The Proposal

Betty White for President! She would save the animals, tell it like it is and most importantly keep us all laughing. This movie was better than I thought it would be. I was worried that the only laughs would be in the previews. Sandra Bullock is to romantic comedies what Meg Ryan was in the 80's. I'm not sold on Ryan Reynolds--not bad to look at though. Mary Steenburgen redeemed herself from the surprising role of Stepbrothers. The whole movie was a joy that I give two thumbs up holding my sides from laughing.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

The sixth movie out of seven books by JK Rowling seemed true to the book. Of course, the books are so huge that details will be left out but overall enjoyable, especially for people familiar with the story. Harry and Ginny's budding romance, Ron and Hermione's too. Good effects, love the moments with the Pensieve. Draco seemed a bit out of character and Snape was his usual trustworthy to Dumbledore, not so much for everyone else. Hagrid and McGonagall weren't as much a part as I would have liked but that's because they are my favorite. Luna Lovegood was a pleasant surprise she was great! I give this a strong one thumb up knowing that I will be seeing the 7th film when it comes out no matter what this was like.

Young Victoria

If you like films about European royalty, then go see Young Victoria. It was filled with beautifully designed costumes and the story held your interest. The one drawback was that Emily Blunt seemed to be a little over her head in the role. I find it interesting that Queen Victoria was the longest running Queen to date---Elizabeth has been around seemingly forever. I give this a one thumb up but would recommend other European films instead.

A Serious Man

Not to be confused with the other Oscar-nominated movie, A Single Man, this movie is from the Coen Brothers who also brought you: No Country for Old Men, O Brother Where Art Thou, Fargo and many more. A Serious Man has interesting characters (like Richard Kind's Uncle Arthur) and an interesting concept in a middle-age man's world seeming to crumble all around him. There were enjoyable moments but really you walk away thinking what just happened here? I give it a half a thumb up for the character writing and acting but overall I was just plain dumbfounded.

Secret of Kells

The Secret of Kells is an animated tale of a young man, Brendon growing up in a monastery with his uncle. They are building a wall around their city to prevent the Vikings from invading....hm mm maybe we can build a wall on the Minnesota border, or wrong Vikings--I digress. Brenden discovers that he has the ability to be an illuminator and write books with an old master. The uncle figures it to be a waste of time and thus continues the story. This is a very literary type movie and visually stunning but I only give it one thumb up due to some slow-moving moments.

Coraline

Coraline should be a Tim Burton movie in the way it is depicted but I find his name no where in the credits. It is a creepy looking film about a girl who finds a door that sends her to an alternate and seemingly better reality only to reach a conflict about staying there or coming back. It is filmed in stop-motion style which was refreshing in this digital age. Dakota Fanning and especially Teri Hatcher provide the main voices well. If you can get past the creepiness, you will find yourself watching a good movie. I give it only one thumb up due to the fact that if I want to be a little creeped out but for a better movie, I'll watch Monster House.

Lovely Bones

The book by Alice Sebold was fresh and so I was anxious to see the movie. When I heard Peter Jackson was directing it, it made me nervous as Lord of the Rings was good but very different from what I imagined Lovely Bones to be. The book and movie centers around Susie Salmon who was murdered and is looking down from another world watching her family cope and hoping her murderer is caught. Saoirse Ronan impressed me in the movie Atonement and she plays Susie. Mark Wahlberg plays her father and Stanley Tucci eerily plays the villain George Harvey. I believe Susan Sarandon was a waste of talent because I do not think her character added as much to the movie as Susan's name added to the credits. Overall, the movie was true to the book and I give it one thumb up hoping that Susie's tragedy is not experienced by anybody else.

The Messenger

Woody Harrleson is usually thought of a a humorous sidekick. In this movie he grabs hold of the character of Captain Tony Stone and carries the film. Ben Foster's Staff Sgt Will Montgomery is considered the lead but Harrelson's Tony is the glue that holds everything together. This movie is about two soldiers that have to break the news to the families of the service men and women that the they have died. This has many powerful scenes and explores the variety of reactions that these soldiers see but it seemed like scenes and not full movie. I give this a one thumb up for respect of all those who serve for our country and especially those who have gave the ultimate sacrifice. SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!

Julie and Julia

Amy Adams and Meryl Streep are two of my favorites. It will take something really bad for me not to like what they are in and this movie does not disappoint. The movie based on the real-life Julie Powell's quest to cook all of the recipes in Julia Child's cookbook in one year is a grand task but intriguing as well. Stanley Tucci and Eric Powell are wonderful as the stabilizing yet sidekick performances of the husbands. A lot of Humor, a bit of heartbreak and a ton of tantalizing food make for quite an enjoyable movie. I give two thumbs up surrounding the utensils that you will undoubtedly use to eat food after watching this movie.

Tooth Fairy

Duane Johnson 'the Rock' is a personable fellow and I have enjoyed what I have seen of his other movies. Unfortunately, this suffers by comparison. When you see that the legendary Dame Julie Andrews co-stars, there is hope. Again unfortunately, even Julie cannot save this poor written, predictable and at times dragging storyline. I may 'not be able to handle the tooth', but after sitting through this movie, it is not the worst movie I've ever seen as I did laugh but I can only give a half a thumb up just to see the great Julie Andrews.

It Happened One Night

In my slow quest to see all the Best Picture winner's, I rented this 1934 classic. Starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, this is a fun romp. Claudette plays an heiress trying to run away who runs into Clark's reporter in search of a story. Since this is a romantic comedy, mayhem ensues and they fall in love. For being 60+ years old, this is still a timeless piece whose story has aged like a fine wine. I give this an exciting two thumbs up in anticipation of more fine classics!

Nine

This musical from the director of Chicago (Rob Marshall), is the story of director Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis) trying to find harmony (literally and figuratively) between his wife, mistress, agent, muse and mother. All the stars in this movie certainly peaks your interest and Judi Dench and Sophia Loren do not disappoint. They are their usual stunning selves. Marion Cotillard is a wonderful singer (as was shown in her Oscar-winning performance in La Vie En Rose--or Oscar stealing, as Julie Christie SHOULD have won for Away From Her, but I digress). Penelope Cruz is a fine actress but relies too heavily on selling her body and her performance felt like soft porn. Nicole Kidman was enjoyable but I have to say the two best singers/songs came from Kate Hudson (surprisingly) and Fergie (lead of the musical group Black Eyed Peas). Some good songs do not make a movie however and I am forced to give this one thumb up to instead select Chicago for your viewing pleasure.

Adam

Adam tells the story of a man with Asperger's syndrome who develops a relationship with his neighbor Beth. Hugh Dancy was fun as Buddy in the under-appreciated movie Evening and absolutely nails this performance so well, you would think her truly has Asperger's syndrome. The relationship between Adam and Harlan (Frankie Faison), an old family friend who watches over Adam after his parent's die is heart-warming. The relationship between Adam and Beth (Rose Byrne) is at times all of the following: comical, heart-warming, heart-wrenching and sad. For this reviewer, it was also personal for reasons I will not divulge in this forum. I give this a wonderful two thumbs up hoping for more fund-raising and especially understanding in the research of Asperger's syndrome and other Autism spectrum disorders.

The Informant

The Informant is a fun, fast-paced story about a guy (Mark Whitacre) who is involved in a price-fixing scheme but agrees to become an informant (hence the title) to the federal government in an effort to bring justice to the world. Matt Damon took this movie and ran with it. He had fun eating hamburgers, pizza and dark beer to gain the weight for the role of Mark. He made this movie and it is fun to watch and in my opinion, more deserving of an Oscar nomination than his role in Invictus. I give The Informant two thumbs up for the sheer enjoyment of watching a funny and engaging film.

Couples Retreat

Directed by the A Christmas Story's very own Ralphie Parker (I want an official Red Ryder carbine-action-200-hundred-shot-range air rifle), Peter Billingsly, Couples Retreat is a fun tale of four couples in the tropics trying to save each of their own marriages in their own way. It is simple, predictable and pure fun. If you do not like Vince Vaughn or simple, yet fun movies; do not see this movie. For some reason, I kept seeing Ringo Starr in Jean Reno's Marcel character but overall, I give it a one thumb up pointing to the picturesque Caribbean resort.

Princess and the Frog

In my opinion, an animated movie should be aimed at children but enjoyable for adults. For an explanation, watch a Disney movie. Lately, animated movies are taking their cues from the adult content cartoons like the Simpsons, South Park and Family Guy and searching for young adult viewership...but I digress. The Princess and The Frog recaptures wonder of watching good triumph over evil with great animation, awesome music and fun characters. My only regret is that one or both parents are dead in almost all Disney movies but it brings depth to the character so I'll let it slide. Anika Noni Rose lends her voice to the main character of Tiana, whose story is so captivating, you forget you're watching a 'kids movie'. The music is pure New Orleans jazz: toe-tapping and heart-feeling. I give this two hands up clapping to this wonderful movie.

Up In The Air

Up in the air was an enjoyable movie with an eerily similar role by George Clooney (Ryan) to what many perceive to be his real life persona. Vera Farmiga (Alex) had wonderful chemistry with George and their scenes together were a joy to watch. Anna Kendrick is an up-and-coming actress known to many teenagers as Jessica from the Twilight series. People may recognize her from that but she took over the role of Natalie. Jason Bateman is starting to get typecast as a smarmy yuppie-ish character but he plays the role well so why knock a good thing. My only drawback in this movie is the plot twist concerning Ryan and Alex's character. In the interest of not spoiling the movie for others, I will suffice it to say that I disliked the ending so can only give this movie one thumb pointing to all the flights 'flying the friendly skies'.

Precious

Precious, Based on the movie Push by Sapphire was anxiously awaited by this reviewer. I read the book Push by Sapphire twice. Although it is graphic and at times hard to read due to the illiteracy of the character Precious, it was not a depressing book. Even though horrendous events take place, Precious meets people that can truly help her to improve her life. The characters of Blue Rain and Mrs. Weiss especially are key to getting Precious away from the abuse from her own mother, Mary. Gabourey Sidibe delivers an eye-opening debut performance and it is unbelievable that Mo'Nique can become Mary so fully. Mariah Carey is OK as Mrs. Weiss but I felt that if the role was given to a more seasoned actress, perhaps the character would have been truer to the book. I believe Paula Patton could have handled the role of Blue Rain as portrayed in the book but perhaps Lee Daniels wanted to focus on delivering Precious' story fully. I appreciated his technique of showing her "coping mechanism" of dreaming she is a model while the abuse is happening as this lessened the horrendous acts as seen by the viewer. Kudos to Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey for bringing this wonderful story to the screen and Geoffrey Fletcher for adapting the screenplay true to the book. Two whole hands up clasped in prayer hoping that we will end abuse.

Twilight and New Moon

Yes, I actually succumbed to peer pressure (thanks Julia) and read these 2 books by Stephenie Meyer. I am glad that she turned so many people onto reading. Unfortunately, I do think that Stephenie's writing is a bit immature. Twilight, the book was enjoyable yet simplistic whereas the movie felt like a TV movie of the week. When Edward appeared in the sun, it looked like sweat not sparkling. New Moon, the book was boring and the part that was supposed to be climatic was not. New Moon, the movie was better acted, better at portraying suspense and we got to see Jacob (Tyler Lautner) half-naked! I will be reading the rest of the series and seeing the subsequent movies. I will give the books a thumb up for bringing high school students away from Facebook, cell phones, etc and toward the joy of reading and I will give the movies a 1/2 thumb up because they are true to the book, simple and fun but can be held out for a rental.

The Blind Side

I am a football fan. OK, fanatic more accurately describes me. I have not read Michael Lewis' book (yet) but I am a fan of Sandra Bullock and so when you put the two together, it was obvious that I should see this movie. The movie starts out depicting the reason why football is so dangerous in showing former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theisman's knee bent in a way it is not supposed to be bent. Sandra Bullock does a voice over explaining that this is the reason that protecting the quarterback's blind side is so important. The movie than goes into the story of how Michael Oher overcame poverty through learning to trust because of Leigh Anne Tuohy (Bullock) and family and became an NFL player. Tim McGraw, in addition to being nice to look at, a good singer, family man and husband to the equally beautiful Faith Hill, is a good actor as Sean Tuohy the somewhat spineless sidekick of a husband. Besides Bullock, Jae Head helps to make the movie in his portrayal of little brother S.J.--priceless. This is your typical overcoming obstacles, good-hearted movie but I still give it two thumbs up in the hopes that they don't get bent like Theisman's leg.

Sherlock Holmes

So far, I have not read Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mysteries; nor have I seen the Basil Rathbone portrayals of Sherlock. I enjoy Robert Downey Jr as an actor so I went to see the movie. I was not disappointed as it appeared Robert loved playing Sherlock and the chemistry that he had with Jude Law's Watson was a joy to watch. It took a little bit to let myself enjoy the fast-paced film-making style of Guy Ritchie and the thick British accents but once I got carried away in the story, I enjoyed it. There is quite obviously sequels in the works as Sherlock will have more cases to solve. It was a fun escape and give it an enthusiastic thumb up looking forward to the eventual sequel(s).

Invictus

Honestly, I do not know much about South Africa's apartheid nor Nelson Mandela. I do know that when Morgan Freeman is in a movie, it is rare for that movie not to be good. That tradition is upheld in Invictus. This is most definitely his movie and also part of Nelson Mandela's legacy. When Clint Eastwood directs Morgan, it is a potentially award-winning combination as was shown in the previous Million Dollar Baby (where Morgan's role is not nearly big enough but I digress). The movie shows how President Mandela showed a divided country how to unite, in this instance it is due to a sports team. I know there are some non-sports fans out there that think we are entirely too centered on sports but like it or not, sports is a good microcosm of society where there are battles (games) to be won, strategy (game plan) to be utilized and all because of people working together for the good of the country (team). I do not know anything about how Rugby is played but the fact that the South African national team vying to win a world cup (championship) is green and gold makes this die hard Packers fan proud! There are a lot of good lines of dialogue that are as appropriate in 1995 South Africa as they are in 2010 America. Ironically, both are being led by African-American presidents. More people need to see Invictus to help to realize that we are all in this life together no matter what our race, religion, sexual orientation nor anything else and to be divided is to be conquerable. I highly recommend this movie with two thumbs up reading a copy of the William Ernest Henley's poem titled Invictus.

Avatar

OK, I admit, I didn't want to see this movie. It looked like a bunch of effects and not much story. I am guessing that it will garner some Oscar nominations and I had heard that James Cameron was working on it since before Titanic so I succumbed to peer pressure and saw it. I saw it in 3D but not IMAX due to myself being too old to handle the nausea that sometimes shows up when watching IMAX films. First of all, the 3D was pretty neat to watch with all the things flying toward you like you can touch them and what not. Did it really add to the film, not in this reviewers mind. Like Titanic, it felt like the movie made the actors and that no one star stood out for their performance. Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang are all good actors and did however play their roles well. The whole time I was watching, it reminded me a lot of Pocahontas with the environmental beauty and the plot line. I was waiting to hear Vanessa Williams sing Colors of the Wind. Overall, I'm glad that I saw it but I have to wonder what is lacking when a film has to rely on 3D and IMAX to encourage people to see it. It was good but it didn't make me want to see it again nor recommend it to others so I give it one thumb up for excellent marketing.

It's Complicated

Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin in one movie, wow, it's got to be good...right? Well, It's complicated. Divorce is a serious event in too many lives. Humor is a necessary component to a healthy existence. So when the two are brought together along with the natural hilarity of the over-50 set 'talking about sex', you do have a funny movie. It's Complicated is funny, very-adult movie with the usual good acting by Meryl, comic timing from Alec and unfortunately not enough screen time for Steve. I think the plot of Agness and Pedro was under-developed but I would rather see it stay under-developed in order to increase the role of Steve Martin's character Adam. I also think John Krasinski although very funny was given too big of a role due to his popularity from The Office; again give some of his lines to developing Adam more. Overall, I give It's Complicated one thumb up for a nice cinematic diversion from our 'real lives'.