Don Jon is yet another reason why great actors make great directors. Joseph Gordon-Levitt's passion/vanity project is a wonderfully offbeat look at disconnections in relationships, and how the "typical" perceptions of sex differ between men and women.
JGL shows a confident ability behind the camera and in front of it. He's managed to get solid performances out of costars Scarlett Johannson, Julianne Moore, and Tony Danza. When spoken by the cast, JGL's dialogue flows in the same manner as a Scorsese or Tarrantino film, which is mighty impressive.
Ending on a deliberately ambiguous note that - spoiler alert - criticizes and undermines the usual climax of sappy romantic comedies, Don Jon is smart, thoughtful and doesn't shy away from the reality of its subject matter.

Judged solely on its whodunit psychological thriller plot, Prisoners is predictable and basic. But director Denis Villeneuve and writer Aaron Guzikowski seem to be after a lot more here. Clocking in at a lengthy 21/2 hours, Prisoners puts you right into the shoes of the main characters - the grief-stricken father who will go to any length to find his daughter, the tough-as-nails detective who cares more than he lets on, and the creepy suspect who is beaten and tortured in ways most movies wouldn't dare depict. It makes us think about what we would do in these situations and how far can we be pushed before our moral ethics are questioned. Coupled with Roger Deakins' incredible shot compositions, Prisoners is a hypnotic and hopelessly dark experience.
Hugh Jackman gives one of his most ferocious performances. This is a side of him you have never seen before. The supporting case including Terrence Howard, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Paul Dano and of course Gyllenhaal are all spectacular here, but it is Hugh Jackman who outshines everyone. Prisoners is an emotionally complex and disturbingly eerie thriller that is brought down by its obvious plot twists, but is still worth seeing for its sheer intensity and Award worthy acting.

A Single Shot draws influences from No Country for Old Men, A Simple Plan, and Winter's Bone, but is vastly inferior to all three of those films. The cast, which includes Sam Rockwell, Kelly Reilly, Jason Isaacs, Jeffrey Wright, William H Macy, and Joe Anderson does their best to elevate the material. But alas, the stolen money plot is too predictable to be suspenseful, the character study of John Moon a little too cliche to be sympathetic, and the pacing too slow to be engaging.
The film successfully manages to create a dark, eerie backwoods setting. Almost every shot screams atmosphere. This certainly helps to maintain a consistent mood. Yet where the film focuses on its mood, it loses focus in its narrative. There are several tangents that serve little to no purpose in the plot. 15 minutes could have easily been left in the editing room and the story would have been more effective and tightly composed. If you're a fan of Sam Rockwell or dark psychological thrillers, there might be some redeeming qualities here, but A Single Shot will not linger in your mind once its over.

The debut film from twisted twins Jen and Sylvia Soska has one of the coolest and most enticing titles for a grindhouse film in as long as I can remember. The Soska Sisters, like Robert Rodriguez before them, are out to prove that it is possible to do a lot with no money as long as you have the creativity and the ambition to succeed. I truly can't wait to see their next film.
Having said that, this movie didn't work for me. I get that this isn't a film to be taken seriously. But unlike Rodriguez's El Mariachi, Dead Hooker in a Trunk is filled with great ideas but poor execution. It attempts to confront and break down the notion of how men too frequently objectify women, but then gets completely sidetracked in needless subplots involving chainsaw gangs and crooked cops.
I'm also aware that the cheap amateur look fits the grindhouse style, but Dead Hooker suffers from especially poor sound, uneven picture quality, awful acting, and noticeably bad special effects. The whole thing feels like a home movie made over a weekend. I am the first person to champion DIY-filmmaking, but too many mistakes - both in the writing and the technical craft - have been made in the final presentation of this film for me to recommend. Die-hard grindhouse fans might dig this. Everyone else may not be able to make it through the first thirty minutes.

It's commendable that Vacancy attempts to leave the audience in total suspense while keeping the gore at a bare minimum. Not to mention the opening credits were pretty darn cool.
But the film tries way too hard to get the characters into the creepy motel; so much of the opening thirty minutes screams contrived. David and Amy Fox (played by Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale respectively) can't stand the sight of each other any more, not since their son died. This tragic act has caused David and Amy to act like total assholes to each other, never passing on the opportunity to make a passive aggressive mark. It's hard to really connect with these two.
Once they enter the room and realize they're actually in a room where assailants will soon come and torture them to death, they attempt an escape. What ensues are mostly uninspired chase scenes that occasionally succeed in executing a good scare or two, but for the most part feel cliched and reminiscent of too many other movies. It feels long and drawn out even though its 85 minute running time is barely feature length. While the references to Hitchcock are aplenty, Vacancy is nowhere near the same league. You'll forget having seen it as soon as it's over.