• Smart, lively and entertaining
• Showcases the joys of family dysfunction
• Grim humor amid academic relationships
• An oddball’s delight

The Story Line When the adopted brother of a pompous university Victorian literature professor moves in, the sharp splinters of a dysfunctional family fly until the pedantic academic learns the lessons of being human.

The 411 Written by Mark Jude Poirer; and directed by Noam Muro, it’s the best work Dennis Quaid has done since The Rookie. The cast works very well: Ellen Page of Juno fame is the socially inept, young Republican daughter. Thomas Haden Church is the charming screw-up adopted brother/uncle and Sarah Jessica Parker is the ex- student turned ER doctor who still has a crush on her old college professor.

The Bottom Line If you like odd ball, quirky comedies where the lessons of life have to be learned before they can be lived, this is a well-worth movie that can be enjoyed by all.

• Glib, hip and funny
• A heartwarming, coming of age story
• A pregnant teen thinks she knows it all and discovers she doesn’t know the first thing about anything
• It all works out and without being cynical opens our hearts

The Story Line When a young teenager finds herself pregnant, she decides to give her unborn child to a happy couple, but discovers the ways of Life are often unpredictable. In the end, her unborn child goes to the mother who deserves it and she listens to her true feelings.

The 411 Ellen Page stars in Diablo Cody’s bright script and shows why she was nominated for Best Actress Award while winning several others. Jason Reitman directs in an easy, unobtrusive style.

The Bottom Line A must see that helps us get in touch with our own humanity through the eyes of an intelligent teen. A delightful movie experience.

• Call it a passionate romance, a war story, or dramatic period piece – whatever, they all work
• An engaging, film dealing with the relationship between love, pain, betrayal, and forgiveness
• A superb cinematic harvest of time and memory
• It may emotionally knock you on your ass

The Story Line A passionate romance between a wealthy land owner’s daughter and the son of the family housekeeper is brutally shattered by the imagined eye witness testimony of a willful, 13 year old sister. The shocking “truth” as told by the young, impressionable teen destroys her older sister, sends her lover to prison and rips the entire family apart. The price the younger child pays for her action haunts her for the rest of her life. Thus, the title.

The 411 Fantastic cast starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy with a special appearance by Vanessa Redgrave, masterful in understatement. Directed by Joe Wright, from a marvelous screenplay by Christopher Hampton (adapted from the novel by Ian McEwan), a cinematic reflection on time, frailty and loss.

The Bottom Line A “must see” that explores the cost of redemption and forgiveness on the human spirit.

• Delightfully wacky road trip comedy
• A rousing guffaw
• A riot of happiness
• Totally rocks

The Story Line A dysfunctional family journeys across country as they accompany their 7 year old daughter to the Little Miss Sunshine Beauty Pageant.

And, what a trip it is! What makes it good – the humor erupts from the situation and the interrelationships between characters.

The 411 The fantastic cast stars Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin and Alan Arkin – directed by Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris. The extraordinary screenplay is the first by Michael Arndt.

The Bottom Line A treat – a must see that’s worth every penny of the admission price with popcorn thrown in.

• Clever and bright
• Hip and engaging
• Scary premise that leaves you sitting on the edge of your seat
• A real blast

The Story Line The title says it all. On Halloween, three teens discover the house across the street is actually a living, breathing monster. In computer animation.

The 411 A Zemeckis/Spielberg Motion Capture Project; with the voices of: Maggie Gyllenhall, Steve Buscemi, Mitchel Musso, Kathleen Turner and others.

• Trite takeoff on a “Supergirl” romance
• Poor imitation
• Dull, and not very funny
• More dumb than dumber

The Story Line An unoriginal, corny takeoff on a Superman romance only it’s turned around into Super Girl meets nerd, who dumps her as being too wacky, and boy, does she get pissed!

The 411 A fantastic cast of Uma Thurman and Luke Wilson unfortunately never rise above the pedestrian material; directed by Ivan Reitman of Ghostbusters and Animal House fame.

The Bottom Line The first rule of Comedy: humor comes out of the situation; in this case they develop the situation by trying to be funny. The result? Drooling drivel. “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Don’t waste your time or your money.

• A terrifying portrait of a driven sociopath – think “The Terminator” on Prozac
• Beautiful filmmaking with dark, convoluted overtones
• The value of human life sometimes hangs on the flip of a coin
• Leaves us hanging – so don’t believe all the hype

The Story Line A wild, bloody ride as a ruthless killer (Javier Bardem) ferociously traces a stash of missing drug money. Typical of the Coen Brothers unique vision, the film spins off into odd, quirky places but leaves loose, unfulfilled, story elements.

The 411 Fantastic cast: Josh Brolin, Tommy Lee Jones, and an incredible performance by Javier Bardem. The film captures the peculiar tone and spirit of the Cormac McCarthy novel in a brilliant cinematic style. 

The Bottom Line No question: As filmmakers, the Coen brothers are superb. But the weak unfulfilled ending weakens the emotional impact and leaves us hungering for answers.