Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

Director: Jon Favreau. Cast: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Keith Carradine, Paul Dano. 119 min. Rated PG-13. Action/Sci-fi.

So James Bond and Indiana Jones join forces in an action flick that is a gritty Clint Eastwood western meets Independence Day and Alien, with a touch of Men in Black. In other words, it's a hodgepodge. This is the first time I notice Harrison Ford being overshadowed by a co-star, as Craig's charismatic presence makes one delighted (again) that he was chosen as the new Bond. Actually, Ford's role could have been played by anybody, so was his presence here a calculated decision, or is he just getting too old? Entertaining throughout, but nothing to be taken seriously.

Mo says:

The Help (2011)

Director: Tate Taylor. Cast: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jessica Chastain, Allison Janney, Sissy Spacek. 146 min. Rated PG-13. USA/India/UAE. Drama.

Initially looks like another heart-wrenching drama about racism in the 60s, but then The Help expands into something far more thought-provoking. It's a picture of how not only African-Americans, but any ostracized group of human beings should react to a demeaning, exploiting power. It also provokes subtle questions along the way, such as: If a maid (not a slave) is told to leave a room, is she allowed to disobey, just because she feels disrespected? Not since Steel Magnolias do I remember a similar all-star female cast, with Bryce Dallas Howard playing one hellava memorable villain.

PS: The Tree of Life, The Debt, Take Shelter, and The Help. Jessica Chastain (similar to Michael Fassbender) has been one of the great discoveries of 2011.

Mo says:

The Skin I Live In (La piel que habito) (2011)

Director: Pedro Almodóvar. Cast: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Jan Cornet. 117 min. Rated R. Spain. Drama/Thriller.

Almodóvar ploughs through gender identity problems and family relationship crises all the time ... but he's really done it this time. Anything I say about this movie's incredible story would be a spoiler, as surprise after surprise hits you. Let's just say Almodóvar uses today's sex-changing technology to its full extent to fool the viewer, and make you think: Does the skin we live in define at all who we are? Watch this, and you're entire concept of heterosexuality, homosexuality, and trans-sexuality will change.

Mo says:

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)

Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Cast: Thanapat Saisaymar, Jenjira Pongpas, Sakda Kaewbuadee. 114 min. Thailand/UK/France/Germany/Spain/Netherlands. Drama/Fantasy.

Here we go again. 89% on the Tomatometer, and winner of the Palm d'Or at Cannes.

Is this supposed to be a joke?

Mo says:

Le Havre (2011)

Director: Aki Kaurismaki. Cast: André Wilms, Blondin Miguel, Jean-Pierre Darroussin. 93 min. Rated PG. Finland/France/Germany. Comedy/Drama.

Sometimes, I get sick at how the most mediocre movies are elevated to the most obnoxious levels, probably because they have a famous director, or are in a foreign language, or are admired in a must-be-good-but-maybe-I-just-didn't-understand-it sort of way; as wisely noted in "The Emperor's New Clothes". This one is by a famous Finnish filmmaker, in French, about an old guy who ignores his dying wife to help smuggle an African refugee boy from Normandy to London. Got a 98% Tomatometer score, and Ebert called it one of the best 20 movies of 2011. Maybe I just didn't understand it.

Mo says:

A Dangerous Method (2011)

Director: David Cronenberg. Cast: Michael Fassbender, Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Vincent Cassel. 99 min. Rated R. UK/Germany/Canada/Switzerland. Biography/Drama.

Carl Jung (Fassbender) and Sigmund Freud (Mortensen) have endless discussions on psychoanalysis theories, and about whether Yung is emotionally involved with one of his patients (Kinghtley) or not. That pretty much sums it up. Add to that Knightly's artificial "overacting" as a mental patient, and I really didn't see the cinematically imperative point of making such a movie. Cronenberg has come a very long way since the time he made corny sci-fi thrillers, but I wouldn't count this as a major accomplishment.

Mo says:

Moneyball (2011)

Director: Bennet Miller. Cast: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Phillip Seymor Hoffman, Robin Wright. 133 min. Rated PG-13. Biography/Sports.

Not a baseball fan, and don't know much of its technicalities. But this two-hour plus film fully grabbed my attention, because its strokes are much broader than just a sports movie. The true story encourages taking risks against all odds, and deeply contemplates the concept of "superstition" - not only in baseball, but how it undermines life plans. If Brad Pitt takes any credit for his work, he owes it to his incredible chemistry with Jonah Hill (tall and thin, fat and short). Again and again, Hill shows how pivotal a supporting role can be to a film's success.

PS: No wonder the screenplay was so attractive. It's written by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, the powerhouses who collectively have the screenplays of Awakenings, Schindler's List, Gangs of New York, and American Gangster (Zaillian), and A Few Good Men, The West Wing, Charlie Wilson's War, and The Social Network (Sorkin) under their belt.

Mo says:

War Horse (2011)

Director: Steven Spielberg. Cast: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, David Thewlis. 146 min. Rated PG-13. Drama/War.

A thoroughbred horse is trained by a youngster, but then falls into different hands on both sides of World War I. Simple story with a somewhat contrived ending (with Spielberg almost going back into Saving Private Ryan territory to show the brutality and idiocy of war), but most prominently, this is a movie from a director who refuses to come down from his highest rank among filmmakers. Every panorama, every angle, every camera movement exudes with cinematic beauty and perfection in direction. Even if it had no storyline, War Horse would still be just a pleasant movie to "see".

Mo says:

Contagion (2011)

Director: Steven Soderbergh. Cast: Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard, Elliott Gould. 106 min. Rated PG-13. USA/UAE. Drama/Thriller.

Very informative movie on what happens when a viral pandemic occurs; how the disease is spread, what the CDC does, how mass hysteria occurs, and so on. Which means there's no story here whatsoever. Which means this a dramatized documentary, played by an ensemble of great actors, directed by a brilliant director. Which is still fine.

Mo says:

The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

Director: Steven Spielberg. Cast: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Nick Frost, Simon Pegg. 107 min. Rated PG. USA/New Zealand. Animation/Adventure.

O Stevie, if you wanted to make another Indy movie, why bother with Tintin? Not even the soundtrack composer is anyone but John Williams, to at least give the movie a different feeling from another Indiana Jones episode. And not only is the action-packed story a world apart from Herge's "Secret of the Unicorn", I couldn't understand why in this brilliant computer-animated/live action (!) film, everyone looks exactly the way Herge had illustrated them, except Tintin and Snowy? Long story short: Tintin-lovers may be annoyed, or even offended; newcomers may have a good time, because Indy was never a miss.

Mo says:

Hanna (2011)

Director: Joe Wright. Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana. 111 min. Rated PG-13. Action/Thriller.

A rogue CIA agent trains her 10-year-old daughter to become ... a rogue CIA agent. Enchanting action sequences with exhilarating background music, as director Joe Wright continues his Atonement tradition of garnishing a disappointing story with highly-stylized cinematography. The lack of substance here makes you scratch your head at times (really, why did the father come out of hiding?), and the supposed twist at the end is more of a story gimmick than a twist (abnormal DNA, whoopee). By the way, this movie contains a significant amount of running.

Mo says:

Shame (2011)

Director: Steve McQueen. Cast: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale. 101 min. NC-17. UK. Drama.

This is a movie about a sex addict. No, ... this is not a movie about a sex addict. It's about a common person who is so proud of his independent high-end lifestyle, and has become so impotent in social relations, he has become a sex addict. And when you think of those roots, and the possibility that we may all harbor them, this film becomes very disturbing - and very scary. Fassbender has proven himself as a powerful actor, showing the ability to convey a multitude of messages by the mere glimpse of an eye. Beware this dark movie.

Mo says: