Reader’s Recommendations: “Redbelt”

Hey everyone, it’s Friday, time for another entry in the Reader Recommendations series!

The Reader Recommendation series is intended to help me formally pursue all the great films that commenters bring up each week in discussion which I’ve never seen. If there’s a movie that comes up that I haven’t seen, but you think I should, email me @ fogsmoviereviews@gmail.com or let me know in the comments that you’d like to participate!

 

This time up, our movie recommendation comes from FMR stalwart Andrew Gelfman, who recommends David Mamet’s “Redbelt”.

 

Mamet has written some awesome films, and I used to practice martial arts myself. So the combination of the two factors leaves me predisposed to liking this one quite a bit! I’m stoked to check it out!  

 

Click through to see what we had to say!

Now Showing on Cable: “Our Idiot Brother”

Showing for the first time on Showtime this past weekend was “Our Idiot Brother”, last year’s Paul Rudd dramedy vehicle.

“Our Idiot Brother” is about a burn-out who gets re-interjected into his sisters’ lives after serving a stint in jail for selling marijuana to a cop. Not a plain clothes, undercover cop… a cop in full out uniform. Rudd’s Ned is a fried space cadet who completely lacks motivation, but has an abundance of good nature and a simple outlook on life. He’s also a bit of a blabbermouth, he can’t seem to keep anything in confidence.

His presence in their lives, predictably, winds up being a change agent for each of them.

Hugo

“Hugo” is the latest film by one of the greatest directors of all time, Martin Scorsese. It’s also his first attempt at family oriented entertainment. It’s a gorgeous movie, a visually beautiful film that has a lot of heart. Brimming with affection and carefully crafted with love for its subject.

Yet I can’t deny that, while I respect the film and its craftsmanship, there were times when I found it testing my patience… when I didn’t feel I was being sufficiently entertained.

It’s a pocket watch of a movie in the information age. There are people who will appreciate and cherish its charms, uniqueness, beauty, theme and strolling pace. While others will leave underwhelmed, expecting far more adventure out of this “adventure”.