Passenger Side: 8.4/10 - It's material, narrative and pacing will be a turn off to many, but there is something very worthwhile compressed in its 80 minutes. The film doesn't try to beat one over the head with its message, but rather lets the viewer absorb a lot of dialogue amidst the presence of its lead characters. Shot almost poetically, the film allows a unique point-of-view at times in which the camera doesn't capture the faces of the spoken dialogue, instead focusing on the road ahead or the scenery giving the viewer the feeling that they are actually present in the car, or, to play off the title are in a passenger seat. Doused in realism and acted, written and directed to perfection, Passenger Side is a relaxing and surprisingly humorous watch that goes deep without forcibly going deep and, to those who watch with an open mind, will be impacting without one even realizing it.
Paper Man: 6.1/10 - By the time 2010 comes to a close, no film could contain as many “what-ifs” as Paper Man. Featuring the always worthwhile premise of a “unique,” yet struggling social outcast, the film meets its demise via holes in the story that lead to an emotional distancing between the characters and the audience and the inability to find the middle-road between off-beat comedy and coming-of-age drama. The basis of the characters lack of social belonging falls under the powerful category of loneliness; however, this idea never seems to get fully developed and while the outcasts connect with each other, they never quite latch their story and feelings onto the viewer. The film also includes an interesting involvement with imaginary friends, but fails to build on the relationship between person and imaginary friend aside from a general outline. What makes this even more of a letdown is the fact that the main imaginary friend, Captain Excellent, is played by Ryan Reynolds who steals each of his scenes, especially from a comedic standpoint. The actors give it their all, in fact, this may have been Emma Stone’s most impressive performance in her young career, but the inability to relate to the characters and their problems is crippling to the story and makes the film’s other techniques, such as the drama and the quirky humor, almost seem thrown together with no real intent. Side note: the actors chemistry, its spotty humor and its few touching moments win it points. It's jumbled and misses its target, but certainly isn't bad.