A relatively light February, with only two movies.
The Fighter, in many ways, is a film you’ve seen before. It’s underdog story about a boxer who gets beaten and eventually, with the love of a good woman, finds his way to glory isn’t particularly novel or surprising. No, what makes it stand out is the quality of the performances from the entire cast. Christian Bale as the titular character’s drug addict brother/trainer is outstanding. Seeing through every twitch and failing, he really makes the character stand out without seeming ridiculous, fully deserving his Oscar. Both Amy Adams and Melissa Leo put in outstanding performances (the later also Oscar-winning), as they tear at what they feel is best for the lead. You’ve seen the story before, sure, but never quite this well done. Very worthwhile. (See my The Fighter Twitter review).
Meanwhile, Paul sees Simon Pegg and Nick Frost team up with a CG alien (Seth Rogen) for a fun, if gentle, Saturday afternoon comedy. There are a lot of nice little nods for the sci-fi geeks out there, and some funny moments, but we’re not talking about a classic here. It’s got a good feel, and you could certainly watch a lot worse, but not even the surprise cameos can turn around the fact that this is a little better than average. Fun, but not fantastic. (See my Paul Twitter review).
As I’m sure you’ve guessed, The Fighter is the film fight winner for February.