Fired Up

FIRED UP (2009) - Nov. 29, 2009
An enjoyable and wacky comedy about a couple of guys who decide to go to cheerleading camp in order to meet girls; wackiness ensues.  The movie unfolds pretty much exactly how you think it will, but it's quite entertaining throughout, and features a number of genuinely funny moments.  ***

Ninja Assassin

NINJA ASSASSIN (2009) - Nov. 28, 2009
A really silly but mostly enjoyable film about a member of an elite group of ninjas who goes rogue.  The action was completely over-the-top (and a bit cgi-heavy) but was mostly enjoyable.  The main characters were all kind of bland, but pretty much got the job done.  **1/2

Mission: Impossible 3

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3 (2006) - Nov. 26, 2009 (Second Viewing)
While I think I enjoyed this a bit more this time around, it's still definitely not on the level of J.J. Abrams' directorial follow-up, Star Trek.  The action is all very well done, and it's quite entertaining throughout, though I still think it's probably a bit too action-heavy in the second half.  ***

Fantastic Mr. Fox

FANTASTIC MR. FOX (2009) - Nov. 26, 2009
I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about this going in -- Wes Anderson is such a great director of live action, it seemed to me like he was just wasting his time dabbling in animation (much like what Zemekis has been doing for the last little while).  Fortunately, I couldn't have been more wrong -- this was an utterly charming film, and the shift from live action to animation has done nothing to dull Anderson's ability to create a really compelling group of characters; this is easily right up there with all of Anderson's best films.  The retro animation style is a bit off-putting when only seen in small chunks, however within the context of the film it works beautifully.  But no amount of great visuals would have helped much if the story were weak -- however, this isn't the case at all.  The film is funny, touching and really enjoyable throughout.  ****

2012

2012 (2009) - Nov. 21, 2009
About the events surrounding the end of the world in 2012, mostly revolving around a divorced author struggling to maintain a relationship with his kids, and a scientist who was one of the first to discover what was happening to the Earth.  The film definitely overstays its welcome a bit at over two and a half hours, and the plot/characters are far from fresh, but just for the spectacle of it all it's definitely worth watching.  Roland Emmerich is pretty much a master at destroying things on a huge scale at this point, and his direction in the action scenes is refreshingly devoid of the old quick-cut/shaky-cam.  Plus, the film features some of the best special effects that I've seen in a while, so the destruction is almost always fairly convincing.  ***

The Men Who Stare at Goats

THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS (2009) - Nov. 13, 2009
An enjoyable if somewhat episodic and rambling film about an American reporter in Iraq who gets caught up with a with a man who claims to be a member of elite group of soldiers with paranormal abilities.  The performances were all quite good, and it was well made, but it wasn't quite as engaging as I might have hoped.  ***

The Box

THE BOX (2009) - Nov. 7, 2009
About a couple in '70s-era Boston who receive a mysterious box containing a button, and are told that if they press it, they will receive a million dollars but someone who they don't know will die.  Oddball shenanigans ensue once the couple decide to start investigating who's behind the box.  The film features expectedly primo direction from Richard Kelly, who does a great job of establishing and maintaining an atmosphere of dread.  The problem is that the film just gets more and more bizarre as it goes along, eventually introducing a lot of bizarre sci-fi plot twists which may or may not hold up to scrutiny.  ***

Monsters vs. Aliens

MONSTERS VS. ALIENS (2009) - Nov. 5, 2009
A silly but enjoyable cartoon about a woman who is turned into a giant, and is subsequently locked up with a few other wacky monsters, and eventually called upon to save the Earth from a sinister alien.  It's not exactly Pixar, but then it didn't really seem like it was trying to be anything other than innocuous fun.  And for what it was, it was quite enjoyable.  ***

This Is It

THIS IS IT (2009) - Nov. 1, 2009
A really enjoyable but kind of sad concert film, documenting Michael Jackson's rehearsals for what was to be his final set of concerts, if he hadn't died.  It's sad because it shows that Jackson, despite outward appearances, was ready and completely able to put on a really great show, and was still clearly just as passionate of an entertainer as ever.  It's always apparent that this is just a rehearsal and not a real show, but it's just as apparent that the concert would have been pretty great.  ***1/2