50/50

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogan, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston, Philip Baker Hall -- A really good story about a person (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who is in the middle of his fight with cancer, and his therapist (Anna Kendrick), who is just starting out. I liked how it ended. I would rate it 5 out of 5 stars.  (2011 - R)

Tabloid

Joyce McKinney, Kent Gavin, Peter Tory -- The true story of a beauty queen, a Mormon missionary, and  a kidnapping. You have to see it to believe it. I think the phase "bat-shit crazy" comes to mind. I would rate it 3 out of 5 stars. (2010 - R)

The Tree of Life

Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain -- First the dinosaurs came and then Brad Pitt happened....and then the world blew up. That's it. I would rate it 2 3/4 out of 5 stars. (2011 - PG-13) 

Proof

Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anthony Hopkins, Hope Davis -- Really, really good-looking mathematicians. An hour and forty minutes later, I got to see the credits. I would rate it 2 1/2 out of 5 stars. (2005 - PG-13)

Paranormal Activity 3

A Bunch of People I Hadn't Heard Before This -- Enough already. I would rate it 2 1/2 out of 5 stars. (2011 - R)

In Time

Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Olivia Wilde, Vincent Kartheiser, Cillian Murphy, Johnny Galecki -- In the future, where everything is measured in time, it's the old "have nots" versus the "haves". Justin Timberlake is one of the "have nots" that goes though life a day at a time. Amanda Seyfried and Vincent Kartheiser (AMC's "Mad Men") are the "haves". Justin Timberlake kidnaps Amanda Seyfried and they start holding-up banks together (where the time is kept).  And yeah, there is a "Timekeeper" (Cillian Murphy) involved in the plot, also. It kept my interest. I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars.  (2011 - PG-13)

Catch .44

Bruce Willis, Forest Whitaker, Shea Whigham, Malin Akerman, Brad Dourif, Nikki Reed -- A real "shoot 'em up" but the time it is about girls. Tas (Malin Akerman), Kara (Nikki Reed), and Tara are looking to rob a drug dealer at the behest of their boss, Mel (Bruce Willis). It turns into a real shooting match. Kind of like "The Usual Suspects". Forest Whitaker was awesome. Kara (Reed) is shot by Francine (Jill Stokesbury) who is shot by Jesse (Jimmy Lee, Jr.)  who is shot by Tara (Deborah Ann Woll) who is shot by Billy (Whigham) who is shot by Ronny (Whitaker) who is shot by Mel (Willis) who is shot by Tes (Akerman). I would rate it 3 1/2 out of 5 stars. (2011 - R)

Rampart

Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster, Ned Beatty, Sigourney Weaver, Steve Buscemi, Robin Wright, Anne Heche, Cynthia Nixon, Ice Cube - A person with the Rampart Division of the LAPD is one of a dying breed - a white, racist cop. All the stars in the universe couldn't save the film. It was awful. I would rate it 2 out of 5 stars. (2011 - R)

Another Earth

Brit Marling, William Mapother, Kumar Pallana - In this one, a planet suddenly appears in orbit. It is called Earth Two. On the night that it appeared, a girl gets into a car crash that is her fault. Two people are killed in the other car. She goes to prison for four years. When she gets out, there is a contest going on. The winner is guaranteed a seat on the first mission to Earth Two. She wins, but there are scientists that say that Earth Two is a parallel universe. She gives her seat up to a friend. And so she gets to meet herself (quite literally). It was alright. I would rate it 3 3/4 out of 5 stars.  (2011 - PG-13)  

Melancholia

Kirsten Dunst, Kiefer Sutherland, John Herd, Charlotte Rampling, Stellan Skarsgard, Charlotte Gainsbourg - Two hours and the earth blows up. The End. The last twenty minutes were interesting, but why the nineteenth hole on the golf course? I would rate it 2 1/2 out of 5 stars. (2011 - R)

Lbs.

Carmine Famiglietti, Michael Aronov, Miriam Shor, Sharon Angela - About a guy and his boyhood friend struggling with addictions - he to food, the other one to dope. They decide to go to Upstate New York, far away from the temptations of Queens. Once they are there, however, it is an uphill battle. I really enjoyed it. The only person I recognized was Sharon Angela (she played Rosalie Aprile on "The Sopranos"). I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars.  (2004 - NR)

Margin Call

Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, Assiv Mandvi -- I admit it. I still don't how credit default swaps (CDS) work. I have seen the second film revolved around CDS in as many days, and to be honest with you, I still don't know how it works. Except that a lot of Wall Street people made a whole bunch of money and you and I get stuck holding the bag. Twenty-four hours within a "Bear Sterns" type of concern.  Again, excellent cast. I only saw it at home because there were no local theaters playing the movie. I would rate it 5 out of 5 stars.  (2011 - R)

Too Big to Fail

James Woods, William Hurt, Topher Grace, Cynthia Nixon, Edward Asner, Paul Giamatti, Billy Crudup, Michael O'Keefe, Bill Pullman, Tony Shalhoub, Matthew Modine, John Heard, Kathy Baker, Dan Hedaya -- About the bank failures back in 2008. The two main guys that were in it were Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke (Paul Giamatti) and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Paulson (William Hurt). It was amazing how two actors looked so much like Bernanke and Paulson.  Kind of leaving the fox to guard the henhouse. An excellent cast. I would rate it 5 out of 5.  (2011 - NR)

Fireflies in the Garden

Julia Roberts, Ryan Reynolds, Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson, Hayden Panettiere, Carrie-Anne Moss, Ioan Gruffudd -- A father (Willem Dafoe) is mean to his son (Ryan Reynolds). A lot of big names, not much action. An intellectual film (although Hayden Panettiere is nice to look at). I would give it 3 out of 5 stars.  (2008 - R)

Father of Invention

Kevin Spacey, Heather Graham, Johnny Knoxville, John Stamos, Craig Robinson -- A telemarketer with some pretty big inventions (think Ron Popeil or Billy Mayes) goes to prison. When he gets out, he has to start all over again. He thinks of an idea, and is about to make it happen. It was all the right,though, again, it was nothing to write home about.  I have seen Kevin Spacey act better. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars.  (2010 - PG-13)  

A Horrible Way to Die

A bunch of actors I know nothing about and a director that I hadn't heard of - I know, I know; having to watch the movie!!! Plenty of gore - not much else. A serial killer escapes and goes looking for his ex-girlfriend. I would rate it 2 1/2 out of 5 stars. (2010 - R)  

Exporting Raymond

Philip Rosenthal - What happens to a successful American show when the commies get ahold of it. Amusing. I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars. (2010 - PG) 

Red State

Michael Parks, Melissa Leo, John Goodman, Kevin Pollak, Steven Root, Ralph Garman, Patrick Fischler, Micheal Angarano - Another movie written and directed by Kevin Smith ("Silent Bob" in the "Clerks" movies). Exactly like Michael Moore including the wide girth. Kind of like the Westboro Baptist Church (God Hates Fags) only more sinister. The ATF gets involved and there is a Waco-like stance at the church. Good cast - horrible primus. Don't go out of your way to watch this. I would give it a 2 3/4 out of 5 stars. (2011 - R)

Something Borrowed

Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin, John Krasinski, Colin Egglesfield, Steve Howey, Jill Eikenberry, Geoff Pierson - A chick-flick - and not even a good chick-flick. Darcy (Kate Hudson) and Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) are best friends. Rachel is in love with Darcy's fiancée, Dex (Colin Egglesfield). Yada, yada, yada. Ethan (John Krasinski) is in love with Rachel. Meanwhile, Darcy is cheating Dex with Marcus (Steve Howey). You can't read the players without a score card. I had to turn it off at several points in the movie. I was getting brain freeze. All the people are too good looking - even the ugly ones. Watch it if you dare. I rated the movie at a 2 1/4 out of 5 stars.  (2011 - PG-13)

The Bang Bang Club

Ryan Phillippe, Malin Akerman, Taylor Kitsch, Frank Rautenbach, Neels Van Jaarsveld -- Not what you'd think! A group of four photojournalists who covered South Africa when apartheid ended and there were two distinct partys - the African National Congress (Mandela's party) and the Inkatha Zulus. They were locked in a bitter and bloody dispute. They won several Pulitzer Prizes for photojournalism. It was interesting. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars.  (2010 - R)