1. Avatar
"Avatar" starts not on Pandora but right here on Earth, the year 2154 to be exact, and it throws a lot of plot at you very fast.
The planet is under ecological siege, which is why people are flying six light-years to Pandora to get their hands on a substance called (no kidding) Unobtanium that can make all the difference. The problem is that the nature-worshiping Na'vi live on Pandora, and they are not inclined to get out of the way.
2. Sherlock Holmes
One of the comforts of the Arthur Conan Doyle stories is their almost staid adherence to form. Villains and cases come and go up the staircase at 221B Baker Street, but within that refuge, life stays the same: Holmes all-knowing and calm, Watson fretful and frightened, clues orderly, victims distraught, never a problem not seemingly insoluble. Outside is the fabled Victorian London...
3. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
HPerhaps not since "The Godfather: Part II" have we seen a sequel come along that more than matches the mastery of the film that came before it -- all the pathos, the brio, the epic sweep. . . . the cheese balls.
I'm referring, as you no doubt have guessed, to "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel," which builds on the wit, the whimsy and the shredding bass that was 2007's "Alvin and the Chipmunks," the blockbuster hit that would turn the musical 'Munks into 21st century pop sensations.
4. It's Complicated
With a story that by turns defies and adheres to formulas, It's Complicated ends up being one of the end-year's best sources of pure entertainment. And for those who believe laughter is the best medicine, there's more than a bellyful or two to be found here. The romantic comedy convention is to focus on a man and a woman who are destined for one another. During the course of the movie, they'll occasionally pull apart only to have fate push them back together.
5. Up in the Air
Clooney plays career-transition counselor Ryan Bingham. His job is to fire you from your job. Ryan has a sterile apartment in Omaha, Nebraska. But he's rarely there. For 322 days a year, he's in and out of airports, stopping only to whack work slaves whose bosses don't have the stomach for it. Ryan looks you in the eye, shakes your hand and claims being canned isn't a tragedy, it's an opportunity.
6. The Blind Side
Part football movie and part "Precious" with a happy ending, John Lee Hancock's "The Blind Side" is a heart-tugger that once again proves that sometimes truth (more or less) is stranger than reality.
Although still sporting the same blond wig, Sandra Bullock redeems herself...
7. The Princess and the Frog
Still, for the greenest or the grayest in the audience, the inclusive story of a resourceful African-American girl in 1930s New Orleans who kisses a frog with unexpected, funny results is its own reward: This A-level, G-rated entertainment is a fresh twist on the classic fairy tale about a handsome prince temporarily out of commission due to a malicious magic spell, a royal catch requiring the smooch of the right kindhearted, risk-taking heroine to restore him to his waiting throne.
8. Nine
The story unfolds in 1960s Italy where the biggest Italian film director, Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis), is about to embark upon his latest (and ninth) project. The production, called Italia, is shrouded in secrecy, primarily because Guido is suffering from writer's/director's block. He hasn't written a line of the screenplay. About the only thing he knows is that Italia will star his muse, international sensation Claudia (Nicole Kidman). Feeling burned out and pressured by the "money men,"...
9. Invictus
The World Cup was a famous victory. The Springboks faced a New Zealand team so dominant it had crushed every opponent -- Japan by around 90 points, which in rugby is a lot. South Africa won in overtime. About that team name: The South African national teams have been called the Springboks since time immemorial...
10. The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Not wanting to give away too much of the plot (though chances are most of the movie's audience will have already read the book), let's just say brooding Bella is having a tough time where both objectified males are concerned, and that it turns out Jacob's been keeping a little secret of his own -- and it's not just finding a personal trainer in the middle of Forks, Wash.
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