Somewhere around mid-June, movie critics around the country started grumbling about the disappointing slate of summer movies. “Iron Man 2” wasn’t as good as the first “Iron Man” everybody hated “Sex and the City 2,” and nobody bothered to see “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.”

Some started to call it the worst summer movie season in more than a decade.

Of course all this complaining happened well before anybody saw “Toy Story 3” or “Inception,” two films that, in terms of pure spectacle and narrative craftsmanship, are some of the most satisfying blockbusters in a long while.

Funny how it all evens out sometimes.

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The indie drama “Winter’s Bone” could induce chills in 100 degree heat.

In an Oscar-worthy performance, newcomer Jennifer Lawrence stars as Ree, a desperate, hardworking teen living in the back-country and struggling to take care of her young siblings and mentally-disturbed mother. One day a police officer knocks on the door inquiring about her absent father, who has a history of drug trafficking in the area.

Turns out dear Dad put the house up as collateral for his bail, and the powers-that-be are now threatening to take the home if he doesn’t show up for his court date. Relatives and neighbors all believe Daddy to be dead, but Ree needs proof to keep her family from losing the house.

Directed by Debra Granik, “Winter’s Bone” is a gripping mystery told from a unique perspective in Ree, a brave, mature-beyond-her-age young woman who refuses to accept her circumstances, even when violence escalates around her. So willful and driven, her intelligence serves as her only real risk of failure. In this drug-riddled community, being too smart is good enough reason to get killed.

The final minutes offer some truly disturbing revelations, and Lawrence’s performance keeps the dreary story emotionally accessible. Airtight in its scripting and atmosphere, “Winter’s Bone” caps an excellent summer of independent film offerings.

Grade: A-

A romantic comedy like “The Switch” needs a fresh spin to survive the doldrums of late August. Accidental sperm donation, sadly, just isn’t enough.

Jason Bateman stars as Wally, a likable hypochondriac who has long felt romantic feelings for best friend Kassie, played by Jennifer Aniston. Unlucky-in-love Kassie decides to have a baby by way of sperm donor, and Wally isn’t too thrilled with the idea.

At at sperm donation party (odd), Wally gets drunk and, by means too absurd to describe, ends up switching the specimen. The next morning, he doesn’t remember a single thing about the incident.

Kassie moves away and seven years later returns to the city with the child in tow. Wally and the kid share some intense similarities, and Wally begins to remember details of the ol’ switcheroo.

Despite this sitcom-like setup, “The Switch” falls into the typical romantic comedy traps. The voice-over narration is abysmal, and the final act struggles through the same inane “misunderstandings” that cripple so many in this genre. (more…)

The gore. Oh my God, the gore.

“Piranha 3D” is one of the bloodiest, most disgusting horror films ever made, and that’s saying something in the age of “Saw,” “Hostel” and the numerous other exploitative 80s-era remakes. “Piranha” is also, of course, presented in 3D, with various severed body parts constantly being tossed at the screen. (more…)

Get to know the name Edgar Wright. He’s a cinema genius, and not enough people are seeing his movies.

The British director has brilliantly skewered the zombie and buddy-cop genres with 2004’s “Shaun of the Dead” and 2007’s “Hot Fuzz,” respectively. His latest, “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” is a wildly inventive, funny and action-packed adventure based on the cult graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O’Malley. It blends anime, video games and a slew of other obscure pop culture references into a fast, colorful sensory explosion.

You haven’t seen any other movie quite like it.

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Stuff blows up real good.

Little else needs to be said about “The Expendables,” an old-school throwback to 80s-era action movies, written, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone. Assembling the greatest (and cheesiest) action stars of the last 30 years, “The Expendables” wastes little time on plot or character development.

What we have here instead are blood, bullets and bone-crushing fight sequences. Knife throwing and tough talking. Explosions and double-crosses. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis join the fun for a few minutes.

Fact is, you already know if you’re going to like this movie or not.

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NOTE: About a year ago, when I was still writing a weekly column for The Coeur d’Alene Press, I wrote an article about my appreciation for the moviegoing arrangement I have with the Hayden, Idaho movie theater. As I am still writing reviews for The Press, my relationship with the theater continues.

So I thought, hey, this place deserves some more recognition. Rather than writing a fresh article, I retrofit that previous column into this blog post. But for those who didn’t see it the first time, congratulations! Fresh content!

I love the Hayden Cinema 6 Theater.

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Much has been written about the degree of truth depicted in last year’s Oscar-winning “The Hurt Locker.” While its account of soldiers defusing bombs in Iraq gave audiences an idea of the visceral mayhem of modern warfare, the film was, ultimately, just a Hollywood fiction. As much as we celebrate expert battle sequences (the opening minutes of “Saving Private Ryan,” etc.), there will always be a wall between the audience and what really happens to those on the front lines.

The astounding new documentary, “Restrepo,” brings the audience deeper into war than any film before it. It follows real soldiers in real battle, without any Hollywood politicizing or scripted dramatization.

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Before “The Other Guys,” Mark Wahlberg only made movies that were accidentally funny.

Anchored by a lively performance by Will Ferrell and a witty script from frequent Ferrell collaborator Adam McKay (“Anchorman,” “Talladega Nights”), Wahlberg gives his best performance since “The Departed,” playing a disgraced cop who is frequently exasperated by his pencil-neck partner.

“The Other Guys” has more laughs than “The Happening” without all the unintentionally bad M. Night Shyamalan dialogue. Though overlong and not as fresh as the buddy cop spoof “Hot Fuzz,” Ferrell and Wahlberg have a distinct comic chemistry. These guys definitely deserve a “Lethal Weapon” style franchise.

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Before Hollywood (probably) ruins Stieg Larsson’s best-selling “Millennium Trilogy,” the Swedish film series is worth checking out, if only for the breakout performance by Noomi Rapace as fiery computer hacker Lisbeth Salander.

The first film, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is one of the year’s best; a taut, disturbing thriller that only teased the deep, dark issues living under Lisbeth’s steel-lined skin. That film is available on DVD and Netflix Instant Viewing.

The sequel, “The Girl Who Played with Fire” is currently playing in select theaters around the country. When Lisbeth (sporting a much more attractive hair style) is implicated in a series of murders, old ally and renowned journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) works to uncover the real culprit. The mystery leads to many dark secrets from Lisbeth’s past, as well as encounters with some of the world’s scummiest men. Lisbeth doesn’t tolerate scummy men.

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