And another one!

Safety Not Guaranteed was also far better than I dared hope, and is I think likely to join the ranks of my favorite movies.

Aubrey Plaza was perfect as a cynical but fundamentally deeply kind-hearted woman who desperately wants to believe what she’s being told, but is also touchingly afraid of being duped, of having the magic just be prestidigitation and lies.

The film is sometimes corny but always shimmeringly alive with deep heart and affection for its characters – it never lets us believe that they are anything but just as lost as we are. There’s no fate – just feeling your way out and doing the best possible with bad information and hampered dreams.

Whatever you were expecting from this movie, you won’t get it. Whatever you were hoping for, you just might.

I agree with this.

Gina Carano is indeed completely bad-ass in that movie. And it’s also a lot of fun.

What’s more, the fight scenes are realistic as she is a real fighter. In one confrontation, she’s fighting a guy who is both bigger and just as well-trained as she is. She’s losing; fighting well, but still losing, just like reality 90% of the time when you are in that situation.

It’s only when some civilian steps in and helps her for a moment does she get the upper hand. And boy does she ever. Damn.

And there are no quick cuts designed to conceal actors who aren’t in reality very physical. You can see everything, and it’s all amazing. Carano is a ballerina of violence and watching her is like watching ice and plasma meeting in slow motion.

The best movie that I didn’t think would be very good that I’ve seen in the past year.