I meant to get this posted last weekend, but I’ve been busy.  I’ve got reviews for a couple of new movies, and some older ones I’ve seen recently.  I’m going to do this with no spoilers at all for the two new movies, True Grit and Little Fockers.  The older ones may have some spoilers, Ninja Assassin, The American, Hot Tub Time Machine, and Inception.

True Grit was awesome.  I’m not a huge fan of old westerns, but every once in a while they do a new one that is really great.  It should be nominated for best picture, and Jeff Bridges should be nominated for best actor.  If they aren’t nominated, it’s a travesty, and I think Jeff Bridges should win.  I highly recommend this movie.

Little Fockers doesn’t quite live up to its predecessors, but it is very funny.  Hard to go into too much detail without spoilers, but they do a great job of progressing Greg and Jack’s relationship.  I’m not sure if they’ll do another.  They certainly could find another story, but I think it might be going to the well one too many times.

What can I say about Ninja Assassin?  If you like a movie with lots of action, martial arts, swords, and other weapons, then you’ll love it.  If you prefer movies that have actual plot, then you’re out of luck.  Mentor turns student into assassin.  Mentor murders the girl the student loves.  The student kills everyone including the mentor.  That’s about it.  I liked it.

The American was a good movie, but not a great one.  I like George Clooney, he’s done some great movies, and I watched every episode of ER, but I didn’t feel like it was a great role for him.  Almost anyone could have played the lead in this, and it was so predictable.  Don’t get me wrong, it was enjoyable, but unless you’re a big Clooney fan, I wouldn’t bother with it.

Hot Tub Time Machine was hysterical.  See it.  It was a bit predictable, but it was so funny, it doesn’t matter.

I have to wonder if I’m the only one who thinks that Inception is overrated.  It was good, but I’m still not 100% sure what was going on half the time.  I assume at the end since the totem was wobbling, it means it was real and not a dream, though I was expecting that it would fall over.  That would have been clearer.  I hate ambiguous endings.  The affects were first rate.  I don’t know how they did all the zero gravity stuff.  I loved the trick with the elevator.  Other than the visuals I really don’t think the story was that good, and some of it felt too easy.  Buy the airline, and they have ten hours to do what they need to do.  It would have been more interesting if in additional to what was going on at each level within the dreams, they were having problems in the real world, too.  I guess I was expecting more.

I’ll have my 2011 Movie Preview up on New Years Eve or New Years Day.

Thanks for reading!