Kung Fu Panda 2

Jack Black is back as Po The Dragon Warrior whose mission in this second Kung Fu Panda is to save Kung Fu against the evil Lord Shen. In order to be successful he must first achieve the next level of his training and find inner peace. Once again the animation is superb and all the main characters return making this a great sequel enjoyable for the whole family.

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.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Did you ever wonder about the story behind the X-Men superheros? This movie finally tells the story about Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) from his family to how he ended up with knives in his hands. An action packed movie that us adrenaline junkies will enjoy.

Watchmen

Set in the 1980's during a time where war between the U.S. and Soviet Union was heating up and a group of masked heroes had been forced to retire this comic book made into a movie focuses on a small group of the superhero retirees and their effort to help bring peace to the world. I enjoyed the movie and felt that Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) made the movie. If you like the comic you will probably like the 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.

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.

W

Josh Brolin plays George W. Bush in this movie about the previous President's rise to the White House and actions during office. Whether you like this movie or not will probably depend on your thoughts about the previous President.

Valkyrie

Tom Cruise stars in this film about the final attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. As many soldiers pretended to be loyal to Hitler there were many who formed secret organizations that were determined to get rid of the evil leader. Even though the end of the story is well know it was interesting seeing how close the attempt came to succeeding.

The Reader

When a young boy gets violently ill on his way home from school and finds kindness from a lonely older woman (Kate Winslet) a new friendship is formed and they quickly become lovers. As they spend time together they often pass the time with him reading to her which he enjoys doing and she loves listening. Years later the next time he sees her it is at a war crime trial in which she is being charged for things she was a part of during that time. This was really a pretty good movie and Kate Winslet did an excellent job.

The Lucky Ones

This is basically the story of three different Iraq War Veterans two of which are just home on leave because they have been injured and one is done with his term. They form a friendship that unites them as they each deal with a different tough issue.

Australia

Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman team up in this film about Australia during the 1930's. Kidman plays an uptight lady who travels to Australia to make sure some cattle make it to market. In order to succeed she needs the help of the Drover (Jackman). This was not a good movie and if it wasn't for a couple of huge actors it would have been really painful to watch.

Tropic Thunder

Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. all star in this comedy about three actors who start out making a war movie, and unknowingly end up in a real war. Very politically incorrect in much of the dialogue but comedy lovers will think this movie is hilarious. One of those movies I would describe as "dumb but funny".

Stop-Loss

When a couple of small-town soldiers return from Iraq they are thrilled to be home until the find out their team leader has to go back. The movie focuses on the stop-loss military policy and the re-adjustment issues soldiers face when returning from war. Not the best script, but interesting subject matter.

Rambo

Sylvester Stallone is back as John Rambo who has been living in war filled Burma and staying out of the conflict until a group of missionaries decide they need his assistance to bring aid to the war torn territory. After the missionaries go missing Rambo is asked to lead a group of mercenaries in to try and find them. If you like Rambo and you like your movies violent then this movie is for you. It is one big gun sequence with little else going on.

The Kite Runner

Based on the best-selling book, this is a story about 2 young friends from Afghanistan in very different financial situations but who are as close as brothers. One day they are torn apart by a horrible loss of innocence and an even worse betrayal. The events of their past follow them through their lives and shape who they are as adults. This is a very good, but heart-wrenching movie.

In the Name of the King

Jason Statham plays a man named Farmer who decides to get some revenge after his family is killed by an evil sorcerer (played by Ray Liotta). During this time Liotta is trying to help the evil nephew of the king take over the throne. Farmer and 2 good "wizards" end up in a battle to save the kingdom. As a fan of Jason Statham I hate to admit that this was not really a good movie. It was packed full of great characters which made it tolerable to watch but it should have been much better than it turned out to be. It did have some fun fighting scenes for those who enjoy a good fight.

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

Based around the legend of the Lock Ness Monster this film attempts to explain how that legend came to exist. When a sad young boy finds an unusual egg that quickly hatches into a water creature he is determined to keep and raise the creature without letting his mother know. With the help of his sister and the new handyman he succeeds for a time, but as the creature begins to grow at an alarming rate he has a lot more trouble keeping it hidden. This is a really cute film that the whole family will enjoy.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

In this sequel to Elizabeth from 1998 Cate Blanchett returns to the role of beloved Queen Elizabeth. In this film you learn of her interest in Sir Walter Raleigh and her pressure to marry and produce heirs at the same time she is trying to take her country to war. I think Blanchett is an amazing Elizabeth and it makes perfect sense why she was nominated for Best Actress for this role.

Atonement

This highly awarded film is about a pair of unlikely lovers (a high class lady Cecelia and a housekeeper's son Robbie) who just as they are finding their way to each other are torn apart by a false accusation by Cecelia's young sister Briony. As WWII breaks out Robbie is given the choice of enlisting or prison, so he chooses to enlist. As time passes Briony realizes her mistake but unfortunately it is too late to make amends. This was a great film and when you watch it you realize why it was nominated for so many awards.

Lust, Caution

During WWII the Chinese are resistant to the Japanese occupation of China and one group of college theater students decide they are going to do something about it. They decide one of the girls Wong Chia Chi is going to pose as fictitious Mr. Mak's wife and try and lure Mr. Yee (a "traitor") into an affair so the troupe can kill him. As time goes on the charade gets more and more complicated and difficult to play. This was a really good film that is worth watching.