Duplicity

CIA officer Claire Stenwick (Roberts) and MI6 agent Ray Koval (Owen) have left the world of government intelligence to cash in on the highly profitable cold war raging between two rival multinational corporations. Their mission? Secure the formula for a product that will bring a fortune to the company that patents it first.For their employers—industry titan Howard Tully (Tom Wilkinson) and buccaneer CEO Dick Garsik (Paul Giamatti)— nothing is out of bounds. But as the stakes rise, the mystery deepens and the tactics get dirtier, the trickiest secret for Claire and Ray is their growing attraction. And as they each try to stay one double-cross ahead, two career loners find their schemes endangered by the only thing they can't cheat their way out of: love.

This was a decent movie simply because of the awesome chemistry between Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. Honestly, if it wasn't for that - this movie would be total garbage. Paul Giamatti was also great as always. The problem with the movie was that they tried to be too clever. The story jumped back and forth and side to side way too much for its own good. They didn't need to try to do this in order to make the movie "smarter". They would have been better off just telling it straight up. It took away from the movie so much and if it wasn't for Owen and Roberts together would have destroyed it fully.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone rushing to see this movie. Its not that the movie is horrible. It just could have been so much better and ends up being disappointing.

12 Rounds

The story centers on a New Orleans police detective (Cena) whose girlfriend is kidnapped. Harris plays an FBI agent and Gillen is taking the kidnapper role.

Can you tell how lame this movie is from the plot summary above? I knew this movie was going to suck and it totally did. The bottom line is that Stinka is a huge wrestling fan and John Cena is her favorite. She was so psyched to see this movie and totally loved it. The movie is essentially an 80s action throwback a la Segal, Stallone and Schwartzenneger with horrible acting, a totally predictable story line with a textbook bad guy and lots and lots of explosions.

I really wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. The only reason I was barely able to get through it was because Stinka was enjoying it so much. Outside of that - I would have pulled the plug 15 minutes in and I still would have known everything that happened.

I Love You, Man

In I Love You, Man, Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) is a successful real estate agent who, upon getting engaged to the woman of his dreams, Zooey (Rashida Jones), discovers, to his dismay and chagrin, that he has no male friend close enough to serve as his Best Man. Peter immediately sets out to rectify the situation, embarking on a series of bizarre and awkward "man-dates," before meeting Sydney Fife (Jason Segel), a charming, opinionated man with whom he instantly bonds. But the closer the two men get, the more Peter's relationship with Zooey suffers, ultimately forcing him to choose between his fiancee and his new found "bro," in a story that comically explores what it truly means to be a friend.

This movie was hysterical. I don't think that I've ever seen social awkwardness portrayed in a funnier way. Paul Rudd was so spot on with his uncomfortableness. His stumbling over his words when trying to say something clever when ending a conversation was priceless. Jason Segel was a perfect match for him in these scenes with his straight faced "what?" responses. This movie also featured awesome supporting roles. Jamie Pressley and Jon Favreau were hilarious as another couple in the movie. The quirky man-date actors that kept showing up throughout the movie were hilarious. Adam Sanberg, JK Simmons and Jane Curtain were also awesome as Paul Rudd's family. Perhaps the best part of this movie, was that they didn't push the envelope in terms of sex sight gags that I feel is killing most comedies that come out. There were one or two conversations that were sexually blunt, but they were done in a way that was still funny and didn't cross in to nasty/gross and it made it seem that much more real.

I fully recommend that everyone get out there and see this movie. It was filled with huge laughs and I cannot wait for the blooper reel on the DVD.

The Haunting In Connecticut

The Haunting in Connecticut charts one family's terrifying, real-life encounter with the dark forces of the supernatural. When the Campbell family moves to upstate Connecticut, they soon learn that their charming Victorian home has a disturbing history: not only was the house a transformed funeral parlor where inconceivable acts occurred, but the owner's clairvoyant son Jonah served as a demonic messenger, providing a gateway for spiritual entities to crossover. Now unspeakable terror awaits, when Jonah, the boy who communicated with the dead, returns to unleash a new kind of horror on the innocent and unsuspecting family.

I thnk this is one of those movies that suffered from me having too high expectations. This movie looked creepy as hell in the preview. I mean the preview alone was scaring the hell out of me. So I was pretty psyched to see this. Unfortunately, the movie was no so scary. It came together really well at the end surprisingly. Usually with recent horror movies, I like them at the start and they completely screw the pooch at the end. This one was kind of opposite. I liked how it all tied up but it felt like it was taking forever to get there. I was actually pretty damn bored during the first hour of this. I think that the level of boredom I had really diminished whatever creepiness/scariness there might have been.

I wouldn't recommend that anyone rush out to see this. It wasn't absolutely horrid and ended up being pretty decent but it took too long to play out.

Knowing

In 1958, as part of the dedication ceremony for a new elementary school, a group of students is asked to draw pictures to be stored in a time capsule. But one mysterious girl fills her sheet of paper with rows of apparently random numbers instead.Fifty years later, a new generation of students examines the capsule’s contents and the girl's cryptic message ends up in the hands of young Caleb Koestler. But it is Caleb's father, professor John Koestler (Nicolas Cage), who makes the startling discovery that the encoded message predicts with pinpoint accuracy the dates, death tolls and coordinates of every major disaster of the past 50 years. As John further unravels the document's chilling secrets, he realizes the document foretells three additional events—the last of which hints at destruction on a global scale and seems to somehow involve Ted and his son. When Ted's attempts to alert the authorities fall on deaf ears, he takes it upon himself to try to prevent more destruction from taking place.With the reluctant help of Diana Wayland (Rose Byrne) and Abby Wayland, the daughter and granddaughter of the now-deceased author of the prophecies, Ted's increasingly desperate efforts take him on a heart-pounding race against time until he finds himself facing the ultimate disaster—and the ultimate sacrifice.

This movie started out really, really good. It had a good premise and was playing out quite well. Unfortunately, it hit a major boredom wall for me about 40 minutes in and there was still an hour and ten minutes to go. This movie ends up being a Close Encounters type sci-fi movie. I wasn't really expecting that and really lost all interest in where it was going. WW on the other hand, is really in to these types of things and loved it.

I guess that this is one of those movies that I would recommend people checking out only if they are in to the prediction type sci-fi stuff. WW really liked it. I can't put my personal stamp on it though.

The Last House On The Left

The night she arrives at the remote Collingwood lakehouse, Mari (Sara Paxton) and her friend are kidnapped by a prison escapee and his crew. Terrified and left for dead, Mari's only hope is to make it back to parents John and Emma (Tony Goldwyn and Monica Potter). Unfortunately, her attackers unknowingly seek shelter at the one place she could be safe. And when her family learns the horrifying story, they will make three strangers curse the day they came to "The Last House on the Left."

This was one of those tough movies to review. Do you say that you liked it? Does that mean that you are some kind of a sadistic maniac who enjoys watching rapes, mutilations, and insane gore? Well . . . . I guess thats me in a nutshell because I liked the movie. I think the reason that I was able to watch it though is that if anyone was to ever do the things that they did to these people's daughter to my Stinka - the lord almighty wouldn't be able to stop me from doing the same things and much worse than were shown in this movie.

I'd recommend this movie to anyone who is in to scary/gory movies. This is by no means a "good" movie, but if you can stomach it you totally end up getting in to it.

Dragonball: Evolution

Dragonball Evolution is adapted from the manga created by Akira Toriyama; the work was also turned into a Japanese anime series that played all over the world. It tells the story of an alien sent to destroy Earth, who has a change of heart and decides to join the humans in their fight against various aliens and bad guys.

This movie was retarded. Every facet of this movie was crap. Granted I'm not a fanboy and never watched anything to do with Dragonball, but I couldn't imagine fanboys enjoying this movie too much either. Its yet another cartoon/video game adaption that might have been acceptable if it were the late 80s/early 90s, but is a total waste in this day and age in terms of effects and what not. This is straight up garbage that is meant to take advantage of the kids and fanboys who love Dragonball.

I wouldn't recommend anyone wasting their time with this. Its just a blatant waste of time.

Race To Witch Mountain

For years, stories have circulated about a secret place in the middle of the Nevada desert, known for unexplained phenomena and strange sightings. It is called Witch Mountain, and when a Las Vegas cab driver (Dwayne Johnson) finds two teens with supernatural powers in his cab, he suddenly finds himself in the middle of an adventure he can't explain. When they discover that the only chance to save the world lies in unraveling the secrets of Witch Mountain, the race begins, as the government, mobsters and even extraterrestrials try to stop them. "Race to Witch Mountain" is a fun and thrilling adventure featuring incredible special effects.

This was a simple, enjoyable movie. Its not necessarily a good movie. If you were looking to critique it - it has plenty of holes. However, if you just want to go and enjoy a simple adventure at your local theater, then this is the right movie. I happen to be a fan of The Rock. Yes, I know his name is Dwayne Johnson, but come on now people - you know that he will always be The Rock. Anywho, I have always found him entertaining and he keeps that streak going in this movie.

I wouldn't outwardly recommend this movie to people. If you have kids - take them and enjoy the two hour break. Otherwise, you should only rush to see this if you too are a big fan of The Rock.

Monsters Vs. Aliens

When California girl Susan Murphy is unwittingly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk on her wedding day, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches tall. The military jumps into action and Susan is captured and secreted away to a covert government compound. There, she is renamed Ginormica and placed in confinement with a ragtag group of Monsters: the brilliant but insect-headed Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D.; the macho half-ape, half-fish The Missing Link; the gelatinous and indestructible B.O.B.; and the 350-foot grub called Insectosaurus. Their confinement is cut short, however, when a mysterious alien robot lands on Earth and begins storming the country. In a moment of desperation, the President is persuaded to enlist the motley crew of Monsters to combat the Alien Robot and save the world from imminent destruction.

This movie was awesome. This is one of those animated movies where the humor is so satisfying for the adults that they enjoy it just as much (if not more) than the kids. The president and his advisors had me laughing my ass off throughout this movie. The voice casting was great, the story was tight and that kept the movie to the perfect running time. B.O.B. voiced by Seth Rogen is sure to be a major crowd pleaser.

I fully recommend this movie to everyone. The adults will enjoy it just as much as the kids.

Miss March

Miss March tells the story of a young man (Cregger) who awakens from a four-year coma to hear that his once virginal high-school sweetheart (Alessi) has since become a naked centerfold in a men’s magazine. He and his sex-crazed best friend (Moore) decide to take a cross- country road trip in order to crash a party at the magazine’s legendary headquarters and win back the girl.

This was some of the most horrid 8 minutes of film I've ever seen. I decided to give this movie a quickie litmus test while working the booth over the weekend and after 8 absurd minutes, I already know that I will never be watching the remainder of this film. Here's a brief review of what I saw. Friend broke other friend out of hospital and said they had to get out of town because of a problem with his girlfriend. He had bought her a stripper pole for their 13 month "boning" anniversary. She danced on the pole, got excited and decided to "please" the guy. While "pleasing" he showed her how he had also put in a strobelite. Turns out that the girl had epilepsy and bit down as part of her seizure. The only way he could get her off was by stabbing her with a fork. This all actually happened. Turns out that her brother was a firefighter so there was a car chase with the two idiots and two fire trucks. At this point I left. Never to return. I actually spent more time trashing this movie in this review then I did watching it.

I would never recommend this movie to anyone. Its another envelope pushing sex comedy that is probably one of the worst movies ever made.

Watchmen

Watchmen is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the "Doomsday Clock" - which charts the USA's tension with the Soviet Union - is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion - a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers - Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity...but who is watching the Watchmen?

I loved this movie. The action and look of it were awesome. The characters were very well done and even though the movie was 3 hours long - I didn't feel it as much as I thought I would. That being said . . . . . I could totally see people not liking this movie at all. This is so not a mainstream movie. This is also about as far as you can get from a "family" comic book movie. The violence is beyond extreme. There is a lot of completely unnecessary sex and nudity in it (including numerous shots of a blue floppy dong, people!). This is a thinking man's, made for adults comic book movie. Its also not made for the generation that they are targeting with the ads. The best part of the movie is its lineage in time. If you aren't familiar with the 70s/early 80s history - you will not be able to appreciate the best parts of the story. As far as the legitimacy of the adaptation, I never read the graphic novel so I have no idea. The only real problems I had with the movie were that the lead actress was horrendous and there was a whole bunch of overdone scenes that took place on Mars. I found myself getting very annoyed during the scenes because they could have just been normal conversations in a living room as far as I was concerned. Besides that, this movie is bonafide, thinking man's eye candy.

I very strongly recommend that people check out this movie . . . . . as long as they have the warnings I've written about above. To go in to this wanting a mainstream Iron Man/Dark Knight type movie going experience could easily lead to you thinking this is one of the worst things you've ever seen.

Confessions Of A Shopaholic

In the glamorous world of New York City, Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) is a fun-loving girl who is really good at shopping—a little too good, perhaps. She dreams of working for her favorite fashion magazine, but can't quite get her foot in the door—until ironically, she snags a job as an advice columnist for a financial magazine published by the same company. As her dreams are finally coming true, she goes to ever more hilarious and extreme efforts to keep her past from ruining her future.

This might be the worst litmus test failure ever . . . . . and it wasn't even at a theater! I was watching this movie online in my home and couldn't make it 20 minutes in to the movie. This might seriously be the most annoying "chick" flick of all time. It was grossly overacted and over the top and I can pretty much tell you everything that happened in the rest of the movie even though I will never watch the rest of it.

I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. Ever. Its just plain painful and a total waste of time.

Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li

Powerful forces are converging on the streets of Bangkok. They are warriors, some of whom possess extraordinary abilities, all of whom are determined to see their side prevail. Some fight for us; the others for unlimited power. Now, they are preparing for the ultimate battle - of terror versus beauty, light versus darkness, and good versus evil.

This movie is pretty much garbage. Who honestly didn't expect that though? Its about 15 years too late as far as I'm concerned and while I admit that I remembered a lot of the characters, I really couldn't care less. This is the type of action movie that was made for the 80s. Even the fight scenes were disappointing. The worst part of the movie was the two cops in the movie. They might have been the worst acted cop cliche performances ever.

I would not recommend that anyone check this out. I really don't think too many people were going to anyway but it really is poop.

Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience

The Jonas Brothers head to the big screen— in 3-D—in a high-energy Walt Disney Pictures rockumentary feature film event. The film blends excerpts from the Brothers' red-hot "Burning Up" concert tour, including guest performances from Demi Lovato and Taylor Swift, with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, off-the-wall segments, swarming fans and a lot of JB-style humor—giving fans never-before-seen insights into the lives of Kevin, Joe and Nick.

I didn't see this. I probably never will. I was lucky enough that WW and friends took the bullet of making sure that Stinka and company got to check this out. Based on their combined thoughts of the adults the movie is somewhat watchable and nicely short. The children obviously loved it and thought it was just like the Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana concert movie last year.

Needless to say - my recommendation pretty much means nothing regarding this. If you have kids in to the Jonas Brothers, take them to the movie and you will be considered royalty for at least a day. If you don't (or aren't in to themselves for some reason) why would you ever bother checking this out?

Fired Up!

Shawn Colfax (Nicholas D'Agosto) and Nick Brady (Eric Christian Olsen), the stars of the Gerald R. Ford High School football team, are dreading the prospect of another summer at football camp. When Nick hatches a scheme for the two to join their school's cheerleaders at cheer camp instead, they find themselves awash in a sea of young women. It all goes great until Shawn falls for Carly (Sarah Roemer), the head cheerleader who sees right through them.

I saw the preview for this and figured it was yet another one of those envelope pushing sex comedies (a la College, Sex Drive or Zach & Miri). I really don't like movies like that. The humor gets lost once you stop alluding to things and start actually showing them. It goes from watching a comedy to watching soft core porn and it ends up being simply not funny. I was working in the booth this week and decided to give this movie the 15 minute lithmus test as to whether or not I will end up ever bothering with the rest of the movie. I started watching about 30 minutes in to the movie and ended up watching most of the last hour of it. I was shocked at how it didn't push the envelope and how many times I was laughing out loud. It is by no means a good movie. Its pretty dumb honestly, but it does have a lot of laughs. Its kind of like that movie Bring It On from a couple of years ago. They actually refer to that movie numerous times during this one.

I would actually recommend that people check this out. I never thought I would be writing that. Its pretty funny in a silly way based on the parts I saw and worth checking out for some big laughs.

Madea Goes To Jail

After a high-speed freeway chase puts Madea (Tyler Perry) in front of the judge, her reprieve is short-lived as anger management issues get the best of her and land her in jail. A gleeful Joe (Tyler Perry) couldn't be happier at Madea's misfortune. But Madea's eccentric family members the Browns (David and Tamala Mann) rally behind her, lending their special "country" brand of support. Meanwhile, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Hardaway (Derek Luke) is on the fast track to career success. But Hardaway lands a case too personal to handle - defending young prostitute and former drug addict Candace Washington (Keisha Knight Pulliam) - and asks his fiancée and fellow ADA Linda Holmes (Ion Overman) to fill in on his behalf. When Candace ends up in jail, Madea befriends the young woman, protecting her in a "motherly" way as only Madea can.

I apologize but I think that Madea is one of the funniest characters ever. I could watch her for hours. I know that at this point it is just plain insulting that Tyler Perry is using this Eddie Murphy like silliness to get butts in the seats for his movies or television shows at this point but I don't care. Its hilarious. This movie is no different. When its about Madea the whole audience is cracking up. When its about Rudy from The Cosby Show being a strung out junkie - nobody cares. I wonder if I was the only one that can still only see her lip synching on those classic episodes where the family sang to the grandparents. Anywho, I digress. This movie was basically half great and half snooze fest. On top of the laughs - Madea delivers a speech on how everyone should just stop playing themselves as victims when they are responsible for where they are in life that was nothing short of phenomenal.

I'd recommend this movie to anyone that is a Madea fan . . . . . . . or obviously a Tyler Perry fan. Even though the non-Madea down time is rough, it all comes roaring back the second she gets back on screen. If you aren't - I would stay as far away from this one as you did the others and try to find a sense of humor, people! How can anyone not find Madea hilarious!?!

Coraline

Coraline Jones (Dakota Fanning) is bored in her new home until she finds a secret door and discovers an alternate version of her life on the other side. On the surface, this parallel reality is eerily similar to her real life and the people in it – only much better. But when this seemingly perfect world turns dangerous, and her other parents (including her Other Mother voiced by Teri Hatcher) try to trap her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness, determination and bravery to escape this increasingly perilous world – and save her family.

This movie is just plain weird. Seriously. Its like a demented acid trip. Even stranger is that this kids movie couldn't possibly be less for kids if it tried. I have no clue how any kid could remotely get in to this movie. Its also heavily advertised as being a great 3D experience, but I see no real need for the the 3D whatsoever. Even though I'm ranting - the movie isn't absolutely horrible. Its watchable for adults, but it is just so damn weird.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone rushing to check this out. I would also not recommend this movie as being that escape type movie to take the kids too. It won't work.

The International

In The International, Interpol Agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) are determined to bring to justice one of the world's most powerful banks. Uncovering myriad and reprehensible illegal activities, Salinger and Whitman follow the money from Berlin to Milan to New York to Istanbul. Finding themselves in a high-stakes chase across the globe, their relentless tenacity puts their own lives at risk as their targets will stop at nothing – even murder – to continue financing terror and war.

Oh my god this movie was horrible. I can't believe how completely lame this movie was. I'm still stumped. I watched the first 45 minutes of the movie and was going to try to tough out the rest before I found out that there was another hour to go. This is the most boring espionage/suspense movie I've ever seen. The worst part is that they totally lose you right off the bat. This is one of those movies where they try to get you all involved by abruptly starting the movie. Its one of those where if you weren't there to see the studio opening you would think you walked in 15 minutes late. From there, you are stuck watching all the characters be high strung and go blah blah blah having no clue whats going on.

I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. Its horribly done and insanely boring for a "suspense" movie.

Friday The 13th

Searching for his missing sister, Clay heads up to the eerie woods of legendary Crystal Lake, where he stumbles on the creaky remains of rotting old cabins that lie in wait behind moss-covered trees. Against the advice of police and cautions from the locals, Clay pursues what few leads he has, with the help of a young woman he meets among a group of college kids up for an all-thrills weekend. But they are about to find much more than they bargained for. Little do they know, they've entered the domain of one of the most terrifying specters in American film history—the infamous killer who haunts Crystal Lake, armed with a razor-sharp machete... Jason Voorhees.

This was actually one of the better relaunch/remake movies to come out in a while. It was essentially a Friday The 13th that went back to the core of the original three movies before they started getting so absolutely ridiculous. It was an hour and a half of crazy killings. I remember back in the day when the best part of these movies was wondering how Jason was going to kill the victims and this movie was just like that. Its your typical horror movie where you have to throw any sense of logic/continuity out the window, but its pretty good once you do that.

I would recommend anyone who likes horror movies check this bad boy out. Its a throwback to the horror movies that weren't too smart or pulled their punches. This is the kind of horror movie that I grew up loving.

Fanboys

It's 1998 and Star Wars fanboys across the globe eagerly await the release of "Episode I." But for Eric, Linus, Hutch and Windows the term fanboy is more than just a title, it's a badge of honor. Spurred by impatience and an undying loyalty to their cause, these former high school friends reunite to undertake the road trip of their fan-tasies. Traveling West across the country to visit their Mecca - George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch - the plan is to break in, steal the film and stake their claim as the first fanboys in history to watch it. But to secure their place in the fanboy hall of fame, they'll have to contend with bizarre bikers, a crazy pimp, a deranged group of trekkies and the quiet intensity of William Shatner.

This movie is hilariously great . . . . . if you are or were a Star Wars fanboy. I am an admitted Star Wars fanboy. The first Star Wars was the first movie I ever saw in a theater and that has stuck with me to this day of my movie addicted life. I was just as excited about Episode I as the characters in this movie were and had the conversations that they have about it with my friends. The random dialogue and joke references towards the movies had me laughing out loud. The flip side of this is that if you are not or never were a Star Wars fanboy, this movie might be one of the silliest things you've ever seen. Its your text book road trip movie but instead of pushing sex, drugs and hijinks - its pushing Star Wars moments. This has the ability to end up being a total cult favorite when it hits DVD.

I couldn't possibly recommend this movie more to die hard Star Wars fans. They will fully enjoy it. Others should not waste your time.

The Pink Panther 2

The Pink Panther 2 stars Steve Martin as he reprises the role of intrepid-if-bumbling French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. When legendary treasures from around the world are stolen, including the priceless Pink Panther Diamond, Chief Inspector Dreyfus (John Cleese) is forced to assign Clouseau to a team of international detectives and experts charged with catching the thief and retrieving the stolen artifacts. Martin is joined by his co-stars Jean Reno (as Ponton, his partner) and Emily Mortimer (as Nicole, the object of his awkward affections).

Wow! This was pretty disappointing. I know that this remakes of the Pink Panther completely pale in comparison to the originals, but I found the first one hysterically funny in a family film kind of a way. I actually saw it in passing the other day on tv and was laughing my ass off. This one . . . . . not so much. There were a couple of laughs, but nowhere near the first one. This sequel actually played as completely flat as I expected the first one to. This is really sad considering how laugh out loud funny (although stupid) the first one was. How do you lose something so simple?

I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. Kids might like it but there weren't even enough laughs to keep them fully interested.

He's Just Not That Into You

An all-star cast is featured in the stories of a group of interconnected, Baltimore-based twenty- and thirtysomethings as they navigate their various relationships from the shallow end of the dating pool through the deep, murky waters of married life. Trying to read the signs of the opposite sex, each hopes to be the exception to the "no exceptions" rule.

This is your textbook date movie. It has a portrayal of every type of "dysfunctional" relationship and pretty well developed characters. You find yourself rooting for some of them and hating some of them. You also know damn well how its all going to turn out and that makes the 2 hour plus running time a pretty big stretch. Even with the long running time, it is definitely a watchable and enjoyable movie. I love how its based on the age old premise that girls are told that if a boy treats you like crap it means he likes you. I have always thought that is the dumbest thing you could possibly tell a little girl and could totally see it screwing them for life. The opening scene of this movie where this is shown/explained is about as classic as the orgasm scene in When Harry Met Sally.

I would recommend that people check this movie out. Its really not that painful of a movie for the guys that only go to see it because their girlfriend/wife wants them too and the women will love it.

Push

The Division, a shadowy government agency, is genetically transforming citizens into an army of psychic warriors—and brutally disposing of those unwilling to participate. Nick Gant (Chris Evans), a second-generation telekinetic or "mover," has been in hiding since the Division murdered his father more than a decade earlier. He has found sanctuary in densely populated Hong Kong—the last safe place on earth for fugitive psychics like him—but only if he can keep his gift a secret. Nick is forced out of hiding when Cassie Holmes (Dakota Fanning), a 13-year-old clairvoyant or "watcher," seeks his help in finding Kira, (Camilla Belle), an escaped "pusher" who may hold the key to ending the Division's program. Pushers possess the most dangerous of all psychic powers: the ability to influence others' actions by implanting thoughts in their minds. But Cassie's presence soon attracts the attention of the Division's human bloodhounds, forcing Nick and Cassie to flee for their lives.With the help of a team of rogue psychics, the unlikely duo traverses the seedy underbelly of the city, trying to stay one step ahead of the authorities as they search for Kira. But they find themselves square in the crosshairs of Division Agent Henry Carver (Djimon Hounsou), a pusher who will stop at nothing to keep them from achieving their goal.


This movie could have been awesome. It had a pretty decent premise of a government agency churning out pseudo-xmen. Unfortunately, it played out pretty crappy. You can pretty much tell just from the lameness of the power having classifications. The Screamers . . . . . well they scream and can hurt your ears. The Sniffers . . . . well they sniff and can track you. The Pushers . . . . . well they push you to do what they want you to do. You get the drift by this point, right? How can you have a great sci-fi type premise and then be that lame with power titles? Seriously. Anyway, this movie also provided us with the worst performance of Dakota Fanning's career to date. Hopefully this is just a blip and won't be the start of bad to come as she gets older in terms of acting ability.

I wouldn't really recommend this movie to anyone. Its definitely not worth the money and would pretty much be a waste of time to go to the theater and what not.

New In Town

Lucy Hill (Renée Zellweger) is an ambitious, up and coming executive living in Miami. She loves her shoes, she loves her cars and she loves climbing the corporate ladder. When she is offered a temporary assignment - in the middle of nowhere - to restructure a manufacturing plant, she jumps at the opportunity, knowing that a big promotion is close at hand. What begins as a straight forward job assignment becomes a life changing experience as Lucy discovers greater meaning in her life and most unexpectedly, the man of her dreams (Harry Connick, Jr.).

This movie is pretty much what you saw in the commercial. Its your textbook character out of her element movie. You know she's going to fall in love with the new area she has to go to. You know that she's going to fall for the guy. You know she's going to throw in the towel for her old life and enjoy her new found life. I know all of this - and I didn't even bother watching the end of the movie. Its not that the movie was horrible. I just didn't care enough to make it past the first 35 minutes. The Minnesota is cold jokes had already gotten old. Renee Zellwegger had already reached her usual annoyance level with me. And I already knew damn well where this movie was going to go. This was essentially a movie version of an ABC series, Men In Trees, from a couple of years ago and if I didn't feel like watching that from the comfort of my own home - why would I bother watching the rest of this movie that I started watching only because the kids movie wasn't over yet and there wasn't anything else I hadn't seen yet?

I wouldn't recommend anyone bothering to check this out. Its really just kind of there and not worth your time at all.

Inkheart

Mortimer "Mo" Folchart and his 12-year-old daughter, Meggie, share an extraordinary gift for bringing characters from books to life when they read aloud. But there is a danger: when a character is brought to life from a book, a real person disappears into its pages. On one of their trips to a secondhand book shop, Mo locates a book he's been searching for since Meggie was three years old, when her mother, Resa, vanished into its mystical world. But Mo's plan to use the book to find and rescue Resa is thwarted when Capricorn, the evil villain of Inkheart, kidnaps Meggie and, discovering she has inherited her father's gift, demands that she bring to life his most powerful ally, the Shadow. Determined to rescue his daughter and send the fictional characters back where they belong, Mo assembles a small group of friends and family--some from the real world, some from the pages of books--and embarks on a daring and perilous journey to set things right.

Although Brendan Fraser really has become one of the most annoying, type cast actors, I was still able to enjoy this movie. It wasn't a great movie by any means. It was definitely watchable though. Even though, Helen Mirren was more annoying than Brendan Fraser and you pretty much knew everything that was going to happen - it accomplished the one really important thing for a fantasy movie to do. It took you to the other world and got you in to it. Pulling that off in fantasy movies is more important that getting you hooked in to the characters. If they would have done both - I would have absolutely loved this movie. Pulling off the one made it enjoyable enough to watch though.

I would somewhat recommend people checking this out. Kids will like it and the parents won't bu writhing in pain watching it with them.

The Uninvited

In the suspense thriller The Uninvited, Anna (Emily Browning) returns home after spending time in a psychiatric facility following her mother's tragic death and discovers that her mother's former nurse, Rachel (Elizabeth Banks), has moved into their house and become engaged to her father, Steven (David Strathairn). Soon after she learns this shocking news, Anna is visited by her mother's ghost, who warns her that Rachel has evil intentions. Together, Anna and her sister (Arielle Kebbel) must convince their father that his new fiancee is not who she pretends to be, and what should have been a happy family reunion becomes a lethal battle of wills between stepdaughters and stepmother.

Can we please stop with the Japanese remakes of PG-13 horror movies? The zone is so beyond flooded with them. And for the love of God - if you are going to make a "horror" movie . . . . make it rated R!!! Anywho, this movie could have actually been somewhat decent if they decided what kind of a movie they wanted to make. Without going to much in to spoiler territory, this movie is part Hand That Rocks The Cradle, part Sixth Sense, and then part Grudge/Ring. It would have been a fine movie if they wanted Elizabeth Banks to play the crazy lady moving in on the family. It would have been fine if the main girl ended up in a Sixth Sense type situation. It would have been fine if the freaky images that the main girl saw a la The Grudge/The Ring guided her to the end. However, the fact that they tried to mash all three together made this movie utterly absurd. I was even okay with the Hand That Rocks The Cradle/Sixth Sense combo. It was the creepy/freaky images portion of this movie that left you staring at the screen with a "What the hell" face on when the credits started rolling. Side note . . . . . nothing says getting back at your future stepmother that you suspect of killing your mom like taking the batteries out of her vibrator. That's like Revenge 101.

I wouldn't really recommend this movie to anyone. Its really not worth it . . . . .even for the "horror" junkies.

Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans delves into the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires, known as Death Dealers, and the barbaric Lycans (werewolves). A young Lycan, Lucian (Michael Sheen), emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor (Bill Nighy), the cruel vampire king who has persecuted them for hundreds of years. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, the beautiful vampire Sonja (Rhona Mitra), in his battle to free the Lycans from their brutal enslavement.

This movie was essentially and hour and 1/2 extension of what was a 2 minute flashback in the previous Underworld installment. This movie is beyond uneccesary and pointless. I actually really liked the original Underworld and thought the sequel was watchable but like I said - I got the feud between the Death Dealers and Lycans with the brief narrated flashback. This movie didn't really provide me with any further insight in to their feud and was just an excuse to take our money. On a side note - what the hell is Michael Sheen thinking by going back to this role? Since Underworld: Evolution he has played Tony Blair in The Queen and David Frost in Frost/Nixon. He was great in both of them and has managed to put himself on the cusp of oscar recognition only to return to playing the leader of the Lycans? Someone needs a new agent.

I wouldn't recommend anyone checking this movie out. Its pointless, uneccesary and full of schlocky gore. Its a blatant waste of time.

Notorious

Notorious is about the life of rapper Christopher Wallace a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G. In just a few short years, The Notorious B.I.G. rose from the streets of Brooklyn to become one of the most influential hip hop artists of all time. B.I.G. was a gifted storyteller; his narratives about violent life on the streets were told with a gritty, objective realism that won him enormous respect and credibility. His stories were universal and gave a voice to his generation.

This was an interesting watch for me having lived through all this stupid drama involving east coast vs west coast and remembering everyone talking about all this stuff. Outside of that part of watching it - this was a pretty crappy movie. It was totally overdramatized and sappy at the end. It also took waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long to get to the parts that everyone wanted to watch. There was no reason for this movie to be two hours long.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone rushing to check this out in theaters. It would probably make a better rental.

Hotel For Dogs

Hotel for Dogs stars Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon and Don Cheadle in a smart, funny comedy adventure that shows how far love and imagination can take you. When their new guardians forbid 16-year old Andi (Roberts) and her younger brother, Bruce (Austin) to have a pet, Andi has to use her quick wit to help find a new home for their dog, Friday. The resourceful kids stumble upon an abandoned hotel and using Bruce's talents as a mechanical genius, transform it into a magical dog-paradise for Friday – and eventually for all Friday's friends. When barking dogs make the neighbors suspicious, Andi and Bruce use every invention they have to avoid anyone discovering who let the dogs in.

I am an admitted movie addict. The rule basically is that if I see the preview for it - I have to see the movie. God bless Stinka because if it wasn't for her I don't know how I would justify seeing this Nickelodean movies. What am I going to do in a couple of years? Anywho, this is your textbook family movie with kids and animals in it. The dogs are cute and funny. The kids have to stick together through the rough times and there is the inevitable happy ending. If you have kids - take them to see this. If you don't - run for the hills.

I wouldn't remotely recommend this movie to anyone with the kiddies. The kiddies will love this movie though. Stinka gave it a huge thumbs up.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop

Kevin James stars as the title character, a single, suburban dad, trying to make ends meet as a security officer at a New Jersey mall. Though no one else takes his job seriously, Paul considers himself on the front lines of safety. When a heist shuts down the megaplex, Jersey's most formidable mall cop will have to become a real cop to save the day.

I am a huge fan of Kevin James. I have been since his old stand up routines. I watch The King Of Queens regularly in syndication. I have been told by friends, family and random strangers that I remind them of him. I'd like to think its because of my personality and not my size, but I digress. I have an ability to find him funny no matter what. This movie is a shining example of that. The movie sucked. It was silly, pointless and stupid. If anyone other than Kevin James was in this I would have bailed after my 20 minutes of patience was tapped. However, I enjoyed it solely because of him and how silly he is. He truly seems to capture that stupidness that we all do when we are alone or in our heads and isn't afraid to put it out there no matter how stupid he will look.

I would only recommend this movie to people that find Kevin James as funny as I do. The movie itself is totally garbage, but if you want to laugh at The King Of Queens go check it out.

My Bloody Valentine 3D

Ten years ago, a tragedy changed the town of Harmony forever. Tom Hanniger, an inexperienced coal miner, caused an accident in the tunnels that trapped and killed five men and sent the only survivor, Harry Warden, into a permanent coma. But Harry Warden wanted revenge. Exactly one year later, on Valentine's Day, he woke up...and brutally murdered twenty-two people with a pickaxe before being killed.Ten years later, Tom Hanniger returns to Harmony on Valentine's Day, still haunted by the deaths he caused. Struggling to make amends with his past, he grapples with unresolved feelings for his ex-girlfriend, Sarah, who is now married to his best friend, Axel, the town sheriff. But tonight, after years of peace, something from Harmony's dark past has returned. Wearing a miner's mask and armed with a pickaxe, an unstoppable killer is on the loose. And as his footsteps come ever closer, Tom, Sarah and Axel realize in terror that it just might be Harry Warden who's come back to claim them...

This is a total throwback to the 70s/80s horror movie. There is horrid acting. The story is beyond weak. The gore is excessive and so over the top. The movie ends up being hysterically funny even though you are watching people get slaughtered. You can't help but laugh your ass off at how absurd what you are seeing on screen is. The 3D effects make you laugh even harder.

I would recommend people checking this out because it is "fun" at the movies. It is by no means a good movie. Its actually quite a horrible movie. But its "fun" and if you get the chance to see it in 3D that makes it even better.

Not Easily Broken

Not Easily Broken is an drama about love and family adapted from the book of the same name by renowned pastor and author Bishop T. D. Jakes.

I barely made it 20 minutes in to this movie. This is nothing more than a Tyler Perry knock off with a lot of over dramatic characters and waa waa about relationships. Even though I've reached a point where I'm getting tired of the constant flow of TPs, this movie made me remember how good their quality is at least. It was downright painful just watching that small portion of the movie.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Just wait like a month and there will be a new Tyler Perry movie out if these kinds of character dramas are up your alley.

Bride Wars

Liv (Kate Hudson) and Emma (Anne Hathaway) are best friends who since childhood have planned every detail of their respective weddings. At the top of their bridal "must have" list: a ceremony at New York's ultimate bridal destination, the Plaza Hotel. Now, at age 26, they're both about to get married; they're about to realize their dreams; and they're about to live happily ever after. Or maybe not... When a clerical error causes a clash in wedding dates - they're now to be married on the same date! - Liv, Emma and their lifelong friendship are put to the ultimate test. Liv, a successful lawyer who is used to getting what she wants, including the perfect job and the perfect man, won't settle for anything less than the perfect wedding she has dreamed of for years. Emma, a schoolteacher who has always been good at taking care of others, but not so much in looking after herself, discovers her inner Bridezilla and comes out swinging when her own dream wedding is imperiled. Now, the two best friends who'd do anything for each other, find themselves in a no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners struggle that threatens to erupt into all-out war.

Once again . . . . . I have a problem. That problem also includes seeing most chick flicks. I won't do Sex & The City or movies about traveling pants, but the funny trailered chick flicks fall in line with my movie going illness. This is your textbook chick flick. Its also pretty much everything that you saw in the trailer but longer. The movie really is completely silly and dumb, but there are some pretty big laughs spread throughout that make it somewhat watchable.

I wouldn't recommend anyone rushing out to see this because its not that funny, but the laughs do make it somewhat worthwhile if this is up your alley.

The Unborn

Casey Beldon (Odette Yustman) hated her mother for leaving her as a child. But when inexplicable things start to happen, Casey begins to understand why she left. Plagued by merciless dreams and a tortured ghost that haunts her waking hours, she must turn to the only spiritual advisor, Sendak (Gary Oldman), who can make it stop.With Sendak's help, Casey uncovers the source of a family curse dating back to Nazi Germany—a creature with the ability to inhabit anyone or anything that is getting stronger with each possession. With the curse unleashed, her only chance at survival is to shut a doorway from beyond our world that has been pried open by someone who was never born.

This is another one of those PG-13 horror movies that rests its head on random but incredibly creepy visuals to carry the movie. Its in the same pool as The Grudge, The Ring, etc. and has the same "Huh?" story. The visuals in this one were pretty high on the creepy scale compared to other movies like this to come out recently, but it wasn't near the expectations that were set by the kick ass trailer for this movie.

I'd lukewarmly recommend this movie. I wasn't that in to it but WW (the most avid of scary movie fans) enjoyed it so I'm sure other fright fest fans will enjoy it as well.

Taken

Liam Neeson stars in Taken. When his estranged daughter is kidnapped in Paris, a former spy (Neeson) sets out to find her at any cost. Relying on his special skills, he tracks down the ruthless gang that abducted her and launches a one-man war to bring them to justice and rescue his daughter.

I am absolutely shocked at how much I enjoyed this movie. I saw the trailer and thought it looked like a decent watch but never expected to be sitting on the edge of my seat as much as this movie made me do. I also never thought that Liam Neeson would be remotely buyable as a bad ass able to track his daughter down like that. This movie had action like the Bourne movies and totally sucked you in to the suspense. Its also got a nice, tight running time with helps with the quick, no bs pacing on the movie.

I'd recommend everyone check this movie out. Its coming out at that time of year where the movies are either oscar candidates or pieces of garbage. This movie is actually a pretty good breath of fresh air.

The Reader

The Reader opens in post-WWII Germany when teenager Michael Berg becomes ill and is helped home by Hanna, a stranger twice his age. Michael recovers from scarlet fever and seeks out Hanna to thank her. The two are quickly drawn into a passionate but secretive affair. Michael discovers that Hanna loves being read to and their physical relationship deepens. Hanna is enthralled as Michael reads to her from "The Odyssey," "Huck Finn," and "The Lady with the Little Dog." Despite their intense bond, Hanna mysteriously disappears one day and Michael is left confused and heartbroken. Eight years later, while Michael is a law student observing the Nazi war crime trials, he is stunned to find Hanna back in his life – this time as a defendant in the courtroom. As Hanna's past is revealed, Michael uncovers a deep secret that will impact both of their lives.

Every year there is that movie that comes out that you know is a very well done movie, you know that it was made for award consideration and will probably get it, but you just don't really care for it or about it at all. This is that movie this year. Essentially, it was Kate Winslett having sex with a 16 year old for the first hour with him occasionally reading to her. The second hour was her on trial for Nazi war crimes and the guy being devastated by it . . . . . but still choosing to send tapes of him reading to her. I could see people finding artistic enjoyment in this movie, but personally, I didn't.

I wouldn't really recommend people checking this out. With all of the amazing movies that are presently out there for award consideration - this is definitely the worst one and can pretty much wait for rental.

Marley & Me

As the snow falls on their wedding night, newlyweds John and Jenny Grogan (Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston) decide to leave behind the harsh winters of Michigan and head south to begin their new lives in West Palm Beach, Florida. They obtain jobs as journalists, buy their first home, and begin to make their way through the challenges of a new marriage, new careers and, possibly, the life-changing decision to start a family. Unsure of his preparedness for raising children, John confesses his fears to his friend and fellow journalist Sebastian, who comes up with the perfect solution: John should get Jenny a puppy. Then came Marley.The Grogans adopt the cute, twelve pound yellow Labrador, who in no time at all, grows into a 100-pound steamroller of unbridled energy that turns the Grogan home into a disaster area. He flunks obedience school, chews off dry-wall, takes a bite out of the sofa, overturns garbage cans, steals a Thanksgiving turkey, consumes pillows and flowers, drinks toilet water, and chases the UPS guy. Amidst the mayhem he generates through the years, Marley sees the Grogans through the ups and downs of family life, through job and home changes, and most of all, through the myriad challenges of a growing family. As John and Jenny come to realize, Marley - "the world's worst dog" - somehow brings out the best in them.

I put off reviewing this movie for 4 days now because I didn't want to get all choked up again. I really don't care about spoiling this one because I really think that it NEEDS to be spoiled because nobody should walk blindly in to an oncoming mack truck. SPOILER ALERT - Marley dies. I knew this going in and the movie was still devastating. I can only imagine families going to see this and having no clue. That would have to blow Bambi's mother dying right out of the water. Not only does the dog die, but the goodbyes take about 20 minutes and if you don't get teared up (or openly cry like I did - I am man enough to admit this!) you do not have a heart in your chest. This movie is an absolute must see for any pet lovers. I have a cat that I consider to be like my son and I never thought I could love him more than I already did but this movie actually made that happen. All I wanted to do was race home after it was over and chill out with the J man. Putting animal loving aside, the movie was a great heartwarming story of how families grow. The only knock I can make against it is that I could have done without the extra 20 minutes of career angst with Owen Wilson. I found myself really not caring at all whether he should be a reporter or a columnist and shaving that out would have brought this movie down to the perfect running time of an hour and 40 minutes instead of the two hours.

I strongly recommend that everyone check this movie out. Especially if you are a pet lover. Just know that its going to put your heart in a vice and crush it and make sure the kids know beforehand. I took Stinka and two of her friends and they were fine since I told them. However, I still had quivering lip/ugly face cry going on even though I did.

Doubt

It's 1964, St. Nicholas in the Bronx. A vibrant, charismatic priest, Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman), is trying to upend the schools' strict customs, which have long been fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep), the iron-gloved Principal who believes in the power of fear and discipline. The winds of political change are sweeping through the community, and indeed, the school has just accepted its first black student, Donald Miller. But when Sister James (Amy Adams), a hopeful innocent, shares with Sister Aloysius her guilt-inducing suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much personal attention to Donald, Sister Aloysius sets off on a personal crusade to unearth the truth and to expunge Flynn from the school. Now, without a shard of proof besides her moral certainty, Sister Aloysius locks into a battle of wills with Father Flynn which threatens to tear apart the community with irrevocable consequence.

This was some of the most top notch acting I've ever seen. Phillip Seymour Hoffman was awesome as always as the younger priest who wants to update some old school customs. Amy Adams was great as the nervous new nun under a very strict rule. Meryl Streep was phenomenal as the strict principal of the school. She really took me right back to my grammar catholic school days. I saw Sister Helen Edward right up there on the screen. All three of them seem like locks to be nominated for oscars in my eyes and you might as well engrave Meryl Streep's name on the one for Best Actress.

I strongly recommend that everyone check out this movie. It could serve as a textbook for excellence in acting.

Defiance

Based on an extraordinary true story, Defiance is a tale of family, honor, vengeance and salvation in World War II. The year is 1941 and the Jews of Eastern Europe are being massacred by the thousands. Managing to escape certain death, three brothers take refuge in the dense surrounding woods they have known since childhood. There they begin their desperate battle against the Nazis. Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell star as brothers who turn a primitive struggle to survive into something far more consequential – a way to avenge the deaths of their loved ones by saving thousands of others. At first it is all they can do to stay alive. But gradually, as whispers of their daring spreads, they begin to attract others – men and women, young and old – willing to risk everything for the sake of even a moment's freedom. Tuvia (Craig) is a reluctant leader and his decisions are challenged by his brother, Zus (Schreiber) who worries that Tuvia's idealistic plans will doom them all. Asael (Bell) is the youngest – caught between his brothers' fierce rivalry. As a brutal winter descends, they work to create a community, and to keep faith alive when all humanity appeared to be lost.

I really liked this movie. I kind of expected it to be long and dragged out but was pleasantly surprised. The sibling rivalry between Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber was great and the overall context of the story really brings you in to the movie. The build up of the different philosophies between the two brothers and how they interweave at times was very well depicted. I think the best part of the movie was how they managed to turn the forest they were hiding in into one of the main characters.

I would strongly recommend that everyone check this movie out. Its not a must see by any means but is a high quality watch if you have the time.

Valkyrie

A proud military man, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg is a loyal officer who serves his country all the while hoping that someone will find a way to stop Hitler before Europe and Germany are destroyed. Realizing that time is running out, he decides that he must take action himself and joins the German resistance. Armed with a cunning strategy to use Hitler’s own emergency plan – known as Operation Valkyrie – these men plot to assassinate the dictator and overthrow his Nazi government from the inside. With everything in place, with the future of the world, the fate of millions and the lives of his wife and children hanging in the balance, von Stauffenberg is thrust from being one of many who oppose Hitler to the one who must kill Hitler himself.

This wasn't necessarily a bad movie. Its actually pretty watchable. The problem is that I simply couldn't care less about what was going on in the movie. I wasn't in to it at all. I'm not really sure if that was me personally or if the direction of the movie fails as a whole to get viewers in to the movie. Its just sort of there. The other problem is that the movie was advertised as an action/espionage thriller. There was an action scene at the beginning of the movie and an explosion towards the end. That was it for the action. As for it being a "thriller" . . . . . can't remember a single moment that would validate that.

I wouldn't really recommend that anyone rush to check this out. You can pretty much wait for rental or cable on this bad boy.

The Ten Best Movies of 2008

10 - Traitor
This movie came out late summer and was quickly forgotten. However, this movie was the equivalent of a Bourne movie in terms of intensity, legit action and a solid, stoic peformance by Don Cheadle, one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood.

9 - Tropic Thunder
Easily the funniest movie of 2008. The core group of actors were all hysterical, especially Robert Downey Jr. However, what totally made this movie was Tom Cruise's role as movie producer Les Grossman. This was honestly one of the best career moves I've ever seen someone make.

8 - Kung Fu Panda
I have always had a huge soft spot for animated movies that the adults can enjoy as much as the kids. The fact that the main hero in this movie was a fatty only made me feel that much more attached to him with my fat ass. The voices were great, the laughs were huge and the movie was beyond entertaining.

7 - The Incredible Hulk
I know that people will think that this movie has no right being on a top 10 list, but The Hulk was always my favorite superhero growing up and this movie was everything that the original movie a couple years back should have been. This movie was tremendously entertaining and was a big part of one of the most satisfying movie going summers I can remember in a long time.

6 - Revolutionary Road
I never would have thought that such a plain movie could be so intense. Basically its like watching a disfunctional couple in the 50s fight/argue for two hours but you can't look away because of how all out real the fights are. WW and I were cracking up after it was over at how we were so emotionally drained from watching it.

5 - Gran Torino
This is probably my favorite Clint Eastwood film. His portrayal of an old school war veteran having to deal with ethnic changes in his town and the generation gap between him and his children/grandchildren was amazing. His totally out of left field, insensitive one liners also made this movie totally hysterical.

4 - Iron Man
Never in a million years did I expect this movie or the casting of Robert Downey Jr to be so brilliant. I honestly rolled my eyes when I heard they were making this an expected another Daredevil. I rolled my eyes again when I heard that they cast Downey Jr. and figured that the movie would be garbage. I was so beyond wrong and this movie ended up easily being one of the top 5 comic book movies ever made.

3 - Slumdog Millionaire
I had heard great things about this movie but figured that everyone was just creating that I saw this first type buzz. I totally expected this to be the movie this year that I ended up not liking as much because of the aforementioned buzz (that honor ended up going to The Wrestler for the record) but I was wrong. This is one of those movies that just takes you on a ride that you love every second of but can't for the life of you explain why. It was so well done with the back and forth story telling and based on my belief that my top two movies on this list will probably garner no attention whatsoever, this movie is my pick to win the Best Picture oscar for 2008.

2 - Wall-E
I absolutely loved this movie. I loved the love story portion of it even though they were robots. I loved how they mocked the human race's laziness by saying that in the future we are all going to be sitting on moving recliners with multiple screens attached to the chair and that our bone structure is going to change from our lack of mobility. Most of all, I loved the character of Wall-E. He might end up being one of my favorites of all time. The way that the animators were able to show curiousity, shock, sadness, and love in a robot without using any dialogue was absolutely priceless.

1 - The Dark Knight
This is not only the best movie of 2008 . . . . . it is hands down the best comic book movie of all time. Heath Ledger as The Joker is one of the greatest performances of all time. Christopher Nolan's directing and build up of tension to the big scenes in the movie was awesome. The script was so powerful that even after having seen the movie 20 - 30 times I'm still picking up on some of the reflections on society and am amazed at how dead on they are. This movie is so much more than just a comic book movie. Its one of the best movies of all time.

The 10 Worst Movies of 2008

10 - The Happening
M Night Shymalalalalalalalan struck gold with The Sixth Sense right out the gate and is pretty much screwed for life while trying to recapture that same gold. This movie was so bad that I found myself laughing as people were killing themselves.

9 - Soul Men
Samuel L. Jackson has become the worst actor in Hollywood. Its almost at the point where I don't want to see a movie he's in. It is such a shame that this piece of dung is the last thing that Bernie Mac will ever do.

8 - The Spirit
Not even the cool visual look of Frank Miller movies could help save this absolute piece of garbage. I made it a whole 19 minutes before pulling the plug. Side note - Samuel Jackson also in this. Seeing a trend?

7 - The Midnight Meat Train
Never heard of it? Consider yourself lucky. This stupid movie about a train that would go down a different tunnel and anyone on it would be brutally killed was horrendous!

6 - Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanomo Bay
Even though I've never really been in to getting high, I can usually manage to enjoy pot movies anyway. Not the case with this one. I liked the first one but there was absolutely no reason for this sequel.

5 - You Don't Mess With The Zohan
I've always enjoyed Adam Sandler movies. I know that they are totally immature and sophmoric, but I tend to laugh my ass off anyway. This was the first one that I absolutely hated and ended up walking out on. I smiled once in the first hour before calling it a day.

4 - House
Never heard of it? Again - consider yourself lucky. This was another "horror" movie that was not scary whatsoever and was made so cheap that it would have been a lame made for Sci-Fi Network movie. I still can't for the life of me figure out why Michael Madsen was in this movie. Does he really not have any better options?

3 - College
Yet another envelope pushing sex comedy. I literally watched 8 minutes of this with a disgusted look on my face while waiting to string up another movie at work. It was more than enough to decide that I will never bother watching a single remaining second of the big turd.

2 - Fool's Gold
WW and I couldn't believe how horrible this movie was. In fact. I think we stayed as long as we did purely out of shock.

1 - Meet Dave
This movie was simply the worst movie of 2008. It is one of those epically horrible movies. Its one of those that are so bad that everyone must see it. This movie is on par with Howard The Duck, Leonard Part 6 and Ishtar bad. Eddie Murphy needs to tell his agent point blank that he can no longer even look at scripts like this anymore.

Bedtime Stories

Bedtime Stories is an adventure comedy starring Adam Sandler as Skeeter Bronson, a hotel handyman whose life is changed forever when the bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew start to mysteriously come true. When he tries to help his family by telling one outlandish tale after another, it's the kids' unexpected contributions that turn all of their lives upside down.

This is one of those movies where you essentially saw the movie by watching the trailer for it. There was nothing different or unexpected whatsoever. Its basically a watered down Adam Sandler movie so that younger kids can enjoy it. Stinka loved it and honestly that's all that really mattered to me while watching this. There were your usual, occasional laughs during the movie and it wasn't unbearable by any means. It was actually pretty watchable for adults, but this movie was blatantly made for the kids and they will definitely end up enjoying it.

I would recommend taking the kiddies to check this one out. You probably won't enjoy it nearly as much as they do but you can enjoy the smiles on their faces.

The Wrestler

Back in the late '80s, Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was a headlining professional wrestler. Now, twenty years later, he ekes out a living performing for handfuls of diehard wrestling fans in high school gyms and community centers around New Jersey.Estranged from his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and unable to sustain any real relationships, Randy lives for the thrill of the show and the adoration of his fans. However, a heart attack forces him into retirement. As his sense of identity starts to slip away, he begins to evaluate the state of his life -- trying to reconnect with his daughter, and strikes up a blossoming romance with an aging stripper (Marisa Tomei). Yet all this cannot compare to the allure of the ring and passion for his art, which threatens to pull Randy "The Ram" back into his world of wrestling.

There's always one every year. Sadly, this was the one for me this year. The Wrestler is this year's winner of too much buzz ruining a movie for me. I know that Mickery Rourke's performance was great in this and the behind the scenes wrestling and has beens trying to hold on to past glory was awesome. Unfortunately, I found myself watching this movie wondering why everyone thought it was so great. I know that its my own fault and I hate it but it manages to happen to at least one movie every year. I actually named it the Mr. Holland's Opus effect years ago. I couldn't help wondering how Entertainment Weekly had this as their number one movie of the year the whole time watching it.

I'd still recommend people checking this out because Mickey Rourke's performance was really good but try to keep your expectations in check unlike me.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is adapted from the 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards: a man, like any of us, who is unable to stop time. We follow his story, set in New Orleans from the end of World War I in 1918, into the 21st century, following his journey that is as unusual as any man's life can be. Directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett with Taraji P. Henson, Tilda Swinton, Jason Flemyng, Elias Koteas and Julia Ormond, "Benjamin Button," is a grand tale of a not-so-ordinary man and the people and places he discovers along the way, the loves he finds, the joys of life and the sadness of death, and what lasts beyond time.

This was one of those awesome story telling movies. Like a Forrest Gump type movie. The idea was great. The storytelling was awesome. The makeup is definitely going to win an oscar. The performances were top notch. The only thing that hurt this movie was its 3 hour running time. There were numerous points throughout that you felt the pacing fall "off" and that's pretty much an automatic sign that the movie could have easily been two and half hours. That's really the only knock though. Outside of that, it was a really great and entertaining movie.

I would strongly recommend people checking this bad boy out . . . . . if they have the three hours to spare. Its more than worth the time if you have it though.

The Spirit

Adapted from Will Eisner's comic book series, The Spirit is written for the screen and directed by Frank Miller. It is the story of a former rookie cop who returns mysteriously from the dead as The Spirit (Gabriel Macht) to fight crime from the shadows of Central City. His arch-enemy, The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson) has a different mission: he's going to wipe out Spirit's beloved city as he pursues his own version of immortality. The Spirit tracks this cold-hearted killer from Central City's rundown warehouses, to the damp catacombs, to the windswept waterfront... all the while facing a bevy of women who either want to seduce, love or kill our masked crusader. Surrounding him at every turn are Ellen Dolan (Sarah Paulson), the whip-smart girl-next-door; Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson), a punk secretary and frigid vixen; Plaster of Paris (Paz Vega), a murderous French nightclub dancer; Lorelei (Jaime King), a phantom siren; and Morgenstern (Stana Katic), a sexy young cop. Then of course, there's Sand Saref (Eva Mendes), the jewel thief with dangerous curves. She's the love of his life turned bad. Will he save her or will she kill him?

This movie was downright horrid. I couldn't even make it through the first twenty minutes without pulling the plug. For the record - it was 18 minutes. This movie was incredibly schlocky and over the top. I get that its based on a graphic novel and what not but this was just plain visually silly. The opening fight scene between The Spirit and The Octopus was what made me end up leaving. I hate to admit it but I think Samuel Jackson has reached the plateau of most annoying/hated actor in Hollywood. I wanted to throw my soda at him.

I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. Its a big piece of dung thrown up there on the screen and is a complete waste of your time . . . . . even the 19 minutes I watched.