Thrice Surprised

A Good Year
Dir: Ridley Scott, 2006

Grows on you.

Grade A-hole London broker Max Skinner (Russell Crowe) inherits his dead uncle's Provencal estate, complete with a vinyard of his very own. Max's constant workathon leaves no place for the picturesque property in his life, so he plans to sell it. But, a few days of puttering around the chateau-en-shambles reminiscing, some choice encounters with local fire-cracker Fanny (Marion Cotillard) and an unexpected visitor all begin to open him, and the movie, up like a decanter does wine. Max's growth makes you root for him, both to be happy and to make the right choice for the other characters you become fond of. A Good Year is warm, funny, sexy and worth a rent.

The Wolfman
Dir: Joe Johnston, 2010

Dark and kind of exciting.

Coming home is more complicated for Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro). The London actor makes the trip back to dank Blackmoor to bury his brother Ben, who's been torn to shreds by a werewolf. Ben's betrothed, the lovely Gwen (Emily Blunt), asks Lawrence to stick around and find out what happened. As these stories go, Lawrence gets bitten and cursed (aka: turned into a werewolf). He must contend with his inner beast and navigate the difficult relationship he's had with his father (Anthony Hopkins) ever since a childhood tragedy. Even though The Wolfman is predictable, it still boasts some excitement and suspense. The action sequences are well-shot for maximum thrills with adequate gore, the pacing is steady and the acting is generally good (great in the case of Sir Hopkins). Don't go out of your way to see it, but don't count it out if it's available.

Leap Year
Dir: Anand Tucker, 2010

Contrived, but cute.

Anal-retentive Anna Brady (Amy Adams) flies to Ireland to propose to her boyfriend on Leap Day. Inclement weather lands her and her Louis Vuitton suitcase in a very small town, getting a bumpy ride to Dublin from Declan (Matthew Goode), a snarky small town innkeeper/bartender/chef/taxi driver. Sparks fly as the two bicker their way through a series of misfortunes. If the makers of this rom-com trusted their audience enough to make the plot and dialogue less mind-numbing, you might actually have a good movie here. Leap Year compensates for its lackluster script and unimaginative story with lush shots of Irish countryside and ample charm from its leads. Not the worst choice for a light night in with your gal pals.