The Women - Meg Ryan - Annette Bening - Eva Mendes - Candice Bergen 
- Debra Messing - 2008.  The first clue that this is a bad movie is
the number of huge stars in it.  I just don't get it.  Why do they
sign up for such a bad film.  You heard it here - 4.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 - 2008.  The first movie was 
cute - this edition was poorly conceived, poorly written, and even
worse, poorly edited.  The disc that we watched had many skips and
scratches - and that was the best part of the movie. 3.

Get Smart - Steve Carroll - Anne Hathaway - 2008.  I thought this was
going to be a good movie and there were some funny parts but overall
is was really stupid. 4

Last Chance Harvey - Dustin Hoffman - Emma Thompson - 2009.  Two fine
performances in a very so-so script.  Kind of like chewing gum - there
is very little taste left when you are done. 7

Appaloosa - Ed Harris - Rene Zellweger - 2008. This was adapted from a
very good Robert Parker novel.  The movies does a good job of telling
the story but it is slow.  It is an old fashioned western and I enjoyed
it a great deal. 8

Slumdog Millionaire - 2008.  This movie is nowhere near as good as it's 
press.  It is brutal on many levels and I found it hard to watch.  All 
that being said, it should be seen. 8

He's Just Not That Into You - 2009 - Big Cast - Too many to mention.
The consummate "chic" flick.  Kind of dis-jointed and not real easy to
follow - or stay awake for that matter.  Nice ending - wait for cable. 7

Premonition - Sandra Bullock - 2007.  Linda wakes up and the audience 
does not know if she is dreaming or if this scene is real life.  By 
the end of the movie you don't even care. 6

Leatherheads - George Clooney - Renee Zellweger - 2007.  A silly comedy
about professional football in 1925.  There are a lot of very funny 
scenes that make the rest of the movie almost worth watching just to 
see them.  Not a great movie but I had a lot of good laughs. 8

Then She Found Him - Helen Hunt, Colin Firth, Bette Midler - 2007.
A story about a schoolteacher in the thick of a midlife crisis 
involving a messy divorce, the death of her adoptive mother and 
a reunion with her eccentric birth mother. As if that weren't 
enough to juggle, things grow even more complicated when she 
begins dating a man who turns out to be the father of one of 
her students. I did not like the ending but other than that
I enjoyed the movie. 8

Body Of Lies - Leonardo DiCaprio - Russell Crowe - 2008.  This is a 
story about the CIA and it's involvement in the Middle East.  While 
it is an excellent film with great acting and very good pace, it is 
not an easy movie to watch.  Not for everybody - but still good. 9
   
Dan In Real Life - Steve Carroll - Juliet Binoche - 2008.  Dan is
raising three daughters as a single parent after his wife died.  It
has been going on four years and he really has not come to terms 
with his loss.  Then he meets a stranger in a book store and a
spark lights up his life - and then it gets complicated.  They did
a very good job with this movie - good cast and good story. 10

Duplicity - Julia Roberts - Clive Owen - 2009.  Another spy-vs-spy
vs-spy story where the two stars are supposed to be working for
opposite sides but where they are really trying to make the BIG
score together.  Some very good scenes but kind of choppy and it 
could have been a much better movie. 8

Annapolis - James Franco - 2006.  I thought that this was about the 
Naval Academy but in reality it is a boxing movie.  Well done but 
the movie ends right before the championship fight that the whole 
thing was leading up to. 8

Wild Hogs - John Travolta - Tim Allen.  The trailors for this movie
were very funny - unfortunately, the rest of the movie was not so 
very funny - if you missed it you don't need to bother. 6

Once - Independent Film - 2006.  The story of a musician who meets a
girl who plays the piano and they collaborate on a song.  Very slow 
and not so special. 5

Kingdom - Jamie Foxx - Jennifer Garner - 2008.  This is about the
relationship between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia.  A terrorist 
attack at an American compound causes the government to send
four FBI investigators to assist in the search for the group
who planned and executed the attack.  Very well done - had to
watch but an excellent movie. 10

Fast Food Nation - Greg Kinnear - 2008.  This is a fictional
documentary about the business of producing meat products for 
the fast food industry.  It starts with illegal workers and
ends with a look at the "killing floor" of a packing plant.
It may change the way you look at fast food. 8

Gracie - Dermot Mulroney - Elisabeth Shue - 2007.  After her 
brother dies in a car accident, Gracie works hard to get a 
chance to try out for the high school soccer team.  8

The Namesake - Kal Penn - 2006.  This movie starts out slow
but I feel it is one of the best films that I have ever seen.
Two people from India, an arranged marriage, a move to New
York, building a life, making a family, and watching them
evolve - all in a two hour masterpiece.  Incredible. 10

The Squid and the Whale - Jeff Daniels - Laura Linney - 2005.
A strange movie about a dysfunctional family that falls
apart right before your eyes.  Good performances all
around but the movie will make you uncomfortable. 8

Burn After Reading - George Clooney - 2008.  I really can
not believe that I watched this entire movie.  It is supposed
to be a black comedy but it is a piece of crap. 3 - I have
no idea what would qualify as a 1 or a 2 but just in case
I find it I am reserving those numbers - so this is a 3.

Home of the Brave - Samuel L. Jackson - 2006.  A group of
soldiers come home from a tour in Iraq and have to deal with
the anxiety and trauma that they bring with them.  Tough. 8
 
Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Scarlett Johansson - Rebecca Hall -
Penelope Cruz - Javier Bardem - 2008.  Woody Allen wrote and
directs this easy to watch comedy about two beautiful ladies
who travel to Spain and meets a handsome painter who changes
their lives.  I don't think it was anywhere near as good as
the hype but the scenery was wonderful - both Spain and the 
ladies. 8

Perfect Stranger - Halle Berry - Bruce Willis - 2007
This thriller stars Halle Berry as Ro, a woman who risks her 
life to discover the identity of a stranger lurking on the 
Internet who may hold the answers to her friend's murder. 
What Ro discovers is a murky world of online deception 
peopled by the likes of Harrison Hill (Bruce Willis), a 
mysterious figure who may be a friend or a foe.  7

King Corn - 2007.  This is a documentary that follows the
production of corn and explains the history of farming in
the US.  It is not an entertaining film but it will teach
you more than you ever thought you wanted to know about
the place of corn in our food chain. 8

3:10 to Yuma - Russell Crowe - 2008.  An excellent Western
that stays true to the code of the west.  Lots of shooting
and lots of action - not for the weak of heart. 9

Good Luck Chuck - Dane Cook - Jessica Alba - 2007.  A raunchy
comedy about a guy who is cursed with a very stange situation.
It seems that any girl that sleeps with him will find her true
love right after him.  This is actually a pretty funny film
that has a cute story and a cute subplot about penguins.  8

Charlie Bartlett - Robert Downey, Jr. There were other actors
in this movie but I don't know who they were.  Charlie is a
high school student with many problems.  He is, however, from
a wealthy family and goes to a private school, until he does 
not.  Thrown into public school, he falls for the daughter
of the principal (Downey) and the story evolves from there.
It is not a great movie but I found myself enjoying it and
liking Charlie a great deal. 8

Quantum of Solace - Daniel Craig - 2008.  An action packed 
Bond thriller that plays very fast.  I am not sure if it is
a good movie but it will keep your attention with the action.
I would say it is good entertainment.  8

New In Town - Rene Zellweger - Harry Connick, Jr - J K Simmons -
2009.  Lucy gets sent to New Ulm, Minnesota to take over the 
management of a local yogurt factory and reduce cost, cut 
personnel and implement robotic machinery - but it just does
not work out that way.  Cute date flick that will leave you
with a smile. 9

Righteous Kill - Robert DiNero - Al Pacino - 2008. Turk and
Rooster have been partners for 30 years when they get involved
with a case that really gets into their heads.  It is an ok
movie but a little over the top. 8

Kit Kittridge: An American Girl - Abigail Breslin - Julia
Ormond - 2008.  A G rated movie that takes place during the
depression and is really an outstanding family movie.  Why
can't they make more movies like this? 10

Vantage Point - Dennis Quaid - 2008.  An attempt is made to
assassinate the president.  The story is retold numerous times
from many different vantage points.  It is very well done and
very intense.  Not for the faint of heart.  Also pretty scary
in the way the terrorists plan and execute the attempt. 10

The Flock - Richard Gere - Clare Danes - 2007.  Gere plays
Errol Babbage, an officer with Public Safety whose job it
is to check up on registered sex offenders.  Danes plays
his replacement as he is being forced to retire.  This is
a very tense (and graphic) movie which will not appeal to
everyone.  It is, however, well done. 9

Seven Pounds - Will Smith - 2008. An IRS agent with a fateful 
secret embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by 
forever changing the lives of seven strangers.  The story is
told in a way that can be very difficult to follow, but even
with that it is a powerful movie that was just excellent. 10. 
 
Thank You For Smoking - Aaron Eckhart - 2005. Satirical comedy 
follows the machinations of Big Tobacco's chief spokesman, Nick 
Naylor, who spins on behalf of cigarettes while trying to remain 
a role model for his twelve-year-old son. Worth seeing. 9

Forgetting Sarah Marshall - Jason Segel - Kristen Bell - 2008.
This is actually, to my surprise, a good movie.  Peter (Segel)
has been dating Sarah (Bell) for five years when she breaks it
off.  After a period of depression he decides to take a vacation
to Hawaii to get over it.  Unknown to him, Sarah is taking a 
vacation with her new boyfriend at the same hotel.  It is very
adult and often silly, but I enjoyed it. 9

W. C. Fields and Me - Rod Steiger - Vallerie Perrine - 1976. A
very well done biography of W. C. Fields.  Steiger was amazing
and the film is very enjoyable. 9

The Importance of being Earnest - Rupert Everett - Colin Firth.
2002.  A well done period movie about two gentlemen in England
at the turn of the century (20th) who are trying to be someone
that they are not - and trying to marry anyway. 8

In Bruges - Colin Farrell - 2008. Holed up in Bruges, Belgium 
after a difficult job, two hit men begin to differ on their 
views of life and death as they become used to local customs. 8

Black Book - 2006 - Carice van Houten.  In the Nazi-occupied 
Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates 
the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance.
This is a Dutch movie shot in English.  9

The Visitor - 2007 - Richard Jenkins.  A professor comes to 
New York City and finds strangers living in an apartment that
he has owned for many years.  The story that unravels is very
well done. 8

Gran Torino - 2008 - Clint Eastwood.  Eastwood plays the role 
of a Korean War vet whose wife has passed and whose neighborhood
has changed.  Over time he befriends two neighbor teens and
helps them grow up in spite of the gang influence that hovers
over them.  Tough but well done. 9

Swing Vote - 2008 - Kevin Costner and many well known stars.
Bud Johnson is a single father who lives with his daughter
in a mobile home in New Mexico.  Circumstances evolve to a 
situation where his vote will actually decide a presidential
election.  I enjoyed it - silly as it may have been. 9

Expelled:  Intelligence Not Allowed - 2008 - Documentary.
Hosted by Ben Stein, this controversial documentary examines 
how pro-intelligent design scholars and scientists are often 
chastised, fired or denied tenured positions by those who 
believe in Darwin's theory of evolution. You will either love
or hate this film.  I feel that it was thought provoking. 8

Sunshine - 1999 - Ralph Fiennes. The film follows a Jewish family 
living in Hungary through three generations, rising from humble 
beginnings to positions of wealth and power in the crumbling 
Austro-Hungarian Empire. The patriarch becomes a prominent judge 
but is torn when his government sanctions anti-Jewish persecutions. 
His son converts to Christianity to advance his career as a 
champion fencer and Olympic hero, but is caught up in the Holocaust. 
Finally, the grandson, after surviving war, revolution, loss and 
betrayal, realizes that his ultimate allegiance must be to himself 
and his heritage.  Long but very well done. 10

Ghost Town - 2008 - Ricky Gervais. Bertram Pincus is a man whose 
people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, 
but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to 
discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts.  It takes
awhile to figure out what is going on and what Pincus has to do. 7

Jane Austen Book Club - 2007 - Amy Brennerman - Jimmy Smits - Kathy 
Baker.  Six people start a book club, all for different reasons, and
learn that the issues that are portrayed in the books are very 
similar to what they are all going through. 10

Don't Come Knocking - 2005 - Sam Shepard - Tim Roth.  Howard Spence
is an acting cowboy who has seen better days and decides to go on
a journey of self dicovery in the middle of the shooting of his 
current western.  The production company falls further and further
behind while waiting for him to return. 7

The Ugly Truth - Kathryn Heigl - Gerard Butler - 2009.  Good date 
movie.  Slow in parts but well done overall and enjoyable. 9

The Express - Dennis Quaid - Rob Brown - 2008.  This movie ranks as
one of the best sport movies - ever.  It is right up there with Rudy 
and Field of Dreams.  As a statement about the kind of man Ernie 
Davis was and a statement about life in the 50's and 60's, this
movie is a work of art. 11

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button - Brad Pitt - Cate Blanchett -
Julia Ormand - 2008.  A series of strange events lead to the 
story of Benjamin Button who is born as an old man and ages
backward.  Slow in parts, this "Forest Gump" style story is
captivating and very well told. 10

Julie and Julia - Meryl Streep - Amy Adams - Stanley Tucci - 
2009.  Julie Powell spent a year cooking each and every dish
in Julia Childs famous cookbook.  Her blog brought her a lot
of attention.  She wound up writing a book about the experience
and this is the movie about the book.  It is very well done and
very entertaining. 10

Religuluos - Bill Maher - 2008.  Bill Maher's mother is Jewish 
and his father was Catholic.  He was raised in the church but
is very much a non-believer in any faith.  He travels around
the world in this documentary to try to find out why so many
people have such a deep belief in their own chosen faith, and
to ask tough questions that are, in his mind, unanswerable. 7

W. - Josh Brolin - 2008.  Oliver Stone directed this bio that 
shows what kind of a person and leader George W. Bush was.  
Many will think it is overboard but I kind of think it was
right on.  8

Mama's Boy - Diane Keaton - Jeff Daniels - 2007.  A silly story
about a 29 year old boy who still lives with his mother and
doesn't know how to take care of himself.  7

Marley & Me - Jennifer Aniston - Owen Wilson - 2008.  Like many
movies that have been written from books, there was just too
much to get into the two hours and it did not turn out well.
Slow at first, cute in parts, and the ending was flat. 7

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Harrison
Ford - Cate Blanchett - Karen Allen - 2008.  The latest chapter 
of the Indiana Jones Saga.  It is well paced and very easy to
watch.  Very good escape entertainment. 9

Harvard Beats Yale, 29 - 29.  2009.  In November, 1968, Harvard
and Yale played the last game of their season with both teams
unbeaten.  It would appear that Yale had a much better team with
Calvin Hill at running back and Brian Dowling at quarterback.
This film is a documentary about that game.  It is made up of
interviews of the players and clips of the actual game. Very
well done. 9

Taking Chance - Kevin Bacon - 2008.  PFC Chance Phelps lost his
life in combat in Iraq.  This is the story of his trip home and
the service of his escort who is played by Bacon.  10

An American Affair - Gretchen Mol - Noah Wyle - 2008.  In 1963,
one of the women who was reputed to be having an affair with the
President becomes the friend of a 13 year old neighbor.  This
is a romantic drama that tells a story about a very sensitive
time in our history. 9

Feast of Love - Morgan Freeman - 2007.  This is a story about a
group of people who live in Portland, Oregon and are trying to
put their lives together.  They are all unrelated but yet seem 
to have a web around them.  A little slow but worth watching. 9

War, Inc. - John Cusack - 2008.  This movie tries to show what
might happen if Corporations acquire the power of the military
and are then employed to wage war.  This may be one of the
worst movies ever made.  I am pretty liberal but this was so
far over the edge that even I was insulted. 5

Smart People - Dennis Quaid - 2008.  An English Professor has
to deal with the death of his wife and the reappearance of an
adoptive brother while trying to get his life back together.
Ellen Page plays his daughter and is the best part of this
movie. 8

How About You - Vanessa Redgrave - Joss Ackland - 2007.  This 
is an Irish film about a retirement home over a holiday season.  
It was a little offbeat but very enjoyable. 8

Paul Blart: Mall Cop - Kevin James - 2009.  The beginning of
this movie is slow and stupid but when the action finally 
starts you can watch it.  You may or may not enjoy it but
at least you can watch it. 7

The Proposal - Sandra Bullock - 2009.  Margaret Tate is an 
editor at a publishing company who is feared by all of her
employees.  When Immigration comes around to find out why 
she is still in the country she decides to marry her
assistant in order to not be deported.  This, of course,
leads to true love - but it takes a while.  9

Shades of Ray - Zachery Levi - 2008.  A half-white, half-
pakistani man is about to become engaged to a woman when
he meets another lady who is of the same heritage as he
is.  This was a very well done movie that I enjoyed. 9

Personal Effects - Michelle Pfeiffer - Ashton Kutcher -
2009.  A well done story about a young man who is trying
to help his family get over a senseless murder of his
sister and an older woman trying to get over the murder
of her husband.  I thought it was well done. 8

My Life In Ruins - Nia Vardalos - 2009.  From the same
lady that brought us My Big Fat Greek Wedding, this
film is about a tour guide in Greece.  The first half
hour was slow and silly but after that it was a cute
movie. 8

The Blind Side - Sandra Bullock - 2009.  Michael Oher
is the Left Tackle for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL.
It was not that long ago that he was a young man in
Memphis, TN with no home and no chances.  A family took
him in out of the goodness of their heart and the story
became a book and then this movie.  Just wonderful. 10

My Mom's New Boyfriend - Meg Ryan - Antonio Banderas - 
2008.  Marty (Meg Ryan) has a new boyfriend and her son,
the FBI agent, is ordered to spy on them.  8
 
Dangerous Beauty - Jacqueline Bisset - Catherine McCormack.
1998.  The true story of Veronica Franco, a courtesan of
Venice in the years of the inquisition.  A beautiful period
movie about a time that was very different, but not so 
much as you would expect. 9
  
Lawn Dogs - Sam Rockwell - 1997.  This is a pretty bad movie
about a ten year old girl who has a hard time fitting into 
her new neighborhood and befriends a young man who takes care
of the lawns.  Angie Harmon makes a brief appearance. 6

Up In The Air - George Clooney - 2009.  Ryan Bingham travels
around the country meeting with employees and taking on the
task of telling them that they have been fired.  He has a 
very unique view of life and it appears that the view has
a chance of changing as the story progresses.  The movie
could have had a much better finish but it is still a good
flick - worth seeing. 9