In a small Arizona cattle town in 1873, an outlaw awakens with no memory of his past and a strange alien device strapped to his wrist. As he struggles to regain his past the town has troubles of its own. The various points of conflict in the ensemble cast would be enough for their own story, but they only make up one half of this flick. When menacing alien forces arrive and begin abducting people, the remnant must overcome their differences to save the ones they love. So often, genre films forget that characters are the best special effect. But Jon Favreau, who also directed "Iron Man", learned that lesson long ago. The ensemble cast is made up of wonderful actors turning in great performances, resulting in interesting characters and some welcome emotional depth. Even so, this is a movie about (you guessed it) cowboys and aliens, and it delivers on that promise with gusto. The wild west is dirty and dusty. The sounds of horses, harnesses, gun-belts and leather pro...

I can say that, at least in a limited sense, I'm a Captain America fan. I only have a few issues of the comic from the mainstream Marvel Comics universe, but I've bought about everything I can of his appearances in the Ultimate Marvel Universe. His character is Marvel's analog to DC's Superman (or what Superman USED to be like). Honest, morally conservative, brave and self-sacrificing. In a post-modern world of gritty or insecure "heroes", Captain America is one of the few in comics who actually comes across like a hero in every sense of the word and stands as an example we can aspire to be like. The movie captures all of these elements wonderfully(as the last Superman movie should have), and for that alone stands out as unique and worthy of attention. But it also has most of the other stuff you enjoy seeing superhero movies for. Steve Rogers is a scrawny young man who wants badly to enlist in the army, but never passes the physical exam. An opportuni...

After eight movies, the Harry Potter epic storyline is finally over. As someone who read and enjoyed the books once when they came out (but isn't a "fan" in particular) I wondered how the last movie in this franchise would wrap things up. I can definitely say it went out with a bang. Action and effects were numerous and the best I remember in the series. Character mortality rates were higher than ever. (In fact keeping track of deaths almost requires pen and paper!) The stakes were higher than ever and the epic battles do not disappoint. The supporting adult cast does the heavy lifting and engaged me emotionally in ways this series never has before. Alan Rickman (and Severus Snape's story) is certainly the standout dramatic element and nearly brought me to tears. The visual design is appropriately dark, sinister and even depressing, while still captivating and fantastical. A far cry from the bright colors of the earlier films in the series. Every character...

During my lunch break I sometimes watch The Daily Show or The Colbert Report. I liked them both better when they weren't as politically charged (The Daily Show for years and Colbert for just a few weeks). But I tune in these days to keep my hand on the pulse of pop-philosophy, the current trends of which I think both shows represent well. The Colbert Report in particular seems to enjoy mocking an over simplified version of Christianity or at least Catholicism. The show I watched yesterday had an interview with a "skeptic" named Michael Shermer. Here's the video link: http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/391554/july-11-2011/michael-shermer In the interview, he claims that the only way to be sure that what we believe is true is through science. I'd like to give him the chance to correct or clarify his position, because that assumption not only doesn't stand up to logical evaluation, it defeats itself. In the interview, Colber...