Green Lantern: An underwhelming adventure

Hal Jordan is a hotshot test pilot who always lives life on the edge. His life is forever changed however after he is chosen to join an intergalactic group of warriors known as the Green Lantern Corps. While he struggles with the demands of being a superhero an evil force gains strength and threatens to destroy not only Earth, but the universe.

There was a chance here for the Green Lantern to be another one of those successful comic book adaptations much in the same vein as Captain America, Iron Man, etc. Hal Jordan was a complex character who, although bestowed the awesome powers of the Lantern Ring, struggled with his own personal demons of fear and tenacity. His story had the opportunity to show the audience that terrific powers can only help one so much, that it takes the will of a person to see things through in brightest day or in blackest night.

Unfortunately the script failed to give the film a consistent flow, juggling too many subplots and characters and simply not keeping the audience mentally engaged with anything on the screen other than the elaborate action sequences which were not all that great. The perfect example of this was the final showdown between Hal and the main villain of the film (Parallax), which was anti-climatic and unsatisfying given the build up of Parallax's powers and abilities as well as the power of Hal's Ring. Ryan Reynolds tried his best to make Hal not only cocky but accessible and vulnerable but he was (again) hamstrung by the script, which gave all of the characters in the film the individual emotional depth found in the characters of a SyFy made for tv movie. Director Martin Campbell only seemed interested in making sure the CGI looked good and also ignored the chance to present the audience with a story that would accentuate the action.

Green Lantern was an underwhelming excursion into the DC comic book universe.

Grade: C-

Horrible Bosses: Good for a few laughs

Nick, Dale and Kurt are all miserable at their jobs thanks in large part to their bosses. One night, after drinking heavily, they come up with a plan to eliminate them. They even go so far as to hire a murder consultant to help them go through with the evil deeds, but will they?

Taking its cue from the Alfred Hitchcock classic Strangers on a Train (or the Danny DeVito classic Throw Mama from the Train if you believe Dale), Horrible Bosses attempted to give the audience a comedic look at three guys trying to enact the ultimate scenario for those people that cannot stand their boss. Most of the laughs in the film were provided by those horrible bosses, which included Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell (who did not get nearly enough screen time as Kurt's cracked out boss Bobby) and Jennifer Aniston. Aniston in particular was hilarious as Dale's maneater of a boss Julia for the character was so unlike the "good girl" character she usually plays that every nasty comment that came out of her mouth (and trust me, there were a lot of them) was all the more shocking and funny. Jason Bateman and Charlie Day pitched in with some comedic gems of their own (Jason Sudeikis was just as slimy and unlikable as his boss Farrell) but the film failed to be anything more than a mean-spirited comedy with little to offer beyond its last gross-out gag or sexually charged line from Aniston.

This is not a bad thing, sometimes it's nice to just turn off one's mind and giggle at the insanity happening on screen but if you are looking for a comedy with layers and depth, Horrible Bosses is not the film for you.

Grade: C 

Fast Five: A satisfying sequel!

After Brian and Mia break Dom out of prison they try to stay one step ahead of the law. This eventually leads them to Rio de Janeiro where they run afoul of a powerful local drug lord named Reyes. In order to gain their freedom and stop Reyes from hunting them, they need to pull one last job. Little do they know that even as they assemble their team a hard nosed federal agent named Luke Hobbs is on their tail, looking to capture them.

When a film series hits its fifth installment, chances are it is so much like the previous films, in characters, story and actions, that it boarders on ridiculousness and cliche (see the Friday the 13th, Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street series for examples of this). In light of this, it is shocking that The Fast and Furious franchise has reached a fifth film, given the fact that all of the subsequent sequels to the 2001 original have been lacking in originality and entertainment.

So why should you check out Fast Five? For starters, the action was intense and constant. Not only were there the expected car chases/stunt sequences (the most insane of which involved Dom and Brian tearing up the streets of Rio with the bad guy's safe in the finale) but a number of fight sequences that were unusually effective. Beyond the sequences that most action fans were hoping to see in the film what helped to set this sequel apart from its predecessors was the story and characters. Director Justin Lin did well to make sure they satisfied the conventions that fans of the series were expecting while, at the same time, expanding upon those conventions and characters so that Fast Five was not just another brainless retread. Framing the story around the caper that Dom, Brian and the rest of team were trying to pull not only allowed for some Ocean's Eleven type caper action, but also for the cast (including a number of familiar faces from the previous films) to provide some memorable performances that made their characters easy for the audience to connect with. Add to that an absolutely show-stopping performance by Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs (the parts where he and Diesel squared off were epic) and you can start to see why this sequel merits at least one viewing.

Taken for the good old fashioned popcorn action flick it is meant to be, Fast Five was a satisfying sequel with plenty of action but also surprising depth of character and story.

Grade: B

Red State: Kevin Smith should stick to comedy

A group of teenage boys travel to the backwoods to answer an online sex ad but little do they know it is a trap set by the extreme religious fundamental group known as the Five Points Church. The group, led by Abin Cooper, has diabolical plans in store not only for the teens, but for any person or group that does not share their beliefs.

It is always interesting when a director who is known for creating a specific type of film does a one hundred and eighty degree turn and tries something completely unlike what has always paid their bills. Such is the case with writer/director Kevin Smith (best known for comedies such as Clerks, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, etc.). The subject matter/story of Red State seemed out of character for a man who in his own words has a "predilection toward dick and fart jokes," but with his abilities to create sharp, crackling dialogue, as well as memorable characters and situations, it seemed as though he would be able to deliver a horror film that challenged the genre's conventions and leave the audience shaken but engaged and entertained. Unfortunately Red State felt like a halfhearted attempt with no real scares. Smith was never able to create any memorable characters, with the exception of Abin Cooper (the scene stealing Michael Parks) who was able to entrance the audience with his fervent (and extremely fundamentalistic) beliefs. The rest of the cast felt extremely generic and failed to deliver performances even close to Parks. As a result, the audience failed to connect with any of them and could not feel any real emotion when each was in a life threatening situation. The story and structure of the film made it seem like more of a thriller than a horror film as Smith obviously drew influence from recent real life religious cults/sects to ground it in a reality the audience had a feeling for. However the message that he intended for the audience to take away from the film (eloquently stated by John Goodman near the end) that "people just do the damndest things when they believe" (like Cooper's followers and the silly ATF agents that try to stop them) no doubt fell on deaf ears.

The audience wanted to see a film that would shock them with its powerful storytelling, overabundance of gore or other salacious content, but Kevin Smith's Red State did none of this. It only left the audience wishing that he would write another Jay and Silent Bob movie.

Grade: D 

Scream 4: A return to the good stuff!

Ten years after her last encounter with the Ghostface Killer, Sidney Prescott seems to have finally put herself together. While on tour promoting her new self-help book, she stops by her old hometown of Woodsboro and reconnects with her old friends Dewey, Gale and her niece Jill. But her reappearance also brings about the reappearance of the Ghostface Killer, who seems intent upon finally getting the best of Sidney.

The thing that made the original Scream so groundbreaking was that it broke the rules in regards to horror films. When it was released in 1996, it not only acknowledged that horror films (like Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, etc.) existed, but that there were certain rules that one needed to abide by in order to survive a horror film scenario. The original was also aided by screenwriter Kevin Williamson and director Wes Craven and the immense talent they both brought to the project. The self-reflexive look/story aspect of the film helped to break the mold of the Hollywood horror film (a mold that had existed since the early 1980's and something Craven helped to create with A Nightmare on Elm Street). However, the successive sequels fell victim to the flaws the original skewered and, as a result, lacked the punch and staying power of that original.

But, as with any good horror film franchise, it just could not die and Scream 4 was released nearly 15 years after the first one. Thankfully Craven and Williamson returned to guide the project which does not quite live up to the original (how could it honestly), but has the same spirited scares, laughs, pop culture references and sturdy performances to make it the best sequel in the franchise. Williamson's script kept the audience involved by presenting the mystery of who or whom was responsible for the new Woodsboro killings while giving the characters plenty of opportunities to rift on cultural gems like "the death of horror films" or how cliched the situation they were facing at the time was. Meanwhile Craven was also able to strike a balance between building up the tension as Ghostface stalked his (or her) victims and allowing the audience to breath and chuckle. Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette all pitched in with solid performances, breathing life into the characters that helped get them bigger paychecks when looking for other starring roles, and the youngsters in the cast added a needed jolt of youth and energy (Emma Roberts performance in particular was absorbing).

Scream 4 was a return to the uber-intelligent, fun and self-reflexive horror film ways that made this once fabled horror franchise relevant enough to pass judgement on the horror genre as a whole.

Grade: B

The Last Exorcism

Reverend Cotton Marcus agrees to let a documentary crew follow him as he attempts to show that exorcisms are a fraudulent waste of time. But once they arrive at the Sweetzer home where the Reverend is to perform his final exorcism, they confront an omnious situation that none of them is expecting.

The film was able to deliver a few effective jumps, scares and suspensful moments thanks in large part to the performance of Ashley Bell, who played Nell Sweetzer (the girl that was supposedly possessed). But with the exception of those few moments, The Last Exorcism clunked along, trotting the same well-worn path as other "exorcism" themed horror films of recent memory. The character/story of Cotton Marcus had the chance to make the movie something unique in the genre for his character was a priest who had lost his faith in God and thought exorcisms were a joke. But rather than focusing on that and his possible redemption or rediscovery of faith director Daniel Stamm chose to go the same old route and, instead of a welcomed character-driven horror film, The Last Exorcism became a nasty, exploitative junker with an ending that felt like it was borrowed from another film all together.

If you can stomach another brainless exorcism film that fails to do anything but recycle the same plots, characters, and other elements that have been utilized by previous exorcism movies then The Last Exorcism is right up your alley.

Grade: D

Thor: Another solid comic book film!

Thor, a powerful warrior from the distant planet of Asgard, is banished to earth by his father Odin for his arrogance. He must use all of his powers to protect the friends he makes there from evil forces sent from his home world by a sinister villian.

Thor can almost be viewed as a companion piece to the other Marvel superhero film adaptation released this summer, Captain America. Both featured richly, complex protagonist that had to learn to deal with the high and lows of the great responsibility of having great power. But whereas Steve Rogers grew up never knowing what it was to have power before he became Captain America, Thor grew up always having that power. He grew into an arrogant prince that needed to have that power yanked from him in order to realize what it meant to be a true leader. This might sound a little complex for a simple action film about a Norse God with a cool looking hammer but director Kenneth Branagh tempered the Greek tragedy overtones of the story with some solid action sequences as well as some truly amusing comedic bits as Thor adjusted to life on earth (the parts featuring his introduction to the taser and modern medicine were the highlights of the "fish out of water" stuff). Where Thor fell short was in showing the audience the Thunder God's transformation from selfish brat into selfless hero. It is true that, once on earth, he meets a beautiful scientist in Jane Foster (the always stunning albeit under-utilized in this particular role Natalie Portman) but it should take more than one romantic conversation under the stars to convert him into someone other than the egotistical brat he was.

All in all Thor was another solid entry into the growing lineup of Marvel superhero films.

Grade: B-

Paul: A close encounter of the hilarious kind!

Graeme and Clive are two sci-fi fanatics that are on a quest to find out what is really going on in Area 51. But on their way to investigate they run into an actual visitor from another planet named Paul, who is on the run from the authorities. Together they hatch a scheme to get Paul back to his mother ship and back home.

Paul was essentially a buddy road trip film that happened to have an alien and some other screwball shenanigans added in to make it atypical for the genre. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost were hilarious as Graeme and Clive respectively, showing the same kind of comic talent and timing that made the other flims which they have starred in together (Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) memorable comedic fare. There were plenty of sight gags, thinly veiled references to other classic sci-fi films (the audience was finally shown who truly inspired Stephen Spielberg to create E.T.) and just enough dry "British" humor to cause the audience to geniuely chuckle throughout. But the best (and perhaps most unexpected) part of the film was the fact that title character (voice by Seth Rogen) was so entertaining, effective and believable. Usually when one thinks of a character that is completely CGI unfortunate mistakes like Jar Jar Binks pop into their heads, but Paul was different. He was different in that he did not act like one would expect a visitor from another world to. He wasn't screaming, "take me to your leader" or threatening passers-by with death rays, he just seemed like a regular person. He smoked, cursed and acted crude at points but there was a heart to him which made him endearing. Director Greg Mottola was wise to seize upon this and accenutate those moments where Paul, Graeme and Clive were just hanging out having a good time because those were the moments where the audience could gravitate toward the guys and the quest they were on.

This film was one of those rare comedies that was actually funny, and it is definitely worth a look.

Grade: B

Sanctum: Not worth the dive!

Expert diver Frank McGuire and his teenage son Josh head an expedition to map a network of underground caverns but when a tropical storm cuts off their exit, they must use all of their wits and strength to find a route to the surface.

What should have been an uplifting drama about the struggle and eventual triumph of a group of regular people to survive some rather unfortunate circumstances turned out to be a dull, dreary and even malicious waste of the audience's time.

It felt like it took Alister Grierson (who directed the film) forever to get the film setup and then moving. That was due to the fact that both the characters and conflicts they were dealing with were monotonous. The audience would be hard pressed to find a character within the cast to root for as they were all aggrevating and/or insipid in some way. Even when there were moments for the audience to gravitate to someone like Josh, Frank or another member of the cast, something awful would happen to someone and they would suffer a fate worse than what would happen to some hapless teen in a slasher film.

Not even the name of James Cameron (who served as Executive Producer) could save Sanctum from being a depressing waste of time.

Grade: D

Source Code: Make every second count, by checking this movie out!

US Army helicopter pilot Colter Stevens wakes up on a commuter train in Chicago. His last memories were of flying sorties in Afghanistan but soon he realizes not only is back in the United States, but he has also assumed the identity of another man. Eight minutes later his train blows up but he does not die, he awakens to discover himself in a pod where a woman named Goodwin tells him he must go back to that train and stop the bomb from blowing it up or else the entire town of Chicago will be destroyed.

Source Code was another example of a sci-fi thriller that not only attempted to blow the audience away with its high tech premise, but also use that unconventional storyline to explore the human condition.

The futuristic premise, which featured Gyllenhaal's Stevens reliving another man's reality in order to stop a terrorist attack on Chicago, might seemed far fetched but writer Ben Ripley and director Duncan Jones did it right by setting the story in modern times. This grounded the story in a reality that the audience was acutely aware of. Ripley and Jones also did a good job of roping the audience into the plot by keeping the mystery of who planted the bomb and their ultimate motives in foregound of the story, not buried in the back in favor of more special effects bells and whistles.

The story was intriguing (some have described it as Groundhog Day meets 12 Monkeys) but what truly set it apart from other films (sci-fi or otherwise) was the humanity Jake Gyllenhaal brought to his role. If handled in the wrong way the film could have easily become laughably cheesy, like Jean Claude Van Damme's Timecop, in that the action would have swallowed the narrative whole. But Gyllenhaal brought emotion and soul to his performance, a set of talents sadly lacking in most action heroes nowadays. Through his struggles in trying to understand just what was expected of him in his attempts to locate that bomb, he came to realize a number of things about his life, deeper personal realizations which caused him to rethink and question just who he was and what he stood for. Source Code challenged the audience to rethink along with Gyllenhaal, a quality not seen in most recently released films.

Source Code is an intelligent and emotionally satisfying sci-fi thriller that you should not miss.

Grade: B+

The Adjustment Bureau: The choice is yours (maybe!)

Politician David Norris is on the brink of winning a seat in the U.S. Congress when he has a chance encounter with a beautiful ballerina named Elise. As David begins to fall for her he realizes that there is a group - The Adjustment Bureau - who will do everything in their considerable power to keep them apart.

While The Adjustment Bureau attempted to mirror the “Bourne” films which Matt Damon starred in, it lacked the dynamic action and comprehensiveness in story/plot that made those movies modern action classics. This is not to say that it was not a good film, Damon was certainly convincing in his role as David Norris and he shared excellent chemistry with Emily Blunt’s Elise Sellas. That chemistry was important if the audience was to buy into their characters and the struggles they went through to fight against “the plan” that the evil (or maybe not, guess it’s how one views the film as a whole) Bureau had for them. The plot for the film (it was based upon a short story by Philip K. Dick) presented quite an interesting twist for a sci-fi action story as it made the audience ponder if humans can choose their own fate or if everything was predetermined in their lives. It's rare for the audience to have to think at the multi-plex nowadays, so this thought provoking story was a nice surpise. Writer/Director George Nolfi did his best to not only keep the audience engaged in the complexity presented with the story but also ratcheted up the tension and blended in some (but not enough) action while at the same time building the bond between David and Elise, however he neglected to give the fedora wearing members of the Bureau any depth and left many things regarding their role in the universe of the film unexplained.

Ultimately The Adjustment Bureau provided the audience a change in pace with its provocative story but lacked the action to make it a memorable sci-fi thriller.

Grade: C+ 

Captain America: The First Avenger - The Summer Blockbuster that delivers the goods!

Steve Rogers, a kid that has been rejected for military service on a number of occasions, volunteers for a top secret program which seeks to turn the average soldier into a superhero. This program successfully turns him into Captain America, a hero dedicated to the truths, ideals and defense of the American way of life.

In this summer of blockbuster sequels and comic book adaptations it might be difficult to sell a film like Captain America to the movie - going public, but there are a number of reasons why they should not skip over this tale of The First Avenger.

The story gave the audience the necessary nuts and bolts of the good Captain's origins to draw them in without overwhelming them in miniscule details that could derail it. Director Joe Johnston effectively mixed solid action sequences along with properly timed bits of humor to give the film an almost "Indiana Jones -esque" quality. But what set Captain America apart from those other lackluster sequels or comic book films was the performance of Chris Evans as the title character. When the audience is first introduced to Captain America, he is a skinny kid from Brooklyn named Steve Rogers who has been rejected by the Army four times due to his poor health and other medical problems. One got the sense that Steve had been picked on most of his life, but that did not stop him from standing up to bullies or taking on challenges that stronger men shied away from. He was the prototypical underdog and if Johnston had just jumped straight into showing Captain America cracking skulls and kicking Nazi butt without showing the audience who he was before, the film would have lacked the depth to story and character that it exhibited throughout (a trait sadly missing in the bulk of films released this summer). The humanity and heart that Evans endowed Steve with at the beginning not only made him the perfect subject for the Army's Super Soldier program, but also gave the audience a hero that they could relate to on an emotional level.

It was easy to stand up and cheer for Captain America for it was the first summer blockbuster of 2011 to deliver the goods (and make sure you stick around after the credits for a special surprise, you'll be glad you did).

Grade: B

Insidious: Genuinely scary!

Soon after they move into a new house Josh and Renai's son Dalton falls into an unexplainable coma. Not only that but his comatose starts to attract malevolent forces, forcing the family to move into another home in order to escape the torment. But when the malevolent forces follow them to their new house, the family decides that they must fight these evil forces if they want to live a normal life.

It is hard to find horror films nowadays that do not automatically resort to using excessive gore, violence or other exploitative measures to "scare" an audience. And given director James Wan's previous horror outings (Saw and Dead Silence) it is easy to understand why the audience might have expected the same kind of results with his latest effort, Insidious.

Surprisingly enough though, Insidious was able to not only scare the audience without the blood and gore but keep them involved in the story/plot as well. Wan was able to keep the audience on edge by slowly building the tension, giving away just enough story-wise  to make the audience wonder what was keeping Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Renai's (Rose Byrne) son Dalton in a coma or why he and the family were being plagued by evil spirits while at the same time making them scoot just a little closer to the edge of their seats whenever they thought they saw a shadow or Renai thought she heard a noise. It's those kinds of scares/jumps that are legitimately effective as they are things an audience member could experience and maybe even wonder, "was it just the wind or something else?" There were some scares/jumps that could make even the most harden horror film viewer shiver, including one particular scene which was shown in the trailer for the film but still caused goose pimples to run up and down one's spine. Beyond the things that went bump in the night the cast was successful in drawing the audience in emotionally and making them care about what was happening on screen (another rarity for a horror film).

Insidious was a good old-fashioned horror film that did not require buckets of blood or other nastiness to deliver some genuine scares.

Grade: B-

Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Action, yes...Story/Plot....not so much

When the Autobots learn that a secret Cybertronian spacecraft was discovered on the Moon by the United States back in the 1960's, they race to recover what was on the ship before the Decepticons can.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon delivered the kind of breathtaking and grandiose action one would expect for a summer blockbuster. The finale of the film (where the Autobots attempted to retake downtown Chicago from the Decepticons) in particular was superlative not only for the robot on robot fights, but also the action taken by the human cast members (or their stunt doubles), including some very cool "flying" suites and a sequence in which a high-rise building collaspsed on its side with Sam Witwicky and the rest of the human heroes still trapped inside.

What was missing from the film was any semblance of plot, story or character development. After the credits started to roll and even upon reflection the following day after seeing Dark of the Moon, the audience will probably find it hard to remember just why Sam was running around again trying to save the world. Although this is Shia LeBeouf's third turn as Witwicky, he seems to have lost his edge or even credibility with the part (the inferior script from Ehren Kruger didn't help). He has a new girlfriend in this one in Carly (a shoddy Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) whom he is trying to keep around by getting and holding down a job but that was all the audience was given to work with as the rest of the screen time was spent following Optimus Prime and the other Autobots around as they attempted to save humanity (again). The only time there have been believable/relatable characters in this film series was in the original Transformers, when director Michael Bay had to give the audience Sam's backstory in order to establish his character. The story for Dark of the Moon lured the audience in at the beginning with the whole U.S. Moon landing that doubled as a chance to uncover the Cybertronian ship which crashed but shortly thereafter Bay develled into his old tricks of lame jokes, useless characters and an over-abundance of scenes which served no other purpose but to kill time until the next big action sequence. It's not like an audience goes into a film like this expecting to see Shakespeare but it would have been nice to have something more than what Bay and the rest of the crew delivered.

Brainless, summer blockbuster entertainment, they name is Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Grade: C

The Rite: Wrong in so many ways

When Michael, a Catholic priest in training, begins to question his faith, he is sent to The Vatican in order to attend a special class on exorcism being taught by the church. Once there he is introduce to Father Lucas, a man intent upon showing Michael the true power of the devil.

The "exorcism" film really begins and ends with the classic which started the entire sub-genre, The Exorcist. In that respect, it is hard for any new film which deals with the same subject to match or even surpass what most people consider to be one of the best (and scariest) films of all time. The Rite had a chance to at least match The Exorcist due to its seemingly compelling storyline as well as the acting prowess of its star, Sir Anthony Hopkins, however it falied to be anything more than a substandard by-the-numbers supernatural thriller which did not even thrill. The story of Michael was never interesting enough to follow or take seriously, this was due to the pedestrian acting of Colin O' Donoghue (who played Michael) as well as the second-rate directing by Mikael Hafstrom, who simply recycled all of those ideas and plot points from films like The Exorcist and failed to introduce anything fresh or exciting to the sub-genre. Perhaps the most disappointing part of the movie was the performance of Hopkins for it felt like he channeled Hannibal Lector for half of his time on screen. His act got so tawdry at points that the audience could not help but feel as if the man who made fava beans famous was in the film for nothing more than a nice paycheck.

The Rite was wrong in so many ways that it never came close to being half as good as the movie it was trying to imitate.

Grade: D

The Green Hornet: Bruce Lee would not be pleased

Newspaper heir Britt Reid never really cared for much in life except for partying and having a good time. But after the death of his father he decides to don a disguise and make a difference as the crime fighter The Green Hornet. Along with his trusted sidekick Kato they set out to clean up the streets of Los Angeles.

Based off of the 1960's television series of the same name The Green Hornet had something of a Batman vibe to it given the backstory of the main character (Britt Reid, like Bruce Wayne, is a rich kid who decides to take justice into his own hands after the murder of his father). However with Seth Rogen in the role of Reid, the audience was no doubt expecting quite a few hilarious one-liners  and other comic gems to complement the action expected in a superhero film. While the action was present (most of the said action was supplied by Jay Chou who played Kato), the sloppily scripted story never connected with the audience. Rogen's Reid/Green Hornet failed to be anything other than an unfunny, spolied brat who was completely unbelievable as a good guy, let alone a superhero. Christoph Waltz, as the bad guy Chudnofsky, was whinier than a seventeen year old girl who didn't get asked to prom and never amounted to anything menacing or convincingly evil while Cameron Diaz did nothing more than show up and look hot. Even the directing by Michel Gondry (who has directed visually unique films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep) seemed ordinary and added little to an already underwhelming film.

The bad jokes, shoddy story/plot, poor acting and stagnant directing all combined to make The Green Hornet nothing super at all.

Grade: D

Resident Evil: Afterlife: A sequel with less brains than the zombies that are in it

Alice's quest to destroy the evil Umbrella Corporation continues as she must fight to lead a group of survivors to the safe haven of Arcadia, a place where the T virus infection has not spread to.

There are some films which truly deserve sequels (i.e. Star Wars, Indiana Jones, etc.) because their main characters and storylines are so intriguing, audiences want to see more. However there are some films which do not warrant a single sequel, let alone three of them. Such is the case with the Resident Evil franchise and its latest plodding effort, "Afterlife" which was a silly exercise in hackneyed storytelling and directing. Paul W.S. Anderson (the Director of the film) tried to distinguish this sequel by incorporating 3D action sequences into it but those sequences were so similar to the action seen in the original Matrix (and I mean right down to the bad guy Albert Wesker, whose mannerisms and look smacked of Agent Smith) that it was hard not to roll one's eyes and stare at the nearest clock in the hopes that the film would be over sooner rather than later. The actual storyline was not any better as it suceeded in only giving the audience the bare facts of the how's and why's regarding Alice's quest and left plot holes of epic proportions at every opportunity.

With any luck, Resident Evil: Afterlife will be the last film in a franchise of truly subpar efforts.

Grade: D

Jackass 3D: The usual hilarious carnage

The Jackass crew returns for another round of crazy stunts and other tomfoolery that is bound to either make you laugh or become physically ill.

It seems improbable that, after a number of seasons on MTV as well as two successful films, Johnny Knoxville and his merry band of fellow Jackasses would still be able to find new ways to make an audience bust out laughing while simultaneously making them squirm in their seats as they watched a new series and stunts and other insane gags unfold in front of them but that was exactly what happened in Jackass 3D. From Steve-O's porta potty slingshot fiasco, the "High Five" practical joke, improper use of super glue, to a human duck hunt, it was impossible to not chuckle uncontrollably at the human carnage which happened on screen.

It is conceivable that Johnny and the guys are slowing down just a bit as they continue to grow older and are not as spry as they once were as Bam, Ryan and all of the rest seemed to take just a little longer to get up after they fell down and the stunts were not as crazy as they once were (but let's face it, how many shots to the crotch than these guys take before they are forever sterile or having any resemblance of a normal life). This film even felt like something of a proper farewell but here's hoping they can find a way to make at least one more movie before they hang up their helments and tasers.

If you are not a fan of Jackass, then odds are, you are going to want to skip this movie but fans of the series will not be disappointed with this sequel.

Grade: B

Tron Legacy: A visual dynamo...that's about it

Sam Flynn, the son of a virtual world designer, goes looking for his father twenty years after his disappeared. In his quest to find him, he winds up inside the digital world that his father created and must fight to not only save himself, but to also stop the evil overload that now rules the digital domain of The Grid.

The best aspects of Tron Legacy were its production design and visual effects. Sure, the slow motion bullet-time-esque action shots and skin tight bodysuits worn by the main characters reminded one of The Matrix and the look of The Grid had certain Blade Runner aspects to it, but director Joseph Kosinski was able to build upon what Steven Lisberger, the director of the original Tron, created in the original and fashion a slick, innovative and awe inspiring futuristic world of light cycles and planes, stunning architecture and intense action which most sci-fi fans will find hard to pass up. Where the film faltered was in its story and characters. Garrett Hedlund (who played Sam) was no Keanu Reeves (and trust me, that's a bad thing), Jeff Bridges channeled too much of The Dude (his trademark character from The Big Lebowski) to be taken seriously as Kevin, his CGI-aided role as Clu looked a little too fake (and creepy) from time to time while poor Olivia Wilde (who looked amazing in her bodysuit) was never given much to do as Quorra other than look pretty. The whole story of Sam rushing into The Grid to save his father and stop Clu's evil invasion plans was never given any traction. It never developed into something substantial and felt choppy, rushed and tacked on in an effort to fill time between the visually dazzling sequences.

Just sit back and watch all of the amazing visuals in Tron Legacy, those should be entertaining enough to make you forget that there is not much of a story.

Grade: C+

Black Swan: A disturbing masterpiece

Ballet dancer Nina lands the role of the lifetime when she is cast as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake. But she soon starts to believe her dreams of stardom will be crushed by her rival Lilly and, as opening night approaches and the pressure builds, her obsesion with being the "perfect" Swan Queen drives her into paranoia and delusion.

The first thing one remembers after turning off Black Swan is the career defining performance given by Natalie Portman. As Nina, she was able to grow character-wise, from the timid and scared girl in the beginning of the film who could only hope to land the part of the Swan Queen to the mature and confident woman who was able to give the performance of her lifetime in that role. Her actions and reactions between those two points were filled with so much emotion, including anger, confusion, despair and desire that it was nearly impossible to tear one's eyes from the screen for Ms. Portman so totally lost herself in the role that it was hard to imagine this was the same woman who played Queen/Senator Amidala in the recent Star Wars prequels. It was almost as if Ms. Portman felt as though her own real life career mirrored that of Nina's and, having grown tired of always playing the good girl, she was looking for a role that would not only break that typecasting mold, but bust it inot a million pieces. As with Nina's transformation this role seems to be Portman's transformative performance.

Beyond Portman's performance, Darren Aronofsky's direction merits attention for he was able to not only bring out stellar performances from his lead actress as well as the rest of the cast, but he also kept the audience on the edge of their seats by playing up the torment Nina was facing. Her decent into a psychological spiral preyed on the minds of the audience, causing them to question whether Nina was truly turning into the mythologial Black Swan or if she was simply loosing her mind. Aronofsky was able to further toy with the audience by including some of Nina's visions, which contained some of the more unnerving images seen on film since movies such as The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby.

A film about a mentally unhinged ballerina does not seem like something many people would be calmoring to watch, however the strong acting and storytelling of Black Swan made it a disturbingly, entertaining thriller that an audience could not help but be enthralled by.

Grade: A

Skyline: Another one where you root for the aliens to win

After a night of partying in Los Angeles Jerrod and his pregnant girlfriend Elaine are awakened by mysterious blue lights. Soon they discover that they are among the few people to have survived an alien invasion and must fight to escape the alien invaders.

No one will ever fault The Strause Brothers (who directed the film) for their abilities to create dazzling visual effects. The Brothers created the visual effects for films such as 300 and Battle: Los Angeles, so it should come as no surprise that the big battle sequences and those sequences which featured the aliens were among the most captivating and entertaining parts of Skyline. But therein lies the problem because all of those special effects could not mask the insipid story and vapid character within the story which were never developed enough to care about. It seemed like The Strause Brothers envisioned their movie as a sort of Cloverfield meets War of the Worlds mashup but in reality, it almost felt like an episode of The Real World L.A. as the survivors just sat around whining and moaning about everything (pre and post alien invasion). The two main characters the audience was supposed to connect with emotionally, Jerrod and Elaine, were so crippled by dreadful dialogue and a lack of depth that it not only made them hard to connect with, it also made them easy to forget. The story was never given proper direction or focus and tended to wonder aimlessly between those scenes of awesome looking visual effects.

Bad story plus bad dialogue plus cool visuals all added up to make Skyline a wasted opportunity of a sci-fi thriller.

Grade: D 

The Fighter: In this corner, one heck of a good film

Growing up in the shadow of his older brother Dickey, a once talented boxer and small town hero who now battles a drug addiction, Mickey has always struggled to be his own man and makes a name for himself as a professional boxer. Things start to turn around for him in the ring once he begins training with someone other than Dickey and starts dating a woman named Charlene, but will he be able to maintain his newfound success?

A film in the same vein as Raging Bull, though lacking in the same kind of intensity story-wise and visceral viciousness when it came to the actual boxing sequences, The Fighter was an engrossing sports drama which sucked viewers in thanks to the impressive performances of its cast. Mark Wahlberg was steady as Mickey, invoking both strength and vulnerability in his portrayal, making him imminently easy to root for. Melissa Leo’s portrayal as Alice (Mickey and Dickey’s overbearing and unscrupulous mother) was horrifying to behold at points (because of the way she treated Mickey) and therefore solid in its own right but major kudos (and a well deserved Oscar) go to Christian Bale as Dickey. When he is first shown on the screen, it’s hard to imagine that this is the same man who portrays Batman, as Bale has the look, twitches and other believable characteristics of an addict. He was not an easy character to like at first, for Dickey had a number of faults beyond his addiction but Bale was able to breath bits and pieces of humanity into the character until he finally decided to give up drugs and recommit himself to living a clean life and helping Mickey with his boxing career. The parallel lines that both he and Mickey took to their ultimate redemption and/or triumph were difficult to watch at times, but that just made their victories much sweeter. Plus it served the purpose of keeping the audience engaged in the story.

Featuring mature directing from David O. Russell, The Fighter delivered an emotionally satisfying story with captivating performances.

Grade: B-

My Soul to Take: My goodness what a bad film

Fifteen years after the serial killer “The Riverton Ripper” was allegedly killed by police a number of teenager, whose birthdays match that fateful day, begin to go missing. Soon people begin to wonder if The Ripper is back and taking revenge or if his soul is somehow responsible for the disappearances.

Once upon a time when one saw the name Wes Craven attached as the director of a film a shiver no doubt went down their spin. For years Craven has directed some of the better horror films released, including A Nightmare on Elm Street and the Scream series, but his newest film My Soul to Take might mark a new career low for it featured a dreadfully befuddling story and absolutely no terrifying or thrilling parts whatsoever. The main villain of the movie, “The Riverton Ripper,” was rarely seen and hardly developed character-wise, like most of the disposable teen cast, which played their cookie-cutter parts as best they could before being dispatched in disappointingly similar fashions.

Without even a decent supporting character to root for the audience had to contend with the perplexingly tedious story, which never had a hint of intrigue and left them wondering why they had wasted an hour and forty minutes of their lives on a horrible film when they could have been doing something better, like watching paint dry.

Grade: D-

Devil: A wasted opportunity

Five strangers become trapped in an elevator. The situation becomes worse as each of them is murdered in a horrifying fashion and it’s up to a Detective to undercover the how’s and whys before everyone is killed.

Devil had an intriguing/promising premise that could have provided filmgoers with a thought-provoking thriller in that the devil was trapped in an elevator with four other people, looking to collect their souls. And while there were a few tense moments in which the close quarters and sound were effectively utilized to make the audience jump, they were never given a solid rationalization as to why the devil had to catch an elevator to nab those specific people. Somehow the suicide of a person at the beginning of the film triggered the events but aside from that, the audience just got a bunch of “it’s fate” dialogue and explanations and was left to fill in the blanks for themselves.

Add to that a cast of totally obnoxious characters, the banality of the “twist” in the story at the end of the film (a trademark of the film’s writer/producer M. Night Shyamalan's previous stories, and one he should consider giving up as it seems more contrived than creative anymore) and Devil came up short in delivering on its interesting idea.

Grade: D

Due Date: Nothing funny about this one

Peter has a problem. Thanks to an unfortunate set of events in the Atlanta airport, he is placed on the “no fly” list and unable to make to back to Los Angeles to be with his pregnant wife. He reluctantly accepts a ride from Ethan, the man responsible for his troubles at the airport, and begins the cross country trek with the hopes of getting back to see the birth of his first child.

Director Todd Phillips is to be commended for trying to break from his gross-out comedy past with Due Date. The man responsible for Frank the Tank in Old School and the ultimate Vegas movie in The Hangover wanted to take those same over-the-top ideas and blend them with some serious emotional stuff for his main characters to deal with in his new film. Regrettably, the result was a movie that was neither funny nor emotionally fulfilling. Robert Downey Jr. did his best to try and bring something memorable to the screen in his role as Peter, an architect with some “minor” issues, and to be honest, his bits were the funniest. They were the funniest because his anger was usually directed at Zach Galifianakis, who played Ethan, and Ethan was so grating and distracting that one wished Peter would have left him on the side of the road and continued his journey home by himself. Ethan was so hard to stomach that it made no logical sense for Peter to stick around him, let alone befriend him, but three quarters of the way through the film it was like a switch was flipped (or rather the duo enjoyed using some recreational narcotics), and they were best buds. Those serious issues that Phillips wanted to explore (dealing with the loss of a parent and impending fatherhood) got lost in the shuffle of a bad note buddy road film that never really got going.

As a result, Due Date was an uneven, unfunny mess.

Grade: D

Unstoppable: More like unbearable

An out of control train carrying deadly chemicals is set to derail in a highly populated part of Pennsylvania unless an engineer and conductor can stop it.

In some ways, Unstoppable reminded one of the movie Speed. The narrative was driven by the fact that there was a large out of control vehicle that was endangering the lives of others, and this afforded the director (Jan de Bont in the case of Speed) the opportunity to use quick edits and fast camera movements to build tension and make the action palpable. Unstoppable had these same qualities, but it was missing any and all kind of character development or story arc. Denzel Washington played his part of Frank like he was on autopilot throughout the entire film and Chris Pine was never given a chance to show any kind of acting depth because his character (Will) had only one purpose (he was the new guy on his first day at the job and had to prove himself to the old guy Frank). With Speed, there was not only an out of control bus, but an excellent on-screen dynamic between Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock that kept the audience engaged in the film whereas in Unstoppable, the audience was never shown enough interaction between Frank and Will to get to know and root for them. And for all of the dynamic shots, quick edits and explosions within the film, director Tony Scott was never able to thoroughly captivate the audience and get them to gasp and cringe as the runaway train sped toward its ultimate fate.

In the end Unstoppable was just another loud, dull action thriller that failed to connect.

Grade: D+

Battle: Los Angeles; Humans vs. Aliens, guess who wins?

Alien forces have invaded Earth. When they attack Los Angeles, California it's up to a platoon of Marines to stop them. But will they be able to?

Battle: Los Angeles played out like every other war film you have ever seen in your lifetime. The audience was introduced to a group of Marines, just enough so that their particular caricature (be it the shiny new Lieutenant who does not know what he is doing, the grizzled veteran Staff Sergeant who has a troubled past, the Corporal who is about to get married, the one badass female soldier (played by Michelle Rodriguez, of course), etc.) was easily recollected. Next they face the imminent threat, in this case it’s an invading alien force, which at first seems overwhelming but just might be defeated if they are able to band together and fight as a team. If you realize this is what awaits you with Battle, then you should be able to enjoy it for the action filled adventure director Jonathan Liebesman intended it to be. The film was almost like War of the Worlds meets Black Hawk Down as the Marines engaged in urban combat with the alien menace while the city of Santa Monica burned around them.

Sure, there were some obvious flaws which took the film down a couple of notches. The script, for example, seemed like it was cut and pasted together from various World War II, Vietnam and even Gulf War films and featured some rather trite dialogue and “forced” moments of emotion. Most of these emotional scenes involved the soldiers interacting with a group of civilians they were trying to rescue from behind enemy lines. But instead of making the soldiers seem more human and give them some other purpose aside from kicking alien butt, these scenes slowed down the action and felt completely out of place. Had Liebesman really wanted to get at the emotional core of the film, he should have concentrated more on the relationships between the soldiers (and he should have got another screenwriter too). Thankfully Aaron Eckhart (as Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz) worked through the cliché ridden lines and delivered a convincing enough performance to keep the audience engaged between shootouts and explosions.

Battle: Los Angeles is not another Saving Private Ryan, but the visceral thrills and nonstop action were enough to keep most entertained for its two hour running time.

Grade: B-

Buried: Too bad it didn't stay there.

Civilian contractor Paul Conroy, a truck driver working in Iraq, wakes up after his convoy was attacked to discover he has been buried alive in a wooden coffin. With only a limited amount of oxygen, a cell phone and a candle, he must keep his wits about him in order to escape and survive.

The film certainly featured an original (and timely) premise which could have led to a thoroughly engaging and thrilling cinematic experience. However for all of the inventive shots inside the cramped wooden coffin and an intense turn by a guy who is better known for his comedic or action hero roles, Buried was flawed in its presentation and the logic of its story. Suspending disbelief for a film is something of a necessity (especially for all those big budget, cgi-laden blockbusters in the theaters nowadays) but when a director ask the audience to buy into a number of plot devices that are realistically implausible (while having that story grounded in the “real world”), they run the risk of straining credibility and ultimately (as was the case in this film) the devices are so unrealistic that they distract from the film as a whole. Director Rodrigo Cortes had the best intentions with the film but the aforementioned lack of realism and vague nature of the script and story made it close to agonizing to watch.

There will be others who champion this film and point to its minimalist approach or sociopolitical underpinnings regarding the United States war in Iraq as welcome signs of a film that breaks from current Hollywood film trends of more guns and more cgi in order to focus on the story or the idea that Cortes was making a deeper statement with the movie but don’t believe them. Buried felt more like an over-hyped student film than a classic claustrophobic thriller.

Grade: D+

The Town: Double duty done right by Affleck.

Doug MacRay heads a successful bank robbery crew in Charlestown, Massachusetts. But after he kidnaps and subsequently falls for a bank manager named Claire during their most recent heist, he begins to rethink his life and plans on getting out of the bank robbing business.

While certainly drawing its inspiration from one of the better action/crime dramas made in the past 20 years (the visually stunning and thematically complex Heat with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino), The Town falls short of surpassing it. However this does not mean the film was a vapid waste of time, quite the opposite. Ben Affleck not only showed a great deal of emotion and depth as Doug, but proved himself to be a more polished director as well. He let the cast (including an explosive Jeremy Renner and stoic Jon Hamm) evolve into richly, complex characters that helped to bring the story of a bank robbing crew from Charlestown to life. Affleck also took the time to properly craft the love story between Doug and Claire, which was central to the film. If that part of the film failed to reach the audience then the entire story would appear vacuous for the main plot device was Doug's desire to get out of the game and start something more with Claire. Thankfully their interaction on screen felt real, which made it easier for the audience to root for them in their attempt to get away from a town which was a breeding ground for armed robbers and criminals in general.

Where The Town fell short was in its action sequences (which were gripping but reminded one a little too much of the ones in Heat) and time spent (or a lack thereof) developing the relationships within Doug’s crew, but those drawbacks should not dissuade you from checking out The Town for it is an emotionally thrilling crime drama.

Grade: B

Sunrise: A silent classic!

A married man is tempted by his big city mistress to murder his wife. But just as he is getting ready to do so, he comes to his sense and they end up heading to the city in order to rediscover their love for one another.

I’m sure the bulk of you reading this review have never seen a silent film before. This is not a bad thing, for our generation has always been able to view films which are dependent upon sound (specifically dialogue) to make them the cinema experiences they are. But Sunrise did not have that advantage, so how is it that a film made back in 1927 can still be seen as a powerful and unforgettable film? To start, director F.W. Murnau infused Sunrise with the kind of camera movements, special visual effects and Expressionistic shots that have continued to influence directors to this day (and will continue to do so for years to come). Next, Murnau was able to draw out remarkable performances from his lead actors George O’Brien and Janet Gaynor. Without the welcoming crutch of dialogue, it was up to these two to use their actions and expressions to draw the audience into the story. And while some nuances of their performances could be seen as over-the-top by a modern audience, overall they were daring and completely believable. This allowed the audience the chance to dig their fingers into the story. And that was the final piece of the puzzle which made Sunrise such an outstanding film. It was a simple morality tale of the love between a man and a woman which was tested via an “evil” temptress from the big city. There was nothing extraneous in the story to distract from the main characters trying to rediscover their relationship and become a happily married couple once again. Those scenes of O'Brien and Gaynor rediscovering their love were so emotional and real that the audience was probably able to feel the joy and happiness the couple was beginning to share again and felt a smile creep along their face as they thought about, or reached for, their loved one.

Were this film to be made nowadays, I think the story would be lost amongst a deluge of saccharine romantic dialogue, a dreadful subplot regarding a mousy best friend or any other standard pitfall witnessed in the last god awful Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy. It is often said but in this case, the statement rings truer than ever, they do not make films like Sunrise anymore. Films that are able to truly move an audience.

Grade: A

Piranha: It could have been worse (I don't know how though!)

Spring break is in full effect at Lake Havasu as partiers take to the water. But when an earthquake releases a pack of ravenous piranha into the scene, things take a turn from fun to deadly.

For at least parts of the film (albeit very small parts), Piranha seemed like it was heading in the right direction with its tone, story and scares. There were quick flashes of wit and humor (which were usually provided by Brooklynn Proulx and Sage Ryan, the two youngest actors in the movie), respectful nods to the original Piranha which inspired this remake and decent bits of acting (or overacting in the case of Jerry O’Connell). It was when director Alexandre Aja decided to turn up the gore factor that Piranha became a tired and clichéd hackney creature feature. Rather than build tension and only give the audience hints about all the horrid things the little fish were doing to their victims, Aja hit them over the head with scene after scene of graphic violence. The main attack that the nasty little title characters inflicted on the various spring breakers near the end of the movie was almost pornographic in its violence, so much so that the audience had to either laugh the whole thing off as utterly ridiculous or turn the film off altogether in disgust. Let’s not even go into the “3D” aspects of the film, which were distracting, underwhelming and awful to say the least.

Films like Piranha shine a true light on the sad state that the horror film genre is in these days with its unoriginality, brutality and silliness.

Grade: D

The Other Guys: Another bland comedy

Desk jockey cops Allen Gamble and Terry Hoitz are tired of their fellow officers gaining all of the glory. But when they get their big break to finally start doing some real police work, will they be able to crack the case?

There comes a point during The Other Guys where it’s conceivable that the audience started to cringe every time Will Ferrell, as Detective Allen Gamble, tried to make another joke that fell flat on its face. They cringed because they remembered all of the other memorable screen characters Ferrell is responsible for (Ricky Bobby and Ron Burgundy for instance) and wondered if he has somehow lost his touch because Gamble, and the entire film for that matter, was not fun to watch. It’s not as though there were not funny moments in the film, but they were almost singularly provided by other cast members such as Michael Keaton (as the TLC referencing Captain) and Mark Wahlberg as Gamble’s partner Terry Hoitz (who should have been given more of a chance to “fly like a peacock”). It’s not even much of a stretch to say the film would have better if Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. The Rock) had played the roles of Gamble and Hoitz. To cast those two as the bumbling “other guy” cops would have given the film the satirical bite that director Adam McKay was looking for.

Instead, the audience was given two hours of Ferrell trying too hard, and never really succeeding.

Grade: C-

The Thing From Another World: A Sci-Fi Classic!

When scientists in the North Pole discover something strange has crashed into the ice near their research post, an Air Force team led by Captain Patrick Hendry is dispatched to uncover just what it is. However, what they find not only threatens them, but the entire world.

Even though it was released in 1951 and contains some unavoidably dated special effects, The Thing From Another World remains a fun and intriguing film to watch. The fun comes from the way director Christian Nyby, (although most film connoisseurs will argue that the film’s producer Howard Hawks did the bulk of the directing for the film), was able to utilize the isolated setting of the Anchorage outpost (where the bulk of the action took place) to elicit a sense of claustrophobia and fear as The Thing went about hunting Captain Hendry and the rest of the cast. There was also plenty of action and crackling dialogue (a standard for Hawks - directed films) which kept the film moving at a compelling clip. The intrigue of the movie came from recognizing the impact that it has had on the sci-fi films which came after it. Movies like Alien and Aliens were influenced, both in story and iconography, by The Thing From Another World (witness the Geiger Counter employed by the Air Force men which is similar to the Motion Tracker used by Ripley and others in the Alien films as well as the desire by the Air Force leadership to capture The Thing for further study, something the Weyland/Yutani Corporation was always trying to accomplish in the Alien films). Beyond the obvious influences on modern sci-fi cinema, The Thing From Another World serves as a sort of time capsule which captures the mood of 1950’s America regarding subjects such as the Cold War and the uncertainty regarding the Space Age which had just begun.

All film theory aside, The Thing From Another World is just a tremendously entertaining film to watch.

Grade: A

Paranormal Activity 2: Scary. Yes, it's actually scary.

Dan and Kristi have just welcomed a new baby boy named Hunter into their house. Along with Ali, Dan’s daughter from a previous marriage, and their dog Abby, everything seems wonderful. But when unexplained events start happening in the household, the family must deal with the supernatural forces that are vexing them.

When people hear, “horror film sequel,” they no doubt have visions of Friday the 13th Part 8 or Nightmare on Elm Street Part 5, films that have iconic characters as their villains, but lack in storytelling or even continuity story - wise. In fact, horror sequels such as the ones previously mentioned seem to only be concerned with reusing the same plot devices and storylines (sprinkled with excessive gore and nudity of course). That is why Paranormal Activity 2 was something of a surprise for it was a horror film sequel that not only acknowledged the first Paranormal Activity, but surpassed its predecessor in both scares and story. From the start, director Tod Williams was able to keep the audience both on the edge of their seat and squirming with uneasiness while on that edge for he slowly built the tension in the beginning of the film via subtle knocks and bumps that the family laughed away at first. As the film (whose story cleverly tied to the first in an unexpected surprise) unfurled, the thrills and scares intensified, culminating in an ending that was both startling and disturbing. Another welcome change to this sequel was the lack of gore and blood used to evoke the scares. Williams used those creepy sounds and subtle incidents to make the audience’s imagination fill in the horrifying blanks of what was happening to the family.

You want scary, pick up Paranormal Activity 2. But you might want to think twice before watching it alone.

Grade: B

Machete: A muddled mess

Ex - Federale Machete is hired to assassinate a high profile U.S. Senator but when he is double crossed, he must use all of his skills and cunning to uncover the truth behind why everyone seems to want him dead.

Robert Rodriguez continued to explore his “grindhouse” film roots with Machete (his previous picture, Planet Terror started the trend and the fake trailer for Machete was shown before it), a film loaded with all of the goods one would expect to see in an exploitation (or in this case Mexploitation) piece; absurd amounts of violence and action (which got dull after the tenth time Machete chopped down a bad guy), copious amounts of T & A and a good amount of acting which would not be considered Oscar - worthy (although Lindsay Lohan can play a drug addict surprisingly well!). But therein lies the problem with the film for Machete had all of that silliness and other grindhouse - esque qualities, but it also wanted the audience to take it seriously when the story delved into its parts regarding illegal immigration. Rodriguez and co-Director Ethan Maniquis failed to strike a proper balance between mindless and thought provoking, as a result, the film felt like one of those musical mash ups that failed to connect. Yes, this movie was not meant to be seen as the second coming of Macbeth for it functioned as a sort of male fantasy film with barely clothed women, big guns and loud explosions but if that was what Rodriguez and Maniquis were going for, the story should not have tried to eek out some half - baked social statement that only served to muddle up an already unbalanced film.

Next time (cause in this age of sequels, I got five bucks that says there will be one), just let Machete do his thing and keep the social commentary on the cutting room floor.

Grade: C

Red: Fun for all ages.

Ex black - ops CIA agent Frank Moses has settled into retirement and finds it to be less than what he expected. That all changes when assassins try to kill him and Sarah, the woman he loves. In order to settle the score and figure out the reasons why he is being targeted, Frank reassembles his old black ops team and they get back to work.

The best part of the film was watching a group of supremely talented actors take what could have been a very pedestrian action comedy and turn it into a breezy, enjoyable and ultimately satisfying movie experience. John Malkovich was convincing and hilarious as the paranoid/crazy Marvin, Helen Mirren changed it up and played the 50 cal machine gun blasting badass Victoria, Mary Louise Parker was delightful as Sarah, the “desperately seeking excitement” muse to Frank (played by Bruce Willis). Willis’ performance in particular stood out for he brought an emotional depth to Frank which most of his recent action roles have been missing. The story chugged along, minus a few dull spots here and there, at an agreeable pace and succeeded in either keeping the audience entranced with stylish action sequences or chuckling with delight at the antics of the Retired Extremely Dangerous agents.

Not as hardcore in tone and action as The A-Team or outlandishly ridiculous as Salt, Red found a good balance of both gun play and one liners to make the two hours the audience spent with it a fun time.

Grade: B

Salt: Been there, Seen that.

When she is accused of being a Russian sleeper spy by a defector, CIA agent Evelyn Salt goes on the run and tries to stay ahead of the Government agents who are pursuing her. In her quest to clear her name she uncovers a conspiracy that threatens to push America and Russia to the edge of war.

Who is Evelyn Salt? This was the question that was posed throughout the film and the plot device that drove the story forward. For the most part however, Salt wanted the audience to be aware of this storyline only on the surface and chose to focus more on the number of ways that Angelina Jolie could look badass either by utilizing heavy weaponry or punching someone’s teeth out. Jolie pulled off the physical stuff without breaking much of a sweat, making Evelyn Salt the kind of female CIA agent you did not want to cross paths with, but her story and her efforts to clear her name, save her husband and unmask the true conspiracy behind why she was accused of being a Russian spy got lost in the shuffle of fist-fights, car chases and other action sequences that the audience had seen before (and in better movies). Without that emotional core to the story, the film just felt like another mindless actioner and Salt's quest, while visually thrilling, rang hollow. An example of this would be Salt's relationship with her husband Michael. The audience was never shown the particulars of that relationship (because trust me, they didn’t just meet up via eharmony) so when his ultimate fate was revealed, their reaction was undoubtedly like Salt’s (unemotional and uninterested).

There was a definite feeling of “been there, done that” after the credits started rolling on Salt so if you are looking for a half-hearted attempt at an action thriller that will deliver at least entertainment on the surface, check it out.

Grade: C

Solaris: Brainy Sci-Fi at its best!

Dr. Chris Kelvin is sent to investigate what has happened to his friend and the rest of a research team on a space station that is orbiting the planet Solaris. But once he discovers the truth behind the strange happenings on board will he want to return to Earth himself?

I don’t believe that directors set out to confuse the audience with their films, confusion leads to alienation and, ultimately, an upset crowd. After viewing Solaris, I am sure there were more than a few viewers who were looking for a refund because they did not get it. They no doubt saw the name James Cameron on the dvd cover or movie poster and thought Solaris would be a rip-roaring, action packed thriller with big guns and even bigger explosions much in the same vein as Cameron’s previous films (Aliens, Terminator, etc.). Little did they realize that Cameron only produced the movie and let the director, Stephen Soderbergh, craft Solaris into a brainy sci-fi thriller more in line with a film like 2001: A Space Odyssey.

It is a shame if viewers decided to turn off the movie once they realized they were not seeing the second coming of Aliens for they missed a film that challenged them to think and react to concepts and ideas that the story introduced, an exercise missing in most sci-fi films (or films in general) nowadays. Solaris dealt with a number of philosophical questions such as what is real, are we alone in this universe and if we are not, what would those other beings we come across want from us (if anything), what does it mean to be alive, and other thought provoking issues that could cause one’s eyes to go cross if they thought about them long enough. A film like this one could easily veer into the realm of pretentiousness if its actors are not believable, thankfully the performances were strong and helped to carry the narrative along. George Clooney gave a very un - George Clooney like turn as Dr. Chris Kelvin in that he was not suave and smooth with the usual charm he is known to exude. Kelvin was a broken man, disconnected from life thanks to the suicide of his wife Rheya (an affective Natasha McElhone) , who is simply going through the motions. When Rheya suddenly reappears to him thanks to the alien phenomena on the space station that is orbiting Solaris, he has to face the feelings and emotions of their tenuous relationship (which we see via flashbacks during the film). Their relationship was the thing that kept the audience hooked and made them ponder some of those deep questions previously mentioned.

Solaris is definitely not for everyone, but you are willing to take a chance and immerse yourself in a film that forces you to work out your own answer, it is worth a look.

Grade: B