True Grit (2010)

If I told you what the exact nature of their relationship is, you wouldn't believe me. Just go see this great movie.

When I first heard rumblings of a remake of “True Grit,” I complained. Then I learned the Coen Brothers were helming the update, and I stopped grumbling. If any filmmakers are to be trusted with presenting an updated version of a beloved Western, it’s the Coens. They have displayed an appreciation for sparse scenery and restrained emotion which makes them ideal candidates for re-inventing (or perhaps reviving?) the genre. As it turns out, my faith in the Coens was well-placed. With “True Grit,” they delivered an elegant, yet entertaining, update of both the original film and the genre.

The Social Network (2010)

 

For once, I can't think of anything snarky to say. Jesse Eisenberg is just brilliant.

The irony of checking into Foursquare and posting simultaneously to Facebook and Twitter from the theatre where I was seeing “The Social Network” — otherwise known as “That Facebook Movie” — was not lost on me. It felt terribly meta, and yet it would seem strange to not comment on what film I was seeing this week. While “The Social Network” is a film about the creation of Facebook, it is also a film about why that sense of connectedness it provides is so very important, and that’s what makes this film brilliant.

The Last Exorcism (2010)

At least two of the people in this picture are not what they appear to be.

I’ll be upfront here and say this is a movie deserving of its considerable buzz. Presenting a new take on a subgenre that tends to cliche is difficult enough, but “The Last Exorcism” manages to through its remarkable performances and slow-building atmosphere. That said, part of the reason this film is generating talk is that it is divisive. This film won’t please everyone.

Piranha 3-D (2010)

"Piranha 3-D" presents a cavalcade of carnage for the more discerning movie-going palate.

“Piranha 3-D” is a movie that knows exactly what it is, exactly who its audience is and exactly what it wants to accomplish in its 89 minutes of screen time. That it does so while stretching the boundaries of the word “gratuitous” is just part of the fun.

Kick-Ass (2010)

Spoiler alert! She's the best thing in the movie!

If you’re going to take the step of naming your movie after a popular adjective, you should probably also take steps to ensure that your movie lives up to said adjective. Too often in the case of “Kick-Ass,” it does not.