Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

***1/2 stars

Regardless if you're a fan of the ridiculously successful franchise (over $6 billion worldwide and counting) or not, you'd be on a fool's errand if you decide to skip the final chapter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, one of the most epic pieces of summer blockbuster entertainment imaginable.

It's hard to imagine what this franchise could have been had it begun differently. Originally, Steven Spielberg was offered the directing gig, but turned it down to do A.I Artificial Intelligence. M. Night Shyamalan was also offered the job, but turned it down to do Unbreakable. The studio had discussed horrible ideas about changing the story, including making Hogwarts have cheerleaders in it. Had that last idea been for real, there's no guarantee the franchise would have lasted after the first entry.

But fear not Potter fans, as you did not have to experience that travesty. It is now ten years later and the last entry in the Harry Potter adventures is here. The only way for the entire series to come full circle is to have the last entry be the strongest one. It certainly does just that, as if director David Yates (who took over the series with Order of the Phoenix) already knew everything he had to do before the cameras even started rolling. There's a burst of exhilaration throughout the film's 130-minute runtime that is unavoidable, regardless of what kind of fan you are to this now historic milestone in modern day cinema.

Part 2 appropriately begins exactly where Part 1 left off. Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has discovered the elderly wand (the most powerful wand of all) and is on the verge of becoming more powerful than Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) can possibly withstand. At the same time, Harry, Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) continue their quest of finding and destroying the Dark Lord's three remaining Horcruxes, the magical items that grant him immortality. When the three leads head back to Hogwarts to search for these crucial elements, they soon discover that they are approaching the battle to end all battles. Voldemort and his army march towards Hogwarts to meet Harry and his alliances in a final act of desperation to destroy the young wizard forever.

In perhaps every Harry Potter review I've ever written, I've always stressed how I wish I had read all the books first (again, I've only read the first two), so for me it is hard to determine what the film got right and what is missing from the novel. However, from one of the biggest blockbuster film fans out there, I can assure you that as far as epic filmmaking goes, it's hard not to place this wonderful gem right up with some of the best blockbusters ever made.

Now, there is a difference between one of the best films ever made and one of the best blockbusters ever made. While I don't see the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 winning best picture anytime soon (although a nomination is possible as a tribute to the series), the reason why this is one of the strongest blockbusters ever is that it exceeds its already astounding expectations. If this movie failed, the whole series would end on a sour note. It also has the honor of restoring my faith in the 2011 summer movie season, especially considering the dreadful experience that was Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

I did not expect Deathly Hallows: Part 2 to be so twisty and complex, especially when the big secrets are finally revealed. As a spectator going in blind, the final act of this film had me covered in goosebumps, particularly as Harry and Voldemort prepare for their epic final showdown. When Fiennes speaks the lines "Harry Potter, come to die" I realized just how emotionally invested I was in the story. The film is a stunning spectacle of visual narrative. Moviegoers should be blessed that this final part in the unprecedented series not only doesn't disappoint, but also creates a riff in your moving-loving heart.

Horrible Bosses

***1/2 stars

There's something wickedly clever about a summer comedy where normal people are thrown into nasty situations, yet there's still a sense that you're rooting for them. Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day are a dynamite unit of non-stop laughs and irresistible one-liners in Horrible Bosses, the story of three men who want and then try (emphasis on try) to kill their bosses.

Now don't worry, it's not like their bosses are decent people. These are simply three employees who are literally dealing with the worst management imaginable. Bateman plays Nick Hendricks, the company suck-up to Dave Harken (a perfectly cast Kevin Spacey), the ultimate horrible boss. Nick has been dying for a promotion, one he's been working towards for eight years. To show off Dave's ruthlessness, he decides to promote himself instead of Nick, forcing him to be his bitch forever.

If that's not bad enough, Nick tries to remind him that a few years ago, he wasn't allowed to leave work to see his Grandmother in the hospital. She ended up passing away before Nick could get there. Dave laughs when he calls his grandmother "Gam-gam". Dave is the kind of boss that you absolutely hate, except that he's dosed up on psycho-steroids and constantly looking for his next victim.

Kurt Buckman (Sudeikis) has a wonderful relationship with his boss, Jack Pellit (Donald Sutherland). That is, until he has a heart attack and dies. Guess who replaces him? Bobby (the surprisingly hysterical Colin Ferrell), the crazy, coked-up son who doesn't give a rat's ass about anything.

He's so horrible that he asks Kurt to trim the fat off of the employees by literally firing the "fat people" because it makes him sick. Bobby is the kind of boss that stole your job, sunk the company that you've cared about your whole professional career into the toilet, and when discovering about his personal life is, in Kurt's words, as if "you've entered the mind of an asshole".

Now, Dale Arbus (Day) may not have it as bad as Nick and Kurt, but that's only at first glance. He is a dental assistant who is forced to work for his gorgeous boss Dr. Julia Harris (played deliciously by Jennifer Aniston) who constantly wants to have sex with him. This wouldn't be that bad if Dale wasn't happily engaged. Unfortunately for him he can't quit because he was caught urinating at a playground (his defense is that he was drunk in the middle of the night and did not realize it was a playground), so now he's a registered sex offender. Therefore, Dale's choice of unemployment is basically extinct.

Julia is oddly attracted by this, so the more Dale refuses Julia, the more aggressive she is. If you think that's still not enough to justify Dale's actions, his tipping point comes when Julia tries to seduce him by throwing him on top of his unconscious fiance's body during a dental cleaning. In the words of Dale, "let's kill that bitch!"

Horrible Bosses makes the right choice by not taking itself too seriously. We all know that Nick, Kurt, and Dale are not murderers. They've just been so tormented by the man in charge that they see no other option. So when they all finally agree to take their bosses down, they turn to an ex-convict named Mother Fucking Jones to do the job (yes, that is his legal name). Instead, he offers them a mix of good-and-bad advice, telling them that they should kill each others bosses so it can't trace back to any of them.

The question the film asks is: how do normal people go about doing something so morally wrong while having no idea how to do it? When Nick, Kurt, and Dale find themselves going down a road they can't escape from, hilarity ensues. It's the darker-recession version of The Hangover that isn't paltry when it comes to delivering some twisted comedic fun.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

1/2 star

Transformers was released on the weekend of Fourth of July, 2007.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was released on the weekend of Fourth of July, 2009.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is being released this Fourth of July weekend, 2011.

Three times on our country's most important day in history, we have seen the decline of western civilization.

Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon is like the Inception of horrible movies. At almost every moment in Michael Bay's 2 1/2 hour America-fuck-yeah-destructo-porno, there is a complex twist displaying the absolute downfall of my generation's innocence, soulfulness, sensibility, and most of all, intelligence.

The third and hopefully last Transformer movie begins with a prologue of the Apollo 11 mission. Apparently, NASA sent up the astronauts in order to recover a crashed Alien spacecraft on the dark side of the moon. Simultaneously, Michael Bay rips off Pink Floyd with the film's title (the only reason why the world "side" isn't in there is because he'd be directly stealing from them) and Apollo 13 by having identical shots of the lunar spacecraft entering the, wouldn't-you-know-it, dark side of the moon.

That's not even my biggest problem with it. My biggest problem is the logic of the so-called "plot" and where it fits within the trilogy's universe. The first film began in present day with humans discovering the robots on Mars via Rover mission. The third film has humans discovering them in 1969 on the Apollo 11 mission. So basically, every Transformers movie is in its own little world. Just like its director, who can't get seem to grasp that just because you're movie is a financial success does not deem it a good movie. He admits that the second film wasn't great, but this film will bring the franchise back to top form. The only thing he's done here is add insult to filmmaking and patriotism.

For the last hour of the film, downtown Chicago is absolutely plummeted with sheer destruction. This film is rated PG-13 because we don't see the millions of people actually being slaughtered, simultaneously. We just see big, recognizable buildings getting absolutely annihilated. It was cool to see that kind of stuff in Call of Duty: Black Ops, so it must be cool here. Right?

Sarcasm detected. Moving on. Shia Lebeouf is back, sadly, as Sam Witwicky. This time, he has a new girl with a different ass so that Michael Bay can treat his horny ADD. It's bad enough this film begins with insulting our country's history. It's another to do it, show the title of the movie, and then cut to a close-up of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's ass. Somewhere, Megan Fox is finally having a good day.

Michael Bay also has the audacity to cast two-fantastic actors, John Malkovich and Frances McDormand, and give them both the worst performances of their careers. And remember, Malkovich was in last year's train wreck, Jonah Hex, co-starring Megan Fox. Somewhere, Megan Fox remembers this, and has another bad day.

Malkovich plays Sam's new boss, who gets angry when his display of yellow around the office is altered when someone brings in a red coffee mug. "It is a visual and therefore a visceral betrayal!" There are so many truths to this statement about this film that it proves my statement that Dark of the Moon truly is the Inception of horrible movies.

Right before the climax, the government decides to send the Autobots away in order to deal with the Decepticons themselves. Instead, Optimus Prime and company pretend to get on the ship, only to show up and save the day after Chicago's destruction. I was waiting for Sam to say to Bumblebee, "where were you on that one?" I guess it had to be after it though, otherwise the Autobots would have saved the day and Michael Bay wouldn't have been able to destroy an entire American city.

I'll be the first to admit that this latest 3D extravaganza is probably one of the strongest 3D efforts since Avatar, mainly because Bay made his one and only smart decision by hiring James Cameron's crew to bring the effects to life. The technology worked wonderfully for the wide-angled establishing shots, along with a cool, but long collapsing-building sequence. Note: this is where the half of star comes in on my rating.

So, for anyone who is now forever pissed at me for once again slamming a Transformers movie, remember that I liked the first one. I thought Michael Bay finally found a franchise that fit his personality. In the sequels, he failed even on his own level, which is why I hate these movies so much. Maybe he needs to move on to something else. Maybe money isn't everything. Ironically, his last movie before Transformers, The Island, is probably his strongest directorial effort to date. It's also his lowest grossing film, something that I could only dream of for Transformers: Dark of the Moon, a movie experience from cinematic hell.

Midnight in Paris

**** stars

There's something magical about Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, a deliciously fun and joyful experience that every aspiring or accomplished writer should see. What if you could get your work reviewed by the greatest literary geniuses in history by traveling back in time when they were in their prime? It's a concept the infamous filmmaker was born to write and one we were born to watch and enjoy.

This swift little film establishes everything it has to for you to understand the world, yet it doesn't waste time in boring you how it actually works. Basically, a struggling writer named Gil (Owen Wilson) is vacationing in Paris with his fiance Inez (Rachel McAdams) and he is looking for something a little more than just a romantic getaway. He falls in love with city and believes that they should move there after their wedding. Inez does not feel the same way about this. In fact, she seems oddly detached from romanticism in Paris, which many consider to be the most romantic city in the world. So when Inez goes off dancing with her friends, Gil decides to roam the streets at midnight.

Upon his adventure, a 1920's automobile pulls up in front of him and the passengers inside it tell Gil to join them. Reluctant at first but curious moments later, he agrees. Thus, he ventures back to the 1920's and discovers the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway young and very much alive. At this point, Gil's creative inspirations are having an orgasm. However, the deeper he falls in love with this fantasy, the more distant he is from Inez. Gil begins to realize that he cannot have both and will eventually have to choose between reality and fantasy.

But the brilliant question Midnight in Paris asks itself (and the audience) is, why can't fantasy become reality? When and where does magic end and realism begin? A character like Gil is already living in a fantasy. He is in Paris vacationing with his beautiful fiance, and while he may be a struggling writer they seem to have plenty of money. Yet this real fantasy isn't enough after Gil experiences an era that he was only able to dream of until now.

That the film itself is already a fantasy, Allen doesn't waste time showing you how Gil goes back in time, he just does. It's the ultimate proper way of suspending disbelief. There's more magic in believing that an antique vehicle can simply pick you up and drive you to when it was brand new. It made me wonder if this journey was specifically meant for Gil and that everyone can bring their own fantasy to life if they dream about it long enough. One of mine would probably consist of having Led Zeppelin's tour bus pick me up and take me back to the birth of rock-and-roll. Or maybe the Hollywood studio tour bus that Steven Spielberg jumped out of when he snuck his way into the industry and became who he is today. Or maybe...oh forget it, the list is endless.

Woody Allen's hugely entertaining screenplay has a magic journey of self-discovery, one that urges a message of comfort. While everyone may dream of living in another golden era, no matter where you are, who you are, and what you want to be, your life itself is the golden era. Midnight in Paris is a wonderful comedy and the most pleasant experience I've had at the movies so far this year.

The Hangover: Part II

*** stars

I can already imagine the reviews The Hangover: Part II will be getting (note: I wrote this review on Monday, May 23rd, when reviews weren't available to the public yet):

"A remake of the original."

"Basically Vegas all over again, only this time it's in Thailand."

"The original was waaaaaay better."

Here's the deal. If one ever thinks that a comedy sequel will always be more original than its predecessors, dream on. However, what one should do is expect more laughs and crazier scenarios. Thus is part, this sequel delivers.

What made the original Hangover so refreshing and inventive was its formula. Show the before and after of a bachelor party gone wrong and save what actually happened to the viewer's imagination. Then during the credits, display the raunchy footage audiences deserve. So why mess with something that already works?

This time around, Phil, Stu, and Allen make their way over to Thailand for Stu's wedding. The man who married a stripper, lost a tooth, and avoided a horrible engagement with a terrible girlfriend is finally getting the life he always imagined. But in Allen's mind, the Wolf Pack is a lifelong commitment and he knows that the three of them are meant to live it up once again. So one night after a harmless cheer with a single beer, they wake up in a run down hotel in Bangkok only to discover that "it happened again". For those who experienced round one, you know exactly what this means. For those who haven't, watch it, and then come out for round two.

Don't worry, Doug isn't missing again. But Stu's bride's little genius brother Teddy is. And to make matters worse, they discover his finger soaked in blood. Now they have to find him before Stu loses everything.

What makes the Hangover franchise creatively successful (along with the formula) is the direction by Todd Phillips. His exterior shots of Thailand are so well mastered that this could have been an amazing 2D IMAX experience. He makes the right decision by letting things unfold through the action of the characters rather than the jokes. Things happen for a reason, and with that, the audience is able to enjoy the chaos even if they know the endgame. Having Part II take place on the other side of the world while still delivering the hilarious goods is surefire proof that it's the characters that make it happen, not the setting. Maybe it's supposed to be similar to the original because Phil, Stu, and Allen still have the same personalities. I like to think they are prone for these ridiculous situations. Like Hank Moody in Californication, they don't find trouble. Trouble finds them.

And the movie is all the better for it. I knew instantly after seeing it that it will be one of the biggest movies of the year. Not just because it's a sequel, but a sequel that lives up to the hype. You hear that Captain Jack? Watch out for The Hangover: Part II to eclipse the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean's $90 million opening and land well north of $100 million. Not bad for an R-rated comedy featuring a chain smoking monkey, eh?

Bridesmaids

*** stars

The fact that Bridesmaids is the biggest box-office surprise of May 2011 is a clear indication that 3D is not working and people are still looking for something smart-and-witty instead of loud-and-noisy.

Bridesmaids is just that, and it works for both men and women. Why? Because master producer Judd Apatow, working from a very funny script by star Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, is able to understand the importance of jokes through character development rather than the other way around. It also helps that Kristen Wiig is on comedic fire with her hilarious and heartfelt performance as Annie, the lonely and lost bridesmaid.

This is what Katherine Heigl's 27 Dresses should have been. It's not sugar-coated or glamored up to be a typical "chick-flick." In fact, this is not a chick-flick, but a raunchy comedy from the viewpoint of women. I know many women who loved The Hangover, so why can't a guy enjoy Bridesmaids? Maybe it's "cooler" for a woman to enjoy a guy's movie than a man enjoying a "chick-flick". What makes Bridesmaids different is that it breaks that rule by doing one simple thing: it's a very funny and moving film.

If that won't convince your boyfriend to tag along with you, let him know that Jon Hamm (of Mad Men fame) is in it, and he plays a wicked asshole to perfection. I guarantee you though that he will be laughing at other things as well, especially one hilarious scene on a plane to Vegas that could be the most finely timed comedic scene of the year.

Wiig plays Annie, the maid of honor for her lifelong best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph). During the stretch to Lillian's wedding, Annie's nature consists of continuously falls for the "asshole" while flushing her cupcake-making career down the toilet thanks to the downfall of the economy (a refreshing and relevant recession plot line). The more pre-wedding festivities that occur and the closer it gets to the actual wedding date, the crazier Annie gets.

She can't seem to handle the fact that her life is spiraling out of control. Her friendship with Lillian is falling apart, her career is in shambles, and her love life is no more than a punch line. She meets a nice policeman who seems to be very interested in her. At first, it feels this romance is heading towards formulaic city, but staying true to character, writers Wiig and Mumolo are able to find a more unorthodox way for Annie to find the answers to the questions she's been asking her whole life.

I found Bridesmaids to be surprisingly sweet-and-sentimental. Staying true to the Apatow nature, this is a a surefire comedy packed with hilarious situations that work for both sexes. Men may be from Mars and women may be from Venus, but one thing we can all agree on is that when raunchy humor is done right, anyone can find it funny.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

** stars

In a blockbuster, there's really only one rule to follow: it has to be entertaining. It can be about anything, so long as people are into it. For a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie to exist, you would think the creative team behind it would follow that rule. Instead, On Stranger Tides is destined to be one of the most boring films of the summer. Audiences ye be warned.

You can't ask much from a franchise that should have stayed At World's End four years ago. There's really no need for another Pirates film. In fact, the only thing successful about it is that producer Jerry Bruckheimer was able to convince Johnny Depp to come back. Sure, he loves playing Captain Jack Sparrow, but receiving the highest paycheck of all time by an actor (at a whopping $35 million) certainly must have helped in the negotiation period.

Then again, Depp banks on almost everything that he's featured in. So why tire out a character audiences already love? Sure, the actor still brings his energy and charisma into the swashbuckler, but even he can't save this installment, one that director Rob Marshall struggles with endlessly. The pace is all off, jumping from chase scenes to talking, to sword-fights and more talking, to beautiful exterior shots of ships and yes, more talking. And that wouldn't be so bad if the dialogue wasn't so dull and expositional.

The hardly recognizable plot has Jack Sparrow on the run again simply because he's a pirate. Teaming up with his old nemesis Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), they embark on a quest to find the fountain of youth, which can give eternal life to anyone who drinks from it. Soon, they discover that others are trying to find it, including the evil Blackbird (Ian McShane) and his daughter Angelica (Penelope Cruz). Apparently, her and Jack have a past, which allows the writers an easier passage to the introduction of the character. Why does she have to be someone from his past? Can't she just be her own character and not a protege of Jack's? That would have allowed a spark to occur instead of just reigniting an old flame. When you're making a fourth film in a franchise that already as a hard time justifying its existence, it's frustrating when things are still in the past.

Which is exactly what On Stranger Tides feels like. It's old, outdated, and meant only for the hardest of hardcore Jack Sparrow fans. It's one thing to keep a franchise going long after it has outstayed its welcome. It's another to do that, and then shove it in your face.

Thor

*** stars

If you actually look at the character Thor without the Avengers franchise, the mythology is quite fascinating. He is a grand hero in a mystical world that is cast out due to his reckless temptation of war which is against his father's wishes. Thus, he ends up on earth.

Now, if you look at the character Thor with the Avengers franchise, it's quite silly. He's from another world and uses a big hammer to smash an enemy's face in. However, due to Shakespearean expert Kenneth Branagh and his excellent skill at directing, he manages to turn a potential disaster into an exciting summer blockbuster movie with (not surprisingly) numerous Shakespearean themes. Hence Branagh's attraction to this project.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) longs to take over his father's thrown as the king of his homeland, Asgard. But when he gets in over his head and takes on an old enemy which consequently opens the doors to a deadly evil, his father (an absolutely appropriate Anthony Hopkins) has been protecting for centuries, he takes away Thor's power and casts him out onto planet earth. The film never explains why his father sends him to earth, but in the mind of we the humans, where else he is going to go?

So how does Thor get to Earth? By creating a riff in science consisting of opening a magical gate that connects the two worlds. He crash lands in the middle of a New Mexico desert and is discovered by three very interested scientists. At first, they think he is a guy who was at the wrong place at the wrong time. But when they find out about his abilities, they soon realize he is much more than meets the eye. Especially Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) who immediately believes that he is the answer to her entire life's work.

Thor has one thing in mind, to get his hammer back. To bad S.H.I.E.L.D found it first (in case you forgot, S.H.I.E.L.D is the group of agents that were introduced in the original Iron Man, and at the end of Iron Man 2 we see the lead agent finding Thor's hammer). Now, Thor has to get to his hammer back without being stopped by forces of earth.

Exactly, S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't stand a chance.

To my surprise, Thor finds a way to connect all the pieces. It continues the story of the Avengers franchise, it makes us believe that Asgard could be a real place, and it finds the fish-out-of-water humor that many moviegoers yearn for in these kinds of movies. It's what made the original Iron Man so refreshing.

Having a director like Kenneth Branagh doesn't hurt either. Shakespeare is seen all over this story. For example, Thor struggles with dishonoring his father, while his evil brother wishes to erase Thor's memory from his father's head so he would be his favorite son instead. The final battle between the two siblings is appropriately personal and heartbreaking. Visually stunning and in many cases quite the epic, Thor may not be the best film in the Marvel universe, but it certainly is a warm welcome to a new superhero.

Osama Bin Laden: The Most In-Demand Figure in Hollywood

For those of you who were too busy playing Call of Duty for the past couple days, Osama Bin Laden was finally killed by U.S forces on May 1st, 2011. It is a time of celebration, closure, and on a different note, a chance for Hollywood to bank on what is certainly one of the most historic moments in American history.

There are already a few Bin Laden projects in the works . The big one is Kill Bin Laden, which is (supposedly still) Katherine Bigelow's follow-up feature to her astounding 2009 best picture/director winner The Hurt Locker, about a failed attempt to take down the ultimate super-villain. However, now that he is actually dead, is it possible to make a project about someone who gets away even though we already know he has faced his much-deserved demise?

I think it could go both ways. Obviously, it will be harder for moviegoers to connect to the painful emotions of the story because we know the ultimate end to Bin Laden's outcome. Or maybe, it could create a completely different emotional effect where moviegoers can appreciate the bravery of the soldiers who tried to do so instead of just getting angry at the fact that we didn't "get him". It could be the opposite feeling of a movie like Valkyrie, where we knew that Hitler wasn't going to die and were waiting for the eventual demise of our heroes instead of our enemy. Thank you Tarantino, for giving us closure in Inglourious Basterds.

There is a third option for Kill Bin Laden, and that is to tell the same story but change the ending to include his death. There is certainly nothing wrong with that. The vibe for the last decade in Hollywood is that there are no happy endings when it comes to war. Jack Bauer went through hell and back again even though he was a bonafide hero. In the end, he was forced out of the country he swore to protect. Maybe now with the 9/11 attacks coming around in full-circle with the death of Bin Laden, there can be a real change in how we display outcomes in cinema. Maybe hope will rise again, instead of glooming in the dark sorrows that force us to believe that we are just prolonging the inevitable.

So, my question(s) to everyone is this: what kind of Osama Bin Laden movie do you want to see, if at all? Do you want an action movie about his take down? A biopic about the man's disturbing life? Another 9/11 movie that begins with the attack and ends with his death? Perhaps a failed attempt by the Clinton and/or Bush administration compared to the success of Obama's? Although, does it even matter which President gets the credit so long as the man is dead? After all, it truly is the one thing they all agree on.

As do we, the citizens.

Fast Five

*** stars

No movie called Fast Five deserves to be this entertaining. Coming off the stench that was 2009's Fast and Furious, I was shocked to find that this latest installment is actually a really fun action movie. It never takes itself too seriously, the plot actually has an end game to it, and there's a fresh sense of direction from Justin Lin, who holds nothing back and realizes that the more ridiculous it gets the better off it is.

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker probably owe everything to this franchise. It's the only real consistent commercial success they've experienced throughout their whole careers. For a while, they tried avoiding being typecast. Today, it seems they're embracing it. With huge paychecks. Fast Five just opened to $83 million, a monstrous figure. Now knowing that it is a very entertaining movie will up its chances of being one of the highest grossing movies of the year.

I was never a big fan of this series. There was always something non-sexy about fast cars continuously racing for no reason (except to show off the cars) and close-ups of female asses that indicate clear signs of a studio's desperation to lure young male viewers to their movie. That's what The Fast and the Furious franchise has been all about. However, what's clever about Fast Five is that it understands this and makes fun of itself before we have the chance to.

The movie roars off to a fast start. After receiving a life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole, Dom Toretto (Diesel) is a free man after his best friend/former cop Brian O'Conner (Walker) and his sister/Brian's girlfriend Mia (Jordana Brewster) help him escape. The escape plan? Crash a car into the prisoner bus that is carrying him and hope that he survives it so they can snatch him up before anyone else can. After that, the three go on the run and find themselves in Rio de Janeiro hoping to find a way to freedom. That means ONE LAST JOB TO END THEM ALL.

This turns Fast Five into a formulaic piece of pop culture entertainment with an actual purpose. They want to take down a corrupt businessman named Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), one in which they steal a very valuable car from, by using a computer chip from the stolen car that contains high valued information about illicit business activities including $100 million in laundered money. We don't want to see Dom and Brian stealing from just anyone. We root for our heroes because they are stealing from the corrupt even though in the end they are villains themselves.

Especially through the eyes of DSS agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), whose philosophy on the law is catching any suspect whose file lands on his desk. This translates into him basically wanting Dom's head on a plate. However, as Hobbs learns more about what is actually going on, he starts to question who the good and bad guys actually are.

Oh, and by the way, as this is all going on, we get plenty of ludicrous car chases. The climax chase scene in-particular is an astonishing action trip into the ridiculous.

With these type of films, I like to be proven wrong. I am glad that the creative team behind Fast Five was able to prove to me that this franchise has yet burn out. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. Let's see if they can do the same with F6.

BOX-OFFICE PREDICTIONS: SUMMER 2011

This has to be one of my favorite columns to write all year. Combining two big subjects in Hollywood that drive my passion (box-office analysis and blockbuster movies), I will now predict the highest grossing films of the summer. You'll be surprised that there aren't any real surprises on this list. In the predictions stage this far out, it's easy to assume what films will make money and what ones won't. However, it's all about how much each film will make. So, let's do it to it...

10.) Captain America: The First Avenger
($210 million)

The tenth spot here is always an educated guess. Hell, this whole list is. But the tenth spot is for the movie that will make about $10 million more than other potential hits, such as Kung Fu Panda 2, The Green Lantern, X-Men: First Class, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I'm giving this spot to Captain America simply because it is a chess piece in a larger game (The Avengers franchise). Anything that is apart of something bigger than itself has the upper hand in terms of making money.

9.) The Hangover 2
($250 million)

Regardless of how big this movie is for Warner Brothers and its summer movie line-up, it will take an enormous crowd to generate the same success the original film made in 2009. Making $277 million domestically and $467 worldwide off a $35 million budget is hard to come by. This sequel has a bigger budget and much bigger expectations. Because of that, look for it to come just short of the original. This may sound like a disappointment, but for any comedy to hit north of $200 million should count their blessings.

8.) Cowboys and Aliens ($260 million)

One of the few original films coming out this summer is Jon Favreau's first film after his enormous success with the Iron Man franchise. This will be a true test of his directorial skills as a big budget director (sometimes there's more pressure on the follow-up feature) and how bankable he really is outside of franchise that already has a built-in fanbase. If there's any indication from the buzz surrounding this film, it will certainly be a huge success. It won't be the biggest movie of the summer, but if it's this successful, look for the sequel to take control in the coming years.

7.) Thor ($275 million)

Thor has the same advantage Captain America does: it's apart of The Avengers. With a strong marketing campaign and being the first official movie of the summer (Fast Five is technically being released in April, so it's not necessarily the start of the season), look for Thor to take advantage of the first two weeks of its release. The only other movie that will be its competition (other than Fast Five) is Priest, which will not reach blockbuster heights anyways.

6.) The Twilight Saga - Breaking Dawn: Part I ($280 million)

(Sorry, no trailer has been released yet. This is all I could find.)

The Twilight franchise seems to be one of the only surefire moneymakers in the industry. Look for the first part of the last chapter in the series to continue that very trend.

5.) Super 8 ($300 million)

This is my wildcard pick. I am not just putting Super 8 at $300 million because it's my #1 most anticipated movie of the summer. I am putting Super 8 at $300 million because I think it will cross it. Why? Because it's an original film directed by J.J Abrams, produced by Steven Spielberg, and I think it has the potential to be the best movie of the summer. I also need to believe in a film that can prove to everyone that the better your movie, the more money it will make.

4.) Transformers: The Dark of the Moon ($300 million)

Michael Bay + Explosions x Product Placement = $$$. Although I think this will be the lowest grossing film out of the whole bunch. The second one may have made a lot of money, but its terrible sting still lingers inside many moviegoers.

3.) Cars 2 ($315 million)

Pixar may be making a mistake by releasing two sequels in a row, but I will certainly not be the one to doubt the company's extraordinary skill at making critically and commercially successful movies. Thus, I predict Cars 2 to outperform the original.

2.) Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($330 million)

I have mixed feelings about how this movie will perform. It's certainly capable of hitting $400 million, and if it's actually a good movie, it may even come close to $500 million. However, reboots are very unpredictable. Are people sick of Jack Sparrow? I don't think so, but I do believe that it will not be the highest grossing movie of the summer, because of....


1.) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ($400 million)

The end to the most successful franchise of all time in what could be the biggest movie not just of the summer, but of the year. Not only is its build-in fanbase enormous, but it's an action movie too, meaning it will attract all sorts of customers. Anyone who doubts this epic is about to have a serious wake-up call.

Scream 4

*** stars

Sometimes low expectations are a blessing, because I believe it actually allowed me to enjoy Scream 4, a nostalgic slasher flick (how often can you say that) that will remind fans of why they enjoyed the original so much in the first place.

On its own, this installment of the enormously successful franchise isn't much to goggle over. It's essentially a fun and loose remake of the 1996 original, only with a slightly different twist.

After coming out of the darkness with her new tell all book, Out of Darkness, Sydney Prescott (a welcome return for Neve Campbell) has returned to her old stomping ground (the town of Woodsboro) to prove to herself that the nightmares she's been living with for most of her life (also known as three successful films in a franchise) are behind her. That is until the masked-killer returns for some fresh teenage-blood.

Other returning characters include Gail Weathers, now Gail Weathers-Riley (Courtney Cox) and Dewey Riley (David Arquette), which ironic for them are a married couple going through a tough time in their relationship (Cox and Arquette reportedly split during the making of this movie). Gail is struggling with her life outside of the spotlight as the it-newswoman of the moment as she suffers from writer's block, while Dewey seems more interested in his cop partner Deputy Judy Hicks (Marley Shelton) than his own wife. The two both find themselves in familiar situations when they get involved with the investigations of the legendary killer. Through this, the two seem to reconnect. How twisted is it that this couple only finds happiness within each other when there is a serial murderer on the loose?

As the "story" steams on, we are introduced to new but overall non-memorable characters. Emma Roberts and Hayden Panettiere play best friends who become apart of the killer's game. We also get two film buffs explaining the new rules of a horror movie. The biggest rule? You don't need to have sex anymore to be the victim. Anyone can be a victim. Virgins are targets, too. This is after all how the original began. Sydney wouldn't give it up to her boyfriend, so she was safe. Then she did give it up, so she wasn't anymore. In the ideologies of the new rules, recklessness seems to be the driving force behind Scream 4's fear.

It's odd to say this because the film is nowhere near his best, but this is actually Wes Craven's best film in quite some time. Maybe even since the original Scream. This shows that the franchise only works with Craven at the helm. Although the film is disappointing at the box-office, at least Craven and company can sleep peacefully knowing that he has satisfied the fans that are worth satisfying.

Your Highness

** stars

When Danny McBride was plugging his epic medieval stoner comedy Your Highness on Conan, he said the original idea for the movie came when him and director David Gordon Green were in film school together. They used to play a game where one would come up with a ridiculous original title and the other must take the title and give it a ridiculous original premise. Thus we have in 2011, Your Highness.

The premise is quite unique. An epic story of two brothers named Prince Fabious (James Franco) and Thadeous (McBride) who embark on a quest to save Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel), the bride of Fabious, from the evil Leezar. The twist? The movie is one long penis joke. While it sounds weirdly funny, it actually fails to produce anything above a forced chuckle.

You should never expect too much from a stoner comedy, because nothing good will come out of that. However, because of low expectations, a stoner comedy does not need much to entertain. Perhaps just a few laughs here-and-there in some unorthodox situations. Yet Your Highness can hardly do that, and instead of using the talents at hand (including Natalie Portman as the beautiful warrior Isabel) too take things to the next level, it almost feels as if the cast is holding back.

In the beginning of the movie, Thadeous is about to be hung by midgets and he survives because his feet hit the ground before the noose can grab hold of his neck. This is a very funny introduction to a character, however the reasons for his hanging are hardly touched upon and it is never brought into light for the rest of the film. Why not try and have a hilarious chase scene where Thadeous defends off midgets with a ridiculous weapon? Instead of using the time period to create uproarious randomness, Your Highness tries to parody the medieval concept itself and thus it is a missed opportunity.

The Ten Most Anticipated Films of the Summer

The Season of Blockbusters

This summer is chalked full of comic-book adaptations, remakes, sequels, threequels, fourquels, and a movie that at one time was called 5nal Destination. So clearly this top ten will have sympathy votes. While there is certainly plenty to scorn about, there are a few exceptions that I am extremely excited for. Here are my top ten most anticipated movies of this summer...

10.) The Debt

This film has been delayed by eight months. While that is never a good sign, I am looking forward to Sam Worthington's first attempt at a non-blockbuster roll since his breakout year in 2009. This is a political thriller about the capture and death of a Nazi war criminal carried about by three young Israeli Mossad agents in 1965. Thirty years later, the Nazi still appears to be alive, so one of the former agents must go back under cover to discover what really happened. Worthington plays one of the agents from 1965. I hope that this will showcase what kind of actor he will become. After all, he is the star of the highest grossing movie of all time.

9.) Larry Crowne

I'll admit, the trailer is flirting heavily with the lame side, but Tom Hanks directed, co-wrote, and stars in this relevant story about a middle-aged man who heads back to college after losing his job. The premise may come off as contrived, and perhaps it is, but Hanks is still and always will be one of the most beloved stars in Hollywood. Ten years ago, his movies were always one of the big headliners of the summer. While his box-office drawing power has softened over time, Larry Crowne also co-stars Julia Roberts, so expect this rom-com to be full of 90's nostalgia and a possible sleeper hit.

8.) One Day

(Sorry, this is no trailer released yet for this film)

Don't worry, I'll get to the big blockbusters in a minute. This could be one of the big surprises of the summer. Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess star in director Lone Scherfig's follow-up to An Education about re-visiting one day of young love on the night of their college graduation. They revisit each other on the same day every year for twenty years to catch up and rehash their incredible night together. Again, the premise may scare off the masculine, but with a solid director and a lovable cast, perhaps this could be the ultimate love story of the summer.

7.) Cowboys and Aliens

On to the big films. Jon Favreau passes the reign in the Iron Man franchise and moves on to an entirely different concept: cowboys vs. aliens. In 1873, aliens invade earth to take over the planet and it's up to a few cowboys to stop them. I'm a little turned off that the movie's title is the same exact thing as its concept, but Favreau is still a talented director (despite losing himself a little bit in the disappointing Iron Man 2) and with an all star cast including Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Sam Rockwell, Paul Dano, and Olivia Wilde, this could be the start of another very successful franchise.

6.) The Hangover Part II

Why tamper with something that already works? Part II of the hilarious 2009 comedy The Hangover finds Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), and Allen (Zach Galifianakis) in Bangkok for Stu's wedding, only to wake up once again after another night of torpedo-like destruction. Joining them is a mysterious monkey and some old friendly faces from the original. While I don't expect the sequel to match the comedic heights of the original, it may be the only real comedy I am looking forward to all summer. Once again, another summer fails to bring the necessary comedic balance. Hopefully, director Todd Phillips will bring enough of it in his film to give the fix moviegoers are yearning for.

5.) Cars 2

I was shocked to find that Pixar's follow-up to a threequel would be a sequel, and that sequel would be to the one film many believe to be Pixar's weakest entry. Then again, a weak Pixar entry will still be an entertaining and money-making machine. The premise follows now racing-legend Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and his sidekick Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) traveling overseas to compete against the world's fastest cars. It's a little concerning that Pixar is pushing sequels, but it's still Pixar, the only studio in Hollywood to be perfect both critically and commercially. So until the movie opens, no one should doubt a track record like this.

4.) X-Men: First Class

This is the only comic-book adaptation I am truly looking forward to, and of course, it's the one getting the least amount of press. However, I do feel that this will be one of the strongest blockbusters of the summer. This prequel to the extremely successful franchise highlights Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) starting up a school in 1963 (expect a huge part of the story to chronicle around the Cuban Missile Crisis), which ultimately leads to the infamous team of heroes. This film will chronicle the path of how the Professor and his once-upon-a-time best friend Eric Lehnsherr becomes his arch-rival Magneto.

3.) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

I'll be the first to admit that I've never been an ultimate Harry Potter fan. I almost feel ashamed having only read the first two books. Still, I am thoroughly impressed with this film franchise. Even though it has a leg-up on many others (considering the numerous amounts of source material it's been able to live off of, along with the sure talent of J.K Rowling) I do believe that moviegoers are in for one hell-of-a spectacle come this July. The most successful franchise of all time comes to a conclusion. That within itself is an epic event almost impossible to miss.

2.) The Tree of Life

In what seems to be a 30+ year project in the making, Terrence Malick's first feature film in six years (and only his fifth ever) is finally going to be released. Now, obviously he wasn't literally working on this for 30+ years, but right after his 1978 film Days of Heaven, Malick began brainstorming the idea for this film. The project was originally titled "Q," and while I'm sure it's not the same film it would have been had it been released back then, it should be as close to that vision as Malick can possibly make it. This could very well be the next 2001: A Space Odyssey, only this time specifically focusing on man instead of machine. If this movie is as good as I think it will be, watch out for the first surefire Oscar contender of 2011.

1.) Super 8

I put this film above all else because it seems to be the only blockbuster taking summer entertainment seriously. In what could be the greatest modern director/producer combo ever, director J.J Abrams (Star Trek, Mission Impossible III, Lost) and producer Steven Spielberg team up to create a new kind of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Taking place in 1979, a gargantuan train crash is caught on camera by a group friends making a super 8 movie. With this footage, they start to realize that this was no accident. As the mystery starts to unravel, the town is thrown into chaos. Starring Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights), the man who deserves to be the next great movie star, I am overwhelmed with joy that Abrams and Spielberg are teaming up to give us what I think will be the best time at the movies all summer. What I find more fascinating about Abrams movies are their marketing campaigns. They are so brilliantly executed, that for me, they are events within itself. Catch my article on this topic coming in the next few weeks, along with the box-office predictions for all of these movies, and more.

Source Code

**** stars

In 2009, director Duncan Jones crafted the highly underrated independent film Moon, one of the best science fiction entries in modern cinema. Crossing over to the mainstream with Source Code, Jones is proving to be one of the most refreshing filmmakers of his genre. Breathing new life into a Groundhog Day-esque concept, (how fascinating that the mythology of a 1993 Bill Murray comedy about a groundhog is still a brilliant base for science-fiction movies) this highly entertaining thriller is a blast of exciting relevancy mixed with a component that I have yet to discover this year in movies: fun. Because it has this as one of its chief elements, Source Code stands out as the first true gem of the year.

Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal, in his best performance since Zodiac) wakes up in confusion on a morning commuter train heading into Chicago. Why? Because the last thing he remembers is flying a helicopter in Iraq. While the beginning of the train sequence certainly didn't do this on purpose, the opening of M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable certainly comes to mind. Confusion on a train seems to be a very exciting way to begin a movie. Maybe it's the fast-paced atmosphere combined with the thrill of the vehicle's physical speed.

The twist here in Source Code is that not only does Colter have no idea how he got on this train, he seems to be an entirely different person. While I won't for a second spill any details on why he is who is he, I will say that in place of being a military captain, he is now a school teacher sitting across from what could be the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. Christina (Michelle Monaghan) seems very interested in him. Confused by all of this, he searches the train for clues. Everyone seems to be noticing him as if he is the biggest elephant a room has ever seen.

Eight minutes later, a bomb explodes killing everyone on board. Colter wakes up from this in a confined space, in what seems to be a training program. He notices a small television monitor with mission controller Carol Goodwin (Vera Farminga) asking him several questions about his memory. To Colter's surprise, he remembers the answers.

So what is Source Code? Basically (and this is not a spoiler, but a foundation of the story) it's a specific technology that allows the military to use a soldier like Colter to re-create a real-life scenario for eight minutes that will allow him to stop something terrible from happening in the near future. In this case, it's a second terrorist attack. The bombing of the train was just the first strike. Chicago is in danger, and it's up to one confused and lonely soldier to save the day. Without his permission, Colter is thrown back onto the train several times over, trying to find the man who could destroy an entire city.

Maybe I was a sucker before I even stepped in the theater to see Source Code, as Groundhog Day is one of my favorite movies and 24 is one of my favorite TV shows. I just couldn't get over how brilliantly directed this movie was. Duncan Jones allows time for the human side of this story to kick-in, which many recent science fiction films have failed to do.

For example, a huge complaint of mine in last month's Battle: Los Angeles was how mechanic the storytelling was. All the characters were simply pawns in an action chess game with no real side of humanistic emotions. If Battle: Los Angeles was trying to be a salute to the troops, it failed. Source Code honors troops in a very different and more personal way. It focuses on one soldier who is thrown into chaos without knowing how he got there in the first place while still finding it in his heart to save all those around him before saving himself. I was moved by Gyllenhaal's charismatic performance, as he discovers strong emotions in scenes that many other actors would fail to find.

Combining electric action with taut storytelling, Source Code is some kind of small, short-term miracle, giving me the strength to find a reason to tell people to head back to the movies. While I am saddened that it only opened to $15 million (although with only a $32 million budget, it will be considered a success) I hope that the strong word-of-mouth will allow this movie to find the audience it deserves.

Sucker Punch

** stars

There are only a few movie titles that define how you feel after you've seen the movie itself. Sucker Punch is just that, a sucker punch to the gut after withstanding a long and strenuous fight. Zack Snyder's idea for Sucker Punch is electric: four women who are trapped in an insane asylum try to escape through their imagination in a fantasy world. Because after all, what else do you have in solitary confinement other than your own world?

What makes Sucker Punch a failure is in its execution, too much style and not enough substance. Snyder did such an amazing job with Watchmen (although it's impossible to repeat the success of its source material) because his style matched perfectly with the novel's substance. 300 was also successful because it was an entirely new direction of graphic novel filmmaking. Legends of the Guardian: The Owls of Ga'Hoole succeeded solely because of Snyder's vision and not much else. Here with Sucker Punch, it's as though he was trying to make the holy grail of trash movies. Instead, it just looks like trash.

It's too bad, because I was really looking forward to this one. Why not have a movie with four women kicking ass? Women deserved to feel empowered when they go to the movies just as much as men do. The mistake this movie makes is what ultimately happens to these characters. The third act of this film will make women feel powerless and men feel like scum.

The story revolves around Baby Doll, a young woman who is sent to the creepiest insane asylum known to man by her abusive stepfather. She meets four other young and abused women, all who seem to have access to infinite amounts of makeup. In what Baby Doll believes to be the doom of her existence, she decides to escape to an alternative reality where defeating bizarre creatures and extinct soldiers is the key to finding the ticket to freedom.

The transitions in-between the two-worlds are made possible by Baby Doll's ability to dance in front of the entire staff and inmates, all of which are in total awe of her talent. When she dances, we are taken to another world. The fantasy world is filled with stupendous visual effects, but without a reasoning behind the characters' motives in this fantasy world, we are forced to accept this world the same way the four girls do: escapist entertainment.

Which would be fine, if the dialogue wasn't so painful to listen to. The acting is stiff and forced, and it's unfortunate to see such talents like Carla Gugino and John Hamm reduced to nothing but odd and out-of-place cameos. I would have enjoyed Sucker Punch a little more if it chose to take itself a little less seriously when it came to the fate of these characters. Once the movie starts to pick up steam, it comes to a crashing halt created by unnecessary melodrama.

Battle: Los Angeles

* star

Battle: Los Angeles is a mind-numbing experience, one so full of ineptitude and incoherent action that it literally traps itself within itself. Aliens have invaded earth and it's up to a group of Marines to save the day. From what exactly, the absolute destruction of a city? Downtown L.A is already in ruins quite early in the film's storyline, yet we think a group of marines in Santa Monica has all the answers? Battle: Los Angeles becomes so compiled with trash that I started to wonder if there was anyone left on the planet fighting against these creatures besides the group we are forced to focus on.

Aaron Eckhart was born to play this kind of role. It's too bad the script lets him down. His character, Marine Staff Sergeant Michael Nantz, has just retired. BUT THEN, HE IS FORCED TO GO BACK TO WORK TO FIGHT OFF ALIEN INVADERS! AH! Sorry for the corny explanation. But that's what Battle: Los Angeles entails: corny explanations followed by moments of loud explosions. Repeat this concept a dozen times and you got yourself a certifiable March madness movie that's sure to open above $30 million. Luckily for the film and the financiers behind it, they banked on the stupidity of the American public.

I almost feel jealous for Michael Nantz, because he had the opportunity to both retire and then come back to be the hero of heroes. In the real world, you're lucky if you can just retire. But enough banter of the film's relativity towards modern society, because that's certainly not what the intent of the film is. If anyone knows what the real intent is, let me know and I will credit you of your findings in this review.

I'm all for alien invasion movies. All I ask from the aliens is a reason for the attack and all I want from the humans is for them to be smart enough to be able to detect the millions of falling spaceships crashing to earth that apparently satellites can't pick up. Sure, they think they're just meteors at first. But even if that were the case, why would people take that news so nonchalantly? Meteors can be just as if not more dangerous than the actual aliens, so why does it have to be another race that we are so scared of?

Actually, I wouldn't even call these aliens a race. They look like leftover junk parts from movies like I, Robot, Independence Day, District 9, and every other alien/robot invasion movie ever made. I have mentioned before that my big complaint about Hollywood right now is their lack of timing in releasing event movies. Everything is either in the summer or holiday season. So while I was excited to see what could have been a fun blockbuster in March, Battle: Los Angeles drops the storytelling bar even lower than what it already was. Thus, Hollywood deserves to be in the slump that it's in.

March 2011 has given us Battle: Los Angeles, Sucker Punch, and the election of Chris Dodd as the chief lobbyist for the Motion Picture Association of America. April 2011 has Fast Five scheduled as its biggest movie premiere. The hope that a great movie which will save the industry seems to be scheduled far away into the distant future. Hopefully in that time, it will not include a Battle: Los Angeles sequel named after another city.

The Adjustment Bureau

**1/2 stars

Matt Damon seems to have the unfortunate luck of being in promising, but eventually delayed movies. Last year, he was fantastic in the very underrated and horribly marketed war thriller, Green Zone. That film was original tentative for a fall 2009 release, which means a potential awards contender. However, it was bumped back to March to due unknown reasons. Well, not really unknown, but the educated guess would be that studios suggested the film could make more money in a less aggressive movie season. They were wrong. The movie opened to $14 million and became a flop for Universal. It's sad because it was one of the best movies of 2010.

Now, here's The Adjustment Bureau, another delayed Matt Damon movie bumped to an early March release date. However, this film does not follow the same merit Green Zone deserved, and instead is a harmless romantic science-fiction thriller about old men with cool hats who monitor the entire planet. My guess about its delay would be because the theatrical trailer resembled another film you may have heard of called Inception, and at the time, who the hell wanted to compete with that? The Sorcerer's Apprentice was supposed to be the counter-programming of Inception and look how that turned out (it was one of the biggest bombs of last year). In the end, counter-programming for Inception is like saying 3D works for every movie.

The Adjustment Bureau is loosely based off the Philip K. Dick short story, Adjustment Team. Damon plays up-and-coming politician David Norris, who is on his way to becoming one of the country's leading leaders. I say that in ridiculous fashion because there's no real indication as to what his end goal is (until the end twist which I certainly won't give away) so for now, just go with the fact that David Norris is about to have his dreams come crashing down because of every person's kryptonite: love.

David meets a beautiful dancer named Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt) in a bathroom after a tough election defeat. Instantly, they connect. This is believable because of the talents of Damon and Blunt, who share the chemistry necessary to pull off this attraction in a matter of moments.

The twist in this romance is that they were never supposed to see each other again after their first encounter. We discover that the Adjustment Bureau, basically a group dressed like extras in Mad Men, control and monitor the entire world, meaning that everything must go according to plan. Their plan. What's suitable, yet bittersweet is director George Nolfi's choice to take the simpler approach and basically uses only this mythology to tell the story. David and Elise aren't supposed to be together because it's not apart of the plan. Defying complex explanations allows more authenticity to our modern society, where us regular people do not know what the plan is created by those above us. The result is a relevant and mildly entertaining thriller.

Although with this simplicity comes missed opportunities. I wanted to know why David Norris was the spotlight on this. Why a politician? Why must the fate of the world rest on just two people and their love? I would have liked The Adjustment Bureau's ending to have given us more than just a wild-goose chase, something many films stoop to as the cowardly way out.

Rango

***1/2 stars

The fact that Rango is the best film so far in 2011 is bittersweet. Sure, it's Gore Verbinski's best movie to date, Johnny Depp is perfectly cast, and it's an absolute refreshing experience of animated imagination. However, the fact that this is the best movie so far this year is a sure sign of Hollywood's weakness. This is not a negative comment on Rango, but a disappointed moviegoer who is clinging on to any positive emotions he can.

Back to the film. What a weirdly creative and wildly uncontrollable ride this is. Depp brings his usual offbeat charisma to his chameleon character Rango, a hero without a story, so says the owl mariachi band who give us the breakdown fourth wall style. When Rango is thrown into chaos by flying out of the pet life and into a wild one (a bump in the road throws him out of his owner's movie vehicle), he hits the Mojave desert to search for the Spirit of the West. Upon his journey, he discovers Dirt, an old and small western town made up of desert animals. Because of his initial actions of playing tough in front of a dirty bar crowd, he receives the honor of becoming the Sheriff of Dirt. But when the town is low on its water supply, Rango is thrown into a world of corruption. He wants to know why the Mayor of Dirt, who is a turtle, is not worried about the water supply. Is he up to no good? Picture Fievel Goes West meets The Man With No Name. The latter here especially considering when Rango meets the Spirit of the West. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it.

What's fascinating about Rango and its mythology is how this chameleon living in modern society discussing his own story about being a hero is shoved into the morals of a past century, and through his knowledge of the modern world, he fits the role of the genius outsider, even though it couldn't be farther from the truth. The film's message is simple: so long as you are given the opportunity, you have a chance to achieve your destiny and discover your own Spirit of the West. Rango's fate was decided by a bump in the road, something that we can all relate to.

Note: Rango is an even finer film for refusing 3D and sticking to its roots in 2D. Hopefully, many others will follow suit.