500 Days of Summer (A)

An original and absolutely delightful romantic comedy chronicling the relationship between a hopelessly romantic greeting card writer (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and his cynical girlfriend (Zooey Deschanel).

The great thing about ‘Summer’ is the way the film looks at love in ways not often explored in film.

District 9 (C+)

“District 9” is one of the most frustrating types of film-going experiences.

Here’s a movie that begins with plenty of promise, only to completely fall apart in the second half. The result is a movie that flirts with brilliance, but ultimately fails to deliver.

The Final Destination (D+)

This stale continuation of the popular horror franchise is missing the element of dark humor that worked so well in part 1 and 3. Instead we get a film more about outlandish mouse traps and less about establishing tension with a sense of humor on the side.

G-Force (D)

Not even 3-D can save this overbearing, mindless kids flick about a group of talking superspy guinea pigs. Despite plenty of top talent lending voices, including Nicolas Cage, this is a movie that is as dull as it is loud.

G.I. Joe (D-)

For those out there who absolutely hated “Tranformers 2,” I present to you the latest Dreamworks tentpole hopeful “G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra.”

This is the kind of action movie that makes “Transformers 2” look like “The Hurt Locker” n a loud and pointless experience that is nothing more than an exhausting exercise in overindulgent special effects.

The Goods (B-)

An at times random, but often hilarious comedy about a used-car liquidator (Jeremy Piven) hired to save a family-owned auto dealership. The laughs are plenty, even if the film probably has no purpose or point.

Halloween II (C)

Writer/director Rob Zombie knows how to make a horror film, but not even his talents can save this remake of the John Carpenter series that pales in comparison to its predecessor.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (B-)

After a slight stumble, the “Harry Potter” franchise gets back a little of its luster with the sixth installment in the popular series from writer J.K. Rowling.

While “Prince” has some similar problems to its predecessor, “The Order of the Phoenix”, it manages to inject some much needed magic and charm back into the franchise.

The Hangover (B)

Riding a wave of prerelease buzz and a marketing campaign that helped propel it to a surprisingly strong opening weekend, “The Hangover” proves to be one of those films that is worthy of all the attention.

Like Judd Apatow’s films, here’s a comedy that understands how to be raunchy and smart n and isn’t afraid to get a laugh at any expense.

The Hurt Locker (A)

This thriller about an elite Army bomb squad in Iraq is the kind of film that easily could have been a standard action film, but in the hands of director Kathryn Bigelow it is much more n an edge-of-your-seat thriller, that also manages to have a heart and soul.

Inglourious Basterds (A)

This highly ambitious and highly entertaining effort from writer/director Quentin Tarantino takes the war drama and crushes it to pieces n reassembling a masterpiece that reinvents the familiar genre.

Julie and Julia (B)

The latest from Nora Ephron, a drama that follows the life of Julia Child (Meryl Streep) and a frustrated social worker (Amy Adams) who finds inspiration in Child’s recipes, is an OK affair n elevated by magnificent work from Streep. It’s another Academy-worthy performance that should garner the actress more year-end honors.

Orphan (B)

This creepy, yet fun, alternative to a testosterone-filled summer, is a small but effective little thriller that features some strong performances and a neat little twist n making it a cut above most horror films.

The Proposal (D+)

Another predictably romantic comedy starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, with practically no redeeming factors, except for the inclusion of the great Betty White.

If you’ve seen the trailer for “The Proposal” n or any other romantic comedy in the past 100 years n you’ll know exactly where this is headed.

Shorts (B-)

Robert Rodriguez gets back into kiddie fare in this story of a magicial rock that wrecks havoc on the children in the fictional suburb Black Falls.

The film has just enough for grown-ups and some good kid performances n led by Jolie Vanier, who reminded me of a young Christina Ricci.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (B-)

Despite being overloaded with a boatload of problems, this follow-up to the 2007 hit manages to work for one simple reason n it gives fans of the original exactly what they want to see, plenty of explosions and action. This is far from a perfect film but, for what it wants to accomplish, it manages to succeed just enough to be passable.

The Ugly Truth (C-)

Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler have nice chemistry, but are stuck in an awkward romantic comedy that tries to be different n only to fall into a fairly predictable final act.