Review: "Ex Machina" (****)

Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander and Oscar Isaac star in "Ex Machina."

Alex Garland’s provocative sci-fi/thriller “Ex Machina” hinges on three characters: Ava, Nathan and Caleb. Ava, played by the stunning Alicia Vikander (previously seen in “Anna Karenina,” “A Royal Affair” and “Seventh Son”), is our object of study, the artificially intelligent woman whose humanity—or lack-there-of—is called into question. Next we have Nathan (Oscar Isaac), a genius who at the mere age of 13 created Blue Book (think Wikipedia or Google), and has since become a loner of sorts living in a far-off land surrounded only by trees and green and the AI machines he creates. He’s authoritative and strong-willed and relentless when it comes to creating an artificially intelligent being, and Isaac plays this character to perfection. To act as Nathan’s counterbalance, we have Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson). He’s an inherently sympathetic and approachably handsome young programmer who works at Blue Book. After winning a company-wide contest, Caleb takes a long-winding helicopter ride to Nathan’s house to claim his prize of a week-long visit with the boss. And then… slow building tension and experiments and eeriness ensues.

Review: "Fury" (***½)

Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Brad Pitt, Michael Peña & Jon Bernthal star in "Fury"

Very rarely do I enter a theatre completely blind to what it is I’m about to see. I’m too greedy, too curious and far too impatient for the kind of diamond-like discovery that comes with digging in the dark. That analogy may have fallen a bit flat, but the point I’m trying to make here is that this was my experience with “Fury;” I went into the theatre knowing only that it was a war movie and that Brad Pitt was in it. I hadn’t heard too much about the film, and I never really felt any pressure to see it. I hadn’t heard anything too great about it, though to be fair, I hadn’t heard that anyone despised it, either. The buzz surrounding “Fury” was essentially non-existent… for me, at least. The only reason I did see this movie was because it was a very, very rainy Sunday and, quite simply, I love the movies. Plus, I have less a tendency to watch period pieces in the comfort of my own home. Had I not seen “Lincoln” in theatres, I never would have watched that movie; and I’m glad I did see it, it’s a very good movie, but I have some sort of mental block against them. They’re not very easy for me. All that being said, “Fury” was a movie I thoroughly enjoyed.

The Goods: Cate Blanchett's 10 Best Performances

With Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine" continuing to expand in theaters across the country, more and more people have been knocked upside the head with Cate Blanchett's latest performance—in a good way, of course. Having built an impressive film career upon her start as a classically trained thespian, Cate has earned a reputation as both an actor's actor as well as a full-fledged A-list headliner. Her work ranges from Australian theater and independent features to Spielbergian blockbusters and ensemble work under international auteurs. Her diversity has proved as useful as her magnetic screen presence; her beauty and poise magnified by a talent we have yet to see the boundaries of.

Obviously, we are pretty big fans around here. We've ranked our personal lists and tallied up the totals for a top ten countdown of Cate Blanchett's best performances.

Review: "Killing Them Softly" (****)

Brad Pitt stars in "Killing Them Softly"

With a 7-10 split between the critical and audience opinions, Andrew Dominik's "Killing Them Softly" has to be one of the most confusing releases of the year. After earning good marks in Cannes and a majority of praise from critics, CinemaScore gave the film a rare "F" after polling audiences. The dynamic duo of Dominik and Pitt are responsible for one of my all time favorite films, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," so, naturally, I wanted to expect great things.

My dream Oscar ballot, 2012

The 84th Academy Awards are this Sunday and though you've already seen my top 20 films of 2011, I also want to share what I would've nominated in other categories. While my ten Best Picture nominees are my top ten films; my other 'nominees' have shifted a lot in the past couple of months since I've been able to revisit certain films, catch some that I missed earlier and really get to see certain players make their case on the press circuit. It's a fun time of year, but I'm looking forward to some resolution on Sunday. Anyway, here is my 'dream Oscar ballot.'

The Best Films of 2011

A lot of movie pundits have agreed to label 2011 as a weak year. I suppose I see where they are coming from. I can only claim to love just a few of 2011's releases, but I sure did like a lot. Titles like "Certified Copy," "Melancholia," "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and "We Need to Talk About Kevin" showcased crisp and intelligent European cinema as good as anything else in the past several years. Commercial American films such as "Contagion," "Hugo" and "Moneyball" paired sharp screenplays with excellent visuals. Independent cinema shined too, with films like "Martha Marcy May Marlene," "Take Shelter" and "Sahkanaga" standing out. One film, however, stands heads and tails above the rest.

After years of doing this, one usually develops a sense of how strong or weak the year in film is pretty early on. But once you start going back and compiling a list of accolades, each year seems strong in it's own right. Check out my top twenty films of 2011 after the jump.

"The Tree of Life" dominates first ever Georgia Film Critics Awards

"The Tree of Life" won 6 awards out of 8 nominations.

You can now add Georgia to the list of states and cities around the country that boast their own film critics groups and award presentations. The Georgia Film Critics Association released their slate of nominees for their inaugural awards last week and just this evening announced the winners. Although both "The Tree of Life" and "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" led the way with eight nominations each, the former received the lion's share of prizes with a total of six. "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" was awarded Best Ensemble. "War Horse" won Best Score out of six nominations and both "Moneyball" and "Certified Copy" took home two awards each.

Brad Pitt won both Best Actor (for "Moneyball") and Best Supporting Actor (for "The Tree of Life"), while Juliette Binoche won Best Actress (for "Certified Copy") and newcomer Jessica Chastain was awarded prizes for Best Supporting Actress (for "The Tree of Life") and Breakthrough. Chastain bested fellow "The Tree of Life" star Hunter McCracken, British actor Tom Hiddleston ("Midnight in Paris," "Thor" & "War Horse"), as well as actors-turned-filmmakers Josh Radnor ("Happythankyoumoreplease") and Richard Ayoade ("Submarine") in the Breakthrough category.

Other awards went to "The Adventures of Tintin," "Midnight in Paris," "The Muppets," the Georgia-made "Sahkanaga" and racing documentary "Senna."

See the full list of winners and nominees after the jump.