1. We Own the Night
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, Eva Mendes, and Robert Duvall
Directed by: James Gray

Robert Green (Phoenix) is a successful nightclub owner who keeps suspicious company, while his brother Joseph is a police captain. Robert’s life has isolated him from his brother and his Deputy Chief of Police Father (Duvall). However, Robert gets a chance at redemption when his father and brother become mob targets.
This boring “blood is thicker than water tale” is as laughable as its title. The two leads are fine actors, but even they can’t breathe life into this weak script. The action scenes are fairly impressive, but not nearly enough to save the film. We Own the Night is a completely forgettable film experience.

2. Gone Baby Gone
Starring: Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Amy Ryan. And Ed Harris
Directed by: Ben Affleck

A cocky private investigator is hired by a distraught family to help find a missing child in modern day Boston.
In his debut as a feature length director, Ben Affleck showcases skill and precision rarely seen in his acting roles; Mr. Affleck makes many insightful decisions that prove to be very effective. There are no simple answers to be found in Gone Baby Gone, just complex questions that are sure to stay with the audience long after the film’s final moments have been shown. Gone Baby Gone is gritty, realistic, and one of the very best films on the year. Read Rusty's entire review here.

Also being released: Tyler Perry’s Why Did I get Married and Becoming Jane

On Wednesday, February 8th, we threw our very first movie party at RGRS.

I feel a bit silly calling it a "movie party". It makes me feel like I'm wearing pajamas laying on a palette that my mother just made for me with my friends in the living room drinking massive amount of Dr. Pepper and eating Cool Ranch Doritos, further destroying my kidneys. It's definitely not one of those types, but we couldn't think of another name to call it.

Think of it more of a promotions thing. We see a film, like it, and get the chance to throw a party where we pass out free merchandise from the film and give friends the chance to win reserved seats to the screening. You don't have to wait in the long line and can just wonder in last minute to nestle in your comfortable seats with a sign that states, "RESERVED FOR (blank)."

Wednesday's attendance to One Night in Bruges (honoring Paris Hilton) was overwhelming. With staff included, we managed to bring in 165 friends throughout the entire night. That type of support means more than anything.

I am known to have a bit of social anxiety (I know) when it comes to big crowds and I kind of zone out, but luckily I have two of the greatest comrades, Cameron and Rusty, to take care of business when business needs to be taken care of.

We would like to thank Focus Features for all the cool gear, Shep and the staff at Rubber Gloves for helping us make this a successful event and putting up with my anxiety when first arriving. We also would to thank She's the Worst for giving us music all night long, Benjamin Shawver and Jason Bauer for shooting everyone in the face when needed, Chipotle for the chips and salsa, and most importantly everyone that came out to support us. We hope you enjoyed this event, and we'll see you February 20th at Hailey's for Slam Drunk, our promotional Semi-Pro event!

If you know you had your photo taken and it's not in the set, e-mail me at [email protected]. Over 500 photos were taken and we tried to not to add duplicates.

Click HERE for pics from Wednesday night!

Where is Bruges? A question many people might wonder as they prepare to watch the new film, In Bruges. You quickly learn from the film’s opening monologue, which features Colin Farrell’s somber voice playing over various shots of the town that Bruges is in Belgium.

The monologue explains that a job has gone bad and now two hit men have been sent to hide in the quaint town of Bruges. The two temporarily exiled men are the amusing and pouting Ray (Colin Farrell) and the fatherly Ken (Brendan Gleeson). In Bruges doesn't expose the horribly depressing details of the botched job or examine the resulting consquences until later in the film, giving the audience plenty of time to have fun with the two main characters as they try to deal with their present situation in different ways.

Ray has the attitude of a disinterested teenager towards Bruges. He is young and is not concerned with the old-fashioned town. However, Ken approaches Bruges and Ray much like a well meaning but doomed father. The harder Ken tries to convince Ray that Bruges and its history is interesting the less Ray cares, creating many great exchanges between the two over the town. There is a particularly funny scene where Ken is explaining the history of a church and how it is believed to posses actual drops of Jesus Christ’s blood. As Ken continues to explain why Ray should care, Ray just continues to point out plainly that he doesn’t.

The film’s humor is in fact stronger than most might expect. The last time I remember an audience laughing so hard was during the hit comedy Knocked Up. Many of the film’s comedic moments come from the clueless Ray. Ray’s earnestness continually gets him into troublesome situations while he is suppose to be keeping a low profile. Ray has two very memorable interactions with fellow tourists. One exchange involves an overweight American trying to punch Ray because of a candid comment he made and the other one ends in assault at an upscale restaurant. In Bruges also possesses many witty and very quotable lines, with a good amount, but not all, of them containing the F word. The dialogue is sharp, which is not surprising when you learn that the film’s Writer and Director Martin McDonagh, is a very successful and award winning playwright.

The very entertaining and fresh characters of In Bruges are made even greater by the quality of the actors playing them. Colin Farrell has finally found a role perfectly suited for him in the well meaning but reckless Ray. Brendan Gleeson brings a great amount of warmth to the role of Ken, Ray’s counterpart and babysitter. Farrell and Gleeson’s talent helps the audience care about two men who are paid to kill for a living.

In Bruges’ tone shifts dramatically when the film begins to focus on why exactly the two men are hiding. As the details of the job are revealed, Ray’s inner torment surfaces on the screen. It turns out that Ray accidentially shot and killed a young boy. Despite being a paid killer, Ray's genuine sorrow and torment will derive sympathy, not contempt from the audience. Of Course, Ken attempts to convince Ray to use this experience as a lesson, as Ken puts it: "save the next little boy." This examination causes In Bruges second half, while mostly entertaining, to become convoluted and melodramatic at times. However, In Bruges' final moments do successfully achieve the film's purpose by displaying the necessity of forgiveness and acceptance in a big and bloody way.

In Bruges is director Martin McDonagh’s feature length film debut. Mr. McDonagh has already achieved a large amount of success as a playwright, and his ability to create such clever and memorable dialoge along with enganging film characters makes one hope that he will continue to spend time in the filmmaking realm.

After the glowing success he achieved with Wedding Crasher’s Vince Vaughn decided to do something many entertainers do after a smash hit, make a passion project. Vince likely realized this would be perhaps the only time he may get the chance to make something so personal and meaningful. Vince took his chance and decided to put together a comedy tour with four of his funny comedian friends and hit the road, playing thirty cities in thirty days. The whole event was captured on film, and thus we have the funny enough and surprisingly thoughtful documentary Vince Vaugh’s Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights-Hollywood to the Heartland.

The tour and the film’s success heavily relied on Vince’s choosing of what comedians would be on the tour. Mr. Vaughn’s proves to that he is a good judge of talent, as well as insightful with his comedic selections. Not only are all of the comedians at least above satisfactory as comedians but they are interesting people, complete with tons of emotional baggage and insecurities. While the film does show a large amount of the comedian’s act, it also spends a fair share of the film’s running time on the comedians themselves. The audience gets to meet everyone one of the comedians’ families, which offers great insight into these men that have devoted their life to such a demanding craft. Learning about these men allows their acts to become even more enjoyable, since now you realize just how therapeutic comedy is for the comedians.

The first part of the film displays many Vince’s entertaining antics on stage, and various guest starts. On the tour’s opening night, Vince brings Justin Long and long time friend and director Jon Faverau on stage. All three of the men take some very sly and very funny shots at each other. Vince even does a duet with Dwight Yoakum on stage, always willing to go above and beyond to entertain the crowd. The entertainers ability to have fun with themselves and their line of work proves to be very refreshing and enjoyable.

The editing and the soundtrack is what holds this film together, helping ensure that the end result is an enjoyable journey for the audience. As the actors travel from city to city the audience is often treated to great old-time songs. Also, Largely due to the editing, the film expertly balances the line between performance piece and documentary. The film truly shines when these two elements merge. Often, a comedian will be shown performing on stage, which will be cut with the comedian himself or a colleague discussing his act, giving perspective on the comedian or act’s style and background.

Vince Vaughn’s West Comedy Show: 30 Cities 30 Nights does have enough jokes that connect to make the film work as a comedy, but the documentary aspect is what makes this movie truly engaging. At one point the comedians are forced to hand out free tickets to Katrina victims. The film captures the men on their way to the campgrounds, they’re unhappy about having to go the grounds and are complaining about having to share one room. However, the trip proves very sobering for the comedians as they are truly moved by their experience. The filmmakers very thoughtfully and simply capture this key moment for the comedians.

If the film has a star it is not the A-list celebrity whose name is in the tour’s title, but rather the strange-voiced and lumpy comedian, John Caparulo. The gnomish comedian not only produces the most laughs, but is also made very likable because of his ability to point out and have fun with his own shortcomings. The comedian talks about fights with his girlfriend, getting yelled at his Dad while working on a car, and trying to get a dog with hilarious punch lines, while also relating with the audience. Also, through footage of his parents and himself talking about his own life and experiences, John becomes extremely endearing in a his own awkward way.

Vince Vaughn’s West Comedy Show: 30 Cites 30 Nights contains enough laughs to satisfy those expecting to see a comedy. However, the film’s likeable comedians and its insightful documentary side, is what makes the film truly memorable.

In Bruges
(Limited)Written and directed by:
Martin McDonagh
Starring:
Colin Farrell
Brendan Gleeson
Ralph Fiennes

Rusty Gordon's review of In Bruges HERE!

Two hitmen hide out in the little town of Bruges after a hit goes bad. Wait, where the fuck is Bruges?

Colin Farrell is to In Bruge as John Travolta was to Pulp Fiction. This is his comeback. Don't Battlefield Earth it up like John did.

Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland
(Limited)Directed by:
Ari Sandel
Starring:
Vince Vaughn
Justin Long
Jon Favreau
Peter Billingsley (Christmas Story kid)
John Caparulo
Bret Ernst
Sebastian Maniscalco
Keir O'Donnell

In this documentary, four unknowns handpicked by Vince Vaughn travel with him for a 30 consecutive days comedy tour.

Rusty Gordon's review of Vince Vaughn's... HERE!
(more...)

Everyone knows who Spike Lee is. Do The Right Thing. Malcom X. He Got Game. 25th Hour. Yes, you know who Spike Lee is. He'll be in town this Saturday to do a Q&A at UT Arlington, appropriately titled Reel To Real. Click HERE for all the info.

Come out this Thursday (and the following 3 Thursdays) to the Movie Tavern in Denton to see a few movies you may have missed in theaters (possibly because you weren't even alive at the time).

The movie starts at 10pm and a college ID is required (no creepy old men allowed... unless they have a valid college ID). But, hey, it's ONLY $3!! So load up your Jeep with all your Frat buddies and come on down. Or be Eco-Friendly and ride your bike. Just get there.

Oh, and $1.50 Coors drafts!

PS We will be there giving out free stuff (so come refreshed on all your Back To The Future trivia)!