THE FIGHTER

The Fighter stars Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. Directed by David O. Russell. Rated R with a running time of 1 hr. and 54 mins.

The Fighter is a drama about boxer "Irish" Micky Ward (Wahlberg) and his unlikely path to become world lightweight champion. Bale plays Dicky Eklund, Micky's half-brother and a talented fighter who once went the distance with Sugar Ray Leonard in a title fight but then turned to crime and landed in prison. Then he turned his life around and helped his underperforming brother find the spark for a remarkable run that led to the world title.

The Fighter is less about boxing and more about family and the problems families may encounter. Micky is a 30 year old boxer whose brother is his trainer and his mother is his manager. His family is a little crazy but they do love Micky and do what they think is best for him. Unfortunately his brother Dicky who was once a boxer himself is now addicted to crack cocaine. Obviously something must change to get Micky to the top of the boxing world because as of right now he keeps getting his butt kicked or winning meaningless fights. Everything changes when he meets Charlene played by Adams. She believes that his family is the problem and that he should train with someone else. Of course this creates problems with his family. But it turns out that Micky needs his family and Charlene to get to the top.

Christian Bale absolutely deserves the best supporting actor award. He literally transforms into a crack addict and you forget that it is an actor. He is very good. Melissa Leo also stands out as Micky's crazy but loving mother. I can't really describe her performance except to say that she is excellent. If you see it then you will know what I mean. The boxing scenes are very realistic and when they are on it looks like you are watching it on TV. There is some meaty family drama in this film and it is intense and exciting.

While not at the level of Rocky, The Fighter is a good film and deserves some big award recognition.

B

127 HOURS

127 Hours stars James Franco, Kate Mara and Amber Tamblyn. Directed by Danny Boyle. Rated R with a running time of 1 hr and 33 mins.

127 Hours is a true story about mountain climber Aron Ralston. While exploring the canyons of Utah Aron slips in between a skinny canyon and gets his right arm pinned up against the wall with a large boulder. Unable to move the boulder Aron will have to do the unthinkable to save himself and get home. While being stuck there for almost 5 days Aron reflects on his life and family. He also wonders if the two young women he met earlier that day will be the last people he will ever see. Unfortunately Aron didn't tell anyone where he was going so no one knows where he is.

127 Hours at first thought wouldn't seem like a good idea for a movie, because on paper its a movie about a guy who is stuck in a canyon and can't move. But director Danny Boyle does a great job of adding heart and little interesting points throughout the movie. He always keeps the movie rolling at a great pace. James Franco is brilliant playing Ralston. If an actor makes me forget that im watching a movie and Im thinking Im right there with Ralston, he did a damn good job. All of the emotions he has to go through within those 5 days is amazing and he hits all of them.

The most impressive scene had to be the one where Ralston amputates his own arm. It looked painfully real and just WoW. The hardest part to watch for me was when he had to break his arm in 2 different places. Its unbelievable that someone could cut their own arm off. But I think that is where the movie appeals to the audience. He had so much determination to get back home and start a family of his own one day. He did whatever it took and it was thrilling to watch. Im saying it, James Franco deserves to get the best actor oscar this year!

127 hours isn't the best movie of the year but it is one of the best. You shouldn't miss this movie.

B+

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows stars most of the same people from the entire franchise but sorry I just don't feel like writing all of their names, but Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Waston and Rupert Grint are back as Harry, Hermione and Ron. Directed by David Yates. Rated PG13 with a running time of 2 hrs. and 30 mins.

Part 1 begins as Harry, Ron and Hermione set out on their perilous mission to track down and destroy the secret to Voldemort's immortality and destruction, the Horcruxes. On their own, without the guidance of their professors or the protection of Professor Dumbledore, the three friends must now rely on one another more than ever. But there are Dark Forces in their midst that threaten to tear them apart.

So we all know by now the the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the 7th and final book in the beloved franchise, has been split into 2 movies. I think if you have read the book you will feel cheated but then again you will be glad to see the first part of easily the best book in the franchise come to life on screen. I have to admit that once this movie was over I was angry at first because you really want to see the end but now you have to wait about 7 months for the final FINAL installment. But then i began thinking even though we still haven't seen the end what we did get was still very entertaining and at times thrilling.

I do think that where they did decide to end part 1 was a great decision. It leaves you with wanting more especially because a death just occurred. It also shows Lord Voldemort at his strongest which leaves you anxious with fear and intensity. I have to give a special shout out to Ray Fiennes who plays Voldemort. He is just damn scary and intense even when he is just whispering. Bravo to Fiennes, the way he plays Voldemort is exactly how I pictured him in the book. In fact all of the acting was perfectly fine with everyone doing what they are supposed to do. Also the cinematography was very well done with the scenes in the foggy forests really standing out to me.

Part 1 definitely makes you want more and I believe that Part 2 will be the best movie in the whole franchise. We will finally get some intense war scenes and of course the final showdown between Harry and Voldemort. Part 1 is good but not great. 7/15/11 can't come soon enough!

B

UNSTOPPABLE

Unstoppable stars Denzel Washington, Chris Pine and Rosario Dawson. Directed by Tony Scott. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 1 hr. and 38 mins.

A veteran train engineer (Denzel Washington) and a young conductor (Chris Pine) race the clock to stop an unmanned runaway train, a missile the size of a skyscraper, and prevent disaster in a heavily populated area.

There really isn't much to say about Unstoppable. Theres a runaway train and two guys chase after the train and stop it. Other than two action sequences there really wasn't much to the movie. Of course they try with some backstory to the two main characters but it wasn't done good enough so you just don't really care. Washington and Pine don't really have much to do except in the climax where they finally chase after the train. Besides the climax and an earlier failure to stop the train, this movie was quite boring. The rest of the film is people on the phone discussing whats going on whether it be police or locomotive officials. The two leads are like able so you do root for them in the end. Once the action is delivered it is done pretty well, its just a shame there isn't more. WIth Denzel and the new Captain Kirk on screen together you expect them to have more to do but unfortunately they don't.

The acting isn't bad but the actors aren't given a lot to do. I guess I wanted more action, more Denzel and more Pine. The only time you should see this movie is if you have extra money and have absolutely nothing to do. Otherwise you can wait for this one on Netflix.

C

DUE DATE

Due Date stars Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Jamie Foxx, and Michelle Monaghan. Directed by Todd Phillips. Rated R with a running time of 1 hr. and 35 mins.

Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) is an expectant first-time father whose wife's due date is a mere five days away. As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at her side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when a chance encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan, on what turns out to be a cross-country road trip that will ultimately destroy several cars, numerous friendships and Peter's last nerve.

Zach Galifianakis is back playing essentially the same type of character as he did in The Hangover. No sorry its not the The Hangover 2 yet. This one is Due Date also starring Robert Downey Jr. basically playing the straight man to Galifianakis's crazy antics. This film is funny but not even remotely close to The Hangover. I found myself having little chuckles throughout the movie but not really any big laughs as you would come to expect from Zach Galifiianakis. There are some funny cameos from Danny McBride and Jamie Foxx but once again they aren't big laughs. One part I found especially funny was how Downey Jr's character has some anger management problems and when he gets really ticked off he spits on a dog and even punches a kid in the stomach! Those parts were quite funny. Galifianakis's Ethan Tremblay is an aspiring actor and near the end there is a very funny bit with the real show Two and a Half Men. I thought that was one of the funniest parts of the movie. The movie deals with Daddy issues. Peter's dad walked out on him when he was very young and never really had a father figure. Ethan's dad just passed away but he was a great dad to Ethan and he looked up to him. The question is can Peter be a good father? Dealing with Ethan probably will help him becuase he is basically a man child. By the way there are some funny bits with Ethan's dad's remains. He carries the remains in a coffee can.

Overall you will laugh during this movie but probably not as much as you would like to as was the case with me. I just didnt' get any big laughs from the movie. I think this was also a case of showing too many of the funny parts in the previews. But I guess it will do until The Hangover 2, due out next summer.

B-

JACKASS 3D

Jackass 3D stars Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Wee Man, Chris Pontius, Preston Lacy, Dave England, Ehren McGhehey. Directed by Jeff Tremaine. Rated R with a running time of 1 hr. and 34 mins.

Well there really isn't anything really new to say about Jackass. Its the same guys doing the same crazy stunts/gross out gags. The new addition though is that the whole movie was shot in 3D. The 3D was put to good use in a few gags but once again this movie didn't really need 3D because you just want to see the crazy stuff they do and for the most part the 3D wasn't really evident. I have to say that I was a little disappointed because I thought there would have been a little more crazy antics. The movie just didn't feel complete. That being said there is some very crazy stuff in this movie and almost all of it was very entertaining. My favorite had to have been the midget bar fight. Absolutely hilarious. These guys have some serious balls because they do some real crazy shit! I think the reason that Jackass is successful is because people really do want to see people do crazy stuff that they would never do. Including me.

Jackass 3D isn't really anything new but good thing the same formula pretty much works once again.

B-

THE SOCIAL NETWORK

The Social Network stars Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake and Rooney Mara. Directed by David Fincher. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 2 hrs.

On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history... but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications.

A movie about the creation of Facebook at first thought wouldn't seem like a very good movie idea. But with the right director, writer and cast The Social Network is actually very intense and absolutely fascinating. Eisenberg stars as Mark Zuckerberg who at the age of 19 created what was basically to become the social networking site that over 500 million people use today. I think that Eisenberg did a fine job at translating the socially awkward genius. Garfield plays Zuckerberg's only real friend and they go into business together to create the facebook. Unfortunately to create this social networking site Zuckerberg lost his only true friend. To see this friendship unravel in the movie was very intense and heartbreaking at times. The scene when Garfield's character get screwed by Zuckerberg and Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) was very dramatic and I think Garfield did a great job at portraying these emotions. He is the future Spider-Man so after seeing him in this I can't wait and see what he will bring to that role. Justin Timberlake plays Sean Parker who created Napster and comes in to kind of mentor Zuckerberg and get the company started. Parker isn't really a nice guy and I bet that he is the one who really screws over Eduardo Saverin (Garfield) but it was sad to see that Zuckerberg didn't really care what happened to him.

Essentially Zuckerberg created Facebook because he was dumped by a girl. The motivation to impress her really started his journey to make Facebook. There are a few slow spots in the film but rest of the movie is quite fascinating seeing this 19 year old become the world's youngest billionaire. It is quite ironic that the man who created one of the worlds most popular social networking site is actually socially awkward in real life. While I don't think its one of the best movies I have ever scene it is up there and very memorable.

B+

THE LAST EXORCISM

The Last Exorcism stars Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Louis Herthum and Caleb Landry Jones. Directed by Daniel Stamm. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 1 hr. and 40 mins.

Reverend Cotton Marcus (Fabian) has been performing exorcisms for years and he believes they aren't real. He only goes through with them for money and when he's done it makes the people feel better as if the demon has gone so he goes through with them. To make it seem real Marcus has an ipod with demonic noises hidden in the room the exorcism takes place. He also has other tricks up his sleeve during the exorcism. Tired of doing exorcisms he takes one last job and hires a documentary team to tape it. During the documentary he plans to show the world how he tweaked the supposed exorcisms making them seem real. He travels to a Louisiana farm to get rid of a supposed demon who is taking over a teenaged girls' body (Bell). With his last job Cotton Marcus will encounter true horrors that will change his life forever.

The thing I really liked about this movie is that it isn't your formulaic horror movie. Here are the ways it strays away from the formula. 1. its meant to be found footage which means its meant to be as if a random stranger found the video and watched it. 2. Its looks as if the entire movie was filmed with a handheld camera which is to make the movie be very realistic and it succeeds. 3. It doesn't have the typical ending you would expect. I will not give the ending way but I did enjoy it. A lot of people say they hate the ending but I think it works and makes it rise up against your average horror movie. 4. This movie is actually scary and I haven' t seen that in a horror movie lately. 5. The unknown cast makes this movie feel realistic and they can really act. You don't really get good acting in horror movies but in The Last Exorcism you do.

Fabian and Bell are the real standouts in the movie. They should be around in movie because they are decent actors. The Last Exorcism is a great surprise giving that it came out in late August. Thats when the studios usually release their shitty movies. But Lionsgate took a chance and I think it really paid off. The Last Exorcism is a solid good thriller with enough tweaks to the formula to make it unique. Check out The Last Exorcism.

B

TAKERS

Takers stars Idris Elba, Paul Walker, Matt Dillon, Hayden Christensen, Tip "T.I." Harris, Chris Brown, Michael Ealy, Jay Hernandez, and a very brief and pointless role for Zoe Saldana. Directed by John Luessenhop. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 1 hr. and 47 mins.

A notorious group of criminals (Idris Elba, Paul Walker, Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen and Michael Ealy) continue to baffle police by pulling off perfectly executed bank robberies. They are in and out like clockwork, leaving no evidence behind and laying low in between heists. But when they attempt to pull off one last job which is recommended by their old friend Ghost (T.I.) fresh out of jail. With more money at stake than ever before, the crew may find their plans interrupted by a hardened detective (Matt Dillon) who is hell bent on solving the case.

I was very afraid that this movie would be acted very badly and have poor direction. But for the most part that is not the case. Let me start with the good acting and the not so good acting. Idris Elba has great charisma as the leader of the pack and he is not as bad as you think because you see that the group of robbers don't hurt anyone in the process to get money. They only have guns for intimidation and to get what they want which is money. Paul Walker and Hayden Christensen are not horrible actors but they aren't good actors either. They aren't really given much to do and you just don't see them as acting. Its kind of odd. Its as if they are just there sticking out like a sore thumb. As for Chris Brown he isn't terrible because the director is smart to not have him act much. His big scene is a chase scene through LA that just requires him to run. That scene was one of the more entertaining scenes in the movie. As for T.I. I think he was given the right role as the one member of the robbers that is kind of mysterious in his motives and lets just say he is not as good as the other members of the pack. To me you can believe that T.I. would be bad guy in a movie. I can't see T.I. being an action hero and I think he knows that. So T.I. works into the film decently. While he is not a good actor yet he looks comfortable onscreen and thats the first step. Matt Dillon is fine but doesn't really stand out as the cop hot on their trail.

I believe that Takers is an above average heist thriller because of 2 reasons. 1: Idris Elba can really act and he just has a certain swagger about him that is charming and engaging so it makes you get involved in the story and you care for his character more. 2: I love the fact that the movie had me rooting for the robbers near the end because going in to the film your like Oh i hope there robbers get caught. But you see that they aren't really bad ruthless people except T.I. who is the films baddie. Also with the exception of Chris Brown's character for reasons I won't disclose because it gives away plot points of the film. But all in all for what it is Takers is a movie that entertains for a majority of the film and its goes beyond the stereotypes of typical cops and robbers. Takers is a fair movie.

B-

PIRANHA 3D

Piranha 3D stars Elisabeth Shue, Jerry O'Connell, Ving Rhames, Christopher Lloyd and Steven R. McQueen. Directed by Alexandre Aja. Rated R with a running time of 1 hr. and 29 mins.

Every year the population of sleepy Lake Victoria explodes from 5,000 to 50,000 for Spring Break, a riot of sun and drunken fun. But this year there's something more to worry about than hangovers and complaints from local old timers. A new type of terror is about to be cut loose on Lake Victoria. After a sudden underwater tremor sets free scores of the prehistoric man-eating fish, an unlikely group of strangers must band together to stop themselves from becoming fish food for the area's new razor toothed residents.

Piranha 3D is fun at times but for the most part is just another lame horror movie with an even lamer 3D twist. One thing that really pissed me off about this movie is that when people were getting attacked in the water by these fish you couldn't really see what was going on. It all just looked blurry and very fast cuts into the water then out of the water. Of course it looked even worse in 3D. The main concept of the film is fun though. Watching shitty actors like Jerry O'Connell becoming fish food was funny. The cast was nothing special although I thought Ving Rhames was perfectly casted but he should have been in it more. Once again 3D adds nothing special to the movie so if you can save your money and if you really want to see it then just see it in 2D. The ending of the movie felt tacked on just in case they wanted to make a sequel and Guess What!?!? It was just announced today that Dimension studios is working on a sequel! Well I say to make it better have better clear cut visuals, more blood, no Jerry O'Connell because he just comes off as super annoying, and bring back VING RHAMES!

Overall Piranha 3D was entertaining but I think that the 3D waters down the movie and makes it look bad at times. Also I thought the ending was pretty anti-climactic. Disappointing.

C-

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD

Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World stars Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Jason Schwartzman, Anna Kendrick and Ellen Wong. Directed by Edgar Wright. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 1 hr. and 53 mins.

Scott Pilgrim has never had a problem getting a girlfriend. It's getting rid of them that proves difficult. From the girl who kicked his heart's ass and now is back in town to the teenage distraction he's trying to shake when Ramona rollerblades into his world, love hasn't been easy. He soon discovers, however, his new crush has the most unusual baggage of all: a nefarious league of exes controls her love life and will do whatever it takes to eliminate him as a suitor. As Scott gets closer to Ramona, he must face an increasingly vicious rogues' gallery from her past from infamous skateboarders to vegan rock stars and fearsomely identical twins. And if he hopes to win his true love, he must vanquish them all before it really is game over.

Scott Pilgrim has a silly but intriguing premise. He must defeat his new love interest's 7 ex-boyfriends if he wishes to date her. After having seeing the movie I now realize Im simply just not interested in this story. Im not saying this is a bad movie but I just didn't care about it. I often found myself bored during the movie except when there was the cool stylized fighting going on. Those fight scenes were very cool, colorful and just fun to watch. But for the rest of the movie I just didn't care for Scott Pilgrim. To me he wasn't a very interesting character and I just saw Michael Cera doing the same role in all of his other movies but this one not being very funny. The rest of the supporting cast was fine but no one really stood out except for Chris Evans who plays one of the evil exes. He was very over the top and it was very funny. This role just adds to the excitement for him playing Captain America next summer.

As for Edgar Wright I do think he is talented and I hope his next film will be something I will be more interested in because he shows great potential to me. Again Im not saying this is a bad movie but it was something I was just not interested in and didn't really get. It does have great visuals though and some cool fight scenes. Its just not enough for me to recommend this film. I found Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World a mediocre movie.

C

THE EXPENDABLES

The Expendables stars Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Randy Couture, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Mickey Rourke, Terry Crews and brief but memorable appearances by Bruce Willis and yessss Arnold Schwarzenegger. Directed by Sly Stallone himself. Rated R with a running time of 1 hr. and 43 mins.

Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) is a man with nothing to lose. Fearless and void of emotion, he is the leader, the sage and the strategist of this tight-knit band of men who live on the fringe. His only attachment is to his pickup truck, his seaplane and his team of loyal modern-day warriors. The team behind him is made up of Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), former SAS and a savant with anything that has a blade; Yin Yang (Jet Li) a master at close-quarter combat; Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), who has known Barney for ten years and is a long-barrel weapons specialist; Toll Road (Randy Couture), a skilled demolitions expert and considered the intellect of the group; and Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), a combat veteran and an expert in precision sniping who struggles with his own demons. When the mysterious Church offers Barney a job no one else would take, Barney and his team embark on what appears to be a routine mission: overthrow General Gaza (David Zayas), the murderous dictator of the small island country of Vilena and end the years of death and destruction inflicted on its people. On a reconnaissance mission to Vilena, Barney and Christmas meet their contact Sandra (Giselle Itie), a local freedom-fighter with a dark secret. They also come to learn who their true enemy is: rogue ex-CIA operative James Monroe (Eric Roberts) and his henchman Paine (Steve Austin). When things go terribly wrong, Barney and Christmas are forced to leave Sandra behind, essentially giving her a death sentence. Haunted by this failure, Barney convinces the team to return to Vilena to rescue the hostage and finish the job he started. And to perhaps save a soul: his own.

WOW. The Expendables is one of the greatest action movies I have ever seen. Its only fitting that it comes from Sylvester Stallone who is one of action's greatest stars. Here he gathers up a few of the biggest action stars from the past and present. They are basically a team of mercenaries who go from job to job taking down the bad guys. One of the best parts of this movie is that everyone is given a chance to shine and kick some ass. Of course there are some amazing shooting sequences but there are also some great hand to hand fight scenes, especially the one between Steve Austin and Stallone. The great thing about this movie is that you are entertained non-stop and really in to the action. This movie is very bloody and thats what a great action movie is supposed to be like. I hate it when there is lots of killing in PG-13 action movies but you do not see an ounce of blood. That is just not realistic and in a way it ruins the movie. So don't worry The Expendables has plenty of blood.

Stallone has created a great action movie with a great cast. Oh and there is also that little scene with Bruce Willis and The governator Arnold Schwarzenegger. Its not a long scene but it is very funny and just seems to add to the movie in a fun and awesome way. Who knows there could be an Expendables 2 with Schwarzenegger having a bigger part. Now thats how Stallone could top this movie. But that would still be very hard because The Expendables is just so damn good! Great action, great fighting. Just great fun. One of the funniest scenes and bloodiest is when Terry Crewe's character comes barreling down a hall way blowing heads and body parts off men with his giant gun/bazooka looking thing. Believe me its awesome. Mickey Rourke is also good as the man who gets the Expendables their jobs and he also owns the bar where the guys like to hang out. I believe its impossible to come away from this movie and not to enjoy it. ITS THAT GOOD!

A

THE OTHER GUYS

The Other Guys stars Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Eva Mendes and brief appearances by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson. Directed by Adam McKay. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 1 hr. and 47 mins.

Detective Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell), is a forensic accountant who's more interested in paperwork than hitting the streets, and Detective Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg), has been stuck with Allen as his partner ever since an embarrassing public incident with his quick trigger finger. When an opportunity arises for the Other Guys to step up, things don't quite go as planned.

The Other Guys is a hit and miss for me. This film lets Will Ferrell shine and he still proves that he is a great comic actor and one of my favorites. Some people criticize Ferrell for playing the same role over and over again. Well you know what I hope he keeps playing the same type of role over and over again because he is so damn good at it I can never get enough!! No one really wants to see him in a drama and I think he knows that. So I hope he keeps on making these sports comedies, action comedies etc. and Im still hoping for a sequel to Anchorman because to me that is his best character and it was a great comedy.

Now the rest of the movie was pretty much a miss for me. I love me some funny-buddy-cop-comedy movies but The Other Guys is just not a very good one. I think the whole financial plot line was very boring and it was kind of hard to follow. As for Mark Wahlberg I think he was funny at times but not nearly as hilarious as Ferrell. Im not saying that Wahlberg isn't funny its just that hopefully whenever he does another comedy he will be written more funny stuff to do. Although his mishap in the film involving Derek Jeter was pretty funny. I also did enjoy Michael Keaton as the captain its just to bad that he wasn't in the movie for. I thought that his character having a 2nd job at Bed Bath and Beyond was hilarious. Dwayne Johnson and Sam Jackson were wasted in roles that were very minor to the story. Eva Mendes was great to look at but she isn't in the movie very much either.

Will Ferrell is the reason why this movie is funny. The director Adam McKay seemed to have spent a lot of money on the big explosions but he didn't really give much of the rest of the cast a lot of laughs. You have to have lots of laughs in a comedy especially with the weak financial story that never really worked for me. The Other Guys wasn't a bad movie but it isn't a very good one either. Ferrell is the reason you should go see this movie.

B-

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS

Dinner for Schmucks stars Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, Bruce Greenwood and Jemaine Clement. Directed by Jay Roach. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 1 hr. and 50 mins.

Dinner for Schmucks tells the story of Tim (Rudd), a guy on the verge of having it all. The only thing standing between him and total career success is finding the perfect guest to bring to his boss' annual Dinner for Extraordinary People, an event where the winner of the evening brings the most eccentric character as his guest. Enter Barry (Carell), a guy with a passion for dressing mice up in tiny outfits to recreate great works of art. What ensues is a forming of a crazy friendship and one hell of a dinner.

Dinner for Schmucks made me realize something; Steve Carell is a great comedic actor. I always knew he was funny since seeing him in Anchorman and The 40 Year Old Virgin and of course as the hilarious boss on the Office. But since seeing this movie it just made me see Carell in a new even funnier way. He really makes this movie work and it is a more than average comedy. Its kind of heart warming how Carell's character thinks that the people invited to the dinner are normal and he thinks they are very talented people and you know what they are! It basically says that the people inviting the said schmucks are the real schmucks. I really liked that aspect of the film and thats what Rudd's character learns in the movie. Rudd and Carell make a good comedy team even though Rudd is mostly the straight man in the film. Zach Galifanakis has true comic timing and he is becoming a giant comedy star and he deserves it. His character Thurman is absolutely hilarious as a IRS agent who believes he can control others brains. He just brings extra laughs to the movie. The dinner is the finale of the movie and thats where we meet the other schmucks and of course it is very funny.

Dinner for Schmucks can be a little predictable at times but its constantly throwing jokes at your face and for me most of the time it worked. You also learn a little about Barry's past and which is sweet and kind of sad. While not the funniest movie I have ever seen, Dinner for Schmucks is a mermorable one.

B+

SALT

Salt stars Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Directed by Phillip Noyce. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 1 hr. and 39 mins.

As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt (Jolie) swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Salt's efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: Who Is Salt?

Salt has an intriguing story but unfortunately it isn't has spicy as it could have been. First off Angelina Jolie is pretty comfortable playing these action roles like this and her role in Wanted and it shows on screen. She is believable kicking lots of ass in a movie. Salt is probably at its best during these scenes because they are entertaining. The other scenes though are a different story. The whole plot to kill the russian president and bring down the United States was very ludicrous and it didn't seem like the director put much thought into the actual plot. The supporting cast is decent but nothing fantastic. The main problem with the movie was that I just never really felt that Salt was an actual spy. The reason being was that this movie is very predictable and you can see the main twist near the end coming from a mile ahead.

Salt was a worthy effort to try and bring something new to the spy genre but it just didn't have enough flavor. Jolie is good at being a female action hero but this movie just doesn't offer her anything new or anything very exciting. Salt is mediocre.

C

INCEPTION

Inception stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ken Watanabe, Ellen Page, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy and Michael Caine. Directed by Christopher Nolan. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 2 hrs. and 28 mins.

Dom Cobb (DiCaprio) is a master extractor. He can steal thoughts from people while they are sleeping through their dreams. Dom and his partner Arthur (Levitt) are offered a big job by business man Saito (Watanabe). The job is Inception which is to plant an idea in ones mind through dreams. Cobb accepts this difficult job because he is promised a way back to his kids in America. So he and Arthur assemble a team to pull of this last job consisting of Ariadne (Page) and Eames (Hardy). Each member is needed to perform different tasks to pull off the job. During the job Cobb is haunted by his dead wife Mal (Cotillard) in his dreams. Their target is Robert Fischer (Murphy) who is getting his fathers corporation. Saito wants Fischer to disassemble the corporation because it is his biggest rival. Yes the plot is complex at times but Inception is a heartbreaking, entertaining thriller with plenty of action and easily the best movie of the year so far.

Lets start with the man behind it all, Christopher Nolan. Nolan is easily one of the greatest film directors working right now. He knows how to tell a great action adventure story without getting far fetched and there is always the characters emotions that pull us into the story and keep it anchored in reality. This is especially true with Inception. How Nolan thought of all of this just shows he is a true genius. He came up with something totally original and made it translate on screen. He realized how the world of the dream can have this big scope about it and he used that idea to its full potential. He almost seems to top himself with every movie he directs. Starting with Batman Begins and then followed that up with The Dark Knight which is considered to be the best comic book movie ever made which I think it definitely is. If anyone can top something like The Dark Knight Nolan is the man to do it. His next movie will be the follow up to The Dark Knight which is supposed to come out on July 20th 2012. Definitely cannot wait for that. Christopher Nolan is becoming my favorite director because he simply keeps making GREAT movies.

The acting in Inception is absolutely perfect. I would not change one actor in this movie. DiCaprio definitely used to make movies that I had no interest in but ever since The Departed he has been growing on me. 2010 has made me really start believing that DiCaprio is a very good actor especially in Shutter Island and now Inception. Two actors really stood out to me for the first time in this movie; Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy. Gordon-Levitt is very good as Arthur and he has the best scene in the movie which was having a full on fight without gravity. He has been doing a lot of indie movies lately but this movie shows that he can be in big movies and do very well. Tom Hardy was also good and quite funny as Eames. I have never seen Hardy in anything before but he really stood out here and he should definitely keep acting in bigger movies. Also Marion Cotillard gives a scary yet heartbreaking role as Dom's wife. The rest of the supporting cast didn't stand out as much but they were still good.

Inception is not perfect but its very very close. It is one of the best movies I have seen in a while. The story is imaginative, clever and also has this epic feel it it. The characters are fully developed and you really do care for them. Finding out how Dom's wife dies and seeing him try to let go of her is truly heartbreaking and pretty much completes the film. Inception is why I love movies. It really is a mix of a lot of emotions and it has the great action sequences to keep everyone entertained. The action sequences in the snowy mountains were truly unique and looked excellent on the big screen. The only thing keeping it from being perfect is that there are still a few confusing points about the whole world of the dream and its rules. Other than that Inception is a great movie.

A

PREDATORS

Predators stars Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Danny Trejo, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins and Laurence Fishburne. Directed by Nimrod Antal. Rated R with a running time of 1 hr. and 47 Mins. Thankfully this has nothing to do with the alien vs. predator series. It is more a sequel to the 1987 original Predator.

The story is about a group of elite warriors who come to realize they've been brought together on an alien planet as prey. With the exception of a disgraced physician, they are all cold-blooded killers. Mercenaries, Yakuza, convicts, death squad members, human predators that are now being systemically hunted and eliminated by a new breed of alien Predators.

First off I have to admit I have never actually sat down and watched the 1987 Predator starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Nor have I seen one minute of Predator 2. This movie Predators was meant to be a direct sequel to Predator and basically its meant for you to just forget about Predator 2. I feel that Predators is a worthy successor to Predator because it was scary, had some great action and it just purely entertained. It was just something about seeing the Predator for the first time in this movie that creeped me out in good way though. I mean come on they are like at least 6 feet tall and just have big bodies and dread locks!

One thing I didn't get in the movie was Laurence Fishburne's character. I just didn't get what his purpose to the story was. He is playing a man who has been on the Predator planet for 10 seasons. What are seasons exactly? Im not sure because they never really explain it. Anyways he runs into the group of warriors stranded on the planet and shows them where he hides out on some ship looking thing. Adrien Brody's character asks him (his name is Nolan by the way) "How do we kill them" (meaning the Predators) and Nolan replies "However you can". I was sitting there thinking Geeeeee that really helped. Thats all his character pretty much does and to me that part lost focus on the actual story. But luckily Fishburne is only on screen for about 10 minutes and the story gets back on track. Adrien Brody is the main tough guy in the movie and I really bought it. He looked totally comfortable and I liked his performance. The comic relief in the movie is Topher Grace (Eric from That 70's Show). He is funny at times and his character has a little twist but I won't get into that.

Overall Predators is a memorable thrill ride with some scares and laughs and just some cool action. I really enjoyed the ending too because there are so many possible sequels for this movie and of course all of the Predators aren't dead. Definitely hope to see a sequel to this movie and who knows maybe Arnold will be down for acting again since his term of governor ends this November. Imagine a sequel with Arnold in it. That would be pretty cool. But for what it is Predators is a pretty damn good movie!

B+

GROWN UPS

Grown Ups stars Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello and Maya Rudolph. Directed by Dennis Dugan. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 1 hr. and 42 mins.

Sandler, James, Rock, Spade and Schneider play best friends who gather to mourn the loss of their championship basketball coach 30 years after said championship. With their wives and kids they hang out at a lake house and pretty much crack joke after joke and well yeah basically thats it.

Grown Ups was a semi funny kinda good movie. It had its laughs and it definitely had its misses. My main problem with it was lack of story and how lazy the whole thing felt. In the very beginning I was very worried because it seemed to be like the director just set up a camera and the five guys (Sandler, Rock, James, Schneider and Spade) basically started telling jokes about each other. Another alarming thing was that once a joke was told the five stars would start laughing right in the movie. So it just had the feeling that it was lazy and without a story.

Things did start to move towards a somewhat kind of story dealing with martial problems, spoiled kids and a four year old that still breast feeds. The latter being pretty funny. There is also a funny bit with Schneider's character having super model looking daughters while he looks like well ummm Rob Schneider. One thing I didn't get was how Salma Hayek and Maria Bello came to be in this movie. They weren't really funny and and didn't do much. It is wierd because they tend to do more serious dramatic roles. Oh well.

Basically this movie had funny moments and very unfunny moments. But the entire cast is like able so its not dreadful with its sappy moments where it tries to be serious. Definitely not a step up for Adam Sandler comedies but I wouldn't call it a step down either. Grown Ups is not a Big Daddy or even Happy Gilmore but its definitely way better than the dreadful You Don't Mess With the Zohan. Just enough here to recommend. Flawed but worthy.

C+

KNIGHT & DAY

Knight and Day stars Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Viola Davis and Paul Dano. Directed by James Mangold. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 2 hrs. and 10 mins.

A chance encounter thrusts a woman and a charming but lethal operative into a series of adventures across the globe. As if dodging assassins and uncovering world-changing secrets weren't enough, she must now figure out if he is a good guy, a traitor or just plain crazy.

This movie is Tom Cruise's first full on action movie since Mission Impossible 3 back in 2006. I have to say he did a great job. Cruise just looks comfortable playing an action hero and he is very convincing. He also does most of his own stunts which is pretty impressive. There were plenty of outlandish action sequences but they were all very fun and entertaining. I loved the action part of the movie but when it tried to be funny and romantic I think thats when it failed.

Cameron Diaz plays the woman caught up in the action with Cruise's Roy Miller who is a spy possibly gone rogue. I have to say that I often found Diaz annoying in the movie. Throughout the action she is basically screaming and running around like an idiot. I know that it is supposed to be funny but its not and it grew very tiring. Then in the final act Diaz's character is all of a sudden a world class driver and knows how to use a gun effectively. I wish that would have been explained but oh well. I just thought that the parts that were supposed to be funny and romantic were the very weak parts of the movie.

This is Tom Cruise's movie and it just reminds you of why he is one of the worlds biggest actors. He is very like-able and a great actor. Anytime Cruise was onscreen strutting his action skills the movie was great. Any other parts though the movie was not. I know Cameron Diaz was supposed to be the comic relief of some sort but it just didn't work for me. Because of Cruise this is a fair movie.

B-

JONAH HEX

Jonah Hex stars Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Megan Fox and Michael Fassbender. Directed by Jimmy Hayward. Rated PG-13 with a running time of 1 hr. and 21 mins.

Jonah Hex (Brolin) is a scarred drifter and bounty hunter of last resort, a tough and stoic gunslinger who can track down anyone and anything. Having survived death, Jonah's violent history is steeped in myth and legend, and has left him with one foot in the natural world and one on the "other side." His only human connection is with Leila (Fox), whose life in a brothel has left her with scars of her own. But Jonah's past is about to catch up with him when the U.S. military makes him an offer he can't refuse: in exchange for his freedom from the warrants on his head, he must track down and stop the dangerous terrorist Quentin Turnbull (Malkovich). But Turnbull, who is gathering an army and preparing to unleash Hell, is also Jonah's oldest enemy and will stop at nothing until Jonah is dead.

Well this movie is unbelievable and definitely not in a good way. I blame the studio because they hired an unexperienced director to helm this action picture. The director is Jimmy Hayward and his only other directing job was the animated Horton Hears a Who. Yes you read that right. Another thing that blows my mind about this movie is that Hayward turned in his cut of the movie and I guess Warner Bros. hated it. So they made a bunch of cuts and supposedly they did reshoots and if they did those reshoots did not help one bit. So Warner Bros. decided to release this 1 hr. and 21 min cut of the film. Why they decided to do so is beyond me because Jonah Hex can hardly be called a movie. The entire movie feels rushed and you will probably laugh at how little blood there is even though more than half the movie Hex is killing people. It is very obvious that Warner Bros. wanted to go with the weaker PG-13 rating and you can tell where they cut it to hide the blood. I imagine Hayward's cut had more blood and sex based on the first trailer.

Josh Brolin is a great actor and he tries his best in this role. The problem is though that the movie was cut so much it just turned out to be complete crap. Malkovich just looked like he was sleep walking through the whole thing. Megan Fox well you know was Megan Fox. She does absolutely nothing the entire movie. The climax was so rushed and choppy you are left there thinking "WTF!?!". I definitely felt cheated after this one. The trailer looked to be like it was going to be a great action sexy romp. I couldn't have been more wrong. One of the worst movies I have seen in a long time and easily the worst of the year so far.

F

TOY STORY 3

Toy Story 3 features the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, John Ratzenberger, Wallace Shawn, Michael Keaton, Ned Beatty and Timothy Dalton. Directed by Lee Unkrich. Rated G with a running time of 1 hr. and 43 mins.

All the familiar faces are back along with some new faces. The toy's owner Andy is headed off to college. The toys including Woody, Buzz, Rex, Hamm, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head and Jessie are uncertain about their future. After a few misunderstandings the gang ends up at a day care center. They believe it will be toy heaven: always being played with and once the kids outgrow them there is always a new batch of kids coming in to play with them. Upon arrival they begin to dread play time because of how rough the young kids are. They also learn there owner Andy is looking for them. The gang wants to leave but a certain pink stuffed bear won't let them leave. So they must pull of an escape like the ones in prison movies.

Toy Story 3 is a good movie but I believe the first two are superior. I just feel that the first two were funnier and they just came off as more of a surprise. It also seemed to be just a tad dull in the middle but that definitely didn't last long. I believe another factor was that I was 7 when Toy Story 2 came out and 3 when Toy Story came out. I think it was just hard to top years of watching those first two movies which I adored. Toy Story 3 was a great way to end the trilogy. There definitely does not need to be a Toy Story 4. It would probably only hurt the franchise.

Pixar definitely knows how to tell unique stories but ones that everyone can relate to. When you see the toys almost coming to a fiery end and they begin to hold hands it's impossible not to cry. If you do not cry or get watery eyes you are not human. The opening sequence was very entertaining and looked amazing. It looked better than most action films today. I saw this in 3D but once again the 3D does not add or take away anything from the film. Toy Story 3 was good but I just don't think it stands way up there with the first two.

B