Source Code

This was awesome!  I loved it.  It's a bit sci-fi, bit romance, quite a bit thriller; very suspenseful.  I loved Jake Gyllenhaal's portrayal of a US soldier on a special mission, to discover who blew up a commuter train in order to stop them from blowing up the entire city of Chicago.  In places there are unexpected splashes of humor in an otherwise intense movie.  It's a very surreal premise, but I loved it.  And I was surprised I needed the kleenex.  If you're a parent of a child in the US service, you might need a box full.  It's a definite must see, I think I'll go back and take my hubby.  I'd give it my first 4 star rating of the year!

Sucker Punch

This is like watching a video game, developed by a bunch of teenage boys.  Yay, not a must see.  I was surprised by how bad it was.  It’s inconceivable that a young woman whose mother just died and whose abusive step father, who just killed her little sister and is trying to pin it on her, and is having her committed to a mental institution, would try to escape her reality by fantasizing she’s enslaved in a brothel.  And all the women in the brothel are wearing provocative, sex kitten outfits.  The hair styles and make up are extreme, and for the women too.  Vanessa Hudgen’s character provided some comic relief for me, but only because with her hair, make up and outfit, she was reminding me of Snookie!   The script didn’t seem very original; the Wise Man character reminded me of Columbo; every speech ending with “Oh, one last thing…”.  The first fantasy within the fantasy was like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.   Everything seemed based on some classic movie or character.  I’ll be generous and give this 1 star.  If I liked shoot ‘em up video games it might be a 2. Oh, I forgot, the big "Sucker Punch", not so much.

Red Riding Hood

I was surprised how much I liked this one.  It might be geared more for teenage girls, but I thought it was a great twist on the classic fairy tale.  It was dark and suspenseful, and not too obvious as to what was coming up.   The love triangle may turn some people off, but I liked it ad how it played out.  It's another werewolf story; it seems like there have been a lot of them.  It was nice seeing Julie Chistie again.  This one worked for me, though I'm sure it wouldn't for a lot of other people.  I'd give it 2 ½ stars.  

Rango

Sorry, I thought this was boring.  I didn’t like the previews and was not interested in going, which would make this one of those rare movies I didn’t see.  But I kept hearing good things and a friend at work said she really liked it.  So I went.  Wish I hadn’t.  I apologize to my fellow movie-goers for my solitaire playing on the cell phone.  I’m not sure how much kids would have liked it.  I give it a 1 star, just cuz they got Johnnie Depp to do the voice.  Not a must see.  Not even a good rental. 

Beastly

If you can get past the premise of the movie, that someone is obnoxious enough to talk about how much better they are than others because they’re good looking, it’s not a bad movie.  I can believe there might be some people who think they’re better because they’re good looking, but talking about it, and getting a crowd of people to cheer you as you do it?  That just was uncomfortable for me.  But I really liked the Olsen twin witch!  The makeup on the characters was interesting for me and helped keep me involved.  The character of the father of the beast was not believable but I liked the characters of the blind tutor (Neal Patrick Harris) and the maid; they lent substance to the movie and helped save it for me.  The romance of the beast and the beauty was cute, a little sappy, but that was okay for me.  Definitely not a must see.  1.5 stars.  If you have teenagers they might like it better.  

Battle LA

Slow start, but eventually, I liked it.  The dialog seemed very stilted at the start, but maybe that's how they talk in the military.  Then the explosions started; and they went on, and on, and on...  The first 30 minutes of the film is a pyrotechnic's dream. You can't see where the explosions are coming from, and neither can the American soldiers, because they keep saying "I can't see anything."  I think they might have been trying to build up to seeing the "enemy", but if it was, it failed.  Finally the movie starts with some dialog and characters.  It's a little cheesy at times, but bearable for me.  Overall it was OK, not a must see, but I was glad I saw it.  I'd give it 2 stars, but if I were splitting it up, I'd give the first half of the movie 1/2 stars and the second half 2 1/2.

Paul

Think of an "R" rated "ET" and you've got Paul.  The humor was pretty good in parts, sort of stupid in others, but overall I liked it.  There was some very inventive curses, lots of action and the villains were easy to hate.  There's even a little twist at the end.  I think this is a good one, but maybe not a "must see" for everyone.  I give it 2 1/2 stars.