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.

Lovely & Amazing

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: August 31, 2001

DVD Release Date: November 26, 2002

Plot 411: Life lived in a family dominated by women and all of their insecurities.

Review: I really enjoyed this quirky indie flick about the lives of a mother and her daughters. Everything was based in reality and nothing was sugar coated. Life is lived one day at a time and you take the ups and downs as they come. This movie came across as very genuine and honest. There were no easy answers or solutions to the issues that confront the characters. Brenda Blethyn plays Jane, the matriarch of a family of daughters who decides to get lypo done. During this time, she asks her daughters, Michelle (Catherine Keener) and Elizabeth (Emily Mortimer), to look after her youngest, Annie (Raven Goodwin). Annie is a black girl who Jane adopted, and she struggles with ideas of beauty. Michelle is a artist who canot sell any of her crafts and is unhappily married to man that's cheating on her. Elizabeth is an insecure actress constantly questioning her self worth. All the characters are threatened by their own personal demons, and the film comments on the fact that these insecurites are passed from one generation to the next despite all the love that the family has for one another. Also in this film are Jake Gyllenhaal and Dermot Mulroney.

Watch It: For the realistic portrayal of the absurdity that is life. People are really messed up.

Skip It: Because it's one of those movies that doesn't really have a beginning, middle or end. You walk away without a resolution because life can't just be wrapped up in 90 minutes.

The Day After Tomorrow

Rating: PG-13

Movie Release Date: May 17, 2004 (Mexico) / May 28, 2004 (USA)

DVD Release Date: October 12, 2004

Plot 411: Environmental changes around the world cause great devastation and millions of fatalities.

Review: When scientist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) presents his findings on global warming, his words are not taken seriously by anyone except his colleagues, a Scottish professor and a NASA meteorologist (Tamlyn Tomita). They build a model that forecasts global devastation is imminent. At the same time, weird weather phenomenon is already happening and it is causing great confusion around the world. Jack and his group relay their findings to authorities and he and his colleagues set off for New York to find his son Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal). Sam and his classmates are in NYC for a school trip and must find a place to take cover when a massive tidal wave crashes down on the city. They join many other people in the library as the temperature outside drops dramatically and ice and snow replace the sudden ocean swell. Can the group stay alive long enough for Jack to come to the rescue? I'm not sure why people are so fascinated with end-of-the-world movies. yet every couple of years there's a new one that portrays worldwide destruction, and with the advances in technology, the depictions become more and more real. This movie is typical of this genre and contains lots of CGI, action and drama. It leaves you gripping the armrest of your chair with each and every close call. What is really awesome is the power of nature and how it is demonstrated in this film. Many of the tallest buildings are dwarfed by the tidal wave. Entire buildings and structures are buried beneath the snow. Even the Statue of Liberty doesn't have a chance against Mother Nature. The movie is exciting and dramatic, but I don't know how real the science behind the plot actually is.

Watch It: For gigantic CGI effects that still hold up.

Skip It: Because why would you want to witness the end of the world? That's just so disheartening.