Ten to See

At long last, your favorite recommendatory series is back.  Here's what you should be watching at home or in theaters.

In Theaters                                                                                                                                                                                            
X-Men: First Class - The latest entry in the extremely lucrative franchise had a disappointing opening day yesterday, bringing in the least attendants in the series' history.  It's perhaps not surprising after the underwhelming mediocrity of the last two chapters, The Last Stand and Wolverine. With First Class, the series gets a proper origin story that weaves an interesting tale and provides some fascinating ties to history.  The result is one of the most complex and satisfying superhero origin stories ever brought to the screen.  With so much of these characters' histories already recorded in the filmic canon, First Class isn't merely worthwhile; it's essential.

Director Matthew Vaughn, who so skillfully brought Kick-Ass to the screen last year, takes over as helmer, and instead of the flashy gore of his previous film, he grounds this entry in both history and James Bond-esque globe-trotting.  The result is something quite unlike the previous X-flicks, but it's appropriate and, perhaps more importantly, makes First Class feel like a proper rebirth of a dying franchise.  One only hopes that we get more adventures with the young Xavier (James McAvoy, who is sprightly and flirtatious even as we catch glimpses of his inherent wisdom and responsibility) and Erik (brought brilliantly to life by Michael Fassbender, who should win an Oscar for something this year).

Bridesmaids - While First Class is suffering some box office "woes," the same can't be said about the latest comedy from the Judd Apatow camp of grown-up comedy.  Strong word-of-mouth has prevented Bridesmaids from dropping much from weekend-to-weekend, and rightfully so: the Kristen Wiig-starrer is one of the funniest, and plain-out best, movies of the year thus far.

Wiig, so often ridiculed for her high-strung, sometimes one-note characters on Saturday Night Live (even if the criticisms are viable, she's still hilarious), shows impressive range as a maid of honor with some competition (Rose Byrne).  Wiig makes Annie a believable character, deeply flawed, jealous, childish, selfish, but also extremely lovable.  Usually, the inevitable dramatic scenes in a comedy feel tacked-on and plodding.  In Bridesmaids, however, the more serious scenes - most of them detailing Annie's fledgling romance with a tender (and Irish) police officer) - are some of the film's best.  It's truly a testament to Wiig's blossoming star power.

I would be remiss not to mention the hilarious Melissa McCarthy, who steals every scene by going completely for broke.  She has tremendous comedic talent and deserves more prominent roles.

Kung Fu Panda 2 - In a summer already packed with sequels, Kung Fu Panda 2 is easily the best.  Dreamworks has done the rare thing and actually improved on the original, tapping into everything that made the first movie such a fun romp and developing it all into one of the summer's funniest, most exciting, and most emotional movies.  The animation is beautiful, the voice cast is spot-on, Lord Shen the peacock is a wonderfully vile villain, and the action is breath-taking.  This is also one of the few movies this year that is worth seeing in 3-D; nothing, not even the gimmicky technology, is half-assed here.

Of course, the movie leaves the door wide open for a third chapter, one that will delve even further into Po's Exodus-like backstory, but with such a great sequel already on the reel, I can't wait to see what Dreamworks has in store for number three.

Last Night - Keira Knightley has left behind Pirates of the Caribbean (great move) and has since barely been onscreen at all.  After last year's criminally underseen Never Let Me Go, Knightley is back in the indie Last Night, from first-time director Massy Tadjedin, who also wrote the screenplay.  The movie examines the effects of jealousy and infidelity on a couple (Knightley and Avatar's Sam Worthington) living in New York City.  With bouts of aggressive editing and fantastic pacing, the film plays like a relationship thriller, right down to the tense final scene, which actually made me gasp.

It's too bad that this little film will be forgotten come awards season, as Knightley has rarely been better, and the film is beautifully written and realized.  Last Night joins the ranks of Revolutionary Road and Blue Valentine as a great movie about a decaying relationship (though, thankfully, it never reaches the depressing depths of either of those films).

POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold - Super Size Me's Morgan Spurlock is back with a playfully meta documentary about advertising and made through advertising.  Spurlock's gimmick this time: funding his film completely through sponsors.  The resulting documentary is as much a making-of as it is a look at the world of advertising, a sometimes surprising if somewhat obvious look at just how bombarded our world is with advertising, even when we don't realize it.  Spurlock is a bit of a polarizing personality, but I personally enjoy his goofiness, which is on full display as he walks through a department store scouting out products he wants to pursue.  Documentaries are rarely so purely enjoyable, so even if you don't learn too much, you're sure to get some laughs.

Happythankyoumoreplease - Josh Radnor's (Ted from How I Met Your Mother) writing and directing debut plays like a Woody Allen movie, even if it's not nearly as successful as Allen's finest work.  Radnor shows a surprising skill for drawing well-rounded characters from fairly flat identities, establishing touching relationships.  Radnor's dialogue is consistently good and occasionally brilliant, specifically in the romantic climax between Malin Akerman and Tony Hale's characters.  The disparate stories connect in satisfying and graciously not-farfetched ways, and the whole is even better than the sum of its impressive, impacting parts.

(Also, major kudos for Jaymay serving as the movie's main musical source.)

On DVD                                                                                                                                                                                              
Gnomeo & Juliet - Disney's Shakespearean garden ornament romance (never thought I'd be able to describe a film as such) proved to be a surprise hit when it released earlier this year, but Gnomeo & Juliet deserved its success.  The film is slight, yes, and familiar, of course, but it's a fun take on tired subject matter, and some of the characters are truly hilarious, most specifically Nanette, a loud-mouthed frog statue voiced to boisterous perfection by Ashley Jensen.  The numerous Shakespearean allusions are sure to delight the English nerds in the audience, as well, even though it's weird that some of them derive from other Shakespeare plays.

Much of the film's publicity centered on Elton John's involvement, and for good reason.  His songs seem like an odd fit for the film, but they work surprisingly well.  His duet with Lady Gaga, "Hello Hello," is especially fitting and will hopefully be up for consideration for the Best Original Song Oscar.

Another Year - Mike Leigh's thoughtful presentation of a year in the life of a group of carefully drawn and beautifully grounded characters was one of my favorite movies last year, thanks as much to the perfect ensemble as to Leigh's masterful writing and direction.  Lesley Manville, as the slightly manic but sweet Mary, gave the year's best performance, one of the best performances I've ever seen.  The film is a delicate, contemplative slice-of-life, a breath of fresh air in an age of fast, slick action flicks.

True Grit - Even when the Coens make a more generic picture like True Grit, it's essential viewing.  Here, there isn't as much of that trademark Coen strangeness, but the film still has the brothers' strong directorial thrust, evidenced in everything from the beautiful cinematography to the star-making performance by the impressive Hailee Steinfeld, who utterly steals the movie from veteran co-stars Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin.  (Side note: Bridges is fun as Rooster Cogburn, but he's a bit mumbly for my taste.)  As a western, True Grit is part of an endangered species, so it's exciting to see the genre represented in such fine form.  It's also a testament to the Coens' versatility, bringing such a superlative genre picture to the screen.

I Am Number Four - I can't honestly say that I Am Number Four is a good movie, but it's a hell of a lot of fun.  Co-written by Marti Noxon, the film has a certain Buffy sensibility, so I may be biased, but the B-movie charm and teenage angst are fun even if they're overly familiar.  This is a movie you've seen many times before, but if you know what to expect, and you're in the right mood, it gets the job done.  Even if the premise is kitschy and even stupid, I'm holding out hope that we'll get to see further adventures in this world.