Last week I was in Las Vegas for the annual ShoWest convention, a meeting of film exhibitors from around the country. I was lucky enough to catch some early screenings of upcoming films. Here is a roundup of my impressions:

GET LOW ★ ★ ★ 1/2

Earlier tonight, a film called Get Low screened at ShoWest. You may have heard something about it, as it played at Sundance earlier this year. Walking in, I knew very little about the story, my knowledge limited to a brief clip that I had seen online a few months ago, and the paragraph synopsis I had read around the same time. Set in 1930s Tennessee, Get Low tells the story of Felix Bush (Duvall), a crotchety old hermit who decides to throw himself a funeral party while he is still alive. Bill Murray is the down on his luck caretaker who agrees to make it all happen (for a reasonable price, of course).

It’s a simple enough conceit, and you can imagine this being handled in a pleasant, comedic fashion, but that is not at all what Get Low is. Rather, this is a serious drama that is often very funny (which is not the same thing). I don’t want to spoil a worthwhile trip to the movies, so I’ll skip the details and give you some general impressions.

- This is a very well cast film. Duvall’s performance is one of his best, and Bill Murray once again proves that his range extends well beyond comedy.

- The film is beautifully shot by David Boyd (21 Rounds). The camerawork is subtle and affective, the camera moving only when necessary. This is integral to the tone of the film.

- Speaking of, there are frequent shifts in tone throughout, but the transitions are graceful and controlled by the director, Aaron Schneider. A very steady hand seems always to preside over this film. I think he is one to watch.

- Music is a crucial element that can make or break a film. In the case of Get Low, Jan Kaczmarek (Finding Neverland, The Visitor) contributes a beautiful and affective score, which incorporates bluegrass (as one would expect), but is primarily orchestral, and quite haunting.

- I found Get Low to be surprisingly moving. Ultimately, it is the story of a dark secret that has kept an old man trapped for nearly forty years of his life. But I fear I have already said too much. See the film (which is sure to get some Oscar nominations next year), and marvel at the brave choices on the part of Aaron Schneider. It would be easy to make Get Low as a broad comedy, but he wisely chose to make it something more: a film about real people and real choices, and how grief can get you low, real low.

LETTERS TO JULIET ★ ★ ★

Last night at ShoWest, Summit screened Letters to Juliet, starring Amanda Seyfried, who is the recipient of this year’s Breakthrough Female Star of the Year award. I went in with relatively low expectations, having seen the spoiler-heavy trailer that suggested we were in for a typical rom-com. That being said, I was slightly intrigued by the fact that the film took place in Italy, and that Vanessa Redgrave was in it. She automatically elevates anything she’s in.

Seyfried plays Sophie, an aspiring writer who works as a fact-checker for the New York Times. She’s engaged to Victor (Gael Garcia Bernal), a chef who is on the verge of opening his own restaurant in Manhattan. In effort to get some time together before the restaurant opens, Sophie and Victor head to Verona for a “pre-Honeymoon” vacation. But the romantic getaway is quickly drained of all romance, as Victor becomes distracted with sampling the region’s wines and cheeses for his restaurant, and Sophie finds herself wandering the city streets alone. She stumbles upon the Verona Courtyard, where lovelorn young women leave letters for Shakespeare’s Juliet. Through some investigation, she discovers that these letters are answered by the Secretaries of Juliet, a judicious group of women who apparently have nothing better to do with their time. When Sophie discovers a letter hidden in the wall, written forty years ago by a woman named Claire who was heartbroken at having left her true love, she decides to write back.

Claire (Regrave) arrives in Verona, intent on seeking out her long-lost lover. Tagging along is her grandson Charlie (Christopher Egan), who isn’t so enthusiastic about the idea, and makes that abundantly clear to Sophie. This is called romantic tension. Before long, Sophie is on the road with Claire and Charlie in their pursuit, and (you guessed it) sparks begin to fly between her and the initially resistant Charlie.

This is all fairly standard rom-com material, but you know what? This is actually a pretty good movie. You certainly know what to expect, but Seyfried has an indelible charm, and she is surrounded by a very good supporting cast. Egan is particularly likable and shows great promise (you may have seen him in the underrated show Kings). Throw in some beautiful locations, and you have a worthwhile night at the movies with your significant other. This one won me over by the end.

TOY STORY 3 ★ ★ ★ 1/2

As I was planning my trip to ShoWest, there was one event I looked forward to the most. Not Kick-Ass, though I’m excited to see that tonight. Not Prince of Persia, which I’m holding out hope for, even though it could suck beyond all belief. No, the film I was most looking forward to was Toy Story 3, the eleventh movie by Pixar. It was not only the world premiere of TS3, but, as director Lee Unkrich explained in his introduction, the only time an audience will ever be shown the work-in-progress version of the film, which included a temp score and some unfinished animation sprinkled throughout.

Mr. oversized Hawaiian shirt himself, John Lasseter, was the first to take the stage. I was about four rows back, and slightly in awe of the moment. I’ve been a huge Pixar fan since the day I saw Toy Story in ‘95 (I was twelve), and their success since then has been extraordinary to watch. I don’t know of another studio whose name is so associated with excellence. When you walk into a Pixar movie, you know you’re going to get your money’s worth. Which is why ShoWest decided to honor John and his team with the special Big Ten Award, for having ten consecutive hit films in a row.

They are about to have their eleventh. Before I say anything about the film, I should mention that Lee Unkrich (who co-directed Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc, and Finding Nemo) did not ask audience members to refrain from tweeting or blogging about the film, but did kindly request that we not give away all the plot details. So I’ll keep this brief.

Toy Story 3 picks up eleven years after the events of Toy Story 2. Andy has graduated high school and is getting ready to leave for college. His mom is still single (does she ever date?). The toys we have come to love over the years aren’t played with anymore, and Andy has to make a decision about whether to bring them along to college or throw them out. You’ve seen the trailer, and know that through a turn of events, they end up at Sunnyside Day Care, where we are introduced to a new group of toys. And that is all I will say about the story.

What occurred to me while I was watching the film was not only the longevity of these characters, but how the boys from Emeryville, CA have somehow made us care about them. About toys. And this is a quite an emotional film, it being the last of the Toy Story films (or so I assume). From the very beginning, there is something slightly depressing about Andy being grown up, but that is quickly eclipsed by the exciting sequences that follow. There is plenty of suspense, and some surprisingly dark moments as well. I was excited to take my three year old to see the movie, but now I’m having second thoughts. She might be genuinely frightened by a handful of scenes.

If I have any complaints at all, it is that some ideas seem to have been recycled from the past two films. But that is not necessary a problem, as they work for this story. I’m looking forward to seeing the film in June, with finalized animation and Randy Newman’s score, which was absent from the cut we saw. To bring this to a close, there is only one thing to say: Pixar has done it again. But have they ever given us a reason to doubt them?

THE KARATE KID ★ ★ 1/2

Yesterday at ShoWest, Sony hosted the world premiere of The Karate Kid, starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. I was initially thinking about skipping the movie. I enjoyed the original as a kid, but I’m not a hardcore fan and haven’t seen it in quite awhile. The trailers for the update didn’t appeal to me, and seemed to be geared towards an even younger audience than the original.

I’m glad I went. The new film is not a great one, but the overall presentation was a lot of fun. The lights dimmed, and we were treated to a traditional Chinese dragon parade on the stage. This went on a little longer than necessary, and then, with the final hit of the drums, confetti rained down upon the audience from above.

Then the director and producers of the film, including Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, took the stage to crazy applause. It was common knowledge here at the convention that Jaden was going to be awarded with the Breakthrough Male Star of the Year award. They made a special presentation of the statuette before the film, and the young actor himself was there to receive it. His speech, which received a hearty laugh and round of applause, was, simply: “My dad wrote a speech for me, and it had lots of funny stuff in it, but I’m eleven and I’m nervous, so…thank you.” It was a great moment.

So, let’s talk about the movie. The story follows Dre Parker (Smith) and his single mother (Taraji P. Henson), who are moving to China because the mom has been transferred there (though we never see her at work). As you can imagine, this is difficult for Dre. Not only does he not speak the language, but there is also a bully who walks out of a Disney Channel original movie and starts giving him a hard time. The bully is friends with Mei Ying, a cute girl at Dre’s school whose family is staking everything on her making it into a music academy or something. Dre falls for Mei Ying, and the bully makes it clear that he doesn’t approve by frequently beating Dre up.

There is a scene where Dre spies on Mei Ying as she practices violin with her British piano teacher. This man says things like, “This isn’t good enough. Your family has everything riding on this. I’m going to call your father.”

For the first forty-five minutes or so, The Karate Kid plays very much like a TV movie. The acting is forced, the dialogue is on the nose (not sure if this ever improves), and the pacing is sluggish. Then Dre meets Mr. Han, the janitor in his building, who also happens to be a kung fu master (that’s right – kung fu, not karate). Mr. Han is played by Jackie Chan in a restrained performance that occasionally reveals a deeper side of the actor. The chemistry between Smith and Chan is what carries the film, and it comes too late. I’m not convinced the cut we saw was final, so there’s still a chance the filmmakers will wisely trim some fat from the first half of the film.

You know the rest of the story. Dre trains for a competition in which he will face the bully hitherto mentioned, and win the heart of the girl he loves. There are great scenes in The Karate Kid, and if I were twelve it would probably be my favorite movie, but the weak script and lackluster direction hold it back from really soaring. And Taraji P. Henson, who was so good in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, is horribly over the top here.

But you know what? When I saw Three Ninjas as a kid, I wasn’t worrying about the dialogue or the direction. And neither were the millions of kids who flocked to the original Karate Kid. Regardless of my feelings about the movie, I think it’s going to be a massive hit. And Jaden Smith is certainly worthy of his award. This kid’s about to break through.

KICK-ASS ★ ★ ★ 1/2

Kick-Ass kicks ass. It’s a big, bold, violent comic book movie as rewarding as any film I’ve seen so far this year. Our audience at ShoWest (comprised of about 50% fanboys) relished every moment, making the screening a truly memorable experience. I was floored by the comic by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. when I read it awhile back. It was violent, irreverent fun, and I’m happy to report that Matthew Vaughn’s film adaptation fully lives up to the source material. Sequel please.

PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME ★ ★ 1/2

Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time is a grand, sexy epic missing a soul. There are beautifully choreographed scenes and more than a few fun moments, but the characters are tragically one-note and the story collapses under the weight of its own convolution. The obvious goal by Disney and producer Jerry Bruckheimer is to recreate the box office magic of the Pirates of the Caribbeanfranchise. I’m not convinced it’s going to work. The first Pirates was a good movie, and this is just an ok one. But then again, people came in droves to see Pirates three and four, which were terrible. To sum it up, Prince of Persia is not as bad as the Pirates sequals, but it is not as good as the first one.