Dinner for Schmucks

A company dinner party tradition between strangers gets out of hand rather quickly.  I haven't laughed this hard at the theatre in a long time with all the one liners and goofy story twists.  If you aren't a Steve Carell fan by now, you will be after seeing this movie.

Extra Butter

The Runaways

A 1970s teen all girl rock band tells the story of Joan Jet.  Great young actresses in a fast paced drama make this film a success.  An edgy, coming of age biography with all the catchy hits of the time.

Buttery

Red

Former black-ops agent Frank Moses (Bruce Willis) is threatened by an assassin and forced to track down his old team to help him survive.  An excellent cast of characters make this an action packed film you don't want to miss.  John Malcovich even steals the show with his whit.

Buttery

Predators

Adrien Brody gained 25 lbs of lean muscle to play the role of a human warrior who battles aliens.  Based off the 1987 version except this one has awful dialog and limited action scenes.  Safer to watch as a winter rental.

Salty

The Karate Kid

Jaden Smith (Will Smith's son) stars as a young boy who moves with his mom to China.  There he discovers kung fu through the master and battles the bully from school.  Beautiful scenery since its filmed on location, however the plot lacks creativity.

Salty

Public Enemies

American gangsters during the 1930s bring forth a crime wave with plenty of guns and violence.  A sexy cast of men (Johnny Depp included) and lots of action make this a film worth watching.

Buttery

Inception

Director Christopher Nolan creates a world of dream invasion technology.  Plenty of action with an excellent cast and a hint of melodramatic music.  Well worth watching again to fully appreciate all this film has to offer.

Buttery

Alice in Wonderland

Johnny Depp is the focus of this wonderland of a remake.  The visuals are extraordinary, but the extra creativity needed to make this film's plot stand out are missing.  The old classic is still the best, yet this is interesting to watch at least once.

Buttery

Get Him to the Greek

A delightful comedy about a crazy British rock star being escorted to a big time concert show and the hiccups along their journey. From the opening scene the audience is ensured plenty of crude humor laughs throughout. A great spin off makes this a must see of summer!

Buttery

Shutter Island

A U.S. Marshall (Leonardo DeCapiro) is investigating the mystery of a disappearing person on the criminally insane island. Is the hospital trying to keep him there against his will? Repetitious symbols and predictable plot make this a possible rental.

Salty

Leap Year

An Irish tradition says a woman can propose to her boyfriend on Leap Year, so impatient Anna sets out to make it happen. Her journey will lead to romance in unusual circumstances. Classic click flick without any fresh twists.

Salty

Valentine's Day

Los Angeles couples and singles experience the ups and downs of Valentine's Day. Basically a huge cast of well-knowns (such as Jessica Alba, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, and Ashton Kutcher) team up for this film that has a lack of direction. Lacking romance, humor and a reason to watch it ever again.

Stale

Dear John

A Nicholas Sparks novel about a solider on leave at home who falls for a college student. Their summer romance will have to carry through years of war. The characters don't have chemistry and the book has distinct differences from the film.

Stale

Iron Man 2

Tony Stark returns (as arrogant as ever) to be more than just a man in a suit and later battle Whiplash (Mickey Rourke). The strong female characters shine and the plot progresses similar to the original. Marvel has stayed true to the story and promises more to come for its fans.

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Nine

A movie musical about a famous director's muses in his personal and professional life. A variety of "eye candy" (Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Penelope Cruz to name a few) made it visually appealing, but it lacked substance. An interesting attempt to bring theater into the home.

Salty

Legion

A diner in the middle of no-where and a newly born baby become a source for the battle ground of good vs evil. Random characters will fight for the last of humankind. This film looked like a complete flop, but wasn't as awful as I suspected.

Salty

A Nightmear on Elm Street

Freddy is back and looking to murder you if you fall asleep, so beware! The killings are bloody in this predictable story line. Overall, a good rainy day horror flick.

Buttery

Crazy Heart

Jeff Bridges plays his Oscar winning role as an old classic, country musician on tour trying at his last chance at love. New talent emerges through his variety of experiences. A typical story line but witty lines by a talented cast make it a pleasure to watch.

Buttery

The Box

A couple have the option to earn a million dollars to kill a stranger when they press a button on "the box". Will they choose this fate or be content with their mundane family life? This question is left best unanswered in my opinion.

Stale

The Young Victoria

A peak into the bibliography of young Queen Victoria and her early romance with Prince Albert. Beautiful costume design and a tasteful cast of actors. A film of historical interest makes it well worth watching.

Buttery

Kick Ass

A teen comic book fan decides to embark on becoming a local super-hero. Plenty of violent action, fresh young actors and a high energy plot filled with dark humor. An edgy, wonderful opener to must see summer films.

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City Island

The Rizzo family can't help but tell each other little white lies that keep building over time into a dysfunctional mess. A decent film about the complexities of what really holds a family together. Add this one to your list as a good weekend rental.

Buttery

Date Night

Tina Fey and Steve Carell team up in a comedy about a boring couple who's harmless act of stealing another's dinner reservation that puts them in danger. Mostly unscripted, this film will have you laughing from start to finish. A must see romantic comedy.

Buttery

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel

The trio of singing chipmunks are back again with competition from a female group, "The Chipettes". Facing fame is nothing compared to surviving the life of a teen in school. Overall, a dud of a sequel.

Salty

Clash of the Titans (Digital 3D)

Perseus, mortal son of Zeus, fights to save the world from the evils of the underworld. Fast paced action and a story many are familiar with already. The CGI only half made up for the korny dialog.

Buttery with Salt

An Education

A young London teen in the 1960s falls for a man twice her age and faces a decision that determines her future. Carey Mulligan (Jenny) shines in her innocent role in this coming of age story. Well worth watching for its well written script and cast.

Buttery

Old Dogs

Long time friends and business partners (Robin Williams and John Travolta) encounter a challenge when they are suddenly babysitting 7-year-old twins. The pair work well together yet the plot was predictable which made it lack in humor. A good rainy day rental.

Salty

Planet 51

A human astronaut lands on Planet 51 filled with green creatures only to be feared as an "alien". The story line had promise with interesting characters, but it lacks at connecting with its child audience. Weak sci-fi action with suggestive adult humor makes this a dud.

Salty

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Based on the Roald Dahl novel, a fox (voice of George Clooney) tries to outsmart a group of farmers with a cunning plan. An enjoyable film with a fast moving plot and plenty of all star voices (Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, and Willem Dafoe to name a few). Great movie for the whole family.

Buttery

The Counterfeiters (Die Falshcher, 2007)

A true story of Nazi counterfeiting during the war and the brains behind the operation. Winner of the 2008 Best Foreign Language Film this is an Austrian work of art. A lesser known piece of history emerges through this raw and captivating film.

Buttery

Where the Wild Things Are

A children's story unfolds as young Max discovers a world of creatures where he rules as their king. To be honest I heard positive reviews but found the film to be choppy with excessive yelling. Not sure if this is a kid movie or an artistic approach?

Unpopped

She's Out of My League

How does a 5 land a relationship with a 10? All it takes is a gorgeous woman who takes a chance on an average guy with awkward family to boot. A few classic scenes make this a border line guy movie instead of a date flick.

Butter with Salt

Brothers

A family is emotionally torn apart by a brother's return to his family from the war in Afghanistan. Tobey Maguire, in my opinion, makes this a weak drama. Not worth renting.

Stale

Inglourious Basterds

Quentin Tarantino shines in his creation of "The Basterds", a group of Jewish soldiers lead by Brad Pitt, set during WWII who spread fear among the Nazis. The film is lengthy, but its black humor at its finest. A masterpiece you will want to watch more than once, guaranteed.

Extra Butter

The Men Who Stare at Goats

Iraq reporter desperate to make his mark on the world encounters Lyn (George Clooney), a former member of the government's paranormal army. A curious film that is fast paced and full of laughs. One of a kind makes this film well worth seeing.

Buttery

Hot Tub Time Machine

Four guys travel back to 1986 while on vacation with the help of a hot tub. Witty lines, plenty of action make this "guy flick" a classic. I haven't laughed this hard at a movie in a long time; comedy at its prime!

Extra Butter

The Time Traveler's Wife

A man with a gene that allows his to travel through time fights to keep his marriage alive. The leads had great chemistry throughout, however it was difficult to understand with the jumping around in time. This film will makes you look at love from a different perspective.

Buttery

Everybody's Fine

Robert De Niro stars as a father on a quest to reunite his grown children as a family again after his wife's death. A slow film with lots of drama and lack of emotion. Different than what I was expecting even thought it has a strong cast selected.

Salty

A Serious Man

I personally didn't find much humor in this film and got lost in the storyline. His wife is leaving him for another man, his career as a professor is in trouble and his brother won't move out of the house. A strange film with an open ending.

Salty

Wolfman

A son (Benicio Del Toro) comes home to news of his brother's death only to be bitten by a werewolf and cursed. The transformations are done well but the script contains some weak lines. Full of action but lacking the thriller intensity.

Salty

Fame

An updated version from the 1980 musical about teens searching for their performing arts dreams in New York. Extremely talented cast with stories that intertwine in an easy to follow story. The struggles and joys are captured in this fast paced film well worth watching.

Buttery

Love Happens

A widower (Aaron Eckhart) turned best selling author with his self help book of coping with loss falls for a girl with possibilities (Jennifer Aniston). His hidden secret and troubling with his own person coping bring about obstacles. Lacking romance or components of chick flick persona, this film is not as joyful as anticipated.

Salty

Extract

An Extract plant owner faces personal and professional situations through "Office Space" humor. This film is light hearted fun from start to finish. A wonderful comedy if you're in need of a laugh on a snowy day.

Buttery

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

Attempting to uncover a shady district attorney (Michael Douglas) a writer frames himself for murder in hopes of exposing the truth. Not much of a twist at the end even though there is plenty of drama throughout. Strong acting makes for a snowy day thriller to pass the time.

Lightly buttered

The Evil Dead (1981)

Traveling to a cabin in the middle of nowhere, five friends unleash demons in this horror film. Compared to scary movies of today, this film is bound to make you laugh more than scream. Perfect to watch when the stress of life requires distraction.

Lightly buttered with salt

Jennifer's Body

Cheerleader turns into a boy killer as her best friend tries to put an end to the horror unveiling in their high school. Megan Fox may be sexual appeal but she clearly is no actress. I found this film painful and lacking black humor.

Stale

The Book of Eli

Denzel Washington plays a lone man fighting to protect a book that will save humanity from its post-apocalyptic turmoil. A basic plot delivers raw action. Artistic filming and strong characters make this a thriller worth watching.

Buttery

The Princess and the Frog

Disney brings a twist to a classic fairy tale of a young waitress Tiana who kisses a frog prince down in New Orleans. The music is well done with an excellent cast full of energy. A wonderful children's movie that captures the joy that comes from believing in your dreams.

Buttery

I Hate Valentine's Day

A florist (Nia Vardalos) living in New York with a five-dates rule meets her match in the new restaurant owner down the street. A cute concept but lacking in chick flick qualities and laughs it promises. The characters lacked charm as did the script.

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Post Grad

Perfect grades and a college diploma aren't enough to help this young girl land her dream job and find the perfect guy. Moving back in with her eccentric family, riding a bike to work, and loosing her best friend are just the start to her whirl wind of "real world" drama. Not a comedy and not a chick flick this film is for a select few viewers.

Salty

It's Complicated

Divorced with benefits? Jane (Meryl Streep) soon finds out that with three grown kids her romance life can still have some flavor. This film had its ups and downs, but overall its more for entertainment purposes than for being close to realistic.

Salty

The Lovely Bones

Susie Salmon is murdered coming home from school one day resulting in her family's struggle for grief and vengeance. Based on the book, this film is done in an artistic manner to capture more emotion and less of the violence of the subject. The characters were well cast but the script bounced around too much for those that wouldn't have known the story beforehand.

Salty

Paper Heart

A girl travels around the nation gathering information on the topic of love for a documentary. Just as expected she discovers a form of love in her travels. The movie for me lacked depth and chemistry.

Salty

The Invention of Lying

A film about a world of complete honesty, until a writer learns to use lies to overcome his genetic limitations. Hard to get into at first, but a clever comedy overall. Includes gender insights as well as hearty laughs.

Buttery

Up in the Air

George Clooney stars as a man who lives in a suitcase with a traveling career of firing others from their jobs. This film was much better than I had expected with a beautifully written script and rightly won several awards. An ironic movie idea for the time of release but so well done its in my top 10 for 2009.

Extra Butter

Moon

Working a solitary life on the moon, Sam Bell encounters a mystery that effects the entire world. A basic plot that can seem confusing to the audience. Give this movie a chance and it may just be a sci-fi experience you end up enjoying.

Buttery

The Hurt Locker

An elite bomb squad unit in Iraq must work together to stay alive in the midst of a city of enemies. A well crafted story filled with powerful characters explains why it was nominated and won several awards. In my opinion, one of the best films on the present war that confronts the realities head on.

Extra Butter

Avatar

Written and directed by James Cameron comes a lengthy sci-fi film with a Dances with Wolves storyline. I went to see this in Imax 3-D and it was worth the money with beautiful graphics and the creativity involved in creating the moon Pandora. There could have been more futuristic technology, but overal Cameron succeeds in delivering an important message to the audience.

Buttery

World's Greatest Dad

Robin Williams in a dark comedy that actually fits him well. As a dad and teacher, Williams attempts to cover up his son's suicide in order to gain literary fame and social acceptance. An interesting script makes for a decent film off the beaten path.

Buttery

My One and Only

Renee Zellweger stars as a mother traveling with her two sons across the nation from New York to Hollywood in search of a new husband to care for her family. Narrated through the eyes of her son in a well written script full of twists. Wonderful humor and memorable lines make this a film a must see.

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