The Messenger

First Hit: A powerful well executed film of one of the most difficult jobs anyone can have, notifying the next of kin.

Ben Foster plays Staff Sergeant Will Montgomery, a wounded Iraqi war veteran, who was cited as a hero although he believes differently. He is receiving treatment stateside for his wounds and is assigned duty to inform next of kin that someone has died while in the service of action for their country.

He is teamed with Captain Tony Stone (played by Woody Harrelson) who is a veteran in delivering this message to the next of kin. He lives by the rule book of how to deliver the message and informs Montgomery, there is no deviation from delivering the message as stated in the manual.

Stone believes in the importance of delivering the message right and tells Montgomery that learning the script and process is different than the actual intensity of saying it to the next of kin. Stone is a recovering alcoholic and suffers from not serving in intense armed action, the kind of war experience by Montgomery.

Montgomery is deeply pained by the effects of war, his actions and his girlfriend who picked up a new boyfriend after he headed to Iraq. This film is about two men bonding around one of the most difficult jobs anyone will ever have to do.

This film is also about the depth and wide ranging reactions of the people they visit to deliver the line: “The Secretary of the Army regrets to inform you that …” Each one of the scenes where they deliver this message is different, harrowing, and filled with grief, anger and sadness.

Foster is wonderful as a vet slowly learning how to make connections with people again. Harrelson, again, shows his ability to embrace a wide range of parts and here he fully embodies the vet who will stay in the Army for a long time, believes in what he does, is crass but caring partner. Samantha Morton, as Olivia Pitterson, is insightful, deep and reflective as a widow who loses her husband. Lastly Steve Buscemi is superb as a father who loses his son, takes it out on The Messenger but finally reconciles his grief to bring it full circle. The director Oren Moverman uses lighting, camera movement, and the characters to effectively move this story along. One clear indication of his skills was when Montgomery is talking to another war vet just back from Iraq outside a bar. The lighting is especially effective because it paints both of the deeply troubled soldiers with a back fuzzy haze around their bodies on the wall they are standing near. This shadow exemplifies and accurately expresses their own deep and dark shadows, feelings, and thoughts.

Overall: Make no mistake, this is a poignant powerful film and brings to light one of the saddest duties for soldiers of war.

The Blind Side

First Hit: This is an interesting story but it's Sandra Bullock’s performance that kept me engaged.

This film is based on a true story about Michael Oher a young man who was homeless at age 16 but ended up getting the help and support he needed to end up being drafted as a 2009 first round (23rd) draft pick in the NFL.

This is the story about how he got to that place. While driving home one evening Leigh Anne Tuohy (played by Sandra Bullock), a wealthy Republican whose husband owned a bunch of Taco Bells, happens across Michael (played by Quinton Aaron) walking down the street in freezing rainy weather.

They stop the car and Leigh gets out of the car and asks him where he's going and if he has somewhere to stay. He answers “no” and before you know it he’s staying in the Tuohy’s house.

The whole film is about how be begins to trust the Tuohy’s and they begin to trust him. He begins to learn in school as well as how to play football. There are touching scenes and there are funny scenes.

There’s nothing you wouldn’t expect this film to have, but what made it work for me were two of the actors and a relationship: One of the actors is the Tuohy’s son S.J. (played by Jae Head). This kid was fun to watch and fully engaged in his character.

The young and physically small boy was a great foil for the large slow moving Michael. Together they make up a dynamic duo and their scenes together are wonderful. The other actor who impressed me was Sandra Bullock. She did an outstanding job of showing strength, courage, intelligence, and compassion with her character. She was believable.

The relationship which endeared to this film was the one between Leigh and her husband Sean (played by Tim McGraw). I loved how they accepted each other’s strengths and weaknesses with openness and support.

Bullock was wonderful and could get an Oscar nod. Not necessarily because it was such an outstanding performance (it was a very strong performance) but also because there weren’t a lot of strong woman’s roles in this past year's films. Head was great, engaging and funny. Aaron was good, however there was a lack of spark which left me wondering about the character.

Overall: This was a predictable entertaining film with some wonderful scenes.

Pirate Radio

First Hit: This is a really fun film if you are a baby boomer and liked the music of 1966.

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Bill Nighy star as an American DJ and a renegade seaborne radio station producer respectively.

The station is a ship off the coast of England because rock and roll was only allowed on the BBC radio for 1 hour a day in 1966. Therefore ships were anchored off-shore which flooded England's air waves with rock and roll 24/7.

On this particular ship, Hoffman plays The Count a DJ with a certain bold panache while numerous other radio personalities each present their own style on their shows on this 24 hour a day station. The DJs and the radio crew live on the ship and have a very close camaraderie and belief of what they are doing is the right thing.

However, the British Government, especially Kenneth Branagh (playing Sir Alistair Dormandy), hate rock and roll and thinks it will hurt society, therefore they want these offshore pirate stations shut down. However, there were no laws to prevent these ships from existing and playing rock and roll.

Eventually the government creates a maritime law and at midnight one new-years-eve they are supposed to shut it down. But the group on this ship say "to hell with it" and continue to broadcast. They eventually have to move their location and then the ship gets a big hole in it and starts to sink. Will they survive, will the music live?

Nighy is outstanding and wonderful as Quentin the producer of this seaborne Pirate Radio station. Hoffman is strong and fully American in his attitude among his British peers. Everyone else in this film is very good in their parts and are to be commended. However, the real star of this film is the music. I loved it.

Overall: This was a good time movie and filled fun music which brought up great memories. If you are a boomer and liked rock and roll go enjoy this film.

Men Who Stare at Goats

First Hit: There is very little going for this film except the names of the actors that are in it and a subtle and effective performance by George Clooney.

Ian McGregor stars as Bob Wilton a recently divorced reporter looking for a story with some grit and importance therefore he heads to the Middle East and the Iraqi war as a way to get into the action.

He runs across a guy named Lyn Cassady (played by Clooney) who was referred to in an earlier interview Bob had done on paranormal psychology. The interviewee stated that Cassady was the leading paranormal psychic warrior the aptly named specialized "New Earth Army".

In the 1960s the US Government had funded this Army because it was believed that the Russians had a psychic paranormal army. The New Earth Army was headed up by Bill Django (played by Jeff Bridges). This new Army practiced and believed they could do remote viewing, run through walls, and predict the future.

Cassady was the most gifted of these warriors and years after the unit was created he was still using his powers to affect wars and in this case the Iraq war. Bob tags along with him and together they have an adventure which results in letting a bunch of Iraqi prisoners out of jail that were imprisoned on an American compound in Iraq.

The film is filled with funny flashbacks as to when the New Earth Army was created and easily segues into the Iraq war situation.

Clooney is basically the only reason to watch this film as his subtle humor and ease on the screen makes his character easy and interesting to watch. Bridges is OK as the head of the New Earth Army and he in integral to some funny scenes. McGregor is lack luster and provides very little to the role and is simply a person for Clooney to bounce off of. Kevin Spacey is Clooney's rival in the New Earth Army. Spacey a rival because Clooney seems to good at what he does and Spacey is only adequate and dislikes being second fiddle. He is barely watchable and is not needed in the film.

Overall: This film is an easy pick for video but certainly not worth watching on the big screen for $10.00.

Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire

First Hit: A powerful film about a young woman finding both hope and her path after growing up in abuse.

Gabourey Sidibe embodies Precious a teenage girl finding a way out of a life of physical and emotional abuse.

Precious’ mother is powerfully played by Mo’Nique who allowed her daughter to be sexually abused by her boyfriend and Precious' father. These are just two of many engaging performances in this film.

The relationship between these two as mother and daughter is extraordinary in its exposing how twisted and embattled a parental child relationship can get. To escape, Precious fantasizes about being a famous star, about being married to her teacher, and about having a different life which are interludes in the film.

The director Lee Daniels chose to represent these fantasies as realistic scene segues which didn’t quite work for me. I thought they took away from the film. As Precious finds her own strength and voice by going to an alternative school class taught by Ms. Rain (played by Paula Patton), she begins to learn how to read and write her story as a way of seeing, processing and dealing with her life of abuse.

The scenes of her classmates surrounding her and supporting her after she delivers her second baby (her father is the daddy of both children) was a true measure of how these teens still have the ability to lift themselves out of horrible situations when they are given respect, attention and seen as people with honor.

Lastly, I’d like to say that Mariah Carey as the social worker was a great casting selection. Her performance was spot on. Towards the end of the film when she, Precious and Mary sit together one last time, the dialog and performances were breathtaking.

Daniels did an incredible job directing this film although I wasn’t a fan of the fantasies. Sidibe was hauntingly wonderful as Precious. Mo’Nique was beyond amazing as Mary and her monologue when she explains why she allowed the abuse to go on in the interview with Carey was without hesitation the most powerful scene on film this year. Patton was strong and a ray of light in this very dark film.

Overall: Astonishing piece of work with no punches pulled.