"Yeah you got a piece of me, but it's just a little piece of me, and I don't need anyone." ~counting crows

This is a crazy-good weekend for new movie releases. So here are my reviews for three of them.

Easy A
It was a fun, clever movie with some great performances. Emma Stone establishes herself as a verifiable leading lady, and Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson are hilarious as the coolest parents ever. It's a "teen" movie, but I think it's a good enough film that anyone would enjoy it. I particularly like how it tips it's hat to some classic 80's films that I love. It was obviously quite different from the other two films I saw this weekend, but I appreciated it's lightness.

The Town
Gone Baby Gone was not a fluke. Ben Affleck can direct. In fact, he's really, really good at it. I can't decide which of his movies I prefer (Gone Baby Gone or The Town), but I know that Mr. Affleck knows what he's doing. Is it too much to say that he has the potential to become for Boston what Martin Scorsese is for New York? Anyway, I loved this movie. It's well-paced, suspenseful, well-acted, and an overall solid film. I watch Gossip Girl and I don't like Blake Lively's character on the show, but she's wonderful in this movie. Her performance is so refreshing. Rebecca Hall is solid as usual. I have a soft spot for her because I've seen her give a fabulous performance onstage. Jeremy Renner is pitch-perfect as Affleck's angry, unpredictable best friend. I definitely recommend the film.

Never Let Me Go
I have to begin by saying that this is based on one of my favorite books. If you enjoyed the book, you'll love the movie. I did; it's a very loyal adaptation (loyal to both the story and the tone). Of course it's depressing, and it made me cry like I haven't cried during a movie in quite some time, but I expected that and relished in it. It's beautifully made and beautifully acted. Carey Mulligan (whom I believe should have won the Oscar last year for An Education), will hopefully be nominated for an Oscar again this year. She's charming and heartbreaking. Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield are also stellar. Kazuo Ishiguro is one of my three favorite authors (and you can imagine that's not easy for me to say because I read a lot), and it was great to see another wonderful adaptation of one of his books. If you haven't, go read The Remains of the Day (it won the Man Booker Prize) and then watch the movie (it was nominated for eight Oscars). And then go read and watch Never Let Me Go.