Thor

Sci-Fi, Action
4 stars

Fun. After being banished from his home planet, stripped of his powers and stranded on Earth, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) searches for his magical hammer with the help of a local scientist, Natalie Portman. Jim and I enjoyed the special effects, costuming and fight scenes. Anthony Hopkins co-stars as Thor’s father, virtual unknown Tom Hiddleston as Thor’s brother, and Stellan Skarsgard (Mama Mia) as Portman’s colleague. Fun movie.

Something Borrowed

Chick Flick, Romance
3.5 stars
Much better than I expected. Ginnifer Goodwin (He’s Just Not That Into You) pines for her best friend’s fiancé (Kate Hudson, and Colin Egglesfield from “All My Children” who looks like a younger, hotter, and much taller version of Tom Cruise). Kate Hudson, as usual, plays a self-centered attention whore who had heartlessly stolen away Egglesfield before Goodwin could make her feelings known to him. John Krasinski co-stars as a life long friend of the two girls. I was afraid this would be another tacky waste of time like Bride Wars, but since the focus was more on Goodwin than Hudson, it seemed to have a lot more heart. I would have liked some steamy flashbacks of a certain one night romance, but even without it was a decent chick flick that thankfully spared us from any raunchiness. Decent chick flick.

Jumping the Broom

Comedy, Romance
2.5 stars
Kinda dumb. Paula Patton and Laz Alonzo fall madly in love but their families hate each other. The real focus is on the two mothers: pretentious, bourgeois Angela Bassett who looks down upon those less fortunate, versus the stubborn, angry and selfish Loretta Devine who is just plain rude. Both women play caricatures of the extremes and it’s too bad because if the director had had them tone it down a bit, the film could have been so much better. I liked the theme of Devine’s blue collar character wanting to keep the tradition of jumping the broom and trying to explain the importance of tradition to the more contemporary minded Basset and her daughter, Patton. To be fair, some of the other theaters-goers seemed to really enjoy it. Not terrible, but could have been better.

Prom

Drama, Teen
3.5 stars
I liked it. “Drama” seems so serious, but it wasn’t really a comedy either: I suppose “Light Drama” would be the best way to characterize it. Various teens in a Michigan high school prepare for the prom: the perfect class president (Aimee Teegarden) in charge of the prom committee must work with the handsome bad boy (Thomas McDonell) whose punishment is to work with her; a nerdy kid (Cameron Monaghan) gets jealous as his nerdy friend (Nolan Sotillo) pursues a pretty girl (Danielle Campbell) while the football hero (DeVaughn Nixon) has his own interests in mind; another likable nerd (Nicholas Braun) asks out every girl he meets; and my favorite, a funny and lovable student (Joe Adler) tells everyone about his perfect, mystery girlfriend. The students aren’t wacky as in John Hughes’s films, and there is no raunchiness at all (I don’t even recall any profanity), it’s just teen angst with some lovable nerds and a predictable plot. It’s like a combination of The Breakfast Club and American Pie, without being raunchy or focusing on sex. It’s cute though, I liked it.

I Am

Documentary
4 stars
Very good. After a life altering health scare, Tom Shadyac (the director of Ace Ventura, Patch Adams and Bruce Almighty, among others) interviews scientists, historians, scholars and spiritual leaders to learn what is wrong with the world and how we can improve it. Theories of Darwin, Einstein and many others are explored. Most interesting was his time spent at Heartmath, where they’ve proven that the magnetic waves our bodies emit can affect those around us negatively or positively. I only wish some of his footage wasn’t so grainy! Very interesting and well worth it.

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night

Sci-Fi, Camp
3 stars
Only for Sci-Fi fans (like me). Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) stars as a modern-day film noir-ish private investigator who has had prior experience with vampires, werewolves and zombies (oh my!) and unwillingly becomes entangled in their dramas once again as they begin killing off “breathers” in search of a mysterious “heart”. Only fans of the campy films you see on SyFy or those who enjoy shows like “Supernatural” or “Being Human” will enjoy this tongue-in-cheek film. I happen to love vampires, werewolves and zombies (oh my! – sorry, I just can’t help myself:) ) and I enjoyed this film even though Routh is way too pretty for this role and you have to wonder why the more powerful beings don’t just easily kill him off to get him off their backs. Co-stars include Sam Huntington (“Being Human”) as Routh’s best friend, Peter Stormare (Constantine, Fargo) as the sort-of “Godfather” of the werewolf clan, and Taye Diggs as the leader of the vampire coven. Fun, fun, fun!!

African Cats

Documentary, Nature
4.5 stars
Excellent; both tense and heartbreaking. This years Earth Day Disney production features three families on the Maasai Mara Wildlife Preserve in Kenya. There is the utopian family of six lionesses and their cubs protected by a single male lion; across a crocodile infested river there is the pride of four male lions who want to conquer the single male and take over his harem; then there is the single mom Cheetah trying to defend and rear her cubs all by herself. There are plenty of tense situations where the cubs are threatened or cats you’ve become attached to get maimed and/or killed. I teared up and sniffled several times. This may be too intense for sensitive young ones. Good movie.