingly adult performances from McPhee and Moretz and Richard Jenkis turns the young girl's caretaker into a tragic figure. Tense, horrifying and sad, this is a movie that crawls under your skin and haunts you all the way home, but it's also a surprisingly tender story of friendship and young love that equals its Swedish counterpart.



4. Best Mainstream Comedy--"The Other Guys": There's another comedy--one that hasn't gotten wide release yet--that was actually the funniest movie I saw all year. But behind that was this fourth collaboration between Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. Their riff on the buddy cop comedy may have more plot than their previous films, but it's just as bizarre, quotable and hilarious as an "Anchorman" or "Step Brothers." Ferrell creates another great character as a buttoned-down desk jockey and Mark Wahlberg ratchets up his intensity as his action-loving partner. But it might be Michael Keaton, as a cop with a fondness for R&B group TLC, who steals the show. Just remember: pimps don't cry.



5. Best Popcorn Movie--"The A-Team": I'm still not entirely sure why this film did so poorly at the box office. I was well prepared for Joe Carnahan's update of the 1980s TV show to be dark and gritty, getting rid of everything that made the silly, over-the-top program so beloved. Instead, Carnahan pulled together Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley and Quintin Jackson to create a movie that's just as absurd as the show ever was, with stunts that make over-the-top sound conservative and nods to the franchise that made fans smile. Bonus points for Patrick Wilson, whose villain was so wonderfully daffy that I'd like a spinoff just of him.



6. Best Art House Drama--"Never Let Me Go": What a sad, beautiful little film. This haunting science fiction drama--about boarding house kids with a tragic future planned for them--never goes the conventional route. A rumination on mortality, it starts with a fantastical premise--what if we grew clones to supply us with organs--and then keeps its foot squarely in the side of drama, letting the implications of that reality play out. Carey Mulligan continues to prove she's the real deal as a sad, sympathetic young lady dealing with a destiny to die young. Kiera Knightley shows an anger, passion and range I didn't know she had and Andrew Garfield continues his strong year as the conflicted and angry young man who knows the world regards him as worthless. A beautiful, tragic drama that left me shaken as I left the theater.



7. Best "Non-Inception and Non-Shutter Island" Brain Bender--"Black Swan": What a weird, beautiful, terrifying and disturbing little movie. Natalie Portman may never be better than she is here as a ballerina whose grip on reality begins to shatter as she prepares for the lead roles in "Swan Lake." Mila Kunis is revelatory as a fellow dancer who may be our heroine's competitor/friend/lover. Darren Aronofsky's direction is dizzying and the final 20 minutes are pure delirium. Had the film cared a bit more for its narrative and not been so content to depart from reality in its final act, this would have been on my top 10 list.



8. Best Horror, Part 2--"Frozen": Adam Greene's survivalist/horror story is a chilling addition to the "don't go outdoors, because you will die" genre. Three friends get on a final run at a ski resort and, through a set of surprisingly plausible circumstances, are left stranded above the snow when the resort closes for the week. What unfolds is a taut and grim battle with fear, frostbite and the howling wolves circling below. I'm not a skier; this movie will not change that.



9. Best indie comedy--"Greenberg": As Ben Stiller milks money out of a dead franchise this week with "Little Fockers," it's nice to be reminded he can still do solid work with this little gem by Noah Baumbach. Stiller plays a cynical young man recovering from a mental breakdown at his brother's house who develops a crush on his brother's assistant. Hateful without being hated by us, Stiller captures all of character's sadness and anger. As the girl who begins to heal him, Greta Gerwig steals the show--and there were times I wish the film had been simply about her confused and aimless twentysomething.



10. Best documentary--"Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work": If, like me, you don't care much for Rivers' acerbic humor, this movie won't much change it. You will, however, garner a great respect for this woman's career, as the movie unflinchingly follows her for a year and lets her tell about her struggle with Carson, her husband's suicide and her fears of being left without work. A fascinating look at showbiz.

Movie Review: "The King's Speech"

Just edging out fear of death, the fear of speaking in public is the world's No. 1 phobia. As Jerry Seinfeld once put it, that means for the majority of people, if they were at a funeral they'd rather be in the coffin than giving the eulogy.

Using that very relatable fear, director Tom Hooper accomplishes a remarkable thing with "The King's Speech": He makes us understand, empathize and share emotions with a man whose life should be far removed from our own understanding.

That man is King George VI (Colin Firth), who took the throne in the early days of World War II after his brother (Guy Pearce) abdicated the throne to marry a twice-divorced American woman. Being king was the farthest thing George, known to his family as "Bertie," ever wanted, even though the film suggests that he was probably the better son for the job. But in this new age, as radio takes the world by storm, kings are expected to be polished, dignified speakers. And Bertie has a problem-he's plagued by a horrible stammer that makes even normal conversation impossible.

We first see this in effect back when Bertie is just Prince Albert, freezing up in mid-speech at a sporting event. Scarred by the event, the young prince turns to a variety of doctors who offer up a number of remedies that don't work - including putting hot marbles in his mouth. Hoping to find any possible help for her husband, Bertie's wife (Helena Bonham Carter) contacts Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), a failed Australian actor who helps those with speech defects. Logue at first offends Bertie with his refusal to treat the monarch differently than anyone else - he expects the prince (then king) to meet him at his own quarters and addresses him as friends, by first name. But the two tentatively strike up a professional relationship that turns into one of King George's closest friendships.

While "The King's Speech" is, at heart, a typical "triumph over adversity" tale, what's admirable is how ably Hooper also incorporates a touching study of a friendship and a fascinating look at history, as Germany prepares for war and circumstances maneuver Bertie to the throne. The titular speech does not simply provide a climax, but is the culmination of the various narrative threads that have been weaving in and out of the story. It comes about organically and not simply as an oratory version of the film's "Big Game." I was quite impressed how well Hooper, best known for his work with HBO's "John Adams" miniseries, sucked me in with this personal story and then taught me a thing or two about history in the process.

Most notable, however, is the showcase the film provides for Firth and Rush, who both deliver career-best performances. Portraying a character with a speech defect can be tricky, but Firth makes Bertie's stammer seem natural and creates a sympathetic character - a scared, self-conscious man who can't even read his daughters a bedtime story, let alone inspire a nation. I've never been tempted to cheer because a character completes a sentence, but Firth's climactic scene at the microphone is every bit as inspiring as Rocky's bout with Apollo Creed.

In many ways, Rush has the easier job as the quirky doctor and he does get quite a bit of humor with Lionel's eccentricities, particularly in a scene where he gets the monarch to spit out a stream of curse words to relax his speech. But there's a warmth and empathy Rush brings to the role, making Lionel not simply a good doctor, but a kind one, and a good friend to the king. Carter is also wonderful as a woman deeply concerned for and supportive of her husband.

"The King's Speech" could easily have been stilted, dry and boring. But in the hands of this cast and crew, it is a funny, inspiring and wonderful triumph that climaxes in one of the year's most uplifting endings. It is definitely worth talking about.

I would normally end this by telling you see either "True Grit" or "The King's Speech." But I know how the holidays get and, chances are, four hours away from the family may be a nice escape. So treat yourself to both of these films - they are wonderful year-end gifts.

Movie Review: "True Grit"

"Mainstream" and "Coen brothers" do not normally go hand in hand.

True, the directorial duo have had their share of hits with "No Country For Old Men," "Fargo" and "O Brother, Where Art Thou." But they remain most notable for their quirky, dark comedies and edgy thrillers like "Blood Simple," "Raising Arizona" and last year's phenomenal "A Serious Man."

The brothers are known for zigging when everyone expects them to zag, which may be why they decided to follow up their intensely personal take on the book of Job with this adaptation of Charles Portis' novel, which was already made into a popular 1969 film famous for winning John Wayne his only Oscar, as hard-drinking Old West bounty hunter Cogburn.

What's not so surprising is that, as they seem to be doing every awards season, the Coen brothers deliver another funny, powerful and highly entertaining movie to close out the year.

Hewing closely to Portis' novel, the film stars newcomer Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross, a young girl looking to avenge her father's murder. Mattie may be young, but watch the way she deals with a local merchant who tries to scam her out of horses; able to barter with the best of them and unwilling to take "no" for an answer, Mattie is wise beyond her years. This is star-making work by young Steinfeld, who delivers one of the finest child performances I've seen.

Ross recruits Cogburn (Bridges), who she first meets while he's being deposed in court. With a patch on one eye and whisky always in his hand, Cogburn is more interested in getting drunk than in helping out a kid. But he agrees to take on Ross' job, although he's less thrilled about bringing her along. Even worse, he's required to team up with cocky Texas Ranger LaBeouf (Matt Damon), who was tracking Mattie's target in Texas before getting the slip in Arkansas. The three set out to find the man (Josh Brolin) and bring retribution to him.

While the storyline is likely familiar to those who've seen the original film, the Coens make their telling fresh by sticking closely to Portis' prose, with dialogue that flows poetically, as if contractions were a hanging offense. The Coens have always coupled their visual artistry with a love for language, be it the hippy proclamations of "Lebowski's" Dude, the backwoods poetry of "O Brother" or the political double-speak of "Burn After Reading." Like this year's "The Social Network," here is a film I'd be content to sit and listen to with the picture off, although then I would miss Richard Deakins' marvelous cinematography, which turns every shot of the Old West into a scene worthy of framing.

Bridges' grizzled Cogburn is no hammy, one-note creation, but a man who is both humorous to watch and fearsome to behold. He may be full of adventurous stories and able to give Jack Sparrow a run for his rum, but with a gun in his hand he's quite an intimidating figure. Just a week after Bridges played three versions of himself in the "Tron" sequel, he disappears into this character and proves again why he's one of the most consistent actors working.

In a film full of surprising humor, Damon garners the most laughs with LaBeouf, a character a little too proud of his Ranger status. At first unwilling to help Ross because she's a child and not a beautiful grown woman, LaBeouf strikes up a friendship with the duo that has a surprising heart to it. Brolin and Barry Pepper are also particularly good as the outlaws the group encounters, one of whom is a remorseless killer and the other a scoundrel with some manners. Every supporting character is fully drawn and richly created, a rarity at a time when films are filled with ciphers and stereotypes.

The adventure gets a little intense sometimes, but it's possible the Coen brothers have made their first family film. Anchored by Steinfeld's phenomenal performance, here's a movie that features a child as the hero, and has all the adventure, intrigue and romance of the classic Westerns, told with a love for language, an eye for detail and affection for character that seems to have been lost in recent years.

Joel and Ethan Coen are known for being unpredictable. What's fascinating is how their quirks have led them to create one of the most enjoyable and entertaining films of 2010.

Movie Review: "Tron Legacy"

When I was a high school freshman, my family took me on a trip to Disney World. I haven't had the opportunity to go back since the early 1990s, but I remember it being unlike any other theme park I'd been to before or since. The production design on every ride made it feel like you were zipping through another world. There were stunt shows with fantastic sets, special effects and characters dressed in outlandish clothing. It was like spending the week experiencing the highlights of a movie without having to check out and be bothered by things like plot or character.

I thought about that several times when watching "Tron: Legacy," Disney's sequel to its cult-classic 1982 hit, "Tron." The film is a loud and stylish adventure with incredible special effects, some thrilling set pieces and a pulsing, theater-shaking soundtrack by techno band Daft Punk. Seeing it in Imax 3D has moments that are thrilling and borderline epic...but then the characters start speaking. And they rarely stop.

Full disclosure requires me to state that I haven't seen the original "Tron," in which (according to Wikipedia), Jeff Bridges played computer hacker Kevin Flynn, who was sucked into a digital world where he had to engage in deadly light cycle chases and throw colored discs at his enemies. The film didn't exactly set the box office on fire, but it's groundbreaking use of computer generated special effects captured the attention of nerds and future filmmakers, who made the film into a pop culture staple in recent years.

"Tron: Legacy" takes place a few years after Flynn has disappeared again, leaving behind son Sam (Garett Hedlund). Sam has refused to take up his father's mantle as head of ENCOM, a software company that has grown from making video games to becoming a Microsoft-level corporation, with its future hinged on a young mogul (Cillian Murphy--in a 2-minute sequence that basically just exists to let us know the character will play a major role in a third film). Sam spends his days using his trust fund to hack into ENCOM's system and give away free software--his way of honoring his late father's wishes.

When a mysterious pager message sends Sam to his father's defunct and abandoned arcade, he finds himself zapped into a bizarre cyberspace world where computer programs--who look just like people--are forced to compete in gladitorial races and matches. He meets a mysterious and beautiful program (Olivia Wilde) who takes Sam to meet his father, who has been trapped in the computer world for decades, growing a long beard, speaking in hippy-dippy dialogue and basically turning into a digital Buddha. The cyberworld itself is ruled over by Clu (a digitally made character of Bridges' younger self)--a program created in Flynn's likeness to shape the computer world into perfection, although doing so means some sort of compu-genocide. This all somehow devolves into a standard "beat-the-villain/get-to-the-portal/grab-the-disc" thriller that fuels every big budget adventure.

Having not seen the original film, I find myself without the nostalgia that fuels many fans' desire for this movie. And I find myself pretty baffled about the whole concept--having seen "The Matrix" and "Inception," I am not averse to characters' minds being trapped in fantasy worlds. But I'm a little more curious about "Tron," where it seems an entire physical self is digitized. How does that happen? Is there oxygen in the computer world? We see food that Flynn and Son eat...but how did it get in there as well? Is there a laser at the grocery store that zaps ham and fruit into the cyber realm? Much of the plot concerns evil programs trying to get out into the real world--how does that happen? Why is there water in this cyberworld? I get that the people in the computer are programs and not actual humans...but programs exist to serve a function; do computer programs really have the free time to go watch gladitorial matches?

It's best not to think about this and just accept the world of "Tron" as a fantasy world, not a science fiction one. The problem is that the film keeps grinding to a halt to explain the world's history, rules and the other complications that the characters find themselves facing. In a world so full of amazing visuals and ideas, violating the "show, don't tell" rule is unthinkable--but this film keeps stopping to explain everything time and again, with probably a quarter of the film's run time given over to plodding exposition.

The cast is fine, although Hedlund has a bit of the same problem that I have with Sam Worthington--he strikes a good hero's pose and can angrily spout dialogue, but I don't really see much depth to him that makes me want to see him in another role. Wilde plays innocent and excited very well, and her character has a nice moment at the end that is the film's most human moment. Bridges is fine, spouting hippy dialogue ("you're messing with my Zen thing, man") and does a good job playing both his current age and a soulless younger version of himself; but, truthfully, if you want a good Bridges performance, just check out "True Grit."

Most bizarre is Michael Sheen, who channels his inner Bowie for a role as a flamboyant club owner. Putting aside the fact that I don't know why a computer world would have recreational nightclubs, Sheen struts and preens like some sort of glam rock star in a role that he must have thought would be the flashy, funny centerpiece of "Tron: Legacy." But he dials his character's quirks so high that he drowns everything else, making his moments grating and bizarre instead of humorous.

That said, the film isn't without its merits. The cool black and neon computer world is a sight to behold and the action sequences are flashy, fun and exciting. I particularly liked the multi-level, ever-shifting arena where the disc games are held. Daft Punk's score is propulsive and there are times when the movie can be purely enjoyed as a visual and aural spectacle, kind of an abstract music video/stunt spectacular. In theater-shaking Imax 3D, it has moments that approach epic scope, even though in most epics I care about the characters and their quest.

But there's too much confusion and self importance to make "Tron: Legacy" truly memorable. It's best enjoyed as a sensory experience. When the characters open their mouths, you'll want "game over" to come quickly.