Savannah review bundle: "Violet & Daisy" (**½), "On the Road" (***), "Hyde Park on Hudson" (***)

Alexis Bledel and Saoirse Ronan star in "Violet & Daisy"

"Violet & Daisy" is the directorial debut from screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher. Fletcher burst onto the scene in 2009 with his Oscar-winning screenplay for "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire." "Violet & Daisy" is a pulpy and cute assassin flick, as weird as that may seem. With leads like Alexis Bledel and Saoirse Ronan, 'cute' has to be included in the description somewhere. Despite the film being a little uneven as a whole, fine performances from the two young actresses, as well as co-star James Gandolfini, push the film along. Unfortunately, all of the texture is stripped out of New York City, a setting that usually carries a huge presence in any film. "Violet & Daisy" comes with the intention to knock you off your seat, but is a little too light to get the job done. Gandolfini was in attendance alongside Fletcher, who picked up the Cinevation Award at the Savannah Film Festival. Fletcher manages to show some promise and diversity as a filmmaker, as this is about as far from "Precious" as you can get, but might still be a bit of a tenderfoot. Not quite as radical as it wants to be, "Violet & Daisy" is a trifle, albeit a cute one. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

"On the Road" and "Hyde Park on Hudson" after the jump.

Diane Lane, Matt Dillon, Michelle Monaghan among honorees at 2012 Savannah Film Festival

The 2012 Savannah Film Festival honorees clockwise from top left:
Diane Lane, Matt Dillon, Geoffrey Fletcher, Michelle Monaghan

No stranger to big Hollywood names, the Savannah Film Festival looks to keep business as usual this year. Oscar nominees Diane Lane and Matt Dillon will both receive Outstanding Achievement in Cinema Awards at this year's festival. You might recall that the two shared the big screen together several times in the 1980s, in "The Outsiders," "Rumble Fish" and "The Big Town."

Michelle Monaghan, who has starred in films such as "Source Code," "Gone Baby Gone," "Eagle Eye" and "Mission: Impossible III," will receive the Spotlight Award when her film "Tomorrow You're Gone" screens Friday, November 2nd. Willem Dafoe and Stephen Dorff also appear in the film.