Talhotblond: (2010)

Interesting “catfish” type documentary concerning an internet love triangle -- two sides of which were misrepresenting who they really are -- that resulted in murder.  I should clarify that the actual story is interesting, but it felt like a high school media class was allowed to edit it and the conceit of the murder victim being a post-mortem narrator was kinda gross.

C+

Pacific Rim (2013)

Big and dumb -- but it looked pretty great and it never seemed to be trying to be deeper than it was, which is a good thing. The plot was thin as paper but, again, that worked just fine.

B-

Frozen (2013)

Heartbreaking, funny, inventive, beautiful and with songs that got stuck in my head.  My husband, my 21-year-old son, and I all loved it.

A-

It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947)

Homeless guy has figured out how to be comfortable -- just move into the mansion that’s always vacant during the winter months. He extends an invitation to a recently displaced veteran and they wind up having a full house in no time.  A couple of the boarders are even the actual owners of the place, playing along with the sham.

It could’ve been really great in the right hands, but in these hands it’s only ever potentially good. There's a clever story with some ripe-for-slapstick situations and heart-tugging possibilities that never really quite get to where you know they should go.

C+

Little Big Man (1970)

Dustin Hoffman Gumps through the days of cowboys and Indians as 1) a young homesteader, then 2) an adopted Indian, then 3) a preacher’s kid, then 4) a snake oil salesman’s assistant, then 5) a gunslinger, then 6) a merchant, then 7) a soldier in Custer’s army, then 8) a polygamist Indian, then 9) a drunk, and last 10) a doublecrossing Custer scout.

It was extremely uneven and altogether ridiculous.

C-

We Bought a Zoo (2011)

Exactly what I thought it would be: a family suffering the loss of its mom looks for a fresh start and finds it as the owners of a small zoo. Getting it up and running brings them closer as a family even though it’s truly difficult work and nearly bankrupts them.

There are no real surprises, but sometimes that’s just fine.

B-

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)

This is miles better than first installment in the series. This time they got not only the tone but the photography just right. We were also made to care about the other contenders -- not just for Katniss and Peeta -- which served to enrich the proceedings greatly because each death mattered.

I'm optimistic about what's to come.

B+