Stop-Loss

What could have been a tragic tale is undermined by Phillippe’s inability to master Texan accent.  Ryan’s Elvis Wayne is an unsympathetic lead as he maneuvers through a relevant and morally debatable issue.  BFFs Gordon-Levitt and plays-himself Tatum provide most compelling story, but suffer from LSD, Lack of Screen-time Disorder.

Rango

Dir-Actor duo leave Pirates Gore behind to bring new Deppth to untapped Western animation genre. Clunky plot and weak character development don’t overshadow great animation and original concept. Clever film references are great but Eastwood’s too far from this west desert. Alternatively titled, The Ga’Hoole, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The Crazies (2010)

Compelling and exciting horror camp wrapped around an alarmingly plausible and well-constructed premise. Mitchell and Olyphant play surprisingly intelligent protagonists in a town gone mad, and the scares are plentiful and effective. Could have focused more on Thing style sane person suspicion, and done without plot-undermining Crystal Skull refrigerator scene.