Brothers

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: December 3, 2009 (Israel) / December 4, 2009 (USA)

DVD Release Date: March 23, 2010

Plot 411: A family must cope after they're told their Marine son/husband/brother is killed in the war.

Review: Sam (Tobey Mcguire) is serving another tour overseas when his helicopter is shot down. His wife Grace (Natalie Portman) and the rest of his family, including his brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal), are told he is dead. Tommy, who has just been paroled from jail, becomes an integral part of the family and helps Grace with her two children. Tensions rise when (spoiler alert) Sam is finally rescued and returns home. This is a really great drama about families at the best and worst of times. I love how intimate the relationships are between characters. There are really awesome moments of rebellion, pride, love, heartbreak, depression and so many other extremes. The actors really do a lot with a look or a frown, simple movements that transmit exactly what they are feeling to the audience. Despite war being a big part of the plot, I think the major focus of this film is the people's lives. How do they cope when confronted with challenges? The movie's strength is that it makes you question what you would do in a similar situation. also in this film are Clifton Collins Jr., Sam Shepard and Mare Winningham.

Watch It: For a good example of the human aspects of war.

Skip It: Because there is a torture scene that's kind of intense. However, rather than show it outright, it only implies the actions and lets your mind do the rest. This is quite possibly worse, especially in the context of the film.

New York, I Love You

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: October 16, 2009

DVD Release Date: February 2, 2010

Plot 411: Life and love in the city that never sleeps.

Review: The through line of this movie is the lives and loves of the people of New York. Similar to Paris, je t'aime, this movie is essentially a love letter to New York. However, the vignettes in this version are more interconnected than its predecessor, and there are no slides demarcating locations or titles. Treated as short films, some segments are more effective than others. My personal fave is the story about the bickering old couple, which starred Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman. In contrast, another good one is about first love and starred Anton Yelchin, James Caan, Olivia Thirlby and Blake Lively. Other notable stars include Natalie Portman, Bradley Cooper, Orlando Bloom and Ethan Hawke.

Watch It: To see a crap ton of stars playing unexpected roles against the backdrop of New York's skyline.

Skip It: Because there's no real rhyme or reason to the stories.

Paris, je t'aime

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: June 21, 2006 (France) / May 4, 2007 (USA)

DVD Release Date: November 13, 2007

Plot 411: The city of love serves as the backdrop of 18 short films about love.

Review: This film was a vignette about love, in all of its forms. Each story covered a different type of love, featured different groups in society and was the vision of different directors. The shorts provided a brief glimpse into people's lives, and the last movie about an American tourist's first visit to Paris wraps up the entire film quite nicely (albeit in very bad American-accented French). I liked how so many different versions of love could be incorporated into this project: young love, old love, new love, mother-son, father-daughter, lost love, found love, etc. Some of my favorite shorts are about a mime family, a couple who resorts to prostitutes to liven up their marriage and a mother who sings a Spanish lullaby to a child that is not her own. In a way, it's similar to Love Actually, but the audience isn't given as much time with all the characters. Just when you start liking them, their story is over and we're moving on to the next short. Some of the topics are humorous while others are simply heartbreaking. However, all of the shorts depict real situations that we all may face in life, and this is what makes the film perfect. Some of the actors in these films are Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Nick Nolte, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elijah Wood, Emily Mortimer, Rufus Sewell, Natalie Portman, Gena Rowlands and Gerard Depardieu.

Watch It: If you're a fan of indie movies because each short film felt like an artistic endeavor.

Skip It: If you like to have a definite resolution at the end of your movies. Many of these will leave you hanging or make you want to see more.

Garden State

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: July 28, 2004

DVD Release Date: December 28, 2004

Plot 411: A struggling actor returns to New Jersey when his mother dies and learns to feel for the first time in his life.

Review: Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff) has lived in a medicated haze for almost his entire life. These drugs have moderated his emotions. Nothing moves him. When he is called home by his father for his mother's funeral, he leaves his meds behind and for the first time in his life allows himself to feel. He gets reacquainted with friends from high school and meets a girl named Sam (Natalie Portman) while at the doctor's office. Over the next couple of days, he begins to reassess his life and realizes that he has missed out on most of it. Also in this film are Peter Sarsgaard, Jean Smart and Method Man. I decided to rewatch this film because I hadn't seen it in several years. Apparently I wasn't paying much attention to it the first time around because this I didn't remember any of the scenes or even the main plot points. It was like watching it anew. For the most part, I liked how the film seemed to be one of those self-aware, societal commentaries shrouded in hipster music. As Largeman slowly came out of his drug haze, it seemed like his world opened up. In small increments, he became a living person instead of a shadow of a human. Portman is awesome in this movie. She plays a pathological liar and her quirky nature intrigues Largeman. She helps to integrate him into the world one emotion at a time. It's interesting that Largeman is detoxing from his prescribed medications yet there are tons of illegals all around him. The idea that he's finally able to move forward is contrasted by the way his friends have all remained the same. At times, you completely understand why he wanted to live in the medicated haze for so long.

Watch It: For what seemed to be a realistic portrayal of one man's emotional awakening.

Skip It: If you're anti uber-hipster movies. This feels like the grandfather of the current round of hipster flicks.