Up in the Air

George Clooney (Ryan Bingham)

Anna Kendrick (Natalie Keener)

Vera Farmiga (Alex Goran)

Jason Bateman (Craig Gregory)

Setting: Present Day

I wouldn't like Ryan Bingham's (George Clooney) much. He fires people! He works for a company that handles downsizing. And he is good at it. But Bingham's boss (Jason Bateman) decides he will start firing people through the Internet instead of doing it personally. Along the way, he gets romantically involved. But in the end, it doesn't work out. I would rate it 5 out of 5 stars. The End.

Avatar

Sam Worthington (Jake Sully)

Zoe Saldana (Neytiri)

Sigourney Weaver (Dr. Grace Augustine)

Stephen Lang (Col. Miles Quaritch)

Giovanni Ribisi (Parker Selfridge)

Setting: Some time in the future

I have seen the future, and it is "Avatar"! A James Cameron film, I saw it in 3D, but not in IMAX. Basically, it takes place on the planet Pandora, which is inhabited by a race of people called Na'vi. They are 10 feet tall, blue skinned, and have tails. Naturally, the Earthmen want the supply of "Unobtanium", a rock, which is located on Pandora. Jake (Sam Worthington), in the form of an avatar, attempts to make peace with the Na'vi. The best picture since "Star Wars". I would rate it 5 out of 5 stars. The End.

Invictus

Morgan Freeman (Nelson Mandela)

Matt Damon (Francois Pienaar)

Setting: 1990's South Africa

I really liked this movie. Clint Eastwood does it again! Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela is superb. It has to do with a professional rugby team from South Africa and it's quest for the 1995 World Cup. Only one of the players is Black, the rest are Afrikaners (Whites from South Africa). It is an inspiration. I would rate it 5 out of 5 stars. The End.

New Moon

Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan)

Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen)

Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black)

Dakota Fanning (Jane)

Setting: Present day Forks, Washington

I have two words to say about the movie: teen angst. The second in a three part series concerning a girl, vampires,and werewolves. This time, Bella (Kristen Stewart) takes up with a pack of werewolves including Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Bella finds Edward (Robert Pattinson) in Italy, where he says that he will change her into a vampire. I had to force myself to stay awake during the movie. But the part with the werewolves was cool! I would rate it 3 out of 5 stars. The End.

The Blind Side

Sandra Bullock (Leigh Anne Tuohy)
Kathy Bates (Miss Sue)
Quinton Aaron (Michael Oher)

Setting: Present day Tennessee

Sickeningly-sweet tale of Michael Oher taken in by (gasp) Republicans. A feel-good movie, it follows Michael (Michael Oher) from his days as a homeless youth until he got drafted by the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL. Along the way, he gets taken in by the Tuohy's who help him realize his true potential. Sandra Bullock is tailor-made for the roll of Leigh Anne Tuohy. I would rate it 4 out of 5. The End. (2009 - PG)

Precious

Gabourey Sidibe (Precious)

Mo'Nique (Mary)

Paula Patton (Ms. Rain)

Mariah Carey (Mrs. Weiss)

Setting: New York City

I wanted to see "The Blind Side",but when I got to the theater the performance was canceled. So I went and saw "Precious" instead. It's about a teenage girl (Gabourey Sidibe) in New York City. Horribly abused by her mother (Mo'Nique) ,and pregnant by her father, she gets help at a local A.B.E. (Adult Basic Education) center. Little by little, with the help of teacher, Blu Rain (Paula Patton), she comes out of her shell. I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars. The End.

Pirate Radio

Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Count)

Bill Nighy (Quentin)

Kenneth Branagh (Sir Alistair Dormandy)

Setting: 1960's -- off the coast of England

During the 1960s, Britain controlled the radio waves. Rock 'n roll was banned. A few enterprising individuals headed out into international waters and had what were known as pirate radio stations. They played rock 'n roll. This is the story of one of them. I gave it an extra point for the music. So I would rate it as 4 out of 5 stars. The End.

Law Abiding Citizen

Jamie Foxx (Nick Rice)
Gerard Butler (Clyde Shelton)

Setting: Present Day Philadelphia

A Phildelphia inventor, Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler), witness his wife and daughter being murdered. Assistant District Attorney, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), gets the best deal he can. He gets one of the killers the death penalty, but the other one gets only 10 years. So Clyde Shelton plots his revenge. After the 10 years has passed, he gets busy! He first goes after the killers, and then goes after the District Attorneys Office. Rated "R" for violence, it is the tales of Clyde Shelton's revenge. I would rate it as 4 out of 5 stars.The End.

Amelia

Hilary Swank (Amelia Earhart)
Richard Gere (George Putnam)
Ewan McGregor (Gene Vidal)

Setting: 1930's America

I saw "Amelia". The End. Now I wouldn't necessarily say that "Amelia" was a bad movie, but I didn't think it was good either. It was so so. I would rate it as 2 1/2 out of 5 stars. I wouldn't go see it at the big screen. It is about Amelia Erhardt. It takes place in the 30's. Big surprise -- she dies in the end. The End.

I went on vacation this week. I went on the train to Lancaster, Pennsylvania and stayed with my sister and brother-in-law. On the way down, we were almost an hour and a half late. I showed up at Penn Station with 10 minutes to catch my next train. By that time I got to the track, there was less than one minutes be for the train took off. While I was there, I went to the play "Dial M for Murder". It was an excellent play. The whole thing was done in black and white. I really enjoyed it. Also, I went to the "Dosie Dough" for breakfast a couple of mornings. I had Black Russian bagels. On the fourth day, I came home to Rochester. It was a pretty uneventful trip. That is, in till I got here. While I was waiting for my bus, I was robbed! I was sitting by myself at the station. The two clerks were in the back. I looked up, and there was a man standing in front of me. He said, "Give me your wallet". I resisted but the only thing I could get out was "No!". He then shoved a knife in my ribs and said "I will cut you". By that time the clerks had shown back up. I gave him my wallet, but I had a death grip on it. He had to use two hands to take it. The last thing I saw of him, he was headed for St. Paul Street. The police were there with in three minutes. A K-9 went looking for him -- but to no avail. I finally got home at 11 o'clock. Tuesday, I will go see "Amelia" at the movie theater.

I am going on vacation next week. I shall write about my adventures when I get back.

Zombieland

Actors: Woody Harrelson.
Abigail Breslin
Bill Murray

Jesse Eisenberg

Billy Murray

Main Characters: Tallahassee
Little Rock

Columbus

Little Rock

Setting: Present-Day USA

A film about a family with several crises before them. The symbolism of their ongoing struggles, and the Yin and Yang of..... Just kidding. IT'S ABOUT ZOMBIES! Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) and Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) are going on a cross-country trip to kill zombies. Along the way, they meet Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin). The two girls fool Tallahassee and Columbus into giving them their car. A little while later, the four meet up again. They decide to go to an amusement park in California. Once they are there, they stay in Bill Murray's house. Finally, they go to the amusement park. They almost get killed by zombies. In the end, the four recognize that they have made a new family. I would rate it 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.The End.

Nothing today. I will go see "Zombieland" on Tuesday. I will write about it next day.

Surrogates

Actors: Bruce Willis
Ving Rhames
James Cromwell

Main Characters: Agent Greer
The Prophet
Cantor

Setting: Very Near Future

FBI Agent Greer (Bruce Willis) and his partner are called to the scene of a murder. Murders don't happen very much in the future. During the investigation, Agent Greer discovers a vast conspiracy. He must shed his "Surrogate" self and go after the murderer alone. I highly recommend this movie. I would rate it as 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. It took me about 15 minutes before I knew what was going on. Go see it on the big screen. The End.

Whip It

Actors: Ellen Page
Marcia Gay Harden
Kristen Wiig

Main Characters: Bliss Cavendar
Her Mother
Maggie Mayhem

Setting: Present Day Texas

Bliss (Ellen Page) is a small town Texas girl. Her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) keeps entering her in "Poise Pageants". One day while buying some shoes, Bliss spots some roller derby girls. She decides to try out for the team. She makes it, and becomes a "Hurl Scout". Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig) is the leader of the team. The championship game is scheduled for the same time as the pageant. What is Bliss supposed to do? I highly recommend this movie. I would rate it 5 out of 5 stars. It is the first time that Drew Barrymore has directed a film. It also stars Juliette Lewis, Daniel Stern, Drew Barrymore, and Jimmy Fallon. Go see it immediately! The End.

Jennifer's Body

Actors: Megan Fox
Amanda Seyfried
J.K. Simmons

Main Characters: Jennifer
Needy

Setting; Present day Devil's Kettle (they didn't say where it was)

Needy (Amanda Seyfried) Is a Plain Jane. Her best friend is Jennifer (Megan Fox), the most popular girl in school. One night, Needy and Jennifer go to a bar to hear a band play. Jennifer goes off with the band. She returns later that night, but she has changed. She is evil. And as Needy says, "She's actually evil. Not high school evil." Although I am glad that it was closed captioned. It was in "Teen Speak", so I had to keep looking down at the closed caption. It was written by Diablo Cody. She was the same person that wrote "Juno" (which I thought was pretty good). Or as some teens would say, "OMG". J.K. Simmons was the high school principal. I would rate it 2 1/2 stars out of 5 stars. If you are more than 20 years old, skip it! I am going to see an advanced screening of "Whip It" Saturday. I will write about it next day. It stars Ellen Page and Drew Barrymore. The End.

The Informant!

Actors: Matt Damon
Scott Bakula
Joel McHale

Main Character: Mark Whitacre

Setting: Decatur, IL in the 90's

Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) is an executive with ADM (Archer Daniels Midland) in the 90's. He gets wind of a price fixing scheme within ADM so he goes to the FBI (Scott Bakula and Joel McHale). He becomes an informant. About a half an hour into the show some lady got a heart attack in front of me. I am not making this up! She was alert but they carried her out on a stretcher. The lights went up for about a half an hour. I think she was okay but they took her to the hospital. So I didn't the last 10 minutes of this movie because my bus came. (Remember the half an hour while they took care of the heart attack victim). I got a free ticket, though. I think I will go see Jennifer's Body starring Megan Fox on Thursday. I will wait and see The Informant! when it comes out on video. It is very hard to explain. It's a true story. The End.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Actors: Asa Butterfield
Jack Scanlon

Main Characters: Bruno
Shmuel

Setting: World War II Germany

Bruno (Asa Butterfield) is an eight year old boy. His father is head of an extermination camp. Bruno is inside his house. Four walls surround his house so he cannot leave. He can only play in the front yard. One day he sees what he thinks is a farm and he devises a way to get outside the four walls and go and explore the farm. When he does so he discovers an extermination camp. He befriends another eight year old boy who is inside the extermination camp. He is named is Shmuel (Jack Scanlon). Bruno asks Shmuel why he wears striped pajamas and he says "we are Jews and every body wears striped pajamas inside this camp". Bruno says he would like to explore the extermination camp. They devise a plan to burrow under the electrified fence. Bruno puts on striped pajamas to look like the Jews. Once Bruno is inside he goes looking for Shmuel's father. He and Shmuel go in to a building and a voice says "everybody outside". They go to another room where everyone is killed. Bruno's father noticed he was missing. He goes to look for him and the death camp but it is too late. The End.

Sunshine Cleaning
Actors: Amy Adams
Emily Blunt
Alan Arkin
Main Characters: Rose
Norah
Setting: Albuquerque

Rose (Amy Adams) makes a living cleaning houses. She finds out through her boyfriend that she can make a lot of money doing crime scene cleanup. She hires her sister, Norah (Emily Blunt) and the two of them go into business. At one point, Norah accidentally sets fire to a house that they had been hired to clean. Rose things that she is going to go out of business, but her father (Alan Arkin) helps her out. The End.

Rachel Getting Married

Actors: Anne Hathaway

Main Characters: Kym
Rachel (Kym's sister)

Setting: Their home in Connecticut

Kym is addicted to drugs and alcohol. She gets out of a residential rehabilitation program. Then she goes home to Connecticut where her sister is getting married. Kym is disappointed that she isn't going to be the maid of honor. She bitches to her sister about it and finally Rachel says that Kym can be her maid of honor.

The night before the wedding Kym goes to confront her mother, (who is married for a second time) to find out why the mother put Kym in charge of her younger brother. Ten years ago, Kym got high while she was driving her brother. They got into a car accident and he was killed. So Kym and her mother fight about it. Kym leaves her mother's house and she gets into another car accident. The next morning Kym wakes up and she is still in the car. The police come and do sobriety tests. Kym passes them and is brought home.

The next scene is Rachel's wedding. I liked the wedding the most out of any other part in the movie.

Kym stays sober during the wedding. Earlier on, Kym slept with the best man. He happened to be a recovering alcoholic who had been sober for seven years. Kym wanted to be like him. So Kym wants to go back to rehab. She wasn't ready to be around the day to day stress.

The last scene is the day after the wedding. Kym opens the front door and the woman from the rehabilitation center is there to take Kym back. The End.

Taken

Actors: Liam Neeson
Famke Janssen

Main characters: Bryan -- an ex-CIA "Preventer"
Kim -- his daughter
Setting: Paris

Bryan (Liam Neeson) is an "Ex-Preventer" in the CIA. One night he is hired to guard a female singer, Sheera. He saves her from a nut job fan. Then his daughter Kim asked him if she can go to Paris with a friend to look at museums. Finally he and his ex-wife (Famke Janssen) agree. So his daughter goes to Paris and she is kidnapped to be sold as a sex slave. Bryan is on the phone with Kim when she is taken. He flies to Paris to find her. Finally he goes to a place where they bid on the girls, his daughter being one of them. He is outbid by The Sheik. Bryan goes to The Sheik's boat and gets his daughter back. He kills allot of people. His daughter and he return to America and visit Sheera. She says come in and sing for me. The End.