Much like Training Day, Antoine Fuqua’s most creative film, Brooklyn’s Finest grabs you, shakes you around and then drops you off a 10-story building.  Well that’s how it affected me anyway.  I loved the film -- from its cringing beginning to the surprise ending.  If you like films that are gritty and grisly, then this flick should be high on your list to see.

My eagerness for the release of Shutter Island, a suspense film directed by Martin Scorsese, ended with disappointment after seeing the flick the other night.  What I figured from the trailer as an intriguing thriller, turned out to be a ‘Hitchcock-esque’ concoction with metaphors from the likes of Spellbound, North by Northwest, Marnie and Vertigo without the twists and surprise ending.  If you go to see the film, you will be served up some excellent...

The period piece The Last Station has garnered accolades by the Academy of Arts and Sciences with Oscar nominations for Helen Mirren and Christopher Plumber, and rightly so.  Their performances in this film make it more than worthwhile to see.  If you like a good story of romance, beauty and great costumes, then run to see The Last Station.

I like the true story Extraordinary Measures for the message it sends, and the hope that it gives to people with debilitating illnesses, but the film lacks heart. For the most part, the acting is listless, and direction just adequate. If you are agonizing over wanting to see a true story involving medical discoveries however, this film might be your cure.

The storyline of The Lovely Bones is extremely chilling. The acting is stellar, and the direction very good for the most part, but  the pacing --  especially during Jackson’s surreal scenes -- slows the film to a crawl at times.  Even though I enjoyed the film for the content, I found myself getting antsy waiting for a resolve.

Imagine that you are still alive in a world gone mad following a nuclear world war. What would your reason be to live, and what would you do to survive?  That’s the premise of the excellent film, The Book Of Eli.  Brilliant acting led by Denzel Washington, first-class direction by the Hughes Brothers, and amazing cinematography by Don Burgess, bring the gut-wrenching story to life, creating a stunner for science fiction and action movie lovers...

There are many true stories portrayed each year by filmmakers, but no one does it quite as good as Clint Eastwood.  His ability to visualize the emotion, excitement, challenges, apprehension and anxieties in his characters has always amazed me -- and with Invictus, he outdoes himself.  Touching and exhilarating, Invictus is a must-see.

Film stars like George Clooney are at their best in movies like Up In The Air, where they can show their dramatic ability in portraying an interesting character.  I enjoyed the new Jason Reitman film, just as much as his Oscar-nominated Juno.  Take a flight with Up In The Air, and you’ll enjoy the bumps and jolts of this modern-day story.

The disturbing storyline of Brothers makes for an interesting and taught drama.  The film takes the audience on an emotional roller coaster that had me captured from the very beginning.  Although the ending never comes, the film still entertains.

Looking back to 1947 and the establishment of the State of Israel in the Middle East, The Little Traitor takes a child’s view of the event in history, and comes up a winner.  Lynn Roth’s female hands on the project does tend to tone down the violence that was prevalent during the period; however, and makes the film more of an almost-without-incident transition of power.  But in my opinion, after the curtain closes, you’ll still...