| 1. | Black Swan - See-it - Best in Theaters - Top 10 Best of 2010 - Best Picture Oscar Nominee - Natalie Portman is the mysterious "black swan" in this psychological thriller set in the world of New York City ballet where competition is brewing with a new dancer in the company, Mila Kunis. |
| 2. | True Grit - See-it - Top 10 Best of 2010 - Best Picture Oscar Nominee - A late entry in the Best Picture race, True Grit, starring Matt Damon and Jeff Bridges, is one of the Coen Brothers best films. And newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, who plays a stubborn young woman trying to track down her father's murderer, steals every scene she is in, despite the talent next to her onscreen. |
| 3. | The Fighter - See-it - Top 10 Best of 2010 - Best Picture Oscar Nominee - Christian Bale is the trainer of boxing brother Mark Wahlberg, aka "Irish" Micky Ward, who is just about to go pro during the early 1980s. Like the boxer he portrays, Wahlberg is a long-shot at Best Actor awards this year, but deservingly worth at least a nomination as his skinny co-star Bale steals scene after scene, and round after round, as per usual. |
| 4. | The King's Speech - See-it - Best Picture Oscar Nominee - This art house drama stars Guy Pearce and Colin Firth as King Edward VIII and King George VI of England ruling over a country on the brink of war. Oh, and his wife Queen Elizabeth is Helena Bonham Carter and his eccentric speech therapist is played by Geoffrey Rush. |
| 5. | Tangled - See-it - A return to their proven princess formula but more entertaining and action-packed than your typical animated Disney films. |
| 6. | Blue Valentine - See-it - This film effectively challenges time by showing us what love and marriage simultaneously look like in the present, future and past. Don't be surprised if Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are actually dating as their onscreen chemistry burns brilliantly in this tender rom-drom. |
| 7. | Of Gods and Men - See-it if you can - New This Week - This international drama about French Christian monks living in harmony with their Muslim brothers in North Africa is not only the best foreign film so far this year, it is probably the best film of 2011 as of February 25, 2011. |
| 8. | Public Speaking - See-it if you can - New This Week - This insightful documentary from Scorsese on Jewish American author Fran Lebowitz is commentary on commentary, but interesting nonetheless. |
| 9. | The Mechanic - Rent-it - I have been a huge fan of Jason Statham every since The Transporter, and I always liked Ben Foster's performance in Alpha Dog, but this action/thriller remake is overly violent, even for a Statham film, and therefor isn't a "see-it" for most movie-goers. |
| 10. | No Strings Attached - Rent-it - The 110 scantily-clad minutes Natalie Portman stands on screen next to Ashton Kutcher in this "sexy" romcom may very well lose her the Oscar, despite her beautifully dark and deserving performance in Black Swan. |
| 11. | Cedar Rapids - Rent-it - Finally, an R-rated comedy that isn't overly raunchy! Cedar Rapids stars a perfectly conventional comedic cast performing a pleasantly clever script. |
| 12. | Unknown - Wait-for-it - Unknown is a Taken look-alike from head-to-toe, so much so you might think you are watching Liam Neeson reprise his role in some sort of sequel, but don't be confused by this Frantic-esque story and the Harrison Fordy-marketing ploy, this whodunit is completely unoriginal and a complete impostor. |
| 13. | Justin Bieber: Never Say Never - Wait-for-it - Unless you have Bieber Fever, or are under the age of 20, you will disappointed; however, despite early reviews (or more likely anticipation) this documentary/drama/musical is actually okay. |
| 14. | The Rite - Skip-it - Though Anthony Hopkins does his best Hannibal Lecter impression, this rite of passage should be your last if you get any redeeming value from this unscary, uninteresting, and underwhelming film that fails to explain a single cause for any effect. |
| 15. | Gnomeo and Juliet - Skip-it - These animated garden gnomes have some interesting voices - James McAvoy (Gnomeo), Emily Blunt (Juliet), Michael Caine, and Jason Statham - but it's hard to create a version of the world's greatest love story that isn't cliched, and this cartoon is no different - except of course, they're garden gnomes. |
| 16. | The Eagle - Skip-it - Picture Braveheart meets Gladiator, except instead of an inspired Mel Gibson you get a spiritless Channing Tatum, and instead of the epic Ridley Scott you get Kevin Macdonald's flat direction. |
| 17. | The Green Hornet - Skip-it - For some reason I was just never excited about this film. Maybe it's because I can't wait for that other green film (The Green Lantern) to come out? Or maybe it's because I've just had enough of Seth Rogen? But this action & adventure, science fiction & fantasy, comedy is just barely entertaining at best - so I guess it was rightfully so. |
| 18. | The Dilemma - Skip-it - Vince Vaughn and Kevin James (two of the funniest guys alive) stand beside Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum and Queen Latifah in this comedy about "bro's before hoes" from Ron Howard and Brian Grazer but fails to find a balance that will have you laughing much at all. |
| 19. | I Am Number Four - Skip-it - Even if you thoroughly enjoy young adult fiction (i.e. Twilight, Percy Jackson, Hunger Games, House of Night, Sookie Stackhouse) this novel-turned-film is completely disappointing; and though it is action-packed like you'd expect from a Michael Bay film, it also missing interesting characters that you actually care about - like you'd expect from a Michael Bay film. |
| 20. | Just Go with It - Skip-it - I had high hopes for a rom-com with some of my favorite guilty-pleasure actors and actresses - Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Brooklyn Decker and Bailee Madison (that's right Bailee Madison, not Billy Madison) - but this film about a guy pretending to be married to get a smoking hot girl that's even out of Andy Roddick's league is terrible! I urge you to not "just go with it." |
| 21. | Sanctum - Skip-it - It is hard to imagine that a James Cameron film about water and adventure could be bad (The Abyss, Titanic and coming soon - Avatar 2) but Sanctum, despite being beautifully shot in 3-D, drowns under lifeless performances and sappy dialogue. |
| 22. | Drive Angry - Skip-it - New This Week - See my reviews for other Nic Cage disasters such as Season of the Witch, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Knowing, Bangkok Dangerous, Ghost Rider, G-Force, and Next - or just skip-it all! |
| 23. | Hall Pass - Skip-it - New This Week - Have your cake and eat it too? You probably won't want any second servings of this repulsive sex-crazed romp about infidelity and "love" - or the lack of it - as there is not a single laugh to be had in the predictable and irrelevant film. |
| 24. | The Roommate - Skip-it - Top 10 Worst of 2011 - As a 20-something guy it pains me to say you shouldn't go see Leighton Meester and Minka Kelly as horney college freshmen but The Roommate might already have brought home the Worst Film of 2011 award. But then there is... |
| 25. | Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son - Skip-it - Top 10 Worst of 2011 - I can't believe it either! Martin Lawrence is back again, and dressed up as the fat woman named Big Momma nonetheless! This is quickly becoming the worst series of comedies ever made, and, unfortunately, Martin Lawrence is also becoming the biggest laughing stock in the business - not be confused with being a comedian who is actually funny and you actually laugh at/with. |