Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 2; All out action filled climax to the series ends well, even if it has little arc of its own; A-

Foo Fighters: Back and Forth

Foo Fighters: Back and Forth; Raw, honest, invigorating exploration of band's history & present. Candid and slick, a must see for fans; A

Bad Teacher

Bad Teacher; Traileritis strikes again, funny bits all in ads. Good cast plays well, but script offers few surprises. Worth a rental; C+

Super 8

Super 8; Average B monster movie made special by top caliber direction & nostalgic feel. Whimsy & charm, could easily have gone wrong; B

Green Lantern

Green Lantern; Simply OK. No fault of Reynolds or F/X, but rather a too dark & serious tone that takes itself too seriously. Lacks fun; B-

X-Men: First Class

X-Men: First Class; Focus on family, history and science grounds the film in reality, makes for a tense, exciting prequel. Top Notch!; A-

Kung Fu Panda 2

Kung Fu Panda 2; With heart, humour & spectacular animation, this sequel does Pixar style entertainment better than Pixar of late; A-

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides; swashbuckling vs. Blackbeard lends darker tones, fresh faces fit well w/Depp & Rush; worthy B+

Thor

Thor; Cleverly humanizes the hero to connect with audiences. Great action and set pieces overcome any story shortcomings. Excelsior!; B+

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil; Sequelitis strikes again! None of the charm, wit and clever asides of the original, pathetically lame; D+

African Cats

African Cats; Narrative & narration (by Samuel L. Jackson) would be better served by a R-rating, as these cats do very little on screen; C-

Tron Legacy

Tron: Legacy; Coolness factor is obviously the look and sound of the film, other than that, a real bore filled w/talk & walk, truly corny; C-

Rio

Rio; Beautifully renders the city itself, Nigel steals the show w/hilarious song, fun when the music is playing, lame otherwise, rent it; B-

Hop

Hop; Cute kiddy fun w/eye popping colourific candy scenery. Humour & story no smarter than a child could handle, but great fun 4 families; B

Sucker Punch

Sucker Punch; If only all music video games could look as good as they cost. Fantasy eye candy genre bending imagery without complexity; B-

The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights

The White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights; Intriguing portrait of Jack & Meg White with Rocky Canadian tour as the backdrop; B+

Gnomeo & Juliet

Gnomeo & Juliet; Pint sized fun for little ones, but little for adults to hang on to. Harmless misadventures with decent casting. C+

Rango

Rango; Animated cretins unlike anything we've seen b4, in tried n true tropes of ole westerns; humour & violence more suited for adults; A-

The Social Network

The Social Network; Nicely executed film buoyed by a combination of smart direction, snappy dialogue & savvy score. Very timely & talky; A-

Grown Ups

Grown Ups; Some very BIG laughs, and many that fall flat. Great cast that'd be more fun to hear them riff than try to save this script; B-