Bernie could best be described as the Fargo of Texas. It is a unique faux-documentary black comedy. Just as my relatives up north could easily relate to the characters in Fargo, I fell in love with the characters in Bernie. I felt connections with the characters instantly as I know people with similar senses of humor and speech. The documentary bits mix in seamlessly with the rest of the film, and give off a great local vibe. Like I said…

This darkly comic film, based on a true story, from versatile director Richard Linklater features a career-best performance from Jack Black. Comedians are often at their best when they step out of their comfort zones (Adam Sandler in Punch Drunk Love springs to mind), and Black shows that here, playing the titular character, a kind and generous local man who befriends Shirley MacClaine's cantankerous widow. Black is great, playing the role with affection but also with an effeminate, slightly creepy…

Taking place in the charming east Texas town of Carthage (using actual Carthage townsfolk to blur the line between fantasy and reality), Richard Linklater's dark comedy about a community hero being pushed too far by an overly-dependent and mean old woman he befriended is an original, relentlessly-entertaining film. Linklater's direction is perfect for the film, flawlessly capturing the simple town of Carthage and it's citizens, and the quasi-documentary feel of it only makes it more engaging. Jack Black turns in…