Kill the Irishman - B

Rated R for strong violence, language and some sexual content/nudity, 106 minutes

“Kill the Irishman” an entertaining, gritty look at real-life mafia

“Kill the Irishman” is the entertaining new crime-drama based on real events and real people, and on a “Pulp Fiction”-type level it succeeds grandly. Violently but thoroughly enjoyable, it’s unrevealing and relies heavily on stereotypical mafia types, but it’s superbly acted by some A-list character actors.

“Kill the Irishman” is based on the exploits of a real-life crime boss and FBI informant named Danny Greene (played by Ray Stevenson of “The Punisher” fame here), an Irish-American based out of Cleveland in the 1970’s. The tough-minded but kind-hearted Danny first becomes involved with the Cleveland underworld when he becomes a union boss, including John Nardi (Vincent D’Onofrio), who later becomes a close ally of Danny. When Greene attempts to take a loan with assistance of a local loan shark (Christopher Walken), he angers the wrong people, including a group of Italian mobsters with ties to New York City and it sparks a bloody mob war within the city that garners national attention.

“Kill the Irishman” is a stout, enjoyable true-life crime drama, though it’s unfortunate it couldn’t have been made earlier, before the likes of Tarantino and “The Sopranos” popularized them. It’s based on the 1998 best-selling nonfiction book “To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia” by Rick Porrello, which is an account of Greene’s life in Cleveland. Writer-director Jonathan Hensleigh (also of “The Punisher”) changes some details of Greene’s life, though it certainly portrays Greene as a colorful, smart character who angered many of the wrong people.

Irish actor Stevenson’s engaging performance as Greene anchors the film, though the highlight is all those creative explosions which pepper the film. It becomes a little redundant after awhile, and some of it is very stereotypical, but you get a sense that these folks actually lived their lives this way. Watch for a host of other A-list character actors who also do a superb job, including D’Onofrio and the always-watchable Walken in a role that’s far smaller than the trailers make it seem.

“Kill the Irishman” is still an entertaining, colorful look at Cleveland mafia in the 1970’s, and the gritty vibe it gives off is worth a look.

Wes’s Grade: B

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules - B-

Rated PG for some mild rude humor and mischief, 96 minutes

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules” a fun family film

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules” follows more adventures of Greg Heffley that’s based on the best-selling children’s books of the same name by Jeff Kinney and is a sequel to last year’s “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” “Rodrick Rules” is suitable, clean fun and a modest family film, though it’s a little redundant and some younger kids may be easily bored with it.

Our wimpy hero Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon), now 12 and enters seventh grade , he and his older brother, Rodrick (Devon Bostick), must deal with their parents' misguided attempts to have them bond, for which their mother, Susan (Rachael Harris), will give them “Mom Bucks.” All while Greg tries every attempt to impress his crush, the new girl in town, Holly Hills (Peyton List). Also, he must keep a party Rodrick threw a secret from his parents to avoid getting in both of them in trouble, especially Rodrick, who is looking forward to playing in the big city-wide talent show with his rock band, Loded Diper.

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules” is more of the same amusement and will likely appeal to the fans of Kinney’s book series and the first film, though it all has a TV-series feel to it. It’s enjoyable and sprightly but predictable, and some of it is loose filler, with some gags staged for easy laughs (one bit early on involving a candy bar is one of the better ones). Gordon and Bostick are engaging leads and help the thinly plotted film along. Red-haired chubby Capron nearly steals the show as Greg’s best friend Rowley, who is to Greg as Larry Mundello was to Beaver Cleaver in the 1950’s TV show “Leave It to Beaver.”

As a matter of fact, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” would play better on the small screen, to the “Suite Life of Zack and Cody” and “iCarly” set, where this type of thing would be seen by more audiences in this demographic and it would end cleanly and more efficiently within 30 minutes. Younger kids might get easily bored with the 96 minute running-time, which is fairly short for a feature film but overlong for what it is.

But you can’t fault “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” in its good messages (be close to your siblings!) and the fact it actually provides decent family entertainment, which seems to be in short measure these days.

Wes's Grade: B-

Sucker Punch - D

Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving sexuality, violence and combat sequences, and for language, 109 minutes

Listless but visually stunning "Sucker Punch" a hot mess

The awful new fantasy thriller "Sucker Punch" is not a film to be taken seriously on just about any level. The stunning visuals from the director of the action hit "300" easily become the film's highlight along with a handful of well-staged action set pieces, but that can't overcome its ridiculous, lazy plot and the laughable acting of the young pretty actresses who star in the film. Essentially, the film is a mess from start to finish, but there are enough energetic visuals to keep you awake.

"Sucker Punch" is set in the 1950s and concerns Babydoll (Emily Browning), a lovely young blonde who is sent to a mental institution in Vermont by her wicked stepfather following the death of her mother and sister. Retreating to an alternative reality as a coping strategy, she envisions a plan which will help her escape from the facility.

Determined in her fight for her freedom, she urges four other young girls-the outspoken Rocket (Jena Malone), the street-smart Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), the fiercely loyal Amber (Jamie Chung), and the reluctant Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish)—to band together and try to escape from their captors, Blue (Oscar Isaac), Madam Gorski (Carla Gugino) and the High Roller (Jon Hamm). Together and with the help of The Wise Man (Scott Glenn), their journey—if they succeed—will set them free.

"Sucker Punch" is an entertaining, hot piece of trash from director and writer Zack Snyder, the guy behind the hit films "300" and "Watchmen." Snyder's unique style and brand of incorporating heavy CG visuals, close-ups and slow-mo action will certainly appeal to the comic con set and likely make the film a hit, but "Sucker Punch" is overall his weakest film, with a slack, confusing story and second-rate acting that hurts the film. Browning, a young British actress and model, seems content with the Milla Jovovich style of acting - poses and pretty looks - that make for a truly bland lead.

Vanessa Hudgins, Jena Malone and Abbie Cornish, all decent, likable actresses in their own right, can't do much with the material they're given, not to mention it wastes fine actors like Carla Gugino and Scott Glenn amidst all the CG-busyness and explosions. There are a few decent action set-pieces, but it all seems a little redundant and confusing as the girls go back and forth between reality and the alternate universe and why exactly they must do all of this nonsense just to escape a mental facility.

In an effort to appeal to the masses, this type of thing usually does well the first week or two and then peters out after bad word of mouth, though Snyder's own "300" and last year's "Alice in Wonderland" certainly proved that point wrong. "Sucker Punch" may do well with some audiences, and it certainly has enough energetic visuals to keep it moving, but it's all still a piece of mindless nonsense. Not worth the time or the money unless you feel like being sucker punched for real.

Wes's Grade: D

Win Win - B+

Rated R for language, 106 minutes

The engaging, quirky “Win Win” emerges victorious

“Win Win” is the new quirky, crowd-pleasing independent comedy starring Paul Giamatti (“Barney’s Version”) and directed by “The Visitor’s” Thomas McCarthy. The film is touching, engaging and fun, even if the story seems very familiar, in an offbeat “Juno” sort of way. Like that 2007 acclaimed film, this film features a remarkable breakthrough performance from a young actor.

Disheartened attorney Mike Flaherty (Giamatti), who moonlights as a high school wrestling coach, stumbles across a troubled star athlete named Kyle Timmons (Alex Shaffer) through some questionable business dealings while trying to support his family. Just as it looks like he will get a double payday, the boy's mother (Melanie Lynskey) shows up fresh from rehab and flat broke, threatening to derail everything.

Superbly acted and slightly unconventional, “Win Win” treads familiar territory – sports, family problems, and teen angst – though it’d be unfair to really call it a sports movie or a wrestling movie; this isn’t the touchy-feely “The Blind Side” but a restrained look at the relationships that make it all happen. McCarthy, who directed Richard Jenkins to an Oscar nomination for 2008’s “The Visitor” and is who is a character actor himself (on TV’s “The Wire” and in movies like “2012”), maintains a sense of subtly and lightheartedness to the leisurely tone of the film.

In the process, “Win Win” obtains some winning performances from the entire cast, including Giamatti, who seems to be getting better with each role, along with a stellar lineup of supporting players, including “The Office’s” Amy Ryan, who has some of the film’s best lines, along with McCarthy player Bobby Cannavale, Jeffrey Tambor, Burt Young (yes that Burt Young – Paulie from the “Rocky” films) and “Two and a Half Men’s” Lynskey. Aside from Giamatti, though, it’s newcomer Shaffer, in his debut film, who nearly steals the film.

In a role that reminds of a more grounded Spicoli from “Fast Times At Ridgemont High,” with bleached hair and a spate of tattoo’s, the lean Shaffer is a relaxed cool dude and even a cooler wrestler who teaches the coach more than the other way around. He and the pudgy Giamatti have decent chemistry and some of the film’s best moments (“slap me across the head” he tells Giamatti’s coach before his first match).

“Win Win” works best when it focuses on the relationship between Kyle and Coach Mike, and less successful when it veers off into Kyle’s family drama. Still, it’s an affecting, low-key and well-acted film that one of the best of this early film year so far, and comes as a must-see.

Wes's Grade: B+

Of Gods and Men - B+

Rated PG-13 for a momentary scene of startling wartime violence, some disturbing images and brief language, 110 minutes, in French with English subtitles

"Of Gods and Men": Powerful, affecting true story

There are some incidents that may have you question your faith and why things happen the way they do. The highly acclaimed French drama "Of Gods and Men" details such an event, the true story of a group of Monks who were murdered in 1996 in events that remain clouded in mystery. The slow-moving but absorbing film takes its time getting to its destination but leaves you with some haunting, unforgettable images.

Under threat by fundamentalist terrorists, a group of Trappist (a strict Catholic sect) monks stationed with an impoverished Algerian community must decide whether to leave or stay. Some of them are ultimately kidnapped by Islam extremeists and beheaded in events that are still unclear.

"Of Gods and Men" is a beautifully made, emotionally rich and poignant film that honors the dedicated monks who were murdered in 1996. The story details the events leading up to the monks deaths; it's handsomely filmed by French director Xavier Beauvois and stars well-known French actors Lambert Wilson and Michael Lonsdale.

The absorbing, acclaimed film (it won the Grand Prix prize at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival) is filled with some haunting, quiet moments, particularly a handful of scenes with the monks reflecting on their lives, and the film's final moments as the monks are being led to certain death are both sad and chilling.

"Of Gods and Men" is in French with English subtitles. It is a must-see for foreign-film enthusiasts and those who enjoy an affecting interpretation of a true story.

Wes's Grade: B+

Jane Eyre - B

Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements including a nude image and brief violent content, 115 minutes

Exquisitely sad but touching "Jane Eyre"

Charlotte Bronte's classic novel "Jane Eyre" gets another big-screen treatment, and if you count the silent films, this 2011 version is the 16th time it's hit the big screen, which of course doesn't include all the television and stage versions that have been done. This rendering of "Jane Eyre" is one of the stronger efforts, capturing the downcast spirit of Bronte's novel; it's superbly-acted, elegantly filmed and if you're familiar with the story, will leave you feeling quite sad.

After a bleak childhood, Jane Eyre (Mia Wasikowska) goes out into the world to become a governess. As she lives happily in her new position at Thornfield Hall, she meet the dark, cold, and abrupt master of the house, Mr. Rochester (Michael Fassbender). Jane and her employer grow close in friendship and she soon finds herself falling in love with him. Happiness seems to have found Jane at last, but could Mr. Rochester's terrible secret destroy their love?

The latest adaptation of "Jane Eyre" is a sublime, affecting effort; it's faithful to the tone of Bronte's early feminist novel. Well-acted, handsome and pensive, there are some unforgettable images throughout. Sure, this leisurely film may appeal mainly to females but this painful portrait of unrequited love is on par with anything Merchant-Ivory did back in the 1980's.

Especially memorable is the strong performance by "Alice in Wonderland's" Wasikowska, who plays the mousy, titular character with the hope of a delicate but bruised flower. It's one of the stronger portrayals of Eyre, and Wasikowska, who looks markedly different from her other onscreen portrayals, remarkably resembles Olivia De Haviland (best known as Melanie from "Gone With the Wind") from her Oscar-winning performance in the similarily-themed "The Heiress."

She and "Inglorious Basterds" Fassbender have a nice, subdued chemistry that marks the film, especially in the later chapters. Rounding out the strong cast is Oscar-winner Judi Dench, affecting as a veteran governess, and Jamie Bell ("The Eagle") in a small role as another of Jane's suitors. Director Cary Fukunaga handles the proceedings well in what is only his second big direcorial effort; the first-rate production is highlighted by some of the most detailed costumes, music and set direction seen in recent memory and only underscore the film's effectiveness.

Unlike the novel, this film version of "Jane Eyre" doesn't have as much closure, even though you still have a sense of how it turns out. On the down side, the film doesn't do anything to lift the spirits, and don't go expecting to leave a happy camper, even the romance isn't all that happy. Fukunaga could've left a few elements out, as they aren't explored as fully as Bronte does in the novel, particularly near the end of the film.

"Jane Eyre" shows us that love often comes through suffering, and Jane does suffer much to get to her happy place, if she ever gets there. But this "Jane Eyre" is still a fulfilling, richly satisfying experience, one worth seeing, even if you leave feeling sad.

Wes's Grade: B

The Lincoln Lawyer - B

Rated R for some violence, sexual content and language, 119 minutes

"The Lincoln Lawyer" is slick, guilty-pleasure entertainment

"The Lincoln Lawyer" is guilty, guilty of being a slick, entertaining and well-acted crime thriller, one of the best of recent memory. This crowd-pleaser predictably hits all the right notes but you'll find yourself enjoying it far more than you think. It becomes a bit redundant and draggy in the last act before it regains its footing for a nice, twisty ending.

Based on the 2005 best-selling novel of the same name, "The Lincoln Lawyer" concerns Los Angeles defense attorney Mickey Haller (Matthew McConaughey), a slick, smooth-talking attorney who conducts most of his work out of his 1990's-era Lincoln Town Car; he's defended lots of questionable folks, including his current client, Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe), a rich young real-estate agent who comes from a powerful, very wealthy L.A. family. Roulet claims to have been set up, but things don't appear to be adding up for Roulet as Haller and his assistance Frank (William H. Macy) start digging around. Now Haller is stuck defending someone he doesn't like, putting his career and his family, including ex-wife Maggie (Marisa Tomei) in danger.

"The Lincoln Lawyer" is a standard, but handsome by-the-numbers crime thriller that you've seen before but is still vastly entertaining, thanks to a superb cast headlined by McConaughey, who make this thing worth watching. McConaughey, who gained fame playing a lawyer in John Grisham's "A Time to Kill," gives his most engaging, least self-aware performance in years as the lawyer who does his business in the back of a Lincoln. Even better is the stellar supporting cast, including Phillippe as a slimeball client, Tomei, Macy, along with Josh Lucas, Frances Fisher, Bryan Cranston, Michael Pena, John Leguizamo and even country singer Trace Adkins, nearly unrecognizable in a brief but key role.

With newcomer Brad Furman's direction, you have a sense of where the stylish, smooth production is going, even down to a mildly surprising ending that has a decent emotional payoff. Some of it lacks efficiency, especially in the draggy second act, until it reawakens for a decent climax. With wavy hair, Southern accent and a swagger most would envy, McConaughey seems born to play this smooth-talking type, but one thing's for sure, you won't be looking away.

McConaughey needs a hit (commercial, critical or otherwise), and "The Lincoln Lawyer" could be his ticket out of the mediocre rom-coms he's been plagued with the last few years. "The Lincoln Lawyer" is guilty of being guilty-pleasure entertainment that could find repeat business with the lack of decent cinematic choices lately, and I would have no objections to that. A crime thriller worth a look.

Wes's Grade: B