The Host

IMDb writes, "When an unseen enemy threatens mankind by taking over their bodies and erasing their memories, Melanie will risk everything to protect the people she cares most about, proving that love can conquer all in a dangerous new world." Kruger (Inglorious Bastards) plays a Seeker - the human she inhabits fights her like Melanie fights Wanderer - the alien that has inhabited her human form. Hurt (Children of a Lesser God) plays Melanie's uncle. Once deemed crazy for his ideas - he is now a leader. The effects were excellent, the plot was excellent, the acting was excellent, everything was ... excellent. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Olympus Has Fallen

STOP READING THIS AND GO TO THE NEXT SHOWING!
Antoine Fuque the director does it again - the guy who brought us Tears of the Sun, King Arthur, Shooter, and Training Day has made another great movie. Butler (300) with no Scottish accent plays the head Secret Service agent for the President's detail until a car accident causes him to lose the first lady (Ashley Judd from High Crimes - which also starred Freeman). Butler is removed from his position after that until the North Koreans stage a take over of the White House and hold the President (Eckhart from Thank You For Smoking) hostage - he is the only hope for rescuing the President and the President's son. McDermott (The Practice) is a retired agent. Freeman (High Crimes) is acting President because the VP is also taken hostage - he's the Speaker of the House. Bassett (This Means War) is the head of the secret service. Leo (Homicide) is the Secretary of Defense. Mitchell (Red Widow) with no Australian accent plays Butler's wife. Hauser (who was in Fuque's Tears of the Sun, too) is an agent as well. The bad guy, who is really from Korean descent, is played by Yune from The Man with the Iron Fists and Ninja Assassin - he is amazing. I only wish the fight seen between him and Butler had lasted longer. Oh, and the fight scenes are good, good, and good. The scenes at the beginning that show the attack on the white House and the Pennsylvania Avenue are really hard to watch - you get a little chocked up. There is quiet a death toll in this, but not too needlessly gory. All in all, I say: what I said before - GO SEE IT NOW

The Lucky One

Efron (Charlie St. Cloud) is on his third tour in Afghanistan. He barley escapes a night raid - many in his unit are lost. The next morning he is about to sit on the ledge of an destroyed building when he sees a reflection of something. When he gets closer he sees a photo of a very pretty woman (Schilling from Mercy. A bomb that was under the ledge goes off - more die, but he is saved. When he gets out he decides he needs to find the woman in the picture and thank her for saving his life. She lives in Louisiana - the south of course - it seems to be Nicholas Spark's favorite setting. They fall in love and there are a couple of things they have to overcome. Now as always, someone does die, but I won't tell you who. Blythe Danner (Will & Grace) is in it, too. All in all, I say: RENT IT. It's on Netflix.

Special Forces (Forces speciales)

Filmed in French, some English, and some Arabic. A French journalist played by Kruger (Unknown) is kidnapped by a local Taliban warlord and taken to a hide out in Pakistan. A team of French special forces come to rescue her, and end up missing the pick up and have to walk into Afghanistan through the Hindu Kush mountains. The leader is played by Hounsou (Gladiator) who in reality is from Benin - love his accent. One of the team members, Menochet was also in Inglorious Bastards with Kruger. Karyo (The Patriot) who is really Turkish plays an Admiral. The bad guy in real life is from Israel - Raz Degan (Alexander). All in all, I say: RENT IT it is available on Netflix, but I rented it from Directv.

Butter

There are some editing issues and Silverstone (Clueless) has the most bizarre facial expression - she appeared to be having a seizure the entire movie. Burrell (Modern Family) is somewhat funny - a lower key role. Wilde (House) is wild. Corddry (Warm Bodies) does an amazing job as the adoptive father. Jackman's part is short but not bad. Garner (Valentine's Day) does a good job. It is cute and interesting. And, yes, it is about butter. IMDb writes, "In small-town Iowa, an adopted girl discovers her talent for butter carving and finds herself pitted against an ambitious local woman in their town's annual contest." All in all, I say: RENT IT

Dorfman in Love

Rue from Less Than Perfect must chose between 2 guys. Urb from Eastwick (born in Estonia) plays the full of himself journalist. Sleiman from The Visitor (Lebanese) plays the artist. IMDb writes, "Unknowingly trapped in her role as caretaker of her unappreciative family, a young single woman desperately needs to get her own life. When she volunteers to cat sit at her unrequited love's downtown L.A loft, her world, as she knows it, changes forever." It is a cute and smart romantic comedy. I have always like Rue. All in all, I say: SEE IT - I rented it off Directv.

You May Not Kiss the Bride

IMDb writes, "An unassuming pet photographer is thrown into serious action, adventure and romance when he's forced to marry a Croatian bride and spend his honeymoon at a remote tropical resort where she is kidnapped." Dave Annable (Brothers & Sisters) plays the groom. He's married to Odette Annable from Breaking In. Katharine McPhee (Smash) is the bride. Mena Suvari (American Beauty) plays the assistant. Tia Carrere (Wayne's World) plays a waitress that helps the groom. Vinnie Jones (Snatch) is the bad guy. you will recognize everyone else, but I don't like them. I got this film from Netflix because I wanted a romantic comedy. This tries to be a romantic comedy, but you just don't get any chemistry from the couple, and the plot is too far fetched. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Bomb Girls

A Canadian TV show about WWII women who work in a munitions factory. Meg Tilly (Valmont) is the matron that looks after all the women. She has an affair with one of the men because her wounded husband is depressed. She is the only one that can act in this. I don't know any of the other actors. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Dead Man Down

Farrell (Total Recall) is a Hungarian engineer who loses his wife and daughter to a local crime boss played by Howard (Iron Man). Farrell develops an elaborate plan to get revenge, but it may all fall apart when he forms a bond with Rapace (The Girl Who Played with Fire)- a French beautician that was badly disfigured when a drunk drive hit her. The action is really good - Farrell is in amazing shape for this film. All  in all, I say:  SEE IT
 Below is Dominic Cooper - he is a friend to Farrell's character - he was in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

End of Watch

IMDb writes, "Shot documentary-style, this film follows the daily grind of two young police officers in LA who are partners and friends, and what happens when they meet criminal forces greater than themselves."

Gyllenhaal (Source Code) and Pena (Shooter) are the cops - obviously. Other actors: Kendrick (Pitch Perfect), Ferrera (Ugly Betty), and Horn (Magic Mike). It made me dizzy and I got bored. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Khan, who appears in season one episode 23, is the bad guy in the second Star Trek movie. He and his people were in stasis for 200 years when Kirk and the Enterprise found them. Khan decides to try to take the ship, but fails. In the film Khan, who was abandoned on a planet with his people, is discovered and takes advantage of the situation to try to kill Kirk and destroy the Enterprise. The character Khan appears in the next Star Trek reboot. All in all, I say: SEE IT

Playing for Keeps

A couple with a kid break up and she moves home to Virginia. He follows because his soceer career is over and he misses his kid. By coaching his kids soccer team and making his way back in their life they connect again. The plot was weak. Butler (300) and Biel (Total Recall) play the couple. Quaid (InnerSpace), Thurman (Kill Bill), Zeta-Jones (Chicago), Tupper (Men in Trees), and Greer (13 Going on 30) are also in the film. All in all, I say: SKIP IT unless you watch it on mute just to see Butler - oh lala.

Oz: The Great and Powerful

Oz: A Great Piece of Crap! It had so much potential. Everything about it was bad: animation, plot, screenplay, acting, the beginning, the middle, the end - yuck. I just can't even go on. All in all, I say: SKIP IT

Build Me A World

The Story of the Howard School. I loved the history at the beginning of the documentary. I like the idea behind letting some of the students take video and show the viewer what their high school life is like. I think the movie should have been 2 separate films. One that focuses just on the kids, and one that focuses on the teachers. As a middle school teacher, I am intrigued to know more about what school is like for these students before they get to high school. It is depressing, even though the school's stats are improving, some of the students stories are sad. All in all, I say: SEE IT if you are interested in public education in America.

The Cold Light of Day

Cavill (Immortals) is a Wall Street type that goes to Spain on vacation with his family. While he is in town his family is kidnapped. Even the local police have been bribed not to help him. Turns out there is a rogue CIA agent (Weaver from Aliens) who stole something from Mossad and they want it back. Willis (Die Hard) is Cavill's dad and the bad agents pawn in the scheme. Willis gets it within the first 15 minutes or so. The plot to convoluted and quite unrealistic. Cavill's character gets beaten, thrown off a building, and gets into several car accidents - none of which anyone would survive. The filming makes you dizzy. All in all, I say: SKIP IT