AMERICAN SNIPER [2014]

Director Clint Eastwood's second film of 2014, American Sniper, is easily the more commercially accessible of the two.
The biopic war drama is about NAVY Seal Chris Kyle who made a name for himself, before his death, as the deadliest sniper in American military history.  Eastwood tends to sway heavily to one side of the story and it will play a big part in how you actually feel about the film.  Fortunately Bradley Cooper's leading performance anchors the film into an area that's universally familiar, war hurts everybody.  With it's riveting direction, intense storytelling and complicated psyche, this is unmistakably an Eastwood film, that pushes with the patriotism just a bit too much.

3½ Punishers out of 5

BEAUTIFUL BOY [2010]

Beautiful Boy tells the tragic story of a mother & father suffering the aftermath of their son's mass shooting at his college before taking his own life.

Maria Bello and Michael Sheen are magnificent as the grieving parents, as are the rest of the cast but for some reason the film never really allows the viewer to get emotionally connected.  I'm not entirely sure but I think it has to do with Shawn Ku's direction.  Having only done two fluffy musical comedies I don't think he knew how to approach such a dramatically powerful project.  

It's sets itself up for something big and spits out something that simply fizzles out.

2½ vandalized graveplates out of 5

Cherry (2010)

Snoozefest. Fresh into college, Aaron meets hot older woman Linda in his art class and her equally beautiful daughter, Beth. Vying for both their affections, there are the typical repercussions, matters are resolved, or not, blah blah blah, roll credits. There's nothing technically wrong with the film, it just depressed me so.

1.5 affairs that I never had in college out of 5...*sigh*