“Watching Donny beat Nazis to death is the closest we ever get to going to the movies”

Rating: A+

Basterds is a testament to Tarantino’s ability to right brilliant-fucking-dialogue. An easy 80% of the flick is in subtitles, and each line is just as uniquely-Tarantino as the last. The opening scene is a long conversation between a dairy-farm owner and Hans Landa (“The Jew Hunter”); it alone was worth my $7.75 ticket.

“You don’t pass through fire to get to Heaven. I think he went to Hell.”

Rating: A-

Funny People, the third film written and directed by Judd Apatow, is Apatow’s most human, and most real film to date. It, more than The 40-Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up proves that one craft a film that is just as mature as it is raunchy.

“I can hit any bank I want, any time. They got to be at every bank, all the time.”

Rating: A-

John Dillinger was a bank robber. Period. Michael Mann’s latest film doesn’t romanticize this fact, and it is his best since 1999′s The Insider. Public Enemies is good, from beginning to end; something that is very, very rare in a summer flick not made by Pixar.

“I didn’t know they gave out rings at the Holocaust.”

Rating: B+

The Hangover is one helluva comedy. It isn’t perfect, but it is one fun time at the cinema. This is one of those rare comedies that is laugh-out-loud funny nonstop; from beginning to end. Most of this can be attributed to the brilliant writing, coupled with the fantastic performances.

Pixar once again crafts a magnificent piece of cinemati– SQUIRREL!

Rating: A

It must be rather grand to be a filmmaker working for Pixar. I mean, what other job can you get in the world where you aren’t going to be criticized? Why would you be? Pixar is as close to perfection as any film-studio could be, and they further prove this with their latest installment: UP.

The Triumphant Return of a Sci-Fi Legend

Rating: A-

What makes the Star Trek series so perfect for a reboot is the fact that it has the ability to stay true to the source material while creating a unique story for its characters. This is what has been done here. This isn’t the same Star Trek story that was told 40 years ago. This is a new, fresh story, and yet it is undeniably familiar, and undeniably Star Trek.

Journalism and Political Conspiracies and Jason Bateman! Oh My!

Rating: B+

Based on a 2003 BBC mini-series, State of Play is everything a political-thriller should be. It has its fair share of twists and it is constantly throwing information at the viewer, but not so much that it becomes too confusing or difficult to enjoy.

It’s Watchmen, but it’s not Watchmen

Rating: C+

As a fan of the graphic novel — one of the finest pieces of literature I’ve read — I was incredibly skeptic as to if Watchmen could be transitioned well onto the silver-screen, and this film did nothing to initiate a change of heart. It’s sad, because there is so much here, so many possibilities — pieces of a puzzle — that ultimately, don’t come together as they should, leaving you to connect with it solely on an aesthetic level.