at the movies

I'm no critic officially. I do, however, dabble in the practice of putting my beliefs, opinions and nonpoint-based ramblings into readable forms forcing the happenstance viewer to figure out if I'm worth further pursuit. So given I have only a few words before you will undoubtedly say, "no mas," I will be decidedly short-winded about a few movies I saw this past weekend.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford:
This movie was very well acted by the likes of Brad Pitt and especially Casey Affleck. Who knew the little brother was better? Well he just is. It was a long movie and quite slow at parts. It seemed very matter of fact which was refreshing for a period, westernish production. No glamour, no glitz, but often some guts. A nice dose of reality about our history's icons always goes a long way. Go see it, but don't expect Tombstone or Young Guns. Casey Affleck is superior as a punk kid who whines and takes crap from everyone. He plays it so well you might imagine he's like that in real life. You'll see that there's another side in the next topic.
3 of 5 stars

Gone Baby, Gone:
Absolutely amazing! I applaud Ben Affleck for his directorial debut and immediately forgive him for his past choices (Gigli, Dare Devil, shall I go on?). This film is deep and hard and touching and challeging. The ethical and moral dilemmas alone keep you tossing and turing, but the performances (namely and once again, Casey Affleck) are stunning and captivating. Casey shows the tough side of his chops, manning up to guys twice his size on the mean streets of Boston. He is as authentic a Bostonian as Mark Wahlberg or Matt Damon have ever been. I expect great things from this kid and eagerly await his next project. But back to the movie; go see it. You will thank me. Seriously...I expect a thank you.
5 of 5 stars