Bridesmaids

PROS:  I loved nearly all of this movie because I laughed through nearly all of this movie.  Each character has their share of laughs (or boos...you will HATE Rose Byrne's character which is a testament to her acting abilities) but Kristen Wiig's comedic timing was so good that I'm scared SNL will lose her.  I'd rank her at the top of the list (along with Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus) of actresses who have perfected the art of humiliating themselves to a degree that's  hilarious but also lovable and relatable. 

CONS:  I don't have too many but I did think the movie was a little too long for a comedy.  I also thought Maya Rudolph was a miscast as the bride.  I love the chemistry that her and Wiig have (especially during the Wilson Phillips number) but I found myself wanting her to be more outrageous like she was on SNL.

RATING: See this movie if you like to laugh.

Black Swan

PROS:  I saw the previews for this movie--more specifically Natalie Portman running at the camera with those crazy red eyes--and thought I was in for a freak show.  While freaky at times, I was pleasantly surprised at how relatable the story starts out (the girl just wants to succeed) and how suspenseful it becomes (she goes bat-shit crazy).  The acting is tremendous and I love movies that let you think you know what's going on and then knock you on your ass. 

CONS: I don't know why Portman's home life had to be so messed up.  The ballet is competitive, she has no friends, her dance instructor is a creep--it's enough to make a girl lose her mind.  Why add that she lives in a shit box apartment with a mom who paints creepy pictures of her and sleeps by her bedside in a room filled with an uncomfortable amount of stuffed animals??  Add to that the crazy amount of scenes where Portman's hands, feet or back were bleeding? It was overkill for me. 

RATING:  The movie's weird but undeniably suspenseful.

The King's Speech

PROS:  Everyone loves a good underdog story (cue the Rudy chant) and this one is definitely unique.  It was odd rooting for an adult to "sound out his words" but Colin Firth was terrific.  I would have given him the Oscar too because Lord knows it can't be easy to carry a stutter the length of a film let alone listen to yourself for that long. 

CONS:  The film's biggest problem is that it's undeniably slow.  I wanted to love it--maybe because it won "Best Picture"--but I couldn't fend off my ADD.  I rooted for Firth but what he finally achieves isn't in the same ballpark as Rudy Ruettiger.  I mean he didn't even write the speech he's FINALLY able to stumble through!  The whole movie he's asserting that he has this voice people need to hear but when he's not cursing his stutter he's either crying on someone's shoulder or at a desk writing with one of those old-timey pens.  It begs the question, wasn't there ANYONE else better suited for the throne?

RATING: History buffs rejoice!  The rest of us will watch Rudy.

Hereafter

PROS:  The movie starts on a high note.  It's split into three separate plot lines and you're immediately invested in each unique story.  You want to know how Matt Damon's character will deal with a debilitating gift, how Cecile De France's character will cope with a near death experience and how a young boy will recover after a devastating death in his family.

CONS:  The problem is you don't get any answers soon enough (or at times ever) and the character's story lines never intertwine until the ending scene of the movie.  By then, you've sat through an hour and a half of seemingly useless scenes and no longer care how it ends.  I'd like to talk to the editor of this movie to see why scenes like [Matt Damon digs through dresser drawer, chooses black shirt, holds it up to the light, and nods.  Fade to black] were left in the film.  There were WAY too many like that. 

RATING:  The only way to truly enjoy this movie is to mock it to death.

Gulliver's Travels

PROS: I laughed at a few scenes and the movie does have a good comedic cast.  The obvious being Jack Black (Year One, Nacho Libre, School of Rock) and Jason Segel (Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall).  The maybe not-so-obvious being Emily Blunt (Dan in Real Life, Devil Wears Prada, Wild Target), Amanda Peet (Saving Silverman, A Lot Like Love), Billy Connolly (Lemony Snickets) and T.J. Miller (She's Out of My League). 

CONS: The movie tried entirely too hard to be funny.  I felt like 80% of its punchlines could have been followed by the "buh-dum-ch" sound effect.  I didn't expect much of a plot, hell I've ignored the plot in most Jack Black movies because his facial expressions and comedic delivery are usually enough, but this one couldn't be ignored.  And I don't even want to discuss the movie's ending dance sequence!  Jack Black, if you're listening, this is your mulligan.

RATING: Skip this one and watch ANY of the comedies mentioned above instead.

Country Strong

PROS: I went into this movie--much like her Glee episodes--skeptical that Gwyneth Paltrow could sing.  While not Grammy worthy, I found her (and Leighton Meester for that matter) not only believable but curiously easy on the ears.  The easy on the eyes award (like that transition?) goes to Garrett Hedlund.  I didn't think ANYONE could pull off denim on denim but I stand corrected.  The plot's a little Walk the Line-ish but it has enough surprises and love triangles to ensure it's not COMPLETELY predictable.

CONS: When she's not singing, Meester's character is either wildly insecure or awkwardly flirtatious.  Both personalities are hard to watch.  And when Gwyneth isn't singing, she's crying...a lot.  And not just tearing up, we're talking caked in mascara crying.  It gets old fast.  As does hearing the word "strong" over and over again.  We get it, you're all country strong.

RATING: If you like country music, you'll like this movie...and its soundtrack.

The Girl Who Played With Fire

PROS: The casting of the Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salandar is dead on--if you've seen the first movie (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) then this should be no surprise.  Anyone who's read the books will also be pleased to know that this movie--much like the first--follows the plot nearly scene for scene; line for line. 

CONS: First of all, Michael Nyqvist is no Mikael Blomkvist.  I can only assume he was cast simply because his first name kinda-sorta sounds like the lead character of this film.  Having said that, I think the movie's special effects and sound editing are its real downfall.  The action and fight sequences are amateurish--when compared to American action movies--and there's virtually no music accompanying any scenes.  No music means no tension and no tension means you've lost the most important element of this trilogy.  

RATING: See it only if you've read the books and can't wait for the American version.