You Don't Know Jack

In this segment I will cover the films that I've seen recently but haven't reviewed. All of these films are now available on DVD. There are only a handful of films (worth my attention) from 2010 that I haven't seen. So we can now start to focus on 2011. My top 50 films of 2010 are listed on the left side of the page, as well as every other 2010 film that I reviewed. I will give my thoughts on each film below, so if you're thinking about renting any of these films then please read. It's been a rough run of films in 2011, but some of the 2010 films mentioned below are quite good. Enjoy. 2010: The Next Three Days : While Russell Crowe (Cinderella Man, Gladiator) seems kind of out of his comfort zone here, this film has a good pulse from start to finish. It takes quite a bit before things start to get exciting, but it's worth it. This film isn't anything new, but it's a good popcorn action flick with some decent performances. (B-) Conviction : This was one o...

We haven't quite seen Cameron Diaz (There's Something About Mary, Vanilla Sky) like this before. I've always thought she's an underrated actress myself. We've seen glimpses of insanity and sassiness from Diaz in films like A Life Less Ordinary (a wonderful underrated Danny Boyle film) and What Happens in Vegas , but never like this. One of the problems with this film is that her character, Elizabeth, is so self-centered and irritating that it's hard to root for her. But this film is taken just lightly enough to get away with it. Jake Kasdan (Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Orange County) is one of the better comedy directors still working. He's never made a bad film, which is still the case (even after Bad Teacher). He probably will never make anything that comes close to the hysterical Walk Hard (starring the terrific John C. Reilly). The script is written by the team of Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg. They've combined to write 15 episodes for The...

A teaser trailer for J.J. Abrams' (Star Trek, Mission: Impossible III) Super 8 was released almost an entire year ago. I was obviously enticed based on his previous work, the intriguing trailer and the name Steven Spielberg pasted all over every thing. Yes, this film is a homage to Spielberg films from the 70s and 80s, but it pales in comparison to the likes of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial and Close Encounters of the Third Kind . What this film lacks in star power, it makes up for in special effects (which is one of Abrams' strong suits). The films young lead actor is Joel Courtney. Courtney has never appeared in anything in his young life, so this is a breakout performance of sorts. He plays Joe Lamb, a seemingly normal 13-year-old boy who just recently lost his mother in a freak steel mill accident. Joe was very close to his mother. He carries a locket with her picture at all times. His relationship with his overprotective father (Kyle Chandler) has always been a bit straine...

Well, this is my second attempt at this review. The first attempt was cut short when my computer suddenly shut down, which usually wouldn't be a problem but the auto-save feature was for some reason turned off. Just my luck. I wasn't the only one anxiously waiting for Kristen Wiig's (Knocked Up, MacGruber) first starring role in a feature film. She's paid her dues on Saturday Night Live , as well as a number of fantastic supporting roles over the years. She's never been bad in anything she's done. This is a very rare film these days. It's not often you see a female-dominated film with this much raunch and hilarity. Which is a shame, because these ladies prove that women can be funny too (for those of you who have forgotten). Wiig not only stars in Bridesmaids , she co-wrote it with Annie Mumolo, who has a hilarious scene in the movie herself. Director Paul Feig, best known for his work on numerous fantastic television shows (The Office, Arrested Development,...

Although I love superhero films, I've never been in love with the X-Men franchise. I enjoyed the first X-Men film, but the next three films didn't do it for me. Especially X-Men Origins: Wolverine . What an awful piece of trash that film was. It seems these days that prequels are the safe way to go. Everyone loves a good introductory story. It's probably best that you've at least seen the first X-Men film or have a little background information on these mutants. Otherwise you may get a tad lost early on. That being said, I'm not going to pretend I know a whole lot about these so called X-Men . What really gave me high hopes about this film (and I wasn't alone) was the fact that Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, Layer Cake) was directing. Not to mention the solid cast of young rising stars. The story begins at a concentration camp in Poland of all places. The year is 1944. A young boy is separated from his parents and bends a steal gate with his mind. Witnessing this ...

When word first got out about a sequel to the 2009 smash hit The Hangover was in the works I was quite excited to say the least. A sequel didn't seem necessary, but the first film was so original and hilarious from start to finish. Director Todd Phillips (Old School, Road Trip) has such a great comedic track record, that it seemed impossible for this film to be a dud. He managed to get the entire cast back, so how could things possibly go wrong? First off, the script that was written by Phillips (and a couple of yahoos I've never heard of) is repetitive and unfunny. If you haven't seen this film and plan on doing so, then please don't. Otherwise look away, because I'm not holding anything back and huge spoilers are on their way. The Wolfpack is indeed back. Bradley Cooper (Limitless, Wedding Crashers), Ed Helms (Cedar Rapids, The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard) and Zach Galifianakis (Out Cold, Due Date) are all back for more of the same. Two years removed from their a...