Super 8

Synopsis:
JJ Abrams hides the plot from us again and I'm not going to spoil it for you.

Favorite one-line review from a different critic:
“Despite the complete chaos, Super 8's conclusion somehow felt anti-climactic, a blunt and barbaric cinematic shock-and-awe campaign when what had come before it had been handled with the precision of a surgical SEAL team strike." - Brandon Fibbs -

My Review:
Let's start with love/hate relationship with J.J. Abrams.  I love you for creating Lost.  I hate you for the ending.  I love you for the Star Trek reboot.  I hate you for the Cloverfield ending.  But let's honest, there's definitely more to love than to hate.

What I mean by that is that J.J. Abrams is single-handedly bringing back the movie and TV industry.  I look forward to his movies.  He's the opposite of M. Night.  J.J. keeps getting better and M. Night keeps getting worse (don't make me review The Devil again to prove my point).   J.J. has brought us excitement, mystery, suspense, thrills and movies and shows we can talk about until the of time.

Enough about him, let's talk about this movie.  I like to call this movie E.T with blood.  It has a lot of the kid-friendly themes as E.T.  We care about the kids and we enjoy following them as they progress through the movie.  The dialogue is sharp and witty and the story moves at a good pace.  As far as cinema fair goes, it's pretty standard and old school.  It has a clear beginning, middle and end.  The only real problem I had with this movie was the end.  It was too anti-climatic and cheesy.  And it didn't have to be.  What a waste of potential.  I think J.J. should let someone else write his endings for him.  Someone like Andrew Kevin Walker (see Se7en).

Rating:
7.5 out of 10

Suck Scale:
Beginning didn't suck.  Middle didn't suck.  Ending teetered on sucking.

X-Men: First Class

Synopsis:
Meet Professor Xavier and Magneto when they were wee lads.

Favorite one-line review from a different critic:
“Instead of being all about people discovering or earning their new powers, X-Men: First Class is all about the relationships. And it is a much better movie for it.” – Tim Martain -

My Review:
We all wanted to like the X-Men movies.  It was supposed to be the movie franchise that quenched the insatiable thirst of fan boys everywhere.  But the X-Men movies were mediocre at best.  But we wanted them to be good so we lied to ourselves and told ourselves they were better than they actually were.  Well, now we no longer have to lie to ourselves, because this X-Men movie captures the story, excitement and kick-ass'd-ness that we were hungry for.

We know it's going to be a great movie based on two things we see in the first 10 minutes.  A darker theme and Kevin Bacon.  You know how Ben Affleck ruins every movie he's in?  Kevin Bacon does the opposite.  No one would even know what "Wild Things" was if Bacon wasn't in the flick.  It's not like Nev Campbell had the big name star power to draw the audiences.  Also "Stir of Echoes", need I say more?

Back to the movie at hand, this X-Men is darker, has a great story and ties into the other movie like a shoe lace.  The Cuban missile crisis is also an unlikely but great backdrop for the story.  The only compliant I have is that they killed Darwin too fast.  I would love to see an origin movie for him (even if it is straight to DVD).

Rating:
8 out of 10

Suck Scale:
You know how X-Men 3 sucked.  Well, this doesn't.

Bridesmaids

Synopsis:
Annie's best friend is getting married.  Now she's trying to make everything perfect for her big day.

Favorite one-line review from a different critic:
“The funniest movie of the year. Unlike 'Hangover,' the film doesn't rely on sexism, homophobia and racial epithets to hit a punch line." – Clay Cane -

My Review:
The opening scene is instantly uncomfortable, shocking, odd and funny.  It does a great job at setting the tone for the rest of the movie.  I honestly didn't know what to expect from this movie.  I thought it was just going to be a female version of The Hangover.  I was surprised to find that it is its own movie.  It had its own style, its own comedic timing and was ten times better than The Hanover 2.  Kristin Wigg is perfect in the role and has genius comedic timing (too bad she can't save SNL).

The directing is surprising good along with the production value.  Most movies that star SNL actors have the budget of a porno and the production value of...well...a porno.  And the acting of...you get the point.  Bridemaids is well acted, well written and has plenty of clever and fresh humor.  And that's all I'm really looking for out of a comedy.

Rating:
9 out of 10

Suck Scale:
The opposite of suck.

Kung Fu Panda 2

Synopsis:
A panda who knows Kung Fu battles an evil Peacock.  Honestly, h0w intricate did you think the plot was going to be?

Favorite one-line review from a different critic:
“Another knockout combination of vibrant animation, energetic action and nifty jokes.” – Jason Best -

My Review:
The first movie is a fun romp, fueled by Jack Black's clever sophomoric humor.  The same can be said for the sequel.  Although not ground-breaking, it is entertaining.  And this time around the writers put a little more emotion in it.  It's amazing what you can feel for an animated character.  Toy Story 3 is the greatest example of how you can have emotions for animated pixels.  Kung Fu Panda comes in at a close second.

The animation is beautiful.  The blades of grass sway in the gentle breezes, smoldering iron steams up the dark night.   I love the fact that the environment is not realistic, but more fantastic and whimsical, filled with bright colors and a clear sense of style.

I'm not saying the movie isn't without faults.  Sometimes Jack's overacting becomes annoying.  And Dustin Hoffman is a worst voice actor than DeNiro is a comedy actor (see Little Fockers).  Overall, a solid family movie for kids under 12.

Rating:
7 out of 10

Suck Scale:
More joy than suck.