Let's get straight to it, shall we? This movie was a nerdly geek-splosion of awesomeness. I'm giving it a 10 out of 10 for my Quality score. Not because it's flawless, but because it's a major achievement in film that shouldn't be ignored. I haven't checked my records to verify, but I don't think I've given another movie a 10 since the first "Iron Man". Like that film, "Sucker Punch" is too much fun, too much of a visual feast and just too freakin' cool to give it anything less. The story centers on a girl nicknamed "Baby Doll", who finds herself framed by her evil stepfather and sentenced to an insane asylum, where she faces a lobotomy in 5 days unless she can escape. A matronly psychologist helps her and the other girls in the asylum, to cope with their situation by empowering them to retreat into an imagined world they create, in which they are powerful and able to bring about positive change in their circumsta...

After seeing just one trailer for "Battle: Los Angeles", I didn't want to see any more. It looked like a movie I didn't want to spoil by seeing too much of in advance. And I was right. Aaron Eckhart leads the cast as U.S. Marine Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz. He's had a long career, but his last mission ended terribly, haunting him with the death of the men he led. Despite preparing to retire, he is kept on when mysterious meteorites striking earth turn out to be the first wave of an invasion force. The story follows Nantz as he is placed back into the uncomfortable and weighty role of leadership amidst this relentless, unstoppable threat. Further complicating matters is the fact that he has a reputation, deserved or not, for letting those he leads die in combat. Right from the start I sensed this movie was making some good moves by introducing us to the ensemble cast and Nantz in particular. These were not meant to be a series of ranks and last names, but ...

The world is not what it seems. While we least expect it, eerie men in suits, who like to avoid water, freeze time and use strange tools on our heads to change our memories so that we will think what they want us to. Somehow, one man stumbles upon this behavior in action, and from that point begins a quest to uncover the truth and remain with the woman he loves, using as his weapon the very powers these strange men in suits possess. Now, before you try to tell Matt Damon where "Shell Beach" is, you should know that “The Adjustment Bureau” is not my dream come true of a sequel to “Dark City”. Not even close. In fact, the trailers seem to imply this is a fantasy/sci-fi thriller, when it’s much more of a fantasy romance, similar in tone to a flick like “The Time Traveler’s Wife”. In The Adjustment Bureau, Damon plays a politician who meets a woman randomly. After just minutes of talking for the first time, they are passionately kissing in response to the magnetic power...

Lizard Men from the center of the earth? Jimmy Olsen a transvestite? Superman can make suns on his work bench? I haven't read the comic series that the animated "All-Star Superman" movie is based on, but if I would have noticed that it was written by Grant Morrison, I would have gone with a rental instead of a purchase. In the last five years, Morrison has become known for absurd, postmodern blending of the silly 1950's comics continuity into modern stories. With the exception of a few hiccups along the way (especially near the beginning) DC has developed a number of solid animated films featuring their iconic characters. This pattern was established enough that I developed a personal policy of "buy, then try" when it came to these movies. But alas, that time may have come to an end. "All-Star Superman" aims to be a distillation of the core essence of what Superman is all about. Usually when this goal is set for any Superman story, the c...

If you are reading this, I want you to have no doubt of my love for you. It is for you, the reader, that I willingly subject myself to movies like "I Am Number Four", based on the bestselling young adult novel by Pittacus Lore (which I have not read). The story centers on a high school boy who is played, of course, by a college age man (Alex Pettyfer). He is on the run, with an older man who protects and guides him. They are aliens from the planet Lorien. John (the alien boy's human cover) is one of nine children from Lorien who are in hiding on earth from the evil Mogadorians who wish to kill them simply because Mogadorians are bad aliens and that is what they do. Most of this is explained after the first 5 minutes of the movie, in a bit of voice-over exposition that steals any mystery that might have pulled me in and sets the tone for the rest of the movie. This tone can be summed up with the word "simplistic". I don't know how old the character...

I'm a big fan of Green Lantern, and it used to be that when I would tell people this, they might say "Oh, yeah! Kato was cool!" I got used to sighing as I explained that Green Lantern and Green Hornet were two different characters, and that Green Lantern was MUCH cooler. Green Lantern is still the cooler hero, but the new Green Hornet movie comes closer to competing than ever before. Seth Rogen, best known for raunchy comedies like "Knocked Up" and "Observe And Report", brings his comedic sensibilities to bear as both writer and star of "The Green Hornet", while trading in most of his raunchy humor for some really cool action and gags with more general appeal. Based on the radio and tv shows of the same name, the story centers on Britt Reid, the recent heir of his father's newspaper media empire. Realizing that he has wasted himself in a life of decadence, Reid decides to make a difference by becoming a masked crime-fighter. Wi...

Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman star in this movie about two medieval knights who have agreed to take an alleged witch to a distant monastery to be tried and, if appropriate, ritually purged and executed in order to lift a plague cursing towns across the land. Performances by Cage and Perlman are on par for both, if not historically or culturally authentic. The characters themselves are pretty uninteresting, but their story helps make up for it, and the bond of friendship between them is strong and enjoyable to watch at times. The dialogue is best when dealing with the story conflict and themes presented and falls flat when it attempts to be humorous. But much of the shortcoming could also be placed at the feet of the actors on the last count. Still, this is a pretty good movie, especially if you give it a chance to get going. While not being creative in its shot design, the movie has a consistent dark and cold quality that fans of dark fantasy or movies like "Underworld: ...