The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Comes straight off the fantasy cliche assembly line. Nothing is exciting or new in this movie. It's all been done before and much better in the past, but especially in recent years. The story is incredibly simple stuff and doesn't even try to put emotion into the picture. The special effects are pretty good, but there's way too much showing off in the movie and it gives it sort of an artificial feeling. Look to the Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings franchises to see how to use special effects the right way in a fantasy film. I will say that Nic Cage and Alfred Molia give pretty entertaining performances, but Jay Baruchel seemed miscast to me. He was a little too nerdy and the romance between him and Teresa Palmer wasn't believable whatsoever. This is just one of those undemanding family films that tries to cash in on a current fashion with no heart or soul. It's just childish and cheesy.

The Kids Are All Right

A wonderful cast displays the value of family and the importance of them in a smart and sophisticated dramedy. I'm sure there will be plenty of rewards recognition for this film and even though I don't think it was absolutely amazing, I can see why people would love it to death. It's heartfelt, has a great message, displays a happily married gay couple and doesn't condescend or screw it up, and has great writing. Definitely recommended if you want something off the beaten path a little, even if it gives in to convention a little too often by the end.

The Last Airbender

Despite a run time of 103 minutes, the film never truly finds its footing. The pacing is all over the place, as is the storytelling, with characters having to constantly explain their motivations as well as the story in first person narration instead of showing it and acting it out. It doesn't work and neither does anything else in the movie. From the wooden acting to the surprisingly lackluster special effects for a wannabe blockbuster film, this is a disappointment on every level and proves M.Night Shyamalan has lost whatever talent he had on display in his successful and enjoyable films from early in his career. The only thing this had going for it was that I wasn't bored, but that's just because of the ridiculousness of it all.

Winter's Bone

Quite a performance from Jennifer Lawrence. This is not a happy movie and it has some unsettling and scary moments. Honestly some of it will have you on the edge of your seat because there's not much known about the plot or characters. It feels like an old school thriller before action and special effects were all that people put effort into. This one is very much dialogue and character driven, with excellent performances from the cast. It's going under the radar because it's an independent film, but if you get the chance watch it. You won't be disappointed.

The Girl Who Played With Fire (Foreign)

Only one movie left in the series and so far these have been the best thing about the 2010 movie year in my opinion. Noomi Rapace continues her role as Lisbeth Salander and does an excellent job. She better be getting an Oscar nomination next year. Michael Nyqvist is quite good too. This one isn't quite a jaw dropping as Dragon Tattoo was, but since the story revolves around the main characters this time rather than a rich family and their missing person case it is definitely more interesting and gripping in terms of story. We get to see more of Lisbeth's past and that's the most entertaining and interesting aspect for me. Bring on the final chapter!

Mary and Max

A unique and strangely funny film with some of the weirdest & quirkiest characters I've seen in animation, but it adds plenty of charm to a heartbreaking story. This one flew under the radar for quite awhile and deserves an audience bigger than it will likely get. The voices are well matched to the characters and almost unrecognizable despite big names. The animation is definitely one of the reasons why this probably didn't get a major release in my opinion since animation largely appeals to younger audiences and this is most a more mature style and themed animated movie. It deserves an audience though, and I'm trying to do my part.

Solitary Man

A fantastic, honest, and emotional film with a great performance from Michael Douglas. He plays these sleazy womanizing characters in his sleep, but he imbues this character with heartbreaking honesty and even though his characters ending is left in question by the end, you feel for the guy even though he honestly isn't trying hard enough to get his life back on track. It helps that the writing is witty and biting. It has a great supporting cast including Jenna Fischer as his daughter who is constantly nagging at him to better himself, Susan Sarandon as his ex-wife whom he loved but cheated on, Jesse Eisenburg as a college student he meets at the college he attended whom he tries to mentor and fails, Mary-Louise Parker as his girlfriend with huge connections thanks to her dad, and Imogen Poots as his girlfriend's daughter whom he sleeps with while on her college visitation and starts a chain of events that ruin him. This is not a happy film, but one that will stick with me longer than many others because of its honesty.

How to Train Your Dragon

Dreamworks Animation's best movie? Quite possibly. It is a wonderfully simple and well told story with endearing characters who grow and learn from their experiences in the film. You feel for the characters and their plea, and that's something Dreamworks has failed to do on numerous accounts until now. It isn't as emotionally stirring as a Pixar movie, but what it lacks in that category it more than makes up for with fantastic action set pieces and dragon flying sequences that show off some of the best animation I've seen. Toothless is such a great character too. I absolutely loved him to death. I know kids will too. The film teaches important lessons about being yourself and not giving in to peer pressure just because everyone else does it. I'm quite surprised I liked this movie as much as I did. The previews did nothing for me and I expected it to be another mediocre Dreamworks movie, but I'm perfectly fine with being wrong. Dare I say it, this is up there with Toy Story 3 as one of the best movies this year (animated or not).

The Karate Kid

A completely relaxed and heartwarming film that is surprisingly enjoyable despite being utterly predictable the whole way through. Jaden is incredibly likable in this movie, unlike some of his past performances (The Day The Earth Stood Still comes to mind). Jackie Chan is as well, showing he can play a dramatic part as well as all the kung fu craziness he's done in the past. I haven't seen the original in a very long time so I can't really compare them, but I liked this movie quite a bit. It's sweet and endearing.

The Square

A dark and gloomy thriller with little hope for its characters and yet still gripping from start to finish thanks to strong performances and a tense screenplay. This is far from a happy movie, and the characters take beating after beating until succumbing to fate. Those who don't like movies where nothing good comes of what they do will not take to it, but for those that like their thriller with affairs, betrayal, and blood will eat this up. A very fine Australian import worth some attention.

Predators

Very much a B macho movie with little character development and plenty of guns a blazing, but it wasn't as fun and entertaining as I thought it would be. The story is predictable and the movie plays out like typical horror movies (guess which order each character dies in). It certainly has some stylish action sequences and isn't completely worthless, but I expected better and Predator deserves better. It's still not the sequel people have been hoping for, but it isn't a complete failure either.

Splice

A chilling, thoughtful horror thriller where the science fiction aspects sort of get pushed to the side for the horror to take it in different directions. The leads give convincing performances and keep the train rolling even when things go a little wacky. The most enthralling aspect of the story for me was Dren's relationship with the two main characters. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the movie because you can see how deadly Dren is, but lovable all the same. Is she going to embrace them, or destroy them? It was compelling and made the movie for me. The special effects aren't as good as they could be, but they aren't terrible. Creature designs are still quite good and production as a whole is solid. I loved the lighting in the labs. I know a bunch of people who didn't like the horror aspects of this film and were hoping for more out of the science fiction side, but I thought they matched them well and I was satisfied.

Jonah Hex

Jonah Hex is instantly forgettable and over before it begins. It's messy, undeveloped plot and cheesy CGI make me believe that something went wrong in the editing department. It's only 82 minutes long (minus credits, so actually about 75-80) which isn't much time to get things accomplished. Josh Brolin doesn't have much to work with, but he's still the best part of the movie by far. This is definitely one of the worth comic book/graphic novel movies I've ever seen. It isn't the least bit fun and rushes through the motions of a movie based on a popular graphic novel. Don't waste your time thinking it will be a guilty pleasure or one of those movies that's so bad it's good. It's just bad.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Shallow, lightweight entertainment, but sometimes that's all something aims for and Prince of Persia's aspirations are certainly to entertain more than anything else. For me, it succeeded. This was a fast watch that flew by with almost 2 hours feeling like minutes. Jake Gyllenhaal does a nice job as the charming prince with funny one liners sprinkled throughout, most aimed at the princess played by Gemma Arterton. They have nice rapport among them and have enough chemistry to make you believe they fall in love by the end. The story is certainly all over the place and people have complained about that, but if you are familiar with the source material at all it's easily understandable. There's plenty of enjoyable actors playing smaller parts too, from Ben Kingsley to Alfred Molina. If all you want to do is watch good looking people bounce around in an admittedly preposterous film, there's certainly much worse things you could watch than Prince of Persia. It's a fun little movie and I look forward to a hopeful sequel to quench my next shallow entertainment craving.

Robin Hood

A simplistic, but well rounded action epic full of great battles and wonderful scenery to make up for the lack of character development and drama. It still has some good performances and the characters are worth rooting for, making it an entertaining watch. It's 2 and a half hours long, but it didn't feel like it at all. I usually don't like movies that long because they seem to drag, but this one kept my attention the entire time. It's a little rushed story wise at points, but that's ok. We all know how it ends anyway (if you are familiar with Robin Hood, anyway). Those looking for an entertaining action epic with great production values and strong performances can pick this one up for sure.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

Not being a massive fan of the original (I still think it's a good film, but far from amazing) I was fine with a remake having another actor getting the chance to play a horror icon. Jackie Earle Haley is fine in the movie (although his voice isn't scary at all in this, a shame), but everything around him is the problem. The visual effects department decided Freddy needed to look more realistic and used CGI and it just doesn't look scary like it used to. Freddy's physical appearance was part of the scares of the original, but it just looks off in this movie. The visual effects other than that are quite good and Samuel Bayer clearly spent time getting everything right in regards to that, but he doesn't do anything else noteworthy. Story is retread material instead of a re-imagining including several sequences lifted straight from the original. Never a good way to do a remake, in my opinion. The premise is still genuinely terrifying, but Craven took it further and did better things with it than Bayer did in this one.

The Haunted Airman

An amateurishly made film with bland performances. It is most definitely a slow burner that likes to think its slow pace makes it look somewhat poetic in nature, but all it does is wear the viewer down until they give up and turn it off or just stop paying attention. This happened to me numerous times. There's not really any horror in the movie nor any compelling drama, just tiresome cliches about the psychology of a war veteran and the toll it takes on them. Don't be fooled into thinking this is worthy of your time just because known actors are in it. It most certainly is not, and even at a slim 70 minutes the movie is still too long. This would have been an alright 30 minute tv movie to show on Halloween, but stretched beyond all measure it simply doesn't make the cut

Batman: Under the Red Hood

Following in the footsteps of the superb Nolan films, Under the Red Hood is a mature and sophisticated animated film with plenty of exciting moments packed into its slim 75 minute runtime. The voice cast isn't quite as good as The Batman Animated Series (I haven't kept up on who's been doing these voices, but Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill were almost perfect and reprised their roles in the video game Arkham Asylum last year, which means they are still interested in the franchise and willing to do it), but the cast is decent and does a respectable job filling in. John Di Maggio has the biggest shoes to fill since Hamill's Joker is almost legendary. Di Maggio has the laugh down, although he doesn't have as many quirks as Hamill did with the character. I missed Hamill, but at the same time I wasn't constantly thinking about it. The story is more in line with the comics than the films, with Ra's Al Ghuul being immortal and all the somewhat silly stuff thrown in. I prefer the more realistic approach seeing as Ra's plays an integral part of the story, as well as his way of staying immortal. Minor complaint though, as this was definitely one of the best Batman stories I've seen so far. It would have been a good live action film too, and that is saying something. Hopefully WB keeps the quality of the animated movies this good. I'd be thrilled.

Date Night

Tina Fey and Steve Carell lift up material that doesn't give them the quality of writing and directing they deserve. There really isn't anything more to be said about the movie. It's too long for the material and gets incredibly repetitive but coasts along just barely on the charms of the lead performers. This easily would have been a direct to DVD release had it not featured so many stars with box office power. I'm not saying it doesn't have a few enjoyable moments sprinkled in, but there's so much mediocre writing/ gags that they drag down the movie. I'm sort of getting sick of all these action romantic comedies that Hollywood keeps throwing out. They are of consistently mediocre quality

The Ghost Writer

A deliberately paced and well rounded political thriller with strong performances and gorgeous cinematography. I found myself staring into the background and taking in the scenery quite a bit during the scenes. This isn't one of those thrillers were someone is on the run the whole time, though. Ewan McGregor is a newly hired ghost writer for a former British Prime Minister who took the place of the last one that was really close to the family when he showed up on the shore of the beach dead. Everyone thought it was just an accident, but was it? As he continues to dig into the past and present of the former British Prime Minister, he discovers shocking secrets that threaten his and the entire nations safety. The Ghost Writer does a good job of keeping things hidden and revealing them little by little to keep your interest during many scenes consisting of nothing but two characters interacting through dialogue. The writing is very good, which helps. There's a few spots where it drags, but nothing bad and it still managed to hold interest throughout. If you are one of those people who likes your thrillers with a little less adrenaline and a healthy does of dialogue and political intrigue, this one is right up your alley.

Death at a Funeral

I haven't seen the original so no comparisons, but I thought this was quite funny and enjoyable. It has plenty of absurd situations that aren't particularly in good taste, but as long as it is funny I don't mind. And it was. It dives right in from the get go and doesn't let up. James Marsden got on my nerves a little with his over the top performance, but Zoe Saldana makes up for it. I'm becoming a fan of Columbus Short as well, who carried "Armored" all the way through and has the chops for comedy as well. Martin Lawrence and Tracy Morgan do their typical shtick while Chris Rock is dialed down mostly, which worked. Danny Glover was a little annoying too, but his character isn't in it much. It's worth the 90 minute investment if you like this sort of comedy or the cast. I liked both, for the most part.

Kick Ass

A slightly disappointing film for me just because of the excessively optimistic word of mouth. I'm not saying it is bad in any way, I'm just saying I was expecting my socks to get blown off and it didn't happen. I'm a fan of Matthew Vaughn's previous movies (Layer Cake, Stardust) so I was very excited about this one. It's nice to have a tongue in cheek superhero movie that doesn't take itself seriously for once, but it kind of abandons it as soon as Red Mist comes into play. I did still enjoy all of the characters (especially Nic Cage as Big Daddy and Chloe Moretz as Hit Girl, who easily steals the show as soon as she hits the screen). Mark Strong is typecast as the villain (he's been doing that quite a bit lately), but he's still decent. There's plenty of great action sequences, lots of hardcore laughs, and even a little romance mixed in. It makes you care for the characters and their circumstances by the end too, which is nice. Like I said before, I enjoyed it, but it wasn't anything extraordinary nor did it do anything to elevate the superhero genre.

Brooklyn's Finest

I loved Training Day so I gave this one a shot despite bad word of mouth and after watching it I don't quite understand the hate. The gritty and realistic tone reminds me of Training Day and it fits well with these cop movies that Fuqua comes up with. The cast is excellent and every single one of them gives a standout performance. It's a great ensemble. The 3 stories don't come together at the end in a meaningful way like I thought they would, but that's one of my only complaints. Each story is interesting individually and that kept me involved throughout the somewhat long running time. I guess these cop movies must just be my thing, but for what it's worth I enjoyed Brooklyn's Finest quite a bit.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

A cliche, predictable, but not entirely despicable movie. It does have a charming cast and nice message for the little ones who this is targeted towards. I must say it was pretty entertaining, but not something I would probably want to watch again. It was so much like every other movie that has teenagers and school involved. It has nice pacing and a couple of cutely funny moments, but no moments of biting satire or edge to it. Seems like it might have been watered down a little bit in the translation from book to screen, but I haven't read the book to confirm this. Just speculation. Either way you put it though, Diary of a Wimpy Kid is good for a boring afternoon to occupy the kids or revel in some school nostalgia, but you'll likely forget about it soon after.

The Runaways

Not as good as it could have been, but in its superficial and entertaining way it succeeds, largely thanks to the cast and their performances. Dakota Fanning is the standout, giving a raw and mature performance unlike anything I've seen from her before. Kristen Stewart is solid, although this isn't anything outside her range and nothing she hasn't done before. Michael Shannon is very good too in an off the wall wacky performance too. The movie has pacing problems here and there ( especially at the end), but thanks to the music and atmosphere it overcomes it. It's an entertaining look at how The Runaways rose to fame, but it doesn't delve into the characters like a biopic. As long as you don't mind that, it's a good time.

The Losers

A relentlessly paced action movie with a good cast elevating the material to likable status among cheap action flicks. The movie looks good, has decent chemistry among the cast, has quite a few funny moments, and even manages to lampoon the cliches of action movies while simultaneously embracing them without failing. I enjoyed myself, despite the story being all over the place and not making much sense at times. It's a preposterous movie, but one that makes it a compliment rather than a complaint. In other words, its brainless, but when it looks and sounds this good, I'm willing to accept it. It might be shallow, but occasionally that works.

Repo Men

Starts out as a gleefully over the top science fiction movie with a cool premise and a few witty scenes spiced with some dark humor, but ends up being too serious and over indulgent by the end. Jude Law does a fine job in the action lead role and has decent chemistry with his co-stars, but the movie can't decide if it wants to be over the top funny or dead serious with a ton of gory visuals. I like to think I have a high tolerance for blood and gore (I got through The Human Centipede and other grotesque movies fine), but Repo Men actually had a few scenes where I was looking through my fingers it was so bad. There's a few cool action sequences, but the movie gets repetitive by the end and takes far too long to get to its conclusion because of all the running around and shooting. The ending was also sort of frustrating and manipulative. I sound like I hated this movie really, but I'm more just annoyed that it could have been better made with a little more care. It's not boring and has its moments, they are just outweighed by everything else I mentioned.

Chloe

Chloe is an undeniably enjoyable and evocative movie for the first 2/3 before it transforms into something I didn't see coming... and in this case the surprise in store throws everything off the deep end. The performances are pretty good, but the actors deserved a better ending to this movie. The screenplay is way too ridiculous by the end. It just feels like a cheap way for everything to be resolved without having to deal with the issues it presented. It really irritates me that the first 2/3 was so good because this movie was turning into a solidly enjoyable little thriller, but I guess it just wasn't meant to be.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Foreign)

An enthralling thriller with fantastically unique and intriguing characters whom grow on you throughout the film. The main plot is your standard murder mystery that isn't anything special, but because the characters and actors are so good it sparks your interest more than it should thanks to your involvement with the them. It has plenty of graphic and intense violence/nudity that some won't be able to take, but for me that just made it all the more memorable. Some of the scenes will be burned in my memory forever. Some have complained about the length of this film considering the plot doesn't do much, but because I liked the characters so much the time flew by and I didn't even realize it had been 2 and a half hours. If you aren't involved with the characters, I can see it being a chore to sit through. Fortunately, I'm the former of those two and easily champion this as one of my favorites of the year. I can't wait to watch "The Girl Who Played With Fire" and continue to learn new things about Lisbeth. Her past is haunted, tragic, and painful, but yet I still feel like we barely scratched the surface here.

Cop Out

A mildly entertaining mess of a movie with a thinly drawn plot and a general lack of fresh ideas for the genre. It has an occasionally funny line or gag, but for every successful one there is probably 4-5 failures to cringe at. The direction from Kevin Smith isn't much beyond letting the scenes drag out longer than they need too. The cast looks like it is having a lot of fun making the movie, but it doesn't rub off on the viewer much when everything is so uninspired. The major villain is also laughably cartoonish and not at all menacing. After it was over I felt like I kind of enjoyed myself despite all the flaws. Looking back on it after a day though, I have no idea how I thought this.

Youth in Revolt

Youth In Revolt was a frustrating movie because it felt, much like the multiple personalities of its title character, that it was multiple movies and ideas being shoehorned into one chaotic jumble. The romance between the teenagers feels forced, unnatural, and at times unbelievable. The other half was the better half with Michael Cera doing all sorts of crazy things as Francois, which generates the only real laughter in the movie. The movie doesn't successfully go back and forth between the two and makes the movie feel uneven as a result. Portia Doubleday is the highlight, but she isn't enough to get me to recommend this. It's not horrible, but it's no riot either.

She's Out of My League

There's something to be said about a purely enjoyable romantic comedy that doesn't induce anger and frustration in me at this point. I've seen so many mediocre and forgettable ones that even a competently well made one can give me a smile. This film is just that. Nothing really outstanding, but it develops the characters nicely, I enjoyed the couple and rooted for them, and the film actually didn't feel forced. The comedy is a little raunchy, but nothing like an Apatow film (with the exception of a scene or two, but there's still much less of it than in those films). It has a sweet core to it that doesn't get pushed to the side. She's out of my League is definitely worth giving a shot if you enjoy a well made romantic comedy.

Green Zone

This movie bored me quite extensively, to the point where I almost fell asleep. It's so simple-minded and there's really nothing that engaged me like there was in similar movies (like Body of Lies, a movie I enjoyed quite a bit more). There's nothing wrong with the acting or direction, the movie just lacked surprises and the action was surprisingly little for all of the hoopla about it being directed by Paul Greengrass. I'm disappointed and can now see why the movie did fairly little business at the box office. Maybe I'm spoiled after watching The Hurt Locker earlier this year, but this movie felt out of date.

Hot Tub Time Machine

I don't know what to think of this movie. On one hand, I was entertained, but on the other hand I was turned off by the ridiculous amount of over the top moments and gags. This could have been a smart and deceptive comedy, but they took it the complete opposite way and made it dumb. If all you want to do is turn your brain off and watch stupid characters do stupid things, this is for you. It's just as smart as the title implies.

Remember Me

A surprisingly heartfelt and intense drama that is a little too heavy handed, but nevertheless is effective at getting you involved in the characters and their predicaments. The cast is uniformly good, which is a surprise to me more than anything else. Much has been said about the ending, which I don't want to spoil (although it is telegraphed quite extensively), but I will say that it didn't bother me much at all. I think people are fussing over it a little too much. Some won't be able to like the movie just because of it, but if you like well done melodrama with a hint of darkness, this is a solid choice well worth 2 hours.

From Paris with Love

A fun 90 minute action movie with little to recommend beyond the adrenaline rush it provides. It is relentlessly paced to the point that it can actually become a little exhausting. It also has a somewhat confusing story, although it isn't the focus of the movie and therefore it doesn't suffer a whole lot from it. Travolta is chewing on the scenery and loving it, providing the biggest joy the movie has to offer. Rhys-Meyers doesn't really do much beyond act surprised at what Travolta is doing, but they have an effective buddy relationship by the end of the film. From Paris with Love is nothing to get all that excited about, but if all you are looking for is 90 minutes of non-stop action that doesn't tax the brain and provides a few fun moments then this is for you.

When in Rome

Beth (Kristen Bell) is ready for love and what better place to find it than Rome? During her sister's wedding she comes across a fountain of love and decides she is going to take some coins from it. When all sorts of men unexpectedly start falling in love with her at the same time she begins a budding new romance she has to question... is it real or is it the fountain? I found this light romantic comedy pretty funny and enjoyed the chemistry between Bell and Josh Duhamel.

Leap Year

Amy Adams stars in this romantic comedy about a girl who is sick of waiting for her boyfriend to propose so decides it is time to take matters into her own hands. She decides to surprise her boyfriend in Ireland and follow the local tradition than a woman can propose to a man during leap year day. Of course the journey does not go as planned and she has to enlist the help of Declan (Matthew Goode) who makes her start questioning how she wants the journey to end. A corny but enjoyable chick flick taking place in gorgeous Ireland.

Letters to Juliet

I have to admit if you watched the previews for this movie than you pretty much know the whole story. A fairly common storyline where girl is engaged to the wrong guy meets Mr. Wonderful, and of course they fall in love and live happily ever after. I have to admit that I was much more interested in the Grandmother's love story than the young kids, but of course how can you not be when it involves Vanessa Redgrave. Overall a romantic-comedy that is extremely predictable but enjoyable. I am a sucker for a cheesy love story with a happy ending and now of course I would love to visit Verona, Italy.

Edge of Darkness

An incomprehensible story with a few strings of action attached to lots of dialogue. I was expecting more action than what I got. The movie is more of a conspiracy thriller (and I use the term "thriller" loosely). It works well enough when focusing on the revenge aspect of the story (and there's some pretty good action sequences), but as soon as the conspiracy theories and buckets of dialogue come in things grind to a halt. It should have went one way or the other, but instead we have a hybrid that doesn't work like it could have. Mel Gibson does fine in the role and shows he can still highlight a movie effectively, while the supporting cast is small, but decent. Ray Winstone's character is just shadowy enough that you never know whose side he is on and that's probably the most compelling thing about the movie. If you wanted an action thriller, you aren't getting it here. If you don't mind lots of dialogue in between your action, it's a decent, but unspectacular movie.

Valentine's Day

Despite being utterly predictable and cliche, the charm factor of Valentine's Day was enough to carry me through to the end with a smile on my face. It isn't a very good movie, but that's not always what matters. Sometimes you just want to be entertained and this film does the job. It is about 20-30 minutes to long and some of the plots get tiresome and too similar, but those are the only complaints I have. Taylor Swift was absolutely awful in this movie as well, but I have a feeling it was intentional and I thought it was hilarious how bad she was. The rest of the cast is competent. Valentine's Day is carried just enough by the charm of its cast to get by, although it's no "Love, Actually".

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

A visually wondrous movie with a story that's all over the place and doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I'm sure Ledger dying in the middle altered the story somewhat, but I still think this is what Gilliam had in mind when he started. I really couldn't recall the story to anyone other than the absolute basics even after watching the movie 5 minutes ago, but I can recall how imaginative and creative Gilliam's film was. It has great production values with some decent performances. You watch it for the visual spectacle and to see Ledger's final performance. There's nothing else really to the film, but that's fine by me. It was 2 hours well spent.

The Road

A bleak, unsettling movie that might be too dark for some and doesn't have the emotional pull it thinks it does, but nonetheless provides 2 solid hours of material that will stick with you long after the credits roll. There isn't much story to speak of and they never go into the specifics of how Earth was annihilated. Instead it focuses on the bond between father and son and how far people are willing to go to survive, no matter the cost to our humanity. Strong performances from Mortensen and Mcphee help the movie coast along on the weight of their characters, before it ultimately unravels from the final 15 minutes where things just don't seem in place and don't make much sense in retrospect. Until then though, the movie does just enough to get a slight recommendation. It could have been better, but what's there is still quality cinema.

The Messenger

When it focuses on the job of these 2 men and the emotional trauma caused by it, I thought it was a compelling and thought-provoking film and I loved the first hour to death. Then it got more into the brotherly love with the 2 characters and how they go off the deep end and I wasn't as interested. It doesn't fall apart, but I thought the second hour was incredibly weak when compared to the first. The acting by Foster and Harrelson is superb, though. They carry the film on their shoulders well. That first hour is great enough that I'm still giving this a solid recommendation. You might like the second part more than me, but I like my movies more emotional than others do as long as it is handled well, which it was in this film.

The Young Victoria

It's initially hard to wrap your head around all the names and faces since they throw them at you pretty fast, but once things settle in its an interesting bio-pic stuffed full of lush production design and costumes. Emily Blunt is luminous in the title role and the supporting cast is very good. The musical score is also rousing, highlighting the grand moments while making everything feel like we were there, watching Victoria herself take the crown. I very much enjoyed this movie, maybe because I'm a sucker for period pieces, but I feel it's well constructed and acted enough to make the flaws seem inconsequential. It is slow at parts, but I was never bored. It isn't quite one of my favorites of 2009, but it is darn close.

Nine

An entertaining musical with a great cast. It does have problems of consistency when going from drama to music & dance, but it is still effective in capturing the mood of the story. The movie does lack heft in some of the scenes that don't involve music, although Daniel Day-Lewis is very good in the role. Marion Cotillard and Penelope Cruz also impress because we care for their characters despite the limited amount of time they get on screen. The musical numbers aren't fantastic, but they are decent and nicely staged. They do feel like an add-on to the movie though. I was more interested in Guido and his rise and fall relationship with cinema than I was with his struggles pertaining to lots of women. I feel as though the parts about cinema are stronger than the others. The movie is a little bit too long, mainly because I felt the musical numbers were forgettable even while still being entertaining, but Nine is worth your time if you want to watch attractive actors & actresses strut around in musical number for 2 hours. The tone of the movie is quite depressing though, so it sucks some of the fun out of it.

Legion

A cheesy B movie with lackluster special effects, hokey dialogue, and mediocre action sequences. The premise is initially intriguing, but they way it is handled squanders any potential the film had. The acting is also pretty much a joke except for Paul Bettany, who brings credibility to most roles. It is, however, a pretty darn entertaining movie for all of its missteps. It has a rushed climax and the movie feels constrained and small in scope compared to where the story is trying to go, but it does have some B movie charm. It won't be everyone's style and it will probably be hard for quite a few to appreciate, but its a decent time if you know what you are in for. It is not a good movie, though.

The Descent Part 2

A disappointing sequel where all the ideas and intriguing aspects of the original are scrapped in favor of more gore, more action, and pointless character cameos that ruin the story of the first movie. It's a pointless sequel that kind of ruins my fond memories of the first one. Everything that was beautiful and haunting about the first movie has been turned into murky, disgusting cinema and cheap looking special effects. I guess the only good things I have to say about this movie are that I wasn't bored while watching it and it was competently acted.

Five Minutes of Heaven

A movie worth the 90 minutes invested, even when the movie starts to get slow towards the end and builds to a conclusion that doesn't satisfy in all regards. The acting is great and we understand the pain both of these characters have gone through since the killing occurred. For those that don't know, the movies about the meeting of 2 individuals, one whom killed the others older brother in Northern Ireland when the Catholics and Ulster Volunteer Force were fighting and riots were everywhere and everyday.

The movie takes place 30 years later when they are both grown men (Liam Neeson plays the killer, who was 17 at the time, and James Nesbitt plays the victim, who was 11 at the time). James Nesbitt's character witnessed the whole thing and looked the killer straight in the eyes when it happened. The killer didn't know it was the brother, or he says he probably would have killed him too (this is said by Liam Neeson during a monologue). The mom blames the little kid for not stopping the killer, even though there was nothing he could really do. This is what hurts him the most. They are to meet on a television program and hopefully reconcile in front of everyone.

There's a very good build up to this point, and what happens may surprise you a little bit. The movie loses steam a little towards the end when it gets really talky, but it is great until then. The roles are even reversed, with Liam Neeson playing the torn character hoping to be set free of his guilt, while James Nesbitt just wants to kill him for revenge, no matter what it cost him. The movie also does a great job of getting you to sympathize with both characters at once, since they aren't in the same scene together (or room for that matter). It isn't a must see movie, but one I can definitely recommend.

It's Complicated

Not wholly unenjoyable, but nothing to write home about either. It'll pass the time, but you'll likely forget about it in a week. It's got a few funny moments, but it's fairly predictable in that area and in its plot and focus. The performances are solid though and enliven the predictability. John Krasinski was probably the funniest. It's easy to see why this movie got decently popular. It's comes out of the Nancy Meyer factory. Her movies are like bibles for middle-aged loners trying to find their way through life, which apparently people find funny (I don't). Whether or not that appeals to you is uncertain, but nonetheless have at it if you are interested. It's Complicated is far from a bad movie, I just found it too predictable and a little boring. Romantic comedies are truly in a rut (500 Days of Summer being the exception).