Margin Call has some good things going for it like a good ensemble cast, some sharp dialogue and an interesting premise. Unfortunately that same premise only carries the movie so far before it becomes tedious and redundant. While none of the performances predominantly noteworthy, I did think Kevin Spacey and Paul Bettany stood out above the rest while Jeremy Irons played his usual douchebag/villain part, though toned down.
Ice Quake isn’t quite the disaster of a movie compared with other Syfy made-for-TV movies but it’s still not very good. It was more interesting to see Victor Garber’s lack of interest than even those whom seemed to actually try.
Serendipity stands out thanks in most part to its two stars. John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale overcome a clichéd-filled script; to be fair it’s hard not to be clichéd in the romantic-comedy genre.
The Expendables: Extended Director’s Cut isn’t great but still a functional action-thriller bringing together manly men on the same screen together. On that front, the film succeeds and is at least a fun way to spend 110-minutes.
Colombiana is an OK movie that thinks has more substance than it actually does. Zoe Saldana gives a fine performance and shows that she can kick ass and look great doing it, nothing wrong with that, however, the story never connects on an emotional level and the plot is something we’ve seen many times before.
Kung Fu Panda 2 is a fun movie with incredible animation and, like the last installment, a great ensemble of voice talents. I wasn’t as enamored with the story as some, although I do like it wasn’t a mere rehash of the original.
Mr. Popper’s Penguins is a fun movie for the entire family. Sure, the plot is nonsensical and silly, the acting by the kids is pretty bad and the jokes are easy, but I managed to laugh a few times.
“The Simpsons” The Fourteenth Season might not be the best the show has had to offer but there are more than a few laughs to be had. The stories do get a bit repetitive but if you’re a die-hard fan, you’ll probably get more out of it than I had.
“Smallville” The Final Season is hardly perfect and there’s still issues with the writing, but I thought the season long plot and the forwarding of the Clark and Lois relationship makes this a solid year and far better than the ninth season.
The Smurfs is certainly not a very good movie but it did provide a few laughs – which is more than I can say about The Hangover Part II – and the animation, while nothing special, is still decent enough.
By no means is Bad Teacher a good film but Cameron Diaz, as well as Jason Segel for his limited part, gave it their best in spite of a script with few laughs and a flat plot that never really came to life.
This “Miramax Multi-Feature” set from Echo Bridge Home Entertainment packages together one good movie, a decent making-of documentary and two bad sequels. While all four features are on one disc, I thought each didn’t look too bad, though something like Full Tilt Boogie was not made for high-def and it shows.
Cars 2 is proof that no studio is perfect and they all have missteps and hopefully this will be Pixar’s only one for the next 10 years. When it comes to the movie itself, there is some charming moments but they are too far and between and usually interrupted by Mater’s annoying persona.
Captain America: The First Avenger has a few things going for it, mostly in the set design, costume design and cinematography but most everything else was standard and unimaginative including actor Chris Evans himself. There’s certainly a fine jump off point for this potential franchise I think in the hands of a better director, it could achieve so much more.
Faces in the Crowd hardly breaks new ground in the genre, but it has a few things going for it Milla Jovovich turns in a good performance, the mystery aspects are at least compelling and what writer/director Magnat does by putting the audience in the main character’s mindset is unique and effective.