Moon

Tragically this is one film you most likely haven't heard of and probably won't this award season. However, this film which premiered at Sundance Film Festival last January and was only in theatres in limited release this summer should definitely be atop everyone's Netflix queue.

Sam Rockwell stars as Sam Bell who in this futuristic scenario is the sole man who is in charge of the company LUNAR's base on the moon which powers nearly all of Earth's energy. He is at the end of his 3 year contract when he discovers after an accident that he is not alone and is being duped by his employers. The film is a riveting psychological thriller and is definitely worth a look. Rockwell gives an unbelievable performance.

Overall- 9.5/10

The Blind Side

Another film that teaches the viewers about the importance of family but in a much different way is The Blind Side which is the story of the now professional offensive lineman Michael Orr and the southern family who adopted and transformed his life. The film is well acted and well done and is both entertaining and heartwarming. As Sandra Bullock put it in her Golden Globe acceptance speech last night, the film "reminded everyone that family is not who you are born to or what color you are but its who's got your back". Again, this film is one that is nearly impossible to dislike. As someone who went into the movie skeptical because of a dislike of Sandra Bullock, this movie impressed and surprised me on all fronts.

Overall- 8.5/10 Bottom Line- Best sports movie of the past ten years

Up in the Air

Perhaps the reason why Up in the Air works is because when it could have become cliche and gone in the direction of a typical, formulaic plot (ex. guy gets girl) in multiple parts of the film- it did not and therefore instead of being a forgettable date movie it is refreshing and original. This film in its depiction of a traveling business mercenary (George Clooney) who lives in the first class lounge in airports around the country and who strives to be the 7th man to gain 10 million frequent flyer miles ultimately reflects on the importance of family and what it means to both have and support those who care for you. In its less than optimistic ending it also serves as a warning for viewers to not take life and love for granted.

Overall 8.5/10 Bottom Line- Well done overall. This film is hard to criticize.

Broken Embraces

This film which follows the chronicles of a blind screenwriter and his recounting of an affair he has with his financier's wife (Penelope Cruz) is a brilliant and complicated story of lust, greed, romance, and the art of film that if absorbed can both disturb and engage the audience. The film is at times hard to follow because of its complicated plot and its subtitles, but it is worth delving into because it is as suspenseful as it is heartbreaking as it is able to capture its main character's past love and his true love which is the love of film which unites every character in the end.

Overall- 8/10 Bottom Line- Truly excellent work by Almodovar.

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes directed by Guy Ritchie and Robert Downey Jr. was a movie that had most of the elements that it needed to be excellent but its lack of a focused plot dragged the movie down to a pretty good movie. Downey Jr. acted a fanatical Holmes quite well and this was noticed by the Hollywood Foreign press last night as he won the Golden Globe for best actor in a musical or comedy. By the way he had one of the best acceptance speeches I've ever seen. The film also had great style and cinematography. It is sad that the film was basically ruined by a poor screenplay and if it had been given a more coherent and less fantastical plot it would be one of the best and entertaining movies of the year on par with Pirates of the Caribean a similar sort of adventure/comedy type movie.

Overall 6/10 Bottom Line- Had everything it needed to have to be great except the fundamental element of a decent plot.