The First Time — A cute touching teen flick to put a smile on your face — 7*/10

The First Time is nicely witty and funny. As opposed to a lot of teen movies, this one can be appreciated by anyone. Strong, cutting dialogs with interesting characters, if a tad stereotypical. The story is simple, but well told and entertaining. It easily captures the attention of the audience. Overall: it's cute.

Anytime, especially when you need to smile.
7*/10

Arthur Christmas — What you should watch with your kids this Holiday — 8*/10

Arthur Christmas is a bundle of fun. Sharp graphics, tight action, silliness aplenty, well developed characters, nice dialogs, interesting plot line, fast paced scenario, and, not to forget, a great explanation on how Santa does it all.

For some Holiday fun.
8*/10

How the Grinch Stole Christmas — An adorable depiction of a classic tale — 7*/10

How the Grinch Stole Christmas offers us a great performance by Jim Carrey. The story is goofy and well portrayed. The kids will love it and the adults will find it funny. The sentiments and morals are painted wide and difficult to miss, while some moments are touching, and others are totally silly. Overall it's great entertainment, just don't expect something delicate.

To put a smile on your face.
7*/10

Fred Claus — A slapstick Christmas comedy for all — 6*/10

Fred Claus is funny in a very goofy way and its story is very predictable. However, it can be touching and it has its moments. Paul Giamatti and Kevin Spacey both deliver a solid performance, especially considering the type of movie. Overall, it's a good Holiday flick, just beware the end, it is extremely sirupy, and the Brother Anonymous scene, it is really awkward.

Only if you're ready for the antics of Vince Vaughn.
6*/10

Miracle on 34th Street — You should definitively see it for Christmas — 6*/10

Miracle on 34th Street is a good modern version of the original. It's funny, light, touching and easily defends the myth without ruining it. It might not be a masterpiece, but it's nice entertainment.

For Holiday cheers.
6*/10

Dawn of the Dead — Your basic zombie epidemic — 7*/10

Dawn of the Dead is a good zombie movie and if that's what you're looking for you'll be entertained. Things happen fast, lots of action, not too gory, nice effects, and lots of thoughtful plot elements. However, it's a bit linear, predictable and it feels like there isn't much to chew on. It's nice, but only once.

For those hungry for a zombie flick.
7*/10

The Zero Theorem — The future is weird but humans will always be humans — 8*/10

The Zero Theorem is a difficult film to get into because its world is so confusing, it's so different that it's almost alien. At first setup seems somewhat too goofy, like it's a ridiculous parody of the future. However, once you get immersed, you get to really appreciate the situation the main character is in. The story and the scenario are very novel and each turns taken is a surprise. There's something deep hidden in the guts of this flick and paying attention doesn't seem to help, you have to let yourself float.

A must try.
8*/10

Syrup — Flawed but captivating in an unusual way — 6*/10

Syrup is an interesting movie. Its strength lies in the plot elements, particularly the end. It is captivating. However, there are some continuity problems and a few lower than expected actor performance in the secondary characters. I think the lack of cohesion might be due to the adaptation of the book.

For something different.
6*/10

Cougars Inc. — It depends what you're looking for — 5*/10

Cougars Inc. is simple the women gorgeous and some of the dialogs are very funny, but the sound take is horrible.

For minor entertainment if you can easily overlook shortcomings.
5*/10

Penguins of Madagascar — You'll have what you want but not as much as you desired — 6*/10

Penguins of Madagascar is funny and interesting. However they didn't stretch their creativity on this one. The penguins were the most interesting characters in the Madagascar movies, but instead of building on their funkiness, they tried to develop their personality. That flopped, except for their infancy. That was nicely done. The kids will probably like it, and any adults ready to turn their brains off might to.

For simple animated fun.
6*/10

Knights of Badassdom — Extremely geeky, yet fascinating — 6*/10

Knights of Badassdom is definitively a low budget movie, and it shows, yet it accurately recreates the RPG and LARP worlds to the point where aficionados will nod their head as they watch, because the acting is pretty good considering everything. It's a comedy slasher movie with a medieval geek twist. It's a lot of fun if you understand the culture. I wanted to give a better rating, but the special effects were just not good enough.

Mainly for role playing geeks to get their laugh on.
6*/10

Hamlet 2 — Crazy and totally fucking amazing laugh fest — 8*/10

Hamlet 2, once you're past the very awkward and ridiculous beginning, is a genius piece of comedy. Very few movies have been able to play into such a degree of silliness and yet have a realistic and compelling resonance with its audience. By the end, you'll see that it's much better than what you thought it would be, just keep your mind open.

Not for everyone, but if you haven't seen, you have to!
8*/10

Horrible Bosses 2 — You can enjoy more of the same — 6*/10

Horrible Bosses 2, the sequel to the original Horrible Bosses, is entertaining if nothing else and achieves pretty much the same effect as the first one. The humor and the characters are simple and funny in a very basic way. Don't expect too much and you'll be entertained.

For some easy laughs.
6*/10

Margin Call — You can feel the tsunami coming — 9*/10

Margin Call is what it might be like at the onset of the crash. The acting and the atmosphere are brilliantly simple and on the nose. The scenario has a nice pacing, the story is captivating, and the ending is perfect. You don't need big theatrics to underline major dramatic consequences.

For those who don't require action to enjoy a flick.
9*/10