�Bubble� - A nice little movie with pretty good acting and interesting story, but nothing really special. Had some good ideas, but didn�t fully expand them. B-
�V for Vendetta� - A much-better-than-I-expected movie. Had good acting from the two leads and an interesting script. I had a few problems with the script though: the prison portion of the movie did not fit in and felt quite strange and unbelievable. Had good intentions, but the newbie director didn�t fully make them as good as they could have been. However, the last potion of the film he got way better and made it go out with a bang. Not too much action, but there is a strange Matrix-like scene near the end which is nicely executed but feels, again, out of place. Good movie. B
�Inside Man� - This movie is very strange. I liked it okay, but the script is pretty dull. The direction is very good, however, and makes the best of the script. The score and sound track is excellent, but the editing is a little off because there are confusing moments, and it is way too slow in areas. There are many funny parts, but almost all of them are unneeded and make the movie feel reluctant to finish. The conclusion is very dull, so I can see why it tries to add funny scenes to win over the audience. The acting is good, but not exceptional. The script may not be very good, but it is adequate. The heist is very believable and interesting, but the motivation isn�t there. The heist, acting, score and humor save this from being totally dull. C +
�Lucky Number Slevin� - This movie has a very sharp and slick script. All of the characters have very snazzy lines and personalities, but sometimes it gets to cool for its own good (some of the dialog is badly executed and comes off strange and trying to be like �Pulp Fiction� or another Tarintino movie). Every single possible plot hole is filled, so you leave the movie knowing everything and you are not confused. The direction and editing make this movie even cooler with a cooler than cool sound track and action scenes. You like all the characters and laugh very often. Unfortunately, every single thing in this movie has been done before and that lessens the value. B
�Thank You for Smoking� - Ah, the rare good and motivated comedy. This movie is obviously inspired and has great things to say. This movie shows great things are to come for the director. Acting from the lead and others are very charismatic. This movie has almost everything. The only thing wrong with it is the lack of substance. There are very funny scenes, but there is no real aim that the characters are aiming for and that isn�t good in a comedy. With that aside, a good film. B+
�American Dreams� - The funny thing about this movie is that the script is good and bad at the same time. The conclusion the script eventually gets too is brilliant bring everything that has happened so far together. With that aside, the dialog is frequently bad and cheesy. The actors don�t help the dialog at all. Most of the acting in the film is at a mediocre level, except for Hugh Grant, who does a good job as an unlikable character, and Dennis Quaid, who strangely made me feel very sorry for him and actually like him better than anyone else in the film. This film is very uninspired and seems lazy at times, but it comes together well. It also has a few very funny bits. B -
�United 93� - I cannot remember a film with such a huge emotional impact on me. This movie is very well done with a documentary-style filming and has a you-were-there feel to it. All of the characters don�t have back stories and you don�t even know there name. The acting is very good - and they are all unknowns. The final thirty minutes are very sad as the passengers cal home and say goodbye to their loved ones, but it is also very triumphant. The passengers over take the terrorists and it makes you feel so good for them. The music during that scene brings it to a whole new level. There is not going to be a better movie made very soon on the subject. A
�Akeelah and the Bee� - This is the best family movie made in a good while. Has good acting from all cast members, especially its title character. The direction is surprisingly unique. It is kind of like Steven Soderberg meets Wes Anderson. All techs are good: good editing and very good musical selections. Unfortunately though, the script, which is pretty good, has been done very many times. Almost every single event in the script has been done before by another movie or TV show. But the script has good intentions and themes on life. Despite the uncreative story, every other aspect is so good that it works. Ah, and the dialog is very life-like. A-
�The Da Vinci Code� - A bit of a shocker. I expected it to be good, but turned out to be a disappointment. Not awful, though. The acting is mediocre at best and Tom Hanks is over qualified. The script was very lazy and less exciting than the book. The direction is pretty good, although he should have cut the movie down (way too long) and also should have made the action sequences more exciting because the book made then thrilling, but the movie made them lame, most notably the sequence were the monk is shot. Although it has many major flaws, it is still pretty entertaining (although the ending takes way to long and may put viewers to sleep) and the cinematography is nice. C-
�Over the Hedge� - Not as good as it looks. The concept of this movie appealed to me. The movie turned out to be pretty good, but is full of clich�s. Everything in this seems like you�ve seen it before and I guessed many things to come in the first five minutes. Dose, however, have some creative moments, especially the human concepts and the trap/accident sequences. Not very funny, but it keeps a smile on your face, and there are a couple very funny moments. Bruce Willis detracted from the movie as well; the voice he used in the movie was annoying and didn�t fit the character. Steve Corell shined as the Hamy the squirrel. C+
�Xmen: The Last Stand� - I didn�t like the first two (actually, I don�t remember anything about them), but I found this one surprisingly entertaining. The only movie this summer that has come close to deserving all the money it is getting. The story its self isn�t very good and really doesn�t even have an aim, but it is still interesting. The special effects are excellent. The acting is also good for what the movie is. The movie also has some style in the way the action scenes play. Even if you didn�t like the others, or haven�t seen them, this film is still quite entertaining by its self. B+
�The Break-Up� - The only main-stream non-animated comedy I�ve seen this year. It is kind of funny, but not unfunny. The acting isn�t ever bad, but isn�t great. The story is original and unoriginal at the same time. This exact story hasn�t been done before, but it still feels kind of old. Lots of critics said that you can�t believe that these two have been together for two years, which is half true, but doesn�t really impair the movie. I guess it is okay, but there is nothing special or bad here. It is just okay. But it is somewhat funny and never really boring. C+
�Cars� - Beats the crap out of �Over the Hedge.� This, unlike �Over the Hedge�, isn�t clich�d or stale at all. This is completely original and has a good message. Good animation and very good characters. However, this would appeal way more to adults than children. Nothing really happens (in a good way) so to children it could be boring. It is also kind of long, again not a bad thing. Pixar again and again proves that they make the best animated movies, especially these days. A-
�A Prairie Home Companion� - Better and different than I expected. This is funny, stylish and well directed (by Robert Altman, an old pro), but it really doesn�t have a story. Basically, it is the radio show, but with behind the scenes bits and it is the last show. However, it has a good and intelligent message. The all-star cast is very good here with great dialog and personalities. Has a very funny noir feel. Like I said, the movie doesn�t really have a narrative story. Most of the movie is songs and bits. Tends to have a very minor drag near the beginning and maybe near the middle. A-
�Block Party� - I�m still not sure if this is a documentary or a mockumentary. Seems real enough. It is pretty interesting, but has very little aim, unlike most documentaries. Dave is funny at times and there are interesting bits. The music interludes go on to long and there are too many. But there are some moments were it makes you feel, well, I guess proud of what the people say. B
�Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties� - Well, at least it isn�t too boring. There is nothing original about the story at all. There is one creative moment in the whole movie. When all the animals are making lasagna, there is a mouse in a running wheel on a wheel of cheese and the wheel is grating the cheese. That is it, the only thing in the movie that hasn�t been done before. It wasn�t funny either. The jokes weren�t completely formula, but you have heard them before. Probably the worst thing about the movie is its racism against the British. There is a scene in a pub (yes, they call it a pub) where there are a bunch of guys wearing rugby shirts and watching soccer. All of the acting is bad, except for Murray, who is strictly okay as the lead cat. The voice acting of the animals is horrible. The mouth moving isn�t good, but there voices are worse. This is the major racist part. A few of the animals (and other supposed British characters) speak in an extremely fake British accent. But the worst part of it is the rest of the animals and characters have a Scottish(?!) accent. D+
�Nacho Libre� - I loved Napoleon Dynamite. This isn�t as good, but it is still good. First off, it has a great soundtrack and is stylish in its direction, which is good. The acting is good as well. It is a comedy, and it is very funny quite often. However, the script was not very good. It wasn�t really clear on what it was doing and there are quite often unneeded scenes, but they are funny. This movie was made to make you laugh, and it does that just fine. B
�The Omen� - The only passable horror movie this year. Every aspect of the production is good. There are some minor plot holes that were kind of confusing, and it really doesn�t do anything wonderful. Also, it is extremely close to the old one. B+
�An Inconvenient Truth� - A very good documentary. It isn�t boring and displays all of the facts. There are even interesting back stories from Al Gore�s life. The cinematography and music are very good. An impressive high quality camera was used for the filming, which is strange, but works very well in this. Good editing, too. Shocking that the facts are there, but rarely discussed. A-
�Click� - Possibly Adam Sandler�s best comedy. Funny, but not bad joke funny like The Longest Yard, which had jokes at the expense of the story. Almost all of the jokes are funny, even the very unneeded ones. Yes, there are quite a few unneeded jokes. The ending would have been better if it ended sad. Yes, this movie is very sad, and works the best when it is. Not very original, though. Is basically the same as �A Wonderful Life� and �The Christmas Carol�, as well as thousands of TV formula episodes. Defiantly a step forward for Sandler. B
�Superman Returns� - One of this years stand outs. Huge epic story line, good acting, wonderful special effects, good editing and directing. Also has a good under lying message. I don�t really like Superman and I haven�t read any of the comics or seen any other of the movies, but that doesn�t stop Superman Returns from being a very good movie. A
�The Devil Wears Prada� - The only good thing about this movie is the acting from Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt and the guy that plays Nigel. The rest of the acting isn�t bad either. But the rest of the movie is so mediocre you could guess the ending and everything about the movie in the first five minutes. There isn�t a single plot line you haven�t seen before. It ends up being kind of blah. Not to say it is really boring, but it isn�t overly entertaining or funny. C-