Crazy, Stupid Love

Title: Crazy, Stupid Love

Directed by: Glenn Ficarra and John Requa

Starring: Steve Carrell, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Julianne Moore, Kevin Bacon, Crystal Reed, Marisa Tomei, Joey King

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Running Time: 1 hour. 47 minutes

Release Date: July 29th, 2011

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Review: First off, while I rarely watch, and even more rarely enjoy rom-coms, this cast was too good to pass up. I have a special place in my awkward-loving heart for Steve Carrell and Emma Stone, and who doesn't like Ryan Gosling? Well, I didn't before this film, with could be knows under the alternative title "Ryan Gosling Haters Converted to Ryan Gosling Lovers", and thus I have now joined the masses who worship this exemplary male specimen, which actually can act, as it turns out. Regardless, I walked into this one with no expectations to enjoy it, and was very surprised to find that I did.

As always, Steve Carrell portrays the "awkward, lost, confused grown man" extremely well, the man has a gift, and while the subject of divorce is a total bummer, the film turns out to be very heartwarming and, as always with Steve Carrell, quite funny. Furthermore, the chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone is perfect, and their part of the story has several epic scenes making fun of the usual rom-com fare, without coming across as parody. This film is sweet, and doesn't rely on either raunchy jokes or snark to get by. I surprised to say that I highly recommend it.

Grade: 8.5

Cowboys & Aliens

Title: Cowboys & Aliens

Directed by: Jon Favreau

Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano

Genres: Western, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Thriller, Action/Adventure, Adaptation

Running Time: 1 hour. 58 minutes

Release Date: July 29th, 2011

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Review: 'Cowboys & Aliens' is a film with an identity crisis. It starts as a Western, then morphs into a Sci-Fi flick, with some flickers of Action, Adventure, End-of-The-World, and sprinkles of Romance. I decided to give up trying to label this film, and, much to my surprise, I found myself entertained.

I'm usually not a big fan of Daniel Craig films, as I find his lack of acting skills distracting. Here, he is joined by a pretty interesting cast, which aid to dilute his ineptitude, and this is what saves the film. All in all, 'Cowboys & Aliens' is surprisingly entertaining.

Grade: 6

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2

Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2

Directed by: David Yates

Starring: Daniel Radcliff, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ra;ph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Tom Felton, Bill Nighy, Bonnie Wright, Jason Isaacs, John Hurt

Genres: Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Adaptation, Sequel

Running Time: 2 hours. 10 minutes

Release Date: July 15th, 2011

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Review: 'Part 2' is here, and I am thorn between wanting to see this story to the end, and not wanting it to end. This is the end years in the making, and it this is a final film worthy of this amazing saga.

War is upon Hogwarts, and it is epic. Gone is the slow, depressing pace of 'Part 1'. We get answers to questions that have been left hanging for years, our heroes gets to fight back, and our villains get what they deserve. For instance, seeing Mrs. Weasley kicking Bellatrix's ass, and Neville getting his revenge, were both thoroughly satisfying moments. We also get the final verdict on Snape, and his story is surprisingly soft-hearted. After all, this is a story about love and friendship, and we feel it in this film. All in all, a deeply satisfying final movie in the series.

Grade: 9

Horrible Bosses

Title: Horrible Bosses

Directed by: Seth Gordon

Starring: Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Colin Farrel, Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey

Genres: Comedy

Running Time: 1 hour. 33 minutes

Release Date: July 8, 2011

MPAA Rating: R

Review: 'Horrible Bosses' is hilarious, extremely raunchy (they don't hand out R ratings to comedies for nothing), and custom made for anyone who has ever worked for an awful boss.

One of the high lights of this film is seeing Jennifer Aniston like we've never seen her before. Gone is her regular go-to of "cute & funny", and instead we get to see Ms. Aniston as outrageously inappropriate dentist, Dr. Julia Harris, who is sexually harassing her male employee. The result is a mix of thigh-slappingly funny, and so awkward that you have to watch through your fingers. Another high light is Colin Farrell, who is almost unrecognizable in heavy disguise.

The rest of the cast all put in solid performances, and the overall result is one of the funniest films of the year.

Grade: 7

Super 8

Title: Super 8

Directed by: J.J Abrams

Starring: Kyle Chandler, Elle Fanning, Ron Eldard, Noah Emmerich, Gabriel Basso, A.J. Michalka

Genres: Sci-Fi, Thriller, Suspense

Running Time: 1 hour. 52 minutes

Release Date: June 10th, 2011

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Rating: While the previews portrayed 'Super 8' as the second coming of E.T., touting Steven Spielberg as the producer. And while it does have an extraterrestrial, a second E.T. it is not. In fact, as the credits rolled, I walked out of the theater wondering "why not?". This film has all the right parts, and it should be epic, but it just isn't quite everything it could have been. The story is pretty good, the gang of kids the perfect mix, it even has a cute kid love story, and the aforementioned alien. But it is the human relationships that are a bit thin, and thus 'Super 8' falls short. It's a shame, really, because the potential obviously is there.

Grade: 7

X-Men: First Class

Title: X-Men: First Class

Directed by: Matthew Vaughn

Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, Caleb Landry Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, January Jones, Zoë Kravitz

Genres: Sequel, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Adaptation, Action/Adventure

Running Time: 2 hours. 12 minutes

Release Date: June 3rd, 2011

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Review: 'X-Men: First Class' shows us the beginning, before Charles Xavier & Eric Lensherr took the names Professor X & Magneto. Before they were archenemies, and the war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-Men began, they were close friends, working together, with other Mutants.

I will admit to be somewhat of a sucker for comic adaptations, and this one was no exception. 'X-Men: First Class' is an entertaining flick for fans of Marvel, although, I would recommend leaving your comic nerd fact checker at the door.

Grade: 7

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