Act of Valor

What I liked:

• It is based on true events.
• The film stars actual, active duty US Navy SEALs and SWCC.
• It is action packed!  There is not much down time in this movie.
• The special effects and footage of real weapons and equipment are fantastic.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

What I liked:

• Watch The Social Network to see Rooney Mara as the girl next store.  Then watch this to see the transformation from that to total bad ass.  She was fantastic in this role.
• The entire cast was top notch: Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, Robin Wright, Joely Richardson, and Geraldine James.
• Yorick van Wageningen was great but prefer him in this film.
• Fascinating mystery shrouded in layers with twists and turns.
• The score was rocking.  Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross know what they are doing.
• Enya's "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)"
• The opening credits are visually stunning.
• It's Lost's Charles Widmore!

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

What I liked:

• The animation was excellent; life like at times.
• The story was interesting.  The audience seemed to laugh a lot.
• Written by Steven Moffat (Coupling!), Edgar Wright, and Joe Cornish.  It is based on the comic book series by Hergé.
• I love Capt. Haddock's anchor sweater.
  

Joyful Noise

What I liked:

• Keke Palmer and Jeremy Jordan can sing!  They would be a great addition to Glee.
• The music was good.
• Queen Latifah never looked better.  Dolly on the other hand...

Mission Impossible 4 - Ghost Protocol

What I liked:

• Got to love a movie that opens with Josh Holloway.  Oh Sawyer, how I have missed you.
• Screen time was divided up pretty good so you don't get an overload on one person.
• Paula Patton looks amazing.  I want to know what her workout routine is.
• Simon Pegg brings humor to the group.
• Tom Cruise and Jeremy Renner have great chemistry together. 
• Slumdog Millionaire sighting!  It's Anil Kapoor!
• Midnight in Paris sighting! It's Léa Seydoux!
• Tom Wilkinson, Ving Rhames, and Michelle Monaghan.
• The special effects were amazing.  You should really see it at an IMAX theater if you can.
• Was that a picture of Daniel Roebuck aka Arzt from Lost during the train station scene?!

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

What I liked:

• Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law have great chemistry and I enjoy watching them banter back and forth.
• Rachel McAdams!  
• I love how Guy Ritchie directs these films.  The slow motion and the quick shots make it fun to watch.
• The clues and twists in the movie make it interesting.

The Sitter

What I liked:

• It's only 81 minutes long.
• Jonah Hill was pretty funny.
• The kids are annoying in the beginning but grow on you.
• Landry Bender was pretty cute.  I would like to see her play a younger version of Emma Stone or the little sister of Emma Stone in a movie.
• If Max Records looks familiar, you probably remember him from Where the Wild Things Are.
• J.B. Smoove!
• Cheese from The Wire aka Method Man!
• Susan from Friends aka Jessica Hecht!
• I liked that Hill's character tells the kids how it is.
• Pretty great soundtrack, especially "Escape (The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes!
  

War Horse

What I liked:

• Loki!  F.Scott Fitzgerald!  Tom Hiddleston!
• Jeremy Irvine did an excellent job for his first film.
• The story was kind of interesting in that it had layers that kept on building.
• Beautiful scenery.
• The horses did a great job acting.

New Year's Eve

What I liked:

• It's not a good sign when my favorite parts happen in the credits, so if you do see this movie, stay until the end!
• The cast that is not on the poster is more interesting than the ones on the poster.  Keep your eyes open for Cary Elwes, Alyssa Milano, Common, Penny Marshall, Sarah Paulson, Carla Gugino, James Belushi, Joey McIntyre, Jack McGee, Yeardley Smith, Amare Stoudemire, Cherry Jones,  and Matthew Broderick!

Young Adult

What I liked:

• The characters were real.  You will recognize a piece of someone that you know in these characters.  You may even see yourself.  There is something to be said for characters that you can relate to.
• Solid acting by the cast: Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, Patrick Wilson, and Elizabeth Reaser.

We Bought a Zoo

What I liked:

• Matt Damon was fantastic.  He was funny, cute, serious, emotional, and real.
• Colin Ford nailed the teenage angst and it doesn't hurt that he looks like a young Damon.
• Could Maggie Elizabeth Jones be any cuter?!
• Almost Famous alum, Patrick Fugit!
• Elle Fanning is fabulous in everything that she does.  
• For Curb Your Enthusiasm fans...Leon Black (J.B. Smoove)!
• Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, John Michael Higgins, Stephanie Szostak, and Angus Macfadyen round out the rest of the cast.
• The story is based on a true events.

The Descendants

What I liked:

• George Clooney did well playing a regular guy as opposed to a super spy or the head of a casino heist.
• Shailene Woodley wasn't annoying like she is on The Secret Life of the American Teenager.  Having said that, I don't get what all the Oscar buzz is about.
• Beau Bridges, Rob Huebel, Laird Hamilton, Matthew Lillard, and Judy Greer!
• The beautiful backdrop of Hawaii.

Hugo

"...film had the power to capture dreams."


What I liked:

• A delightful and imaginative story that was adapted from the 2007 children's novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.
• There is a fascinating hidden history lesson on Georges Mélies that includes actual footage of his films.  You can see A Trip the the Moon below. (Thanks Matt!)
• Asa Butterfield was a wonderful Hugo Cabret.
• The supporting cast was excellent: Chloe Grace Moretz, Sir Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Christopher Lee, Helen McCory, Michael Stuhlbarg, Emily Mortimer, and Jude Law.
• Martin Scorses did a great job directing.  I loved how the camera moved with the characters instead of being stationary all of the time.
• Lots of great quotes.
• The set design and props were beautiful and full of details.
• Lovely lighting.

Being Elmo - A Puppeteer's Journey

What I liked:

• It's a magical and inspiring story.
• A great behind the scenes look at being a puppeteer.
• A wonderful homage to Jim Henson.
• Whoopi!

The Muppets

What I liked:

• Obviously, all of The Muppets!
• All of the cameos!  No spoilers here!
• Great message in the story.
• Fantastic soundtrack.
• Very colorful and fun!
• Kudos to Jason Segel for making all of this happen.
• A rapping Chris Cooper.

My Week With Marilyn

What I liked:

• I think this is one of Michelle Williams' best performances.  When she smiled and acted like the bubbly Marilyn, she really seemed to capture Monroe's essence.  Having said that, when she played the sad, depressed Marilyn, I saw less Monroe and more Williams. 
• Eddie Redmayne was wonderful as Colin.
• Kenneth Branagh was fantastic as Laurence Olivier.
• The supporting cast of Dougray Scott, Dominic Cooper, Emma Watson, Julia Ormond, and Judi Dench were equally great.
• I loved the lighting in this movie.
• The story was very interesting.  You get a behind the scenes look at everything from how a movie was made back then to Marilyn's personal life.
• Beautiful soundtrack.  I was impressed that Williams sung all of her own songs.

Like Crazy

What I liked:

• It was well acted by Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, Oliver Muirhead, and Alex Kingston.
• Anna Scorpio (Finola Hughes)!
• It does a fine job depicting the feelings of a first date, the beginning of a relationship, the frustration of the end, and the break up.

The Rum Diary

What I liked:

• Puerto Rico makes for a beautiful backdrop.
• The 60's fashion was fun.
• Amber Heard is just gorgeous.
• Johnny Depp, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Rispoli, Richard Jenkins, Giovanni Ribisi, and Heard all acted well.
• There were some funny moments.

Dolphin Tale

What I liked:

• There is a great message to the story.
• It's a nice family movie.
• Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Morgan Freeman, Kris Kristofferson, Nathan Gamble, Cozie Zuehlsdorff, and Austin Stowell all gave good performances.
• Rufus steals every scene that he is in.

Happy Feet Two

What I liked:

• Super cute penguins!
• Fantastic animation.
• There is a good moral to the story.
• Excellent music.
• Robin Williams, Elijah Woods, Pink, Common, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Sofia Vergara, and Hank Azaria all give great vocal performances.