Life of Pi

What I liked:

• It is a very interesting and spiritual journey.
• Great directing by Ang Lee.
• Superb acting by Suraj Sharma.
• Great supporting cast: Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall, Ayush Tandon, Gautam Belur, Adil Hussain, Tabu, James Saito, and Andrea Di Stefano.
• Beautiful cinematography.  Loved the use of light, colors, and 3D special effects.
• It makes you think.
• It is based on the book Life of Pi by Yann Martel . 

Lincoln

What I liked:

• Daniel Day-Lewis did an excellent job looking, sounding, and acting like Abraham Lincoln.
• The supporting cast is amazing: Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrooks, Tommy Lee Jones, John Hawkes, Jackie Earle Haley, Bruce McGill, Tim Blake Nelson, Joseph Cross, Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Peter McRobbie, Gulliver McGrath, Gloria Reuben, Jeremy Strong, Michael Stuhlbarg, David Costabile, Lukas Haas, Dane DeHaan, Adam Driver, and S. Epatha Merkerson.
• I never knew that Lincoln was such a comedian.  It was funny to hear him tell jokes.
• The set design, make up and costumes were fantastic.
• It is directed by Steven Spielberg.
• It was written by Tony Kushner based of the book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

What I didn't like:

• It was too slow and a little borring.
• Because that cast is so large, each person gets only a small amount of screen time.
• I would have liked to have seen more of Gordon-Levitt and Driver.

Grade: B+  

Rise of the Guardians

What I liked:

• They have some great voices to go with these characters: Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Isla Fisher, and Hugh Jackman.
• The animation is fantastic.
• The story is creative and interesting.
• It is a fresh take on some old tales.
• It is fun for the whole family.
  

Red Dawn

What I liked:

• Chris Hemsworth is a beautiful man.  And he can act!
• Joining Hemsworth are Adrianne Palicki, Josh Hutcherson, Josh Peck, Isabel Lucas, Jeffery Dean Morgan, Connor Cruise, Edwin Hodge, Alyssa Diaz, Brett Cullen, Michael Beach, Will Yun Lee, and Matt Gerald.
• It's got action, romance, and humor.
• Cruise (son of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman) did well for his first film.

A Late Quartet

What I liked:

• Superb acting by Christopher Walken, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Mark Ivanir, and Imogen Poots.
• Wallace Shawn!
• An interesting premise for a story.  The Quartet gives structure to look at the relationships these four have with themselves and others.

Skyfall

What I liked:

• Javier Bardem was hands down, my favorite part of this film.  He was crazy good.
• Daniel Craig makes for a nice Bond.
• I enjoyed Ben Whishaw as Q.
• Albert Finney!
• Great special effects.
• Lots of action.
• Adele's Skyfall is lovely.

Happy Birthday YHG!

The Young Hollywood Guide is two years old! 
Thanks to everyone for your support!  Please continue to comment, share and send me your suggestions!

Silver Linings Playbook

What I liked:

• Bradley Cooper is fantastic in this role.  When watching him, you forget about his other roles and that he is Bradley Cooper.
• Jennifer Lawrence is bold and real.  She has come a long way from Katniss.
• Robert De Niro is wonderful as usual.  It is a very interesting role for him.
• Jacki Weaver is a great scene stealer.
• Julia Stiles, Chris Tucker, Shea Whigham, (Felicity alum) Dash Mihok, John Ortiz, and Anupam Kher also star.
• It is an interesting look at mental illness.  
• It's serious, funny, deep, touching, and heartfelt.  

Flight

What I liked:

• Denzel Washington was good as an unlikeable guy.
• Great supporting cast: Nadine Velazquez, Tamara Tunie, Kelly Reilly, Bruce Greenwood, John Goodman, and Don Cheadle.
• Really good soundtrack.