Now, the best films of the year....

10 BEST FILMS OF 2011

10. X-Men: First Class: Outstanding way to reboot a series, great cast and writing.

9. Crazy, Stupid, Love: Once again, a great cast really selling the smart script, makes for a fun watch.

8. Red State: Kevin Smith smacks fundamentalism of all sorts with this savage film.

7. Bridesmaids: One of the finest ensemble comedies in a long, long time.

6. Attack The Block!: Outstanding directorial debut, taking a good idea, can do attitude and awesome cast and molding it to a woefully underseen film.

5. Melancholia: Kirsten Dunst gives a flawless performance as we all await the collision of Earth with the titular planet; a year in the life was never more powerful.

4. Hanna: A teenage girl, groomed her entire life to be an assassin, finds herself taking on challenges she may not be yet equipped to handle. Brilliant film.

3. We Need to Talk About Kevin: Heartwrenching film of a mother who knows her child is a sociopath early on, she hates her own son as he hates her. Suddenly the film culminates in a horrific outburst of terror and grief. Not easy to watch, but rewarding.

2. Warrior: A horribly fractured family dynamic collides with a brother trying to make a war event right, and the other trying to save his family home. Add to this a father trying to make amends for their terrible chidhoods. Both see their answers in the MMA ring, and this dynamic explodes there.

1. Circumstance: Not merely a lesbian love story, this film concerns two high school girls in Iran, trying to not only find themselves and enjoy a normal teenage life, but escape their country’s shackles to pursue their lives and love. A powerful story of finding a way in the face of horrible repression, and the best film of 2011.

Worst of 2011!!!!

10 WORST FILMS OF 2011

10. "Martha Marcy May Marlene": How does a film with outstanding performances and a strong cast get on this list? Oh right, it’s a pretentious piece of shit.

9. "The Captains": William Shatner chats with all the captains that followed him, and it’s one of the most boring journeys since "Star Trek V".

8. "Sucker Punch": Masturbatory fantasy masquerading as a film. Apparently to Zack Snyder, female empowerment means being slapped around and pole dancing.

7. "Scream 4": Let me save you an hour and 40 minutes…..EMMA ROBERTS is the killer…yes, 98 lb. Emma Roberts!!

6. "Just Go With It": Wow, you mean Adam Sandler made a stupid movie? I’m …well, not surprised at all.

5. "Green Lantern": Special effects so bad, it made me long for "South Park"s cardboard animation days.

4. "Friends With Benefits": If either were my friend, I’d choose celibacy.

3. "Apollo 18": Stupid movie with weak acting, huge plot holes and I can’t even say it was all in focus.

2. "Shark Night 3D": Kept hoping the film would snap and pierce my eyeballs.

1. "Transformers: Dark of the Moon": Nothing, I mean NOTHING says “shoot yourself now “quite like the words “A Michael Bay Film” on the screen.

Mini Review: "Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale"

A part scary, part funny Finnish film about the slightly more ....dark side of Santa.

A-

Mini Review: "Warrior"

"Warrior" is NOT an MMA film, its a fractured family film with MMA serving as a backdrop. Oh, by the way..its magnificent.

A+

Best/Worst lists...

Coming in the next couple days. Expect "Worst Of" no earlier than Thursday, and "Best Of" by Xmas Eve.

Movie picks wrap-up as we end the year..

Battle:Los Angeles: B+

Paul: B-

Sucker Punch: D

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules: C

Bridesmaids: A+

Priest: C

X-Men: First Class: A

Super 8: B+

Green Lantern: F

Bad Teacher: C

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2: A+

Cowboys & Aliens: F

Apollo 18: F

Contagion: B+

Archie's Final Project: (Was in VERY limited release)

Paranormal Activity 3: A

Martha Marcy May Marlene: C-

Red State: A

A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas in 3D: A

The Muppets: (Passed to DVD)

The Darkest Hour: DEC 23 (moved from 8-5)

Mini Review: "The Captains"

A surprise last second addition, this film features William Shatner interviewing all the other captains of the "Star Trek" universe.

Aside from a few funny moments, I was mostly bored and wondering what Avery Brooks had been smoking prior to his segment.

D

Mini Review: "A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas"

Without doubt, the funniest of a very funny series.

A

Mini Review: "Circumstance"

This riveting film, set in modern day Iran, chronicles the lives of teenage schoolmates Shireen (Sarah Kazemy) and Atafeh (Nikohl Boosheri). Not merely friends, they are lovers as well, trying to find their way out of a society that views them as lesser merely because of their gender.

A stunningly brilliant film. Best of the year to date.

A+

Coming before the 31st:

Rare Exports, Warrior, A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas and The Darkest Hour

Mini Review: "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

Tilda Swinton offers up a haunting performance as a woman who has her life turned upside down by the birth of her first child, a withdrawn, sociopathic boy named Kevin. After he murders his father and younger sister, he turns his attention to his school. We see the before, during and after of these two agonized souls. Pace is a little slow, but overall the film is stellar

Not a fun film to watch, much more something you experience. Glad I watched it, have no desire to sit through this haunting experience again.

B+

Mini Review: "Martha Marcy May Marlene"

While I agree that this film will make Elizabeth Olsen the star she should be, this film ended up being a droll exercise in pretension.

I was highly disappointed.

C-

Mini Review: "ThanksKilling"

A movie about a killer turkey, brought back from the dead by an American Indian witch doctor, that hunts down white people to avenge Indians.

No, really..I swear to God thats the plot......so bad that it cant help but be a must watch.

D

Mini Review: "One Day"

Much more like "one nap", subpar work from everyone involved.

D

Mini Review: "The Specials"

After trying to hunt this film down over the past four years, finally finding a copy and watching it was a bit like the film itself........fun, but not quite there

B-

Mini Review: "Shark Night 3D"

A group of college students go to a mansion on an island in the middle of a conveniently salt bayou in Louisiana, where a couple local yokels have brought in a bunch of sharks to eat people to sell shark attack footage.

No, really...thats the plot.

F

Up to date movie picks for 2011

Battle:Los Angeles: B+

Paul: B-

Sucker Punch: D

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules: C

Bridesmaids: A+

Priest: C

X-Men: First Class: A

Super 8: B+

Green Lantern: F

Bad Teacher: C

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2: A+

Cowboys & Aliens: F

Apollo 18: F

Contagion: B+

Archie's Final Project: SEPT. 23 (Came nowhere near Tulsa)

Paranormal Activity 3: A

Martha Marcy May Marlene: OCT 21 (Also didn't hit our theaters)

Red State: A

A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas in 3D: (Hoping to see this weekend)

The Muppets: NOV. 23

The Darkest Hour: DEC 23 (moved from 8-5)

Piranha 3DD: JAN. 8, 2012 (moved from 11-23)

Mini Review: "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"

Nice to see Michael Bay stays consistent. "Transformers" sucked, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" sucked harder and this one is the worst of the bunch. Avoid if your grey matter means anything to you.

F

Mini Review: "Atlas Shrugged Pt. 1"

While the message in this film (and the classic book its based on) are near and dear to my heart, this sucker is just plain boring.

D-

Mini Review: "Paranormal Activity 3"

Surprisingly, the makers of this series have managed to keep the films creative and scary without changing methods too much, and this one is the scariest of the bunch.

A

Mini Review: "The Help"

Even for a character driven emotional drama this film moved at a glacial pace.

C-

Mini Review: "Trespass"

A bold experiment in the art of film releases, this Nic Cage vehicle features more twists and turns than an Amazon rainforest road, just tried to be too damn clever for its own good. Not a bad watch, but don't try so hard to be clever.

B-

Mini Review: "Crazy, Stupid, Love."

Using the successful "Love, Actually" formula, "Crazy, Stupid, Love." tells 4 intertwining heartwarming tales of first loves, rekindled flames and unrequited crushes. Handled well by its brilliant cast, even Steve Carell (usually a negative for me) shone brightly as the glue holding the film together. "Crazy, Stupid, Love." may be a dark horse contender for my best film of the year. A+

4, yes 4 mini reviews!

The Host: Fun Korean monster flick, but with the almost cliche' now "America doesnt care about what its doing to us" mentality. B-

Melancholia: Interesting, introspective film about a planet that will collide with Earth. Kirsten Dunst does her best work to date as one of the sisters from whos eyes we see the events. B+

The Tree of Life: Somewhat over-inflated family drama, dull and tries to be overly clever. C

Drive: Surprisingly engaging action film, great car chase flick. B+

Coming soon: Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Mini Review: "The Dead"

Shot on the desolate African Sahara, this relentlessly bleak zombie film will be held in as much regard as the classic Romero trilogy films were.

A+

Mini Review: "Contagion"

While I think a more appropriate title would be "Gwyneth Paltrow Diseases the World" (like we needed this film to know that fact), this Soderbergh film is a bit more susceptible to cliche' than some previous films of his (the entirely of Marion Cotillard's character is built around one in fact), but is nonetheless a gripping, effective thriller.

B+

Mini Review: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2"

Having a lazy day and knew I needed to get this up, so we'll go the mini review format. Some of the Potter films have been better than others, but this one was the absolute perfect way to end the series. Brilliant film.

A+

Mini Review: "Matinee"

Joe Dante's little heard of 1993 film is typical of his work in that 80-90's timeframe. Heartfelt and warm with rich characters and a fun story.

B+

Coming soon: Contagion, The Host, The Tree of Life, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and The Dead.

Keeping you up to date on the top movie picks!

Battle:Los Angeles: B+

Paul: B-

Sucker Punch: D

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules: C

Bridesmaids: A+

Priest: C

X-Men: First Class: A

Super 8: B+

Green Lantern: F

Bad Teacher: C

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2: (Seen, review pending)

Cowboys & Aliens: F

Apollo 18: F

Contagion: (Out now, waiting to see)

Archie's Final Project: SEPT. 23 (Very limited release)

Paranormal Activity 3: OCT. 21

Martha Marcy May Marlene: OCT 21 (limited)

Red State: OCT. 21

A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas in 3D: NOV. 4

The Muppets: NOV. 23

Piranha 3DD: NOV. 23

The Darkest Hour: DEC 23 (moved from 8-5)

Mini Review: "Intensity"

Was inspired to watch the made for TV film by things I'd seen on the IMDb board in reference to Alexandre Aja's brilliant High Tension. Yes, there are tons of similiarites in the two films, enough to say Aja was at least influenced by Koontz' book. But the casting of John McGinley as the killer is enough by itself to make this film a good watch. The fact its a good film is the best part.

B+

Coming soon: The Host and Matinee

Mini Review: "Attack the Block"

AWESOME!!!!!!

A+

Mini Review: "Red State"

Not his first trip into religious controversy, Kevin Smith's deepest departure from his "norm" is a scathing, vicious look into extreme fundamentalism.

A

A SLEW of mini reviews!

Friends With Benefits: I'm gonna ask the question everyone else is too scared to.....whos acting is more wooden? Justin Timberlake or Pinocchio? Seriously, Hollywood...quit trying to convince us he can act. D-

Bereavement: I found out that its the prequel to the 2004 film Malevolence. Glad I know that, cause now it'll be easy to avoid the rest of the trilogy. F

Cowboys and Aliens: Definately THE disappointment of the summer for me. Non-engaging characters and a plot twist that was no doubt better delivered in the comic book. F

Apollo 18: This one was moved around so much Im not sure it knew it came out today.....it should have stayed on the shelves though. F

Coming soon: Red State, Intensity and Attack the Block

Mini Review: "Thor"

Best way to make a so-so film big is to make sure your leads are having so much fun its contagious. Thats EXACTLY what Thor does well.

B

Mini Review: "Hack!"

Winnie Cooper as a glasses wearing, hopeless nerd? Keith from Scrubs as an arrogant pretty boy jock? Every stereotype imaginable piled on top of pop culture references?

Filmed failure on an almost unheard of scale. Danica, if you need a meal call me, I'll take you to dinner...don't lower yourself to this crap.

F

Coming soon: Friends With Benefits, Thor, Cowboys and Aliens, Bereavement and Red State

An updated look at 2011s top movie picks and a sneak into 2012

Battle:Los Angeles: B+

Paul: B-

Sucker Punch: D

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules: C

Bridesmaids: A+

Priest: C

X-Men: First Class: A

Super 8: B+

Green Lantern: F

Bad Teacher: C

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2: (Out Now)

Cowboys & Aliens: (Seen, need to write the review)

Apollo 18: SEPT. 2

Contagion: SEPT. 9

Archie's Final Project: SEPT. 23

Paranormal Activity 3: OCT. 21

Martha Marcy May Marlene: OCT 21 (limited)

Red State: OCT. 21

A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas in 3D: NOV. 4

The Muppets: NOV. 23

Piranha 3DD: NOV. 23

The Darkest Hour: DEC 23 (moved from 8-5)

And for 2012:

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters: MAR. 2

American Reunion: APR. 6

Men In Black III: MAY 25

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter: JUN. 22

Resident Evil: Retribution: SEPT. 14

Mini Review: "The Perfect Host"

Not so unique idea (bank robber comes to mans home, pretends to be a friend of a friend to lay low) made wonderful with a great performance from David Hyde-Pierce.

B

Movie Review: "Beautiful Boy"

Beautiful Boy, 2010. Starring Maria Bello, Michael Sheen, Kyle Gallner and Bruce French. Running time 100 minutes. Rated R. Directed by Shawn Ku.

Many films over the years have explored the subject matter this film deals with. From the ridiculously overrated (elephant), to the criminally unknown (the brilliant Home Room), mass school shootings are a staple of dramatic filmmakers. Sadly, most of these films deal with the sensational event itself, rather than the lasting effects to those left behind. Beautiful Boy explores new territory, and does so in a relatively pure and heartfelt manner.

Plotline is this: a troubled married couple (Bello and Sheen) are merely going through the motions, trying to hold a marriage together while looking for ways out. Their 18 year old son Sam (Gallner) is a freshman at a nearby college, who seems overly distant and quiet. One night, Sam returns his mothers phone calls...the family half heartedly discusses vacation plans and dad goes to bed after barely participating. The next morning, their world explodes as news of a mass fatality shooting has occured at Sam's college. Then, as mom and dad wait for news, the doorbell rings. Not only has Sam died, they learn, but he's the one responsible for the horror that day.

The couple then fights not only the outside world and its impressions of them, but their own demons and the demons Sam has left behind.

Maria Bello is the glue holding this film together. Her portrayal of a mom who wonders where she went wrong is painful and heart wrenching. You ache for her character not only as her marriage threatens to crumble, but as she learns and comes to grips with what happened. Michael Sheen compliments her brilliantly as the father who thinks he's in touch with his family but really wants out. There's a devastating scene in a hotel that sums up the frailty of the relationship as they're trying to put the pieces back together.

Director Ku may not have much of a resume so far (this is his third film), but he captured the heart and soul of a story not seen in this style of film before. You never see the parents of the shooters and how they deal (for that matter, till Home Room and April Showers, you never deal with the victims reactions) with not only the loss of their beloved child, but the fact that other peoples children are dead from his hand.

While not immune from the occasional obvious twist in the story, Beautiful Boy is an honest and powerful look at the way families rise and fall....to rise again.

A-

Mini Review: "The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane"

Im a huge fan of slow burn thrillers, but you can clearly tell that Jodie Foster's heart isnt in this one, and it reflects on the entirety.

C-

Super Hero mini-reviews!

Captain America: The First Avenger: The movie I had the least expectations of turned out to be pretty decent. The ending was so last second and weak to be obviously conceived in about 5 minutes on the day of shooting. B

Green Lantern: If this movie sucked any harder, we wouldnt need vacuum cleaners. F

Coming soon to this site: The Little Girl Who Lived Down the Lane, Cowboys and Aliens and Beautiful Boy.

Mini Review: "Space Battleship Yamato"

The original animated series (known and slightly modified in the US as Star Blazers) was loads of fun, but this film just couldnt seem to hold my interest.

C-

Another look at 2011 so far

I'm all moved in now friends, so expect more reviews coming very soon. Thanks for your understanding.

Battle:Los Angeles: B+

Paul: B-

Sucker Punch: D

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules: C

Bridesmaids: A+

Priest: C

X-Men: First Class: A

Super 8: B+

Green Lantern: (Passed till DVD)

Bad Teacher: C

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2: (Out Now)

Cowboys & Aliens: (Seeing in the next 48 hours)

Apollo 18: SEPT. 2

Contagion: SEPT. 9

The Darkest Hour: DEC 23 (moved from 8-5)

Movie Review: "Super 8"

Super 8 2011. Starring Joel Courtney, Kyle Chandler, Elle Fanning and Riley Griffiths. Running time 112 minutes. Rated PG-13. Directed by JJ Abrams.

Super 8, in this reviewers opinion, is a good film but a bit of a slowing of the JJ Abrams golden touch. This homage to the classic Steven Spielberg films of the 1980s feels less like a tribute than a carbon copy......same basic thing, just messier and harder to visualize.

Plotline is this: In 1979, a group of friends (Courtney, Fanning, Griffiths and others) are working on a film to be entered into a contest. This project leads them to a train station one night as a USAF train zips by, and as they shoot their Super 8 masterpiece, a truck derails the train and leads the kids into a bizarre situation involving government secrets and family dynamics.

Everyone does very well with their roles. Im very partial to the job Ms. Fanning does here, leading her young co-stars and giving a bit of life to a character that could have been very one dimensional. However, as good as the kids (and adults for that matter) create their roles, it all seems like mere caricatures of roles from those same Spielberg films.

JJ Abrams has been gold at the box office recently, and I think that Super 8 needed a bit more tuning before release, even if it meant working on Star Trek 2 first.

B+

How bout some mini reviews?

X-Men First Class: Excellent reboot of the series, well acted and directed. I don't think it was as good as Singer's 2000 film, but still damn good. A

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules: Nowhere near as fun as the original. C

John Carpenter's The Ward: What happened to you John? F

Bad Teacher: Not good, but not bad either. C

The Ace is moving, so reviews may be few and far between for awhile, but stay tuned dear readers!

An update on your Ace38 top picks of the year

Battle:Los Angeles: B+

Paul: MAR. 18 B-

Sucker Punch: D

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules: (seeing tonight)

Bridesmaids: A+

Priest: C

X-Men: First Class: (playing catchup on)

Super 8: (Review should come this week)

Green Lantern: (Passed till DVD)

Bad Teacher: (Out now)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2: JUL. 15

Cowboys & Aliens: JUL. 29

The Darkest Hour: AUG. 5

Apollo 18: SEPT. 2

As always, release dates can change, so check your local listings before heading out

Mini Review: "Rammbock Berlin Undead"

Possibly the most engaging 59 minute film you'll ever see.

A+

Mini Review: "Priest"

Fun, but wholly uncreative or clever film. Only good to simply shut your brain down and eat popcorn.

C

Mini Review: "Yellowbrickroad"

This "Blair Witch" style thriller attempts to explore what happened in a small New England town in 1940, but instead explores the limits of poor filmmaking.

F

Mini Review: "Bridesmaids"

Absolutely the funniest, craziest and most outrageous time I've had at a theater in a LONG time.

A+

Movie Reviews, its a 3 for 1 day

Sorry for not being around so much friends, you know how life can be sometimes. As a thank you for your patience, here are 3 mini reviews for you!

Hanna: Absolutely brilliant film about a young girl raised by her father to be an assassin who finds life is not what she imagined. A+

Trust: Teenage girl meets sexual predator online, he rapes her, but the way this story is presented and how she and her family react are very clever. A

Source Code: Clever story that is directed wonderfully, making Duncan Jones 2-2 A

Mini Review: "Just Go With It"

Do yourself a favor...dont.

D

2011's Top Picks!

Battle:Los Angeles: B+

Paul: MAR. 18 B-

Sucker Punch: D

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules: (still need to see)

Bridesmaids: MAY 13

Priest: MAY 13

X-Men: First Class: JUN. 3

Super 8: JUN. 10

Green Lantern: JUN. 17

Bad Teacher: JUN 24

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2: JUL. 15

Cowboys & Aliens: JUL. 29

The Darkest Hour: AUG. 5

Apollo 18: AUG. 26

As always, release dates can change, so check your local listings before heading out.

Mini Review: "The Roommate"

Stupid, dull, clichéd and a waste of time

D-

Coming soon: Insidious and Rammbock: Berlin Undead

Mini Review: "Mother's Day"

Nope, not Charles Kaufman's trashtastic 1980 original, this remake from Saw series director Darren Lynn Bousman is a strong candidate for one of the best horror films of the year.

A

Mini Review: "Super"

Rainn Wilson may be one of the current darlings of Hollywood, but he's really better as a sidekick, this film clearly shows he's out of his league as a lead. The opening credits sequence is too cool for words though.

D

List of the best choices for 2011

Battle:Los Angeles: B+

Paul: MAR. 18 B+

Sucker Punch: D

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules: (still need to see)

Bridesmaids: MAY 13

Priest: MAY 13

X-Men: First Class: JUN. 3

Super 8: JUN. 10

Green Lantern: JUN. 17

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2: JUL. 15

Cowboys & Aliens: JUL. 29

The Darkest Hour: AUG. 5

Apollo 18: AUG. 26

As always, release dates can change, so check your local listings before heading out.

Mini Review: "Scream 4"

As if 3 wasnt bad enough.....no plot, no acting...but they loaded up on the hotties to distract you from how bad it is.

D-

Mini Review: "From Prada to Nada"

Well, at least Alexa and Camila get to eat this month..

F

Mini Review: "Hobo With a Shotgun"

Should have been titled "Rutger Hauer Needs a Paycheck"...this film is absolute film school garbage at its worst.

F

Oops!

Yes friends and fans, we've been pretty busy around here the past couple weeks. Coming up on the watchlist is Hobo With a Shotgun, The Roommate and From Prada to Nada. I'm also hoping to take in screenings of Insidious, Atlas Shrugged and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules.

The catch-up starts today. Reviews will begin posting as early as tonight.

Hello all!

No, you have not been forsaken! Just nothing coming out (especially since Apollo 18 was moved to next Jan.) that I want to see right now. However, you can expect a review in the next couple days of Hobo With a Shotgun and an update of our top movie picks this year.

Movie Review: "Sucker Punch"

Sucker Punch: 2011. Starring Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens and Jamie Chung. Rated PG-13. Running time 120 minutes. Directed by Zack Snyder.

If Inception had been written by a hormonal 12 year old boy that just discovered his penis, it would exactly be Sucker Punch. This masturbatory fantasy by hack director Snyder is loaded with spectacular visuals, but what little story there is is taken in bits and pieces from far better films.

Plotline is this: A young woman (Browning) loses her mother to an illness, and in her grief (and a fit of violence from her stepfather who learns he was left out of the will) accidentally murders her sister. In response she's shipped off to an asylum where the sleazy orderly (a greasy Oscar Issac) blackmails her father to pay for her expected lobotomy. The story then twists and turns from there, introducing us to a dreamed brothel type setting where the orderly runs the show and the head doctor (Carla Gugino) teaches the girls to sexy dance and prostitute themselves. Browning's Babydoll and her friends Sweet Pea (Cornish), Blondie (Hudgens), Rocket (Malone) and Amber (Chung) take off to find freedom with the help of a wise man (Scott Glenn).

Loads of action sequences that will remind you of other films follow, with tons of glowing feminine flesh to highlight them. Great if you've just started puberty, but since director Snyder has based his career on cannibalizing the work of others, once confronted with an original idea he hasn't a clue what to do with it.

Acting was decent, Browning continues to mature while being nothing more than simply eye candy, but the same can be said for all the actresses in this stinker. If they're not flashing thigh and butt cheek, they're being slapped around and terrorized.

And in an M. Night Shamalama-ding-dong type twist, whos dream are we really seeing?

Sucker Punch is an interesting concept handled as poorly as it could have been. Too bad.

D

Movie Review: "Battle: Los Angeles"

Battle: Los Angeles. 2011. Starring Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan and Ne-Yo. Rated PG-13. Running time 116 minutes. Directed by Jonathan Liebesman.

After directing mainly poor films, Liebesman comes out with all guns blazing in the spectacular Battle: Los Angeles, with a firm and believable cast and smart story, B:LA really should have stayed the only aliens attack the west coast film of the last 8 months.

Plotline is this: A Marine Staff Sergeant (Eckhart), still stinging from the loss of several men on a mission in Afghanistan, signs his retirement papers and is leading his final training class when a cluster of meteors suddenly appears, all hands are then called in and the soldiers are sent in to protect LA from an onslaught of unimaginable proportions. SSgt Nantz and his platoon are sent into the unknown to rescue a group of civilians trapped in a police station and end up being the absolute final line of defense for the devastated city. With the help of an Air Force Tech Sgt (Rodriguez), can they find a way to fight back?

Clearly Liebesman did his homework here, the actors are believable (even if a highly billed but little used Bridget Moynahan is to be cited as an example) and it feels like a real platoon. Excellent job and attention to detail. The cinematography is striking and the special effects are first rate. Just a top notch job all around.

If you're needing a fun way to kill two hours, and want something that won't insult your intelligence, Battle: Los Angeles is a great way to do it.

B+

Movie Picks for 2011

Battle:Los Angeles: MAR. 11

Paul: MAR. 18 (reviewed previously)

Sucker Punch: MAR. 25

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules: MAR. 25

Apollo 18: APR. 22

Bridesmaids: MAY 13

Priest: MAY 13

X-Men: First Class: JUN. 3

Super 8: JUN. 10

Green Lantern: JUN. 17

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2: JUL. 15

Cowboys & Aliens: JUL. 29

The Darkest Hour: AUG. 5

Academy Awards 2!!

8:47 CST: Best Sound Mixing goes to Inception

8:49 CST: Best Sound Editing goes to Inception

8:55 CST: Great line Mr. Franco

8:57 CST: Best Makeup goes to The Wolfman

8:59 CST: Best Costume Design goes to Alice in Wonderland

9:13 CST: Best Documentary Short goes to Strangers No More

9:15 CST: Best Live Action Short goes to God of Love

9:19 CST: Oprah's presenting...stage builders are holding their breath

9:21 CST: Best Feature Documentary goes to Inside Job (editors note..did the Academy watch Restrepo?????)

9:33 CST: Best Visual Effects goes to Inception

9:35 CST: Best Editing goes to The Social Network

9:46 CST: Best Original Song goes to We Belong Together from Toy Story 3

10:03 CST: Best Director goes to Tom Hooper for The King's Speech

10:16 CST: Best Actress goes to Natalie Porman for Black Swan

10:25 CST: Best Actor goes to Colin Firth for The King's Speech

10:36 CST: Best Picture goes to The King's Speech

That's it for another year, and I want Hathaway and Franco back next year!!

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Academy Awards

Welcome to the World Famous, Ace38 Oscars blog! We announce the winners faster than anyone else, and usually have a snarky comment or two. As they're announced, my choices will appear in bold.

7:30 CST: And we're underway! A montage of Best Picture nominees now screening.

7:36 CST: A reasonably humorous intro so far, taking an Inception theme to fun heights.

7:41 CST: A surprisingly good host banter bit

7:45 CST: Best Art Direction goes to Alice in Wonderland

7:47 CST: Best Cinematography goes to Inception

7:52 CST: My heart aches to see Kirk Douglas looking anything less than spry

7:57 CST: Best Supporting Actress goes to Melissa Leo for The Fighter

8:04 CST: Best Animated Short goes to The Lost Thing

8:06 CST: Best Animated Feature goes to Toy Story 3

8:14 CST: Best Adapted Screenplay goes to The Social Network

8:18 CST: Best Original Screenplay goes to The Kings Speech

8:24 CST: Anne Hathaway with an HYSTERICAL musical bit

8:28 CST: Best Foreign Film goes to In a Better World

8:32 CST: Best Supporting Actor goes to Christian Bale for The Fighter

8:43 CST: Best Original Score goes to The Social Network

2010 Razzies "Winners"

The last award you want to win in Hollywood, my choices were in bold.

31^st Annual Razzie® Awards

Worst Picture: The Last Airbender

Worst Actor: Ashton Kutcher (Killers/Valentines Day)

Worst Actress: The Four “Gal Pals” (Sex and the The City 2)

Worst Supporting Actor: Jackson Rathbone (The Last Airbender/Twilight: Eclipse)

Worst Supporting Actress: Jessica Alba (The Killer Inside Me/Little Fockers/Machete/Valentines Day)

Worst Misuse of 3D: The Last Airbender

Worst Screen Couple/Ensemble: The entire cast of Sex and the City 2

Worst Director: M. Night Shyamalan (The Last Airbender)

Worst Screenplay: The Last Airbender

Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel: Sex and the City 2

Awards Season Begins!!

With the joblo.com Golden Schmoes awards, the only one of the big 3 I get a vote in! My choices are in bold as always.

1) FAVORITE MOVIE OF THE YEAR

Inception

2) WORST MOVIE OF THE YEAR

The Last Airbender

3) BEST DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

Christopher Nolan - Inception

4) BEST SCREENPLAY OF THE YEAR

The Social Network

5) MOST OVERRATED MOVIE OF THE YEAR

Twilight: Eclipse

6) MOST UNDERRATED MOVIE OF THE YEAR

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

7) TRIPPIEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR

Inception

8) BEST COMEDY OF THE YEAR

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

9) BEST HORROR MOVIE OF THE YEAR

Black Swan

10) BEST ANIMATED MOVIE OF THE YEAR

Toy Story 3

11) BEST SCI-FI MOVIE OF THE YEAR

Inception

12) BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS OF THE YEAR

Inception

13) BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR

Iron Man 2

14) BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THE YEAR

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

15) BEST ACTOR OF THE YEAR

Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)

16) BEST ACTRESS OF THE YEAR

Natalie Portman (Black Swan)

17) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale (The Fighter)

18) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Chloe Grace Moretz - Kick-Ass

19) BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

Chloe Grace Moretz - Kick-Ass

20) FAVORITE CELEBRITY OF THE YEAR

James Franco

21) COOLEST CHARACTER OF THE YEAR

Hit-Girl - Kick-Ass

22) BEST MUSIC IN A MOVIE

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

23) FAVORITE MOVIE POSTER OF THE YEAR

Inception

24) BEST TRAILER OF THE YEAR

Inception

25) BEST DVD OF THE YEAR

Back to the Future Trilogy

26) BEST ACTION SEQUENCE OF THE YEAR

Inception - Rotating hallways

27) MOST MEMORABLE SCENE IN A MOVIE

Inception - Zero gravity scene

28) BEST T&A OF THE YEAR

Kelly Brooke (Piranha 3D)

29) BEST LINE OF THE YEAR

Kick-Ass - "Okay, you cunts. Let's see what you can do now!"

Movie Review: "Paul"

(Editors note: This film will be released on 3-18 in the US.)

Paul. 2011 Starring Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Seth Rogan. Running time 104 minutes. Rated R. Directed by Greg Mottola.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost venture out from the usual cocoon of Edgar Wright's direction and head off in a funny but not quite there comedy. Some iffy casting choices make this feel so much more like a Hollywood production starring these two British comedy masters as opposed to a Pegg/Frost film.

Plotline is this: Graeme and Clive (Pegg and Frost) are two friends who head off to America to visit their nirvana...San Diego Comic Con. Once there, they decide to head off and visit the famous UFO hotspots and encounter the last thing they expected....Paul.

Paul is a wisecracking alien who wants to get back to his planet to avoid death at the hands of the US Government and leads the pair (along with some pickups along the way) on the adventure of a lifetime, and a great inter-galaxy friendship along the way.

Acting is mostly solid, save for Bill Hader's overly dry and deadpan FBI agent character. Kristen Wiig is just adorable as Graeme's love interest and Jason Bateman holds the whole FBI troop together. Theres a really fun cameo as well, but I wont spoil it for ya here.

However, the film feels rushed...the in-jokes aren't as clever, instead perferring the more blatant approach. It feels like they felt the need to dumb things down for the audience, but why? Everyone loved Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz because they didn't use that formula...

Odd but fun film, I'll take so-so Pegg/Frost over Sandler on his best day.

B-

Golden Schmoes Picks

Final awards of the season, and I get a vote in this one. As usual, my choices are in bold.

1) Favorite Movie of the Year:

Black Swan

Inception

The Social Network

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

Toy Story 3

2) Worst Movie of the Year:

Alice in Wonderland

Cop Out

Jonah Hex

The Last Airbender

A Nightmare on Elm Street

3) Best Director of the Year:

Ben Affleck - The Town

Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan

David Fincher - The Social Network

Christopher Nolan - Inception

Edgar Wright - Scott Pilgrim vs the World

4) Best Screenplay of the Year:

Black Swan

Inception

The Social Network

Toy Story 3

True Grit

5) Most Overrated Movie of the Year:

Alice in Wonderland

The Expendables

Inception

The Kids are Alright

Twilight: Eclipse

6) Most Underrated Movie of the Year:

The A-Team

Buried

Kick-Ass

Let Me In

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

7) Trippiest Movie of the Year:

Black Swan

Inception

Shutter Island

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

Tron: Legacy

8) Best Comedy of the Year:

Easy A

Get Him to the Greek

Hot Tub Time Machine

The Other Guys

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

9) Best Horror Movie of the Year:

Black Swan

The Crazies

Let Me In

Piranha 3D

Shutter Island

10) Best Animated Movie of the Year:

Despicable Me

How to Train Your Dragon

Megamind

Tangled

Toy Story 3

11) Best Sci-Fi Movie of the Year:

Inception

Iron Man 2

Predators

Splice

Tron: Legacy

12) Best Special Effects of the Year:

Harry Potter...

Inception

Iron Man 2

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

Tron: Legacy

13) Biggest Disappointment of the Year:

Alice in Wonderland

Clash of the Titans

Iron Man 2

A Nightmare on Elm Street

The Wolfman

14) Biggest Surprise of the Year:

Easy A

How to Train Your Dragon

Kick-Ass

The Social Network

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

15) Best Actor of the Year:

Jeff Bridges - True Grit

Leonardo DiCaprio - Shutter Island

Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network

Colin Firth - The King's Speech

James Franco - 127 Hours

16) Best Actress of the Year:

Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone

Natalie Portman - Black Swan

Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit

Emma Stone - Easy A

Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine

17) Best Supporting Actor of the Year:

Christian Bale - The Fighter

Andrew Garfield - The Social Network

Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Inception

Jeremy Renner - The Town

Geoffrey Rush - The King's Speech

18) Best Supporting Actress of the Year:

Amy Adams - The Fighter

Marion Cotillard - Inception

Mila Kunis - Black Swan

Melissa Leo - The Fighter

Chloe Grace Moretz - Kick-Ass

19) Breakthrough Performance of the Year:

Andrew Garfield - The Social Network

Tom Hardy - Inception

Chloe Grace Moretz - Kick-Ass

Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit

Emma Stone - Easy A

20) Favorite Celebrity of the Year:

Jeff Bridges

Leonardo DiCaprio

James Franco

Conan O'Brien

Natalie Portman

21) Coolest Character of the Year:

Arthur - Inception

Eams - Inception

Hit-Girl - Kick-Ass

Machete - Machete

Rooster Cogburn - True Grit

22) Best Music in a Movie:

Black Swan

Inception

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

The Social Network

Tron: Legacy

23) Favorite Movie Poster of the Year:

Black Swan

Buried

Inception

The Social Network

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

24) Best Trailer of the Year (2010 releases only):

Black Swan

Inception

The Social Network

Tron: Legacy

True Grit

25) Best DVD of the Year:

Alien Anthology

Avatar 3-Disc Extended Edition

Back to the Future Trilogy

Inception

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

26) Best Action Sequence of the Year:

Inception - Rotating hallways

Kick-Ass - Hit-Girl vs Gangsters

Kick-Ass - Hit-Girl rescues Big Daddy

The Town - Final shootout

Tron: Legacy - Lightcycle race

27) Most Memorable Scene in a Movie:

127 Hours - Arm being cut off

Black Swan - Opening night of Swan Lake

Inception - Zero gravity scene

Toy Story 3 - Andy says goodbye

Toy Story 3 - The incinerator

28) Best T&A of the Year:

Kelly Brook - Piranha 3D

Scarlett Johansson - Iron Man 2

Mila Kunis - Black Swan

Olivia Wilde - Tron: Legacy

Mary Elizabeth Winstead - Scott Pilgrim vs the World

29) Best Line of the Year:

Inception - "You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darlin"

Kick-Ass - "Okay, you cunts. Let's see what you can do now!"

Machete - "Machete don't text."

The Social Network - "I'm 6'5, 220 pounds and there are two of me."

The Social Network - "Did I adequately answer your condescending question?"