The trailer for the upcoming Nick Murphy film, The Awakening made its way online today. It’s unfair to judge am movie by the proverbial cover, but if this trailer is any indication, it’s going to be effective if nothing less. Why couldn’t the Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark people have taken a cue from this?

I will say that Affleck is very talented as a director. While Gone Baby Gone could have been a fluke, two stellar films in a row indicate we can expect great things from him. I think Rebecca Hall is incredibly underappreciated and she was outstanding here. And I love the Jeremy Renner is getting the recognition he deserves. Great movie, but I was a little underwhelmed. I’ll leave it at that.

Here’s what some people I respect think:

Norma at The Flick Chick (Full Review):

The acting in the film is very strong, as it should be with such a great cast. Doug is the strong silent type and Affleck plays him well, especially against Renner, whose Jem is a bundle of energy looking for a means to violently expend itself; Doug is the calm, Jem is the storm. Though he makes a lot of noise about the trouble Claire could bring them, Jem is the real wild card, the character whose actions threaten to bring hell down on everyone, and Renner pretty much steals the show. Hall, Hamm and Lively all turn in solid performances, though their characters never get to become much more than “types” and Postlethwaite and Cooper make the most of little screentime (Cooper is only in one scene but it’s an effective and memorable one).

A. O. Scott at The New York Times (Full Review):

As it is, the performances in “The Town” are strong enough to make it watchable, and the sense of place — of topography and architecture, if not of actual social life — is vivid and enjoyable. A climactic caper at Fenway Park blows holes in the film’s narrative and emotional credibility, but it is fast and exciting all the same, perhaps especially for Yankees fans. Otherwise, the main attraction is the blaring music of those accents. It’s a lark, a spark, a walk in the park.

Branden at Foolish Blatherings (Full Review):

After a month and half of not watching a movie, I was feening for it like crack. Even though, I’ve never tried it. Don’t try it, kiddies out there. I had the choice to see this, Easy A or try to see Scott Pilgrim vs The World. I think I might have picked the wrong film. I’m not saying that this movie is bad. It was fine. The first third of movie was boring as all get out. I was checking my watch a couple of times. Having a movie about the bad guys doesn’t work when you have Ben Affleck robbing banks for their boss, Fergie the Florist (Pete Postlethwaite) and he is trying to get into Rebecca Hall’s pants. It didn’t gel with me.

Bartelby at Movie Mobsters (Full Review):

Although The Town is strong as a drama, it’s also a story that’s been told many times before. We can follow these characters, even if Affleck follows a page out of classic noir and makes most of them rotten apples. These thieves might act like kings, but unlike Mann’s Public Enemies, there’s surgicial dissection that subtly shows the self-absorption and selfishness that permeates nearly everything Doug and Jim do. Small quirks are built into the corners of the frame, whether it be the grotesque, oddly expressive nun masks that the gang wear in the second half or a final, sad gesture where a doomed thief glances at his gun and his soft drink and then goes for the cola.

Fitz at Nevermind Popular Film (Full Review):

Ben Affleck has reached a stage in his career where I think he very well may be the next Clint Eastwood. Eastwood never really made his name as an actor until he was in his mid thirties; Affleck may have been a known name before his thirties, but it is now that he is truly coming into his own in his portrayals (Hollywoodland, State of Play). Also like Eastwood as a director he has themes that he revisits each time to a more devastating effect. With The Town and Gone Baby Gone under Affleck’s belt I think it’s safe to say we may have one of the next great American directors coming up.

These folks said it better than I could. Feel free to leave a link to your own review of The Town in the comments.

3 out of 4 stars

The first of the trilogy is Red Riding: 1974, directed by Julian Jarrold (Becoming Jane, Brideshead Revisited) begins the saga, and it’s quite a ride.  It centers around rookie journalist Eddie Dunford (Andrew Garfield).  Like the other two films, it takes place in the upper regions of the UK called West Yorkshire.  A gray, foreboding place.  The latest in a string of abductions catches Andrew’s eye.  The horrific details of which are best let to unfold during the film.  Andrew believes the abductions are connected to a series of murders in the not too distant past.  His rogue investigation (both the police and his editor have warned him against pursing his hunches) lead him further and further down the rabbit hole, where he discovers things he never wanted to know.

For this first installment, serious talent was called in.  Garfield, who blew us all away with his debut performance in Boy A is the perfect lead here.  His fellow co-stars include the Mike Leigh favorite, Eddie Marsan as a veteran journalist, and Vicky Cristina Barcelona’s Rebecca Hall, as the mother of one of the abductees.  The entire casts performs uniformly excellent.

The plot is as complicated and intriquate as anything recently released, rivaling last year’s Gomorrah.  Some of the heaviest UK accents around add to the difficulty of following what’s happened.  Yes, it takes a little work to stick to this gritty story (filming in 16mm added to this effect greatly), but it’s worth it.  1974 doesn’t skimp on the gritty brutality of it all either.  It isn’t for the light of heart, that’s for sure.  But in this dark world, there’s a haunting beauty that will entice you, like its characters, to lose yourself in it.  You’ll be happy to do just that.

Jarrold, who’s most recent films lacked quite a bit of focus, seemed to find his stride here.  He maneuvers the intimidating script (adapted by Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas‘s Tony Grisoni) with a confidence we haven’t seen from him since Kinky Boots. Some of the greatest scenes had a Scorsese-esque feel about them, down to the jaw-dropping ending that will remind more than just a few of Taxi Driver.  Once you’ve braced yourself, this is definitely worth checking out as soon as possible.

3.5 out of 4 stars

A European friend of mine once told me that if I watched an Almodovar film, even if I hadn’t been to Spain, I’d feel like I had. I don’t know if that’s necessarily true, but I do know that I feel like I’ve been there now after watching Vicky. Or at least, I saw the the Spain that every American wishes existed. The film follows BFFs Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) as they spend their summer in Barcelona. Both are frustrated artists at heart (but mostly they’re just pretentious as hell).  After a chance encounter with a Spanish artist, Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), the three go away for a weekend of lovemaking.  Although Juan is quite clear about his intentions, both girls pretend they’re going to experience a different part of Spain (and I’m not taking about Juan’s part). Things are quickly complicated by the fact Vicky is engaged to be married, and Cristina had food poisoning. Then enters Juan’s ex-wife, the tortured soul: Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz).  Sound like French New Wave?  While it’s not the definition of the style, the love triangles, and the matter-of-fact narration (which I fell in love with) is New Wave as Allen has ever been.

This goes without saying, but the cast is so talented, it makes you feel like the film is sort of selfish, hoarding all this talent.  It’s a pleasure to see Bardem perform in such a different environment then that of No Country For Old Men, although I did keep waiting for him to kill someone.  Patricia Clarkson and Johansson are reliable, as always and were a pleasure to watch, but I think the real stars of the show are Rebecca Hall and Penelope Cruz, both of whom act the hell out of the parts (in a good way).

Allen denied himself some of the ridiculous self-indulgences he’s allowed himself in the past, like his off-pitch improv antics in 2006′s Scoop (also starring Johansson), or 2007′s Cassandra’s Dream which was weighed down by pointless, boring dialogue. Vicky is a tight, quickpaced, sensual (without being erotic) good time that will leave you endlessly entertained.

4 out of 4 stars

Rottentomatoes: 81% – Cream of the Crop: 85%

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving sexuality, and smoking.