Believe the rave reviews. The Avengers is an ideal mix of spectacular special effects, an over-the-top supervillain, quirky superheroes who share a lively chemistry, comic relief that’s actually funny, and action sequences that build like songs at a rock concert to an exhilarating peak.
Grade: A
We’re in 1849 Baltimore, some madman is re-enacting the grisly stories of Edgar Allen Poe, and Poe himself is enlisted to stop the serial killer. The Raven suffers from a clumsy script and weak supporting cast, but I enjoyed John Cusack’s portrayal of Poe as an unappreciated genius beset by hard times and hard drinking.
Grade: C+
Finally, finally, finally FINALLY there’s a summer blockbuster that actually busts some blocks. The Avengers is a thundering triumph — a full-throated action pic that doesn’t forget to include all the essentials of a great story: comedy, emotion, pacing and well-developed characters. (I know this is a third sentence, but be sure to catch the confrontation between the Hulk and the main villain late in the film … it’s bound to become one of the classic scenes of American cinema.)
Grade: A
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In this French film with English subtitles, a woman decides – out of the blue – to help a bratty, out-of-control 11-year-old boy who’s been abandoned by his father. It’s a heart-rending yet unsentimental story of juvenile delinquency versus unconditional love.
Grade: B+
Please don’t let all the idiot preteen hysteria surrounding this film prevent you from seeing it. The Hunger Games is not only a superb thriller, it is also a savage indictment of what America has become — a fat, stupid, fame-obessessed oligarchy that is literally entertaining itself to death.
Grade: A
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What’s so surprising about this Farrelly Brothers tribute to Larry, Moe and Curly is how family-friendly it is — not a dirty word or sexual reference in sight. Aside from that, this movie is pretty easy to review — if you loved the real Stooges, you’ll adore this … nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.
Grade: For Stooges fans: A For non-fans: D
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The Cabin in the Woods moves past the level of a slasher movie even before anybody has had a chance to get slashed. The fun comes in trying to figure out what level we’re moving toward in this smart, genre-bending movie.
Grade: B
This retold fairy tale with Lily Collins as Snow White isn’t as witty as 2007’s Enchanted with Amy Adams as the princess, but it’s still fun. Julia Roberts camps it up as the evil queen, Nathan Lane is a bumbling adviser, Armie Hammer (the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network) plays the clueless prince and the filmmakers found lovable rowdies to breathe new life into the seven dwarfs.
Grade: B
Sure, this sword and sandal soap opera is silly and confusing (I never knew Zeus had an Irish brogue). But the special effects are (as my nephew would say) “sick”, and the mile-high lava creature at the end is worth the price of admission.
Grade: C
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Jason Segel plays Jeff, a likable lump who lives in his mom’s basement, smokes pot and annoys people with his belief that the world is interconnected. From this premise the Duplass brothers (makers of Cyrus) have written and directed a funny and surprisingly warm-hearted movie.
Grade: B
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