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Director: Brian Singer

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin, Halle Berry, James Marsden, Tyler Mane, Ray Park, Rebecca Romijn, Bruce Davison

Growing up, I was a Spider-man guy. The X-Men were funny-looking and really of no interest to me. Who would have thought that I would have to become an adult to appreciate them? The comic book movie craze has given us great movies (Spider-man) and terrible movies (The Hulk). This is the former. The cast is a bit too large and makes it difficult to tell everyone’s story, so Singer wisely focuses on a few key characters. There are quality performances (particularly Stewart and McKellen) here, as well as an impressive script with an effective message about the dangers of being different in human society. The action scenes go on a little too long (but I usually think that), but are well done and interesting.

The film opens with a moving scene set in the German WWII concentration camp and slams us with the motivation of main bad guy, Magneto (Masterfully played by McKellen in a really silly looking helmet). The movie then moves to the present where there has been a surge in human evolution leading to the existence of ‘mutants’, who possess a limitless variety of supernatural powers. This is a fearful situation for more traditionally-abled humans and an ambitious politician (Davison) wants to obligate all mutants to be registered, along with the powers they possess. Both Magneto and Dr. Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), the founder and operator of a school for Mutant teenagers, oppose this discriminatory and dangerous move, but differ on how to address it. Xavier wants to negotiate and solve the issues through dialog, while Magneto favors a more direct form of expression. There is also a story about Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), a rebellious mutant with a scrappy disposition and a good heart, whose past is lost to him. He crosses paths with a scared Mutant girl, Rogue (Paquin). Rebecca Romijn is the assistant villain, Mystique. She gave me fantasies about furry, blue chicks that I never thought I would have, and is very cool in action, as well. Halle Berry has never looked better (and she always looks great) than as the white-haired, weather wonder, Storm. Famke Janssen is gorgeous, but rather boring as Jean Grey, which makes her a good match with her blander than bland boyfriend, Cyclops. Still, this is a very busy movie and there was not enough time to properly develop all of the many characters.

The angle taken on this story is intriguing and effective and is helped along by a few interesting characters and skilled experienced actors. The action is fast and plentiful. The result is one of the best super-hero movies ever made. Action fans and comic book buyers will like it for sure, but the connoisseurs of thinking-man action movies may find it surprisingly enjoyable, as well.

Director: Brett Ratner

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin, Kelsey Grammar, James Marsden, Rebecca Ramijn, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford,

Well, here it is; presumably, the final chapter in the X-Men trilogy! And just in the nick of time, I have to say. While still a pretty good action movie, the series is clearly losing steam here and characters drop like flies, so any further sequels will lack several strong characters, unless of course they are miraculously resurrected, comic book style. The acting performances are still strong, but this entry is less story-driven and more about giant conflicts. Solid direction augments the veteran (and costly) cast and some pretty cool effects help make this a pleasing action effort.

The entire cast has returned, once more, with the exception of Alan Cummings’ Night Crawler, who has been more or less replaced by Kelsey Grammars’ Beast character. Several other new mutants appear, as well, and help to generate interest. The series old question about how humans can live with Mutants in their midst is still here, and builds to a crisis level when humans find a ‘cure’ for the Mutant condition. It is claimed that it will only be used voluntarily, but Magneto and his crew find those claims hard to believe and soon tensions rise (along with the Golden Gate Bridge) and build to a spectacular and epic climax.

This is still a good movie, but it feels too similar to the previous entries and seems just a little tired. Still the ramped up action and high hero/villain mortality rate held my interest as it seemed like no one was untouchable. I would expect fans of the previous features to enjoy this death-match entry, but I can’t see any new converts being won over.

Director: Guillermo DelTorro

Starring: Ariadna Gil, Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdu, Doug Jones, Alex Angula

This is a relentlessly dark, but wonderful fairy tale, as well as an example of truly fine filmmaking as evidenced by its three academy awards in this area. The story is very good and the actors are all excellent. I see few foreign language films and recommend fewer still, but this is one gets my highest rating. Even if you usually don’t care for foreign language features, this one is worth a look.

The movie is set in Fascist Spain in 1944 and Ivana Baquero is a young girl named Ofelia who travels with her mother (Ariadna Gil) to join her new husband (Lopez) at a mountain army camp where he is the evil Captain of a unit chasing rebels. Once there Ofelia soon finds herself in contact with strange, mysterious beings, including the Faun, who claims that she is a long lost princess of a subterranean world, but can he be trusted?

So often we forget that quality movies are not found only on our side of the pond. This is a dark, beautiful story and an old-fashioned fairy tale in the traditional of the original Grimm’s stories. Unless you are fluent in Spanish, you will need the subtitles. This is a pain in the ass, I know, but this one is worth it.

Starring: Edward Speleers, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John
Malkovich, Rachel Weisz, Chris Egan.

Director: Stefan Fangmeir

Where should I begin? In all fairness, this does seem to be a ‘like it or hate it’ kind of movie. Despite my background as a D & Der (It’s ok to say that now. Vin Diesel is too), I have to align myself with the latter group. Even by the standards of Sword & Sorcery movies (which are not very high), this is damn weak. I do know people who liked it, however (but not my friend who read the books). That is about the nicest thing I can say in its defense.
The story is typical. There is a tyrannical ruler, a resistance group, and one chance to save the world, in the form of a new dragon rider. This rider is a teenager named Eragon, poorly played by Edward Speleers who decided that giving this character a perennial smirk was the way to go. In this world, every dragon must be in the presence of its rider before it will hatch. When one is born, the evil Galbatorix, (Malkovich in small role with a really cheesy name), and his sorcerer henchman, Durza (Robert Carlyle) will stop at nothing to destroy it. I guess evil rulers can’t have any enemy dragons flying around. Lucky for Eragon, he immediately comes across a former dragon rider named Braum played by Jeremy Irons, who deserves an Oscar for being able to deliver his shit lines with passion and a straight face. Braum’s task is to die, I mean serve, as a mentor. Eragon must find and join up with the resistance to give hope and have a chance of surviving himself. If he can, the stage is set for a mighty battle.
This movie has so many weaknesses, I will not be able to discuss them all, but I will try to hit a few lowlights for you. First, a free piece of advice for any aspiring screenwriters out there. When you create a character that has a purpose, but no personality outside of that purpose, you have a cardboard, one-dimensional character. That is bad. It is also pretty much all we have in this whole sorry-ass movie. The story (even the goofy character names) is ok as far this genre goes: nothing new or innovative, but ok. The effects are very good, but in this day and age, that’s expected, not a bonus. The wooden dialogue is as bad as any movie I’ve seen and the plot is full of maddening logic holes that require you to have your brain on low. It tries to rip off Lord of the Rings, but only manages to embarrass itself by drawing comparisons. It is set up for a sequel, and with box office totals of 240 million, it would be a stunning surprise if there weren’t one, although if there isn’t, I would consider it a personal gift from above.

CC: *

In all honesty the only reason I would give this 1 star is because I cannot find the icon that signifies turd. Anyone who says they loved this movie, and there are some out there, eats paste and is fascinated with things that shine in the sun. The last time I had to suspend disbelief this much to make something tolerable was at my prom. The storyline was absolutely forced, and the climax was not even a battle against the real villain, he was back at the castle speaking in a bad accent. The freaky almost erotic dialogue and longing looks between Eragon and the Dragon tripped me out and even the acceptable performance of Jeremy Irons couldn’t hold a single scene together (like he had a snowball’s chance in hell of saving this piece of…nevermind) This “movie” was virtually unbearable from beginnning to end. I mean come on, the cousin who appeared to be a major character at the beginning only to walk off the set and never return, was wearing levi’s. Braums, on foot, out runs a kid on Dragon back and arrives in the exact room of the castle that holds Arya, unseen by anyone mind you, just in time to step in front of the spear magically thrown by the guy from the full monty. I think he should reunite with fat british costars for the Full Monty Part 2 and leave fantasy to Peter Jackson and company. After spending 2 hours watching Eragon, I am looking for “some hot stuff baby tonight”. How about a hot poker to stick in my eye, so I won’t be forced to watch the sequel to this disaster?

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrain, Maggie Smith,
Richard Harris, Tom Felton, Jason Isaacs, Kenneth Branaugh

Director: Chris Columbus

It’s the second year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and there is a something of a sophomore jinx, I’m sorry to say. This, like The Two Towers, is still a very good movie for the same reasons that the first effort was excellent, but it has some elements that hurt the end product and make it the weakest in the series thus far.
This movie begins with Harry spending a miserable summer when a really irritating house elf named Dobby arrives. This character is not as bad as Jar Jar Binks, but to even be compared to that disaster is bad enough. Soon, Harry is swept off to join the Weasleys, but problems necessitate him and Ron taking a flying car to Hogwarts. This scene involves too much adolescent screaming and goes on too long.
The movie lags in the middle, but does have a good story and all the wonderful characters from the first movie joined by Branaugh as an egotistical glory-hungry wizard and the first appearance of a wonderfully menacing Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy.
The film picks up and has a satisfying ending. It is enjoyable and is must viewing for Potter fans and will likely still be pleasing to all who enjoyed the first in the series.

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Brendin Gleeson, James and
Oliver Phelps, Jason Isaacs, Tom Felton, Robert Pattinson, Stanislav Ianevski,
Bonnie Wright, Robbie Coltrane, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith.

Director: Mike Newell

This is the fourth installment of the boy-wizard’s legacy and it brings back all of wonderful characters of the series and, as usual, has some more to introduce. As well, more of the imaginative and wonderful magic effects that we have come to expect from the mind of JK Rowling are everywhere in the production, and, of course, there are dangers to overcome and mysteries to solve, so keep your wits about you.
In Potter’s fourth year at Hogwarts, there is to be no Quiddage (Gasp)! Instead, there is an international global Tri-wizard tournament. This was a very strong book in the series, but it was considerably longer than the first three, so the challenge here was to tell the whole story in a reasonable length of time. Newell managed to accomplish this, but the film does seem to rush through some parts.
This is a worthy addition to Potter series and will be thoroughly enjoyed by all those who enjoyed the previous entries, but perhaps those who have not read the books might find it a little harder to follow than the previous movies.

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrain, Maggie Smith,
Tom Felton, Michael Gambon, David Thewlis, Gary Oldman.

Director: Alfonso Cuaron

The third installment of the Harry Potter money-making machine is very good and a step back up from a slightly weaker effort of The Chamber of Secrets. This is one of my favorite Potter books so it has a strong story to start and has more of the usual wonderfully imaginative Harry Potter scenes.
Its year three for our Hogwarts’ heroes and this year there is an escaped prisoner, a harassed hippogriff and deadly dementors to worry about. The usual cast is back, (minus the deceased Richard Harris, replaced by Gambon) and does well, although Grint overacts in spots. The story can get hard to follow in the middle so pay attention.
Those who have enjoyed the previous entries, this is a fine addition to the series. If you have not been won over by now, then this is unlikely to be to your taste.

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Robbie Coltrain, Maggie Smith,
Richard Harris

Director: Chris Columbus

Okay, okay, it’s true. I am a Harry Potter fan. I’ve read all the books more than once, but usually that makes it harder to please me with the movies, but really they could not have done a much better job with this first installment and the result is one of the best fantasy movies ever made.
The story starts with Daniel Radcliffe as 10 year-old orphan living a Cinderella-like existence with a cruel aunt and uncle, when he learns that he is actually a wizard and will soon be attending the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. When he begins his voyage there, we enter a fantastically, imaginative world that makes me want to clap my hands and giggle. Once at the school, he finds good friends in Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) and discovers the wizard sport of Quiditch, which really makes no sense as a sport. Why have a team? The Golden Snitch is all that matters. But I digress. He also finds wonders and mysteries aplenty. The story is wonderful and the acting, even by the young stars is very good. Add this to the impressive special effects and you have a classic effort.
Fans of the books and fantasy lovers, who don’t need a high body count to enjoy the genre will love this movie. I know I did.

Director: Rob Reiner

Starring: Carey Elwes, Robin Wright Penn, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Andre The Giant, Christopher Guest, Wallace Shawn, Fred Savage, Peter Falk

The Princess Bride is a funny, and well-written family classic that will be enjoyed by all. Sure, there are some parts that undeniably cheesy and silly, but that’s part of its charm. The direction is outstanding and the acting is good, but what really shines here is the writing! The characters and dialog take this simple story to another level, and are the main reasons for its enduring popularity.

This movie starts out with a kindly grandfather (Peter Falk) reading a story to his under-the-weather and reluctant grandson (The Wonder Years, Fred Savage). The medieval-fantasy story is about a farm boy named Wesley (Carey Elwes), who falls in love with a beautiful girl (Robin Wright Penn). The two are separated, and she, believing him to be dead, is engaged to marry the Kingdom’s evil prince. When she is kidnapped by three not-so-bad, and very funny, characters, however, it is Wesley that rescues her. It is not happily ever after, yet, however. The story is just starting! Look for great roles by Mandy Patinkin as Inigo ‘You-killed-my-father-prepare-to-die’ Montoya and by Andre The Giant playing, you guessed it, a giant. There are also several cameos by the likes of Billy Crystal and Carol Kane. The end result is a captivating and wonderfully entertaining family-friendly story of torture, betrayal, revenge and, most of all, true love.

This is a must-see. If you have never seen it despite all the recommendations that you have no doubt heard, it is time for you to take the trek to video store and pick this one up.

Starring: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Ian McKellen,
Viggo Mortenson, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee.

Director: Peter Jackson

This is a watershed movie that reset the standards by which fantasy movies are judged. Before Peter Jackson brought his vision of Tolkien’s trilogy to the silver screen, such sword and sorcery films were hampered by small budgets and worried producers. Jackson created a masterpiece and it made a fortune, and not just a little people like us kind of fortune either, but a CEO, Enron kind of fortune. Not only can we thank Jackson for his wonderful trilogy, he deserves thanks for all the quality fantasy films that may now have a chance to be made and made properly. Although Fellowship does lag in spots under its occasionally, heavy story, this is offset by amazing, and innovative, visual splendor.

The story starts in the shire, where Frodo (Elijah Wood) inherits a magical ring that soon turns out to be the key to an evil tyrant’s plans to enslave the world in darkness. Provided with noble companions and accompanied by friends, he sets out to destroy the ring. Along the way, he has to battle terrifying black riders, orcs and other strange creatures, as well as his own fear. The movie might have become too dark and ponderous, but Jackson foresaw this and turned Merry and Pippin into amusing characters who are far more interesting than Tolkien’s creations, and who manage to lighten the mood, as well..

The story will not appeal equally to everyone, but no one can deny the quality and craft that went into this work. If an award were given for the best directing effort of all time, Peter Jackson would be on my list of nominations.