Bridesmaids

Title: Bridesmaids

Directed by: Paul Feig

Starring: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd, Wendi McLedon-Covey

Genres: Comedy

Running Time: 2 hour. 5 minutes

Release Date: May 13th, 2011

MPAA Rating: R

Review: 'Bridesmaides', dubbed by some as 'The Hangover' for women, is a fantastic display of both female humor and female talent in comedy. Kristen Wiig is brilliant as Annie, Melissa McCarthy shines in an epic-ly cringe-inducing performance, and the entire rest of the cast is brilliant in this flick. This movie is basically one big belly-laugh after the other, layered between embarrassment to severe is almost hard to watch. A must-see, one of the [few] shining stars in a dismal movie year.

Grade: 9

Fast Five

Title: Fast Five

Directed by: Justin Lin

Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Jordana Brewster, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Matt Schulze, Tyrese Gibson

Genres: Action/Adventure, Crime, Sequel

Running Time: 2 hours. 10 minutes

Release Date: April 29th, 2011

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Review: Much to my surprise (and embarrassment) I actually enjoyed 'Fast Five'. Of course, it is absolutely preposterous, and completely detached from reality, but that comes with the territory. If you're looking for a realistic action flick that sticks to reality in their car chases, you've come to the wrong place (and where in Hollywood would you find an action flick like that, anyways?).

This is action through and through, from the first moment to the last minute. In my opinion, it's the best 'Fast' yet.

Grade: 6.5

Water For Elephants

Title: Water For Elephants

Directed by: Francis Lawrence

Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, Christoph Waltz

Genres: Drama

Running Time: 2 hour. 1 minutes

Release Date: April 22nd, 2011

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Review: Water for Elephants, while I wouldn't call it a great, I can't deny that it is a very pretty film. However, it lacks in substance. Furthermore, the chemistry between Witherspoon and Pattinson is nonexistent. Waltz does a great bad guy, as always, and the elephant is adorable.

Grade: 6

Your Highness

Title: Your Highness

Directed by: David Gordon Green

Starring: James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel, Justin Theroux, Charles Dance, Toby Jones

Genres: Comedy, Adventure, Period

Running Time: 1 hour. 42 minutes

Release Date: April 8th, 2011

MPAA Rating: R

Review: 'Your Highness' is equal parts absolutely over-the-top ridiculous, and equal parts hilarious. It is in the same flavor as 'Pineapple Express', but raunchier, and just slightly less funny. If you did enjoy the previous films from the same crew, you will most likely enjoy this one.

Grade: 7

Hanna

Title: Hanna

Directed by: Joe Wright

Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Niels Arestrup, Cate Blanchett, Jason Flemyng, Tom Hollander

Genres: Drama, Thriller

Running Time: 1 hour. X minutes

Release Date: APril 8th, 2011

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Review: I am a huge fan of Cate Blanchett, and she is a big reason I went to see this film. Another is the trailer, which made 'Hanna' look like a really interesting, great film. And if you judge it on acting alone, 'Hanna' wouldn't be a bad movie. Unfortunately, is a bad movie.

The cast is brilliant, the acting pretty good. It's the story that is the problem here. The filming technique was interesting, different, but not better, and it left me annoyed more than anything. This one is a pass.

Grade: 5

The Lincoln Lawyer

Title: The Lincoln Lawyer

Directed by: Brad Furman

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy, Michael Pena, Trace Adkins

Genres: Crime, Drama,

Running Time: 1 hour. 59 minutes

Release Date: March 18th, 2011

MPAA Rating: R

Review: Matthew McConaughey is a very unreliable actor. Every now and again, he delivers a performance like his work in 'A Right to Kill', and then there is a lot of 'Surfer, Dude' in between. 'The Lincoln Lawyer' is, surprisingly, thankfully, more "A Right to Kill' than "Surfer, Dude'. It is actually a good film. I might even admit to having my expectations blown out of the water on this one.

The rest of the cast all give great performances as well. Ryan Phillippe, in particular, does a very convincing, and thoroughly creepy portrayal of the nightmare legal client.

'The Lincoln Lawyer' is a solid film, I would definitely recommend seeing it. If you don't feel the need to catch it in the theaters, definitely see it at home.

Grade: 7.5

Red Riding Hood

Title: Red Hiding Hood

Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Shiloh Fernandez, Gary Oldman, Julie Christie, Maz Irons, Virginia Madsen

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Romance, Suspense, Fantasy

Running Time: 2 hours. 0 minutes

Release Date: March 11th, 2011

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Review: While I can't say that I am looking forward to another Catherine Hardwick film, after her last one, the story about the little Red Riding Hood is epic, and I'm a sucker for a classic fairy tales. This adaptation looked very visually interesting, so I thought maybe, just maybe, this one has a chance.

And 'Red Riding Hood' definitely is visually dynamic, and it is easy to recognize Ms. Hardwick's directorial flavor, last seen in the first movie adaptation of 'Twilight'. Once again, Ms. Hardwick falls short of a great film, although 'Red Riding Hood' is definitely an improvement on her previous work.

Grade: 6

The Adjustment Bureau

Title: The Adjustment Bureau

Directed by: George J. Nolfi

Starring: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, Michael Kelly

Genres: Action/Adventure, Thriller, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Romance, Adaptation, Politics

Running Time: 1 hour. 46 minutes

Release Date: March 4th, 2011

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Review: I like both Emily Blunt and Matt Damon, and thought this looked like an interesting, clever premise. And it is an interesting film, one that could have been fantastic if it would have been a little braver. As it is now, it is the romance and chemistry between Blunt & Damon that makes this film.

It is definitely worth its 1 hour 46 minutes, but it falls slightly short of where it could have gone.

Grade: 7

Unknown

Title: Unknown

Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra

Starring: Liam Neeson, January Jones, Diane Kruger, Frank Langella, Aidan Quinn, Bruno Ganz

Genres: Suspense, Thriller, Drama

Running Time: 1 hour. 39 minutes

Release Date: February 18th, 2011

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Review: 'Unknown' relies on a derivative of the popular Hollywood "fish out of water" premise, in which Neeson's character wakes up in the hospital in a foreign country, after an accident, with amnesia. The only things he knows are his name, and the fact that he was in the country for a Biotech conference. Upon finding his way back to his hotel, he recognizes his wife, only to have her deny that he is her husband. Since he has no ID, he has no way to prove his identity.

What carries this film is Neeson, and while it won't win any Oscars, it is not a bad movie. On the contrary, it is an entertaining action drama, with some twists and turn you may not expect. All in all, a good time at the movies.

Grade: 6.5

The Mechanic

Title: The Mechanic

Directed by: Simon West

Starring: Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Donald Sutherland, Christa Campbell, Jeff Chase, Beau Brasso

Genres: Drama, Action, Remake

Running Time: 1 hour. 40 minutes

Release Date: January 28, 2011

MPAA Rating: R

Review: 'The Mechanic', which is a remake of a 1972 film with the same name, tells the story of a professional assassin, played by Jason Stratham. Stratham follows a strict code to do his job, and he is the best in his business. After the death of his mentor, he take on his mentor's son, played by Ben Foster, as his apprentice, to teach him the code and the job.

It is a typical Stratham action flick of hard hits, splattering blood, strong language. We don't get to see a lot of Stratham's usual banter, which is a bummer, since he sometimes bring some humor to his roles. If you can forget about the [huge] holes in the plot, the generic nature of the story, and you're into by popcorn action flicks, you'll find this one acceptable for some light entertainment. Leave your common sense and logic by the door, though.

Grade: 6.5