MOVIE REVIEW: End of Watch

If director Judd Apatow, known for his gross-out comedies that incorporate bromance, made his version of Training Day, then the result would be End of Watch: a violent movie about two LAPD cops, who are also best friends, who became targets of a prominent Mexican drug cartel in South Central Los Angeles after heading a big operation that paralyzed their empire.

Director David Ayer, who also wrote the script for Training Day, is at his comfort zone: LA's grittier side as seen from the eyes of police officers. As with the movie that gave Denzel Washington his Best Actor Oscar almost 11 years old, the film has some excellent performances from the lead actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena. Their natural banter on their police car while cruising around between operations is genuinely raw and funny. It does provide a stark contrast to the realistic and graphic images that are prominently featured in the movie. The shaky camera use was greatly integrated into the film, showing it exactly how cops see and feel while on their duty. Anna Kendrick and Natalie Martinez provide ample support as the ladies of the two leads but it is clearly Gyllenhaal and Pena's film.

Violent, graphic, gritty but ultimately and surprisingly feel-good, End of Watch is clearly one of 2012's best.

MOVIE REVIEW: Trouble With The Curve

Making his directorial debut after being the collaborative partner of Clint Eastwood for so many films, Robert Lorenz's Trouble With The Curve has that touch that's unmistakably Eastwood that it can be compared to the directing style of the movie icon. Slow and steady that builds momentum and tugs your heart, Trouble With The Curve is not only a baseball movie but also a film that celebrates the bond between a father and his daughter. 

Gus (Eastwood) a baseball scout in his twilight years still does his job of finding new prospects for the Atlanta Braves even in the age of technology where stats are gathered to find the perfect player. He is joined by his estranged daughter Mickey (Amy Adams) a lawyer who was offered a partnership in a law firm but had to put it on hold when her father's good friend Pete Klein (John Goodman) asked her a favor to join her father, to get to know him better and find out whatever is bothering him. Together with Gus' former find Johnny Flanagan (Justin Timberlake) who now also scouts talent, they rediscover the undying love they have for each other bonded by their favorite sport.

Eastwood plays a slight variation of his Gran Torino character here and it works. Adams is too young to be his daughter though in the movie, the original choice Sandra Bullock would have been better in terms of casting. Justin Timberlake continues his evolution as an actor and acting with a known movie icon and one of the best actresses under the age of 40 around, Mr. Sexyback held his ground.

Trouble With The Curve opened our eyes in the world of baseball scouts. It may be slow at times but in the end, eveything in it's details was worth it.

MOVIE REVIEW: The Words

A drama about the power of writing and moving forward, The Words may be not be for everyone because of it's multi-layered storyline but heartfelt performances from Bradley Cooper and Jeremy Irons makes the film rise from above-average status.

Bradley Cooper plays Rory Jansen, a struggling author who achieved literary success on a novel he didn't write. As he celebrates it's success, the past that came with it will haunt him and make him realize his priorities and contemplates the future after that single mistake. Jeremy Irons plays the mysterious old man that provides him with the link that would connect Rory and the writer of the book. 

That alone has the makings of a good movie but it added another subplot which for me, was the weakest one. The one involving Dennis Quaid as another author narrating Rory Jansen's experiences in a book club reading of his book: The Words. It is totally unnecessary and the movie would had been better without it.

The Words is a beautifully shot film about writing and the power of asking for forgiveness and moving forward. Despite it's flaws, most especially the Dennis Quaid episode, it is one film that lingers on to you, even more if you love to write.