In my not always humble opinion, this is the best war story since the terrific TV series, Band of Brothers. Hurt Locker has been highly praised by critics. Of the 96 reviews gathered by Rotten Tomatoes.com, 93 were positive with an average rating of 8.6 out of 10. The film ignores the politics of war and focuses on the day to day life of soldiers who risk their lives trying to disable IED’s (Improvised Explosive Devices) in Baghdad. Were you aware that IED’s have caused more than half the American deaths in Iraq? Much attention has been given to the fact that this macho war film was directed by (take a deep breath) a woman, Kathryn Bigelow. My 25 years of marriage to Barbara has made me immune to the staggering impact of this revelation. Bigelow has made all the right choices in putting together this riveting film. Three relatively unknown actors play the leads, but I hope their outstanding performances will assure their future in the film industry. Jeremy Renner plays Staff Sergeant William James who is a compulsive risk taker, but extraordinarily skilled and what he does. Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty add believability and diversity to Bravo Company, the squad of bomb technicians who are in the final few weeks of their tour of duty. Few would quibble with the old adage, "War is Hell," but you might get some disagreement with "War is a drug." Many soldiers can’t wait for their tour of duty to end. Some, like Staff Sergeant James, get hooked on the constant adrenaline rush of danger. The psyche is complex and Bigelow explores this with deft mastery. Barbara and I agree that this is one of the best films of the year. GRADE A

This is not just a good movie. It is an important movie. As a retired teacher, I would like to make it required viewing. But if memory serves, making reading or viewing required is often counter-productive. I must face the reality that most of our readers will not have an opportunity to see this brilliant documentary in a theater and very few will take the time to rent it. After all, who would go out of their way to see an enlightening and at times infuriating exposé of our nation’s food industry? Why should we care that a few increasingly powerful corporations put profits ahead of consumer health and the safety of workers? It could be uncomfortable seeing a bright-eyed two-year-old playing in the surf only to learn that twelve days later he was dead after eating burgers contaminated with E. coli. And then to learn that staggering sums are being spent trying to prevent any attempts to enforce sanitation and safety standards. These few comments don’t begin to cover the depth or breadth of this important film. Barbara and I both feel that going the extra mile to see Food, Inc. will not only make you and your family healthier, but make the world a little better place in which to live. GRADE A

A devoted cellist in an orchestra that has just been dissolved finds work as a "Nokanski," a funeral professional who prepares deceased bodies for burial and entry into the next life. That is a one sentence summary, but it doesn’t begin to describe the beautiful Japanese film that won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar last year. Daigo is at first appalled when he discovers that the classified ad he answered, which offered a job in "Departures," wasn’t the travel agency job he expected. To join him on his journey of discovery and to watch him become a gentle gatekeeper between life and death is an experience we will not soon forget. One of our readers called this an exquisite film. The audience with us in the theatre must have been similarly impressed, because no one moved though out the entire closing credits. And they were in Japanese. If this remarkable film comes to a theatre in your town, we urge you to see it. GRADE A

We are not fans of science fiction but we are fans of Sam Rockwell, so we were looking forward to Moon. Rockwell (Frost/Nixon; Snow Angels) did not disappoint. He is terrific as an Astronaut named Sam Bell who is living on the far side of the moon, completing a three-year contract with Lunar Industries to mine Earth's primary source of energy, Helium-3. Sam’s only companion is a computer named Gerty, a 21st Century version of Hal. Gerty, perfectly voiced by Kevin Spacy, has only one job: to take care of Sam. Three years in isolation is a long time and Sam is looking forward to going home to his wife and young daughter. But, his health seems to be deteriorating and he has had a couple of strange experiences. As the film progresses, things get a lot stranger. This is only the second film for director Duncan Jones, who also wrote the original story. He created a striking lunar landscape and directed with a sure hand. Gary has difficulty suspending disbelief in science fiction movies. He can’t stop trying to make logical sense out of what’s happening. I, on the other hand, had no trouble accepting Sam’s world. Even the human-like Gerty seemed perfectly believable to me. While Gary had a bit of trouble staying focused, I was totally captivated by Moon. Rockwell is so good that even Gary would give the film a B. I liked it better and say B+. GRADE B+/B

Whenever Woody Allen writes and directs a new film, Barb and I are usually interested enough to try it. Our Woody favorites include Annie Hall and Sweet & Lowdown. Although Whatever Works doesn’t reach that level of excellence, it did have a lot of laughs for us and we both give it higher marks than most of the professional critics. Larry David plays Boris Yellnikoff, a self-proclaimed genius and world class pessimist. It is not unlike the role he plays in his HBO series, Curb Your Enthusiasm. Unlike Woody’s annual film releases of the last five years which were set in Europe, this film returns to a familiar Manhattan setting. It is a romantic comedy that he originally wrote in the 1970’s for Zero Mostel but it was never produced. With a little rewriting and innovative casting (most Hollywood actors jump at a chance to be in a Woody Allen film) the stage is set for his signature one-liners, tongue-in-cheek philosophy, and his fascination with barely legal young women. The young woman, Melody, is played by the gifted and versatile Evan Rachel Wood (The Wrestler, Across The Universe). Here she plays a perky cheerleader type who finds herself homeless and hungry in New York. Acting honors also go to Patricia Clarkson who is a delight to watch playing Melody’s mother. Without giving away too much of the plot, Whatever Works builds to a warm-hearted and we thought satisfying finale. Many will avoid this film because they just don’t like Woody Allen. But in spite of his rocky personal life, we still enjoy many of his films and think this one deserves a look. GRADE B

What a lovely movie! And that’s a surprise coming from director Sam Mendes who is better known for his dark views of marriage and family in 1999’s American Beauty and the recent Revolutionary Road. Of course, in Away We Go, Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph), although completely committed to each other, are not actually married. They are, however, expecting a child and desperately want to be good parents. When they learn that Burt’s parents are moving to Belgium and they will be left with no family or friends nearby, they go in search of a place to call home. As they visit friends and relatives in different parts of the country, we see several scenes of family life. None of the families is ideal, but the scenes are alternately hilarious and touching. The visits help Burt and Verona decide what kind of home they want to create, and we come away from the movie feeling that their baby will be very lucky to have them as parents. Krasinski, best known for TV’s The Office, is terrific. Rudolph, well-known to Saturday Night Live fans, proves that she is a consummate actor as well as a skilled comedian. Catherine O'Hara and Jeff Daniels as Burt’s parents, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Allison Janney, and the rest of the supporting cast are flawless. Roger Ebert had a perfect description of Burt and Verona in his review. They are, he wrote, two characters rarely seen in the movies: thirtysomething, educated, healthy, self-employed, gentle, thoughtful, whimsical, not neurotic and really truly in love. Gary commented how nice it was to see a couple in love at the beginning of a film, all through the film, and still in love at the end, with no manufactured crises and no Hollywood complications. That is why this hopeful film is so delightful and why we urge you to see it. GRADE A-

Adventureland: This is not what you would expect from the trailers, which present the film as a typical teen sex comedy. It is not what you would expect from Greg Mottola, who directed the recent Superbad and wrote and directed this film. While Superbad had, I’m told, some sweet moments it was also had a lot of raunchy moments. Adventureland is imbued with sweetness. It treats the young people, who are in their early twenties, with respect and tenderness. Even the parents are not caricatures. With the exception of a step-mother, the adults are shown as real, though perhaps flawed, people. Jesse Eisenberg is James whose college graduation coincides with his father’s demotion and pay cut. He had been promised a trip to Europe as a graduation present, but instead must find a summer job to fund grad school in the Fall. Eisenberg may remind you of Michael Sera from Juno. Both tend to play smart, sweet young men who know they are not the coolest guy around. Eisenberg manages to create an extremely likeable character here, and I found myself wanting to know what happens to him after the end of the film. That doesn‘t happen very often. Taking a job at Adventureland, a local amusement park, James meets a variety of characters. Most importantly, he meets Em (Kristen Stewart) and falls in love. We have been fans of Stewart ever since we saw her in the independent film, The Cake Eaters. She is an impressive talent, and I suppose her new vampire movie, Twilight, will make her a star. We liked everyone in this film, especially Ryan Reynolds as the maintenance man and sex symbol of Adventureland (the amusement park). He could have been a stereotype, but he plays the part with a wry understanding that surprised and pleased us. Bill Hader and Kristin Wiig from SNL are very amusing as the park manager and his rather strange wife. Growing up isn’t easy, but you will like and empathize with Jesse and his friends. The film is set in 1987 and the production takes great care in getting the details right. GRADE B+

John Malkovich seems equally at home on stage, in big-budget Hollywood films, and in low-budget Independent films. He inhabits the character he is playing with unerring accuracy. Barbara and I have loved him and followed his career since he left college to join Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago in 1976. Malkovich is “The Great Buck Howard,” an entertainer who has been playing to the back row both on and off stage his entire career. Buck Howard is loosely based on the Amazing Kreskin, former “superstar mentalist extraordinaire” who was himself inspired by a famous comic strip character, Mandrake the Magician. In better days Howard played to full houses and appeared 61 times for Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. His enthusiasm has not waned and his act has not changed, but he now plays to half-full theaters in places like Bakersfield. Co-staring with Malkovich is Colin Hanks, Tom Hank’s son. Colin Hanks is handsome, lovable, and a credible actor. He even gets to play a couple of scenes in the film with his father. Barbara and I liked the film and if it doesn’t appear in a theater near you, we recommend you watch for it when it comes out on DVD. When that happens we will remind you. GRADE B

We saw this one on DVD, so we didn't grade it, but we loved it! It is, without doubt, one of the weirdest and at the same time most charming films we’ve ever seen! Ryan Gosling (The Notebook) is Lars Lindstrom, a pathologically shy and introverted young man. He rarely communicates with Gus and Karin, his brother and sister-in-law, who live in the family home even though Lars lives just across the yard in the garage. One day he appears at the front door saying he has a guest named Bianca and would like to bring her over for dinner. He tells them he met her on the Internet. Imagine their shock when the meet Bianca, a life-sized doll, that Lars treats like a real girl. The family doctor, beautifully played by Patricia Clarkson, convinces Gus and Karin that Bianca is a delusion, one that Lars has created because he needs it, or her. Everyone who cares for Lars, and there are many, go along with the delusion and treat Bianca like a real girl. Gosling is absolutely wonderful. I can’t think of any other actor who could bring such pathos and credibility to this unusual character. I won’t tell you anymore of the story because that might spoil your delight in discovering it for yourself. ENTHUSIASTIC THUMBS UP