Thor

I have to admit I am kind of a sucker for any type of "super hero" movie and this one surprisingly did not disappoint. The special effects were much better than I anticipated and Chris Hemsworth was the perfect choice for the hammer wielding hero. Anthony Hopkins and Tom Hiddleston were also great in their roles of Thor's father and brother. I would have loved to see this film in 3D, but still enjoyed it immensely.

The Fighter

Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale stare in this movie based on the true story of Micky Ward's fight to get out of the shadow of his big brother's boxing career, and more recently his addiction to crack and make a name for himself in the ring. Christian Bale steals the limelight doing an amazing job of portraying the drug addicted older brother who still lives in his past glory days. Overall an enjoyable movie to watch.

Black Swan

Natalie Portman was amazing in this complicated picture about a sweet, hardworking ballerina who is striving for the lead role in Swan Lake but whose director is not quite sure she can handle the role of the "black swan". She must find a way to reach a completely different side of herself to achieve the role, but without losing herself in the process. An intriguing movie, with a few controversial scenes that make this a movie for a more mature audience.

127 Hours

You do not have to watch this movie for very long before it is obvious why James Franco was nominated for so many awards for his role in this remarkable true story about a guy hiking in the canyons of Utah who falls and is pinned by a boulder that has smashed his hand between the boulder and the canyon wall. With very little food, water, and resources at his disposal it is amazing to see one man's fight for survival.

Invictus

Clint Eastwood does another amazing job directing this movie based on the true story of the events in South Africa when Nelson Mandela was elected President shortly after getting out of jail. When an entire country is in such a precarious place who knew that a soccer team could have such an amazing impact on such a radically divided country. Morgan Freeman does a wonderful job portraying such an important person in South African history and Matt Damon is a fantastic counterpart.

The Blind Side

What else do you say about this movie other than it was just all around outstanding. The fact that it is based on the true story of professional football player Michael Oher is just icing on the cake. Sandra Bullock was wonderful as Leigh Anne Tuohy and Tim McGraw did surprisingly well as her husband. Add in Kathy Bates who is usually great and you have a wonderful movie that eveyone should see. Bullock's Oscar for best actress was rightfully given.

Julie & Julia

To celebrate one of the most famous food icons of all time and based on the book, Julie & Julia is a cute and funny movie about 2 very different ladies from two different times who both use their love of food to try and make meaning of their life. Meryl Streep is once again fantastic as Julia Child and Amy Adams does a great job as her counterpart. One of the best parts of the movie is seeing the amazing relationship Julia Child had with her husband (played by Stanley Tucci). An enjoyable movie worth the watch!

Funny People

Okay for a movie called Funny People I guess I naively thought this was going to be a really funny movie...well it isn't. It is really more a drama about a famous comedian (Adam Sandler) who finds out he might not have much longer to live and realizes that his life is really pretty shallow. He doesn't have any real friends and he messed up his relationship with the one woman he ever loved. If it wasn't for Seth Rogen this movie would have been completely awful, but he made it slightly bearable to watch.

Sunshine Cleaning

Two sisters who are simply try to make a modest living, but who need more cash stumble upon a potentially lucrative business of being crime scene cleaners. They soon find that not only is the work a little repulsive, but they didn't count on how tough it is emotionally. A fairly funny and emotional movie that will not be an Oscar winner, but is enjoyable to watch.

The Ramen Girl

After following her boyfriend to Tokyo and then getting dumped soon after getting there, Abby (Brittany Murphy) is not sure what to do with her life. She finds solace in a local Ramen shop and begs the owner to teach her how to be a Ramen chef. As they work together and struggle to understand each other they both begin to change. I thought this was a different, but kind of cute movie.

The Soloist

Journalist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) finds an interesting story when one day he comes across a homeless guy playing classical music on a broken violin. As he starts talking to the guy he discovers that his name is Nathaniel Ayers (Jaime Foxx) and he used to be a student at Juilliard. Determined to get a good story about why a Juilliard student is now homeless he starts spending more time with Nathaniel and realizes that he is getting involved in much more than a simple story. Foxx did an amazing job in this role and it is a touching story even if it is not the best movie.

Fighting

Channing Tatum and Terrance Howard start is this movie about a street kid who is talked into joining an underground fighting circuit. Even though he is not the best fighter, his determination helps him succeed. When he is asked to throw a fight he has to decide what is more important his pride or the money. There wasn't as much fighting as I expected and it was a little slow, but as a fan of Howard and Tatum I enjoyed the movie.

Gran Torino

Clint Eastwood plays a grumpy old white racist living in a rough neighborhood that is being taken over by gangs. When he unwillingly ends up getting involved with his neighbors family and begins mentoring the young boy he realizes someone has to stand up to the local gang before the entire neighborhood is lost. This was a fantastic movie with an unexpected ending.

Hannah Montana The Movie

Miley Cyrus stars as Hannah Montana in this movie about one girls struggle to figure out how to handle being famous and having a normal life. When Hannah starts acting like a typical spoiled and thoughtless celebrity her dad whisks her away to see her grandmother in Crowley Corners, TN to remind her where she came from. While she is there she reconnects with a boy she grew up with and starts questioning what she wants in life. Fans of Hannah will love the movie.

Phoebe in Wonderland

An amazing but heart wrenching story about a very different young girl who is obsessed with the idea of Alice in Wonderland and her journey into the looking glass. When a new and odd drama teacher comes to her school and decides to do Alice in Wonderland as the school play Phoebe knows she is perfect to play Alice. Along the way you realize there is a lot more going on with Phoebe than originally meets the eye. This is an excellent movie and Fanning, Huffman, and Clarkson do a great job.

Dakota Skye

Teen Dakota Skye has the ability to hear nothing but the truth when people talk to her. As she gets older she becomes more and more pessimistic towards life. When her boyfriends best friends comes to town and shows her that not everyone lies all the time her outlook begins to change. A very realistic movie about the lies and half truths people tell. I really enjoyed this movie.

The Boy in the Stiped Pajamas

A heart wrenching tale about a young boy who moves to the "country" with his family and can see a strange "farm" in the distance. When he asks about the strange farm where everyone wears pajamas he is told not to go near there. When one day he goes against his parents' wishes and visits the farm he meets a boy on the other side of the fence and a friendship begins. This is an excellent but very sad movie about the concentration camps.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Brad Pitt stars in this film about a hideous looking baby that is left on a door step of an African American lady who takes care of elderly people. Curiously even though she takes him in and expects him to pass away at any time he surprises her by starting to get younger. I was really expecting to dislike this movie, but found that I actually enjoyed it.

Doubt

Sister Aloysius Beauvier played by Meryl Streep is the principal of a catholic school that has recently acquired a "new age" priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who seems to want to change things up a bit. When she starts having suspicions that not all is what it seems with the new priest and a new male student she is determined to get rid of the priest even if she does not have any proof. This is a pretty good movie filled with a great cast.

Defiance

Daniel Craig stars as one of the Bielski brothers who were Jewish men who escaped being captured during World War II. He and his brothers were responsible for protecting a group of refugees determined to not be casualties of the Holocaust. This was a good movie and one worth watching, even if solely to learn about the event.