The majority of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” is an incoherent mess. Plot strands and characters (both human and robotic) are dangled on the screen for 90+ minutes, only to come together for a propulsive hourlong battle.

The last hour, powered with excellent 3D special effects, is undeniably spectacular. Your patience for nonsense will be the ultimate decider in choosing to sit through the entirety of director Michael Bay’s brain-numbing adventure. (more…)

As much as it pains me to say it, “Cars 2” isn’t up to the caliber of previous Pixar efforts. It’s their first feature film in 12 to cut corners in storytelling and character development.

“Cars 2” will still satisfy kids and parents in need of a swift big screen adventure, and Pixar continues to render gorgeous visuals. Just
don’t expect the emotional depth of previous efforts, including last year’s sob-inducing masterpiece,“Toy Story 3.” (more…)

Perhaps it’s unreasonable to expect anything but “more of the same” from any Hollywood sequel. In the cases of “Kung Fu Panda 2” and “The HangoverPart II,” both technically deliver more of what made the original films successful with audiences.

The difference is the execution. Where “Panda” works hard to bring something fresh and energetic to the screen, “The Hangover” falls flat retracing its own steps. (more…)

Back in 2003, the concept of a theme park ride turning into a multi-billion dollar movie franchise sounded ridiculous to every sane
person on the planet.

Yet, “Pirates of the Caribbean” continues to dominate the box office. Most of the credit has rightfully gone to star Johnny Depp, who has played the mischievous Captain Jack Sparrow through four installments, including the latest, “On Stranger Tides.” It’s a dynamic and unique performance, deserving placement alongside some of the greatest characters in screen history.

Most people consider the first film, “The Curse of the Black Pearl,” to be the best of the bunch, which it is, but I’ve also enjoyed the
less popular sequels, “Dead Man’s Chest” and “At World’s End.” Critics ravaged these films, calling them convoluted, overlong and
preposterous.

No argument here. That’s exactly why I love them. (more…)

Anne Hathaway and James Franco host the Academy Awards on Sunday night, where “The King’s Speech” is set to collect the most trophies. Does “The Social Network,” or anything else for that matter, still have a chance at the big prize?

Here are my best educated guesses as to who will win, as well as the nominees for which I’d cast a vote.

Best Picture
“The King’s Speech” won the Screen Actors, Producers and Directors Guild awards. That means it’s all but guaranteed to win the big one. If there’s any surprise, it will be “The Social Network,” the year’s critical darling. Will Win: “The King’s Speech”
Should win: My favorite of the year is still “127 Hours,” but a win for “Toy Story 3” would be an award for the previous installments and the entire Pixar library. (more…)

First, the bad news: Liam Neeson beats up fewer people in “Unknown” than he did in his 2009 hit “Taken.”

Even with the smaller bodycount, the 58-year-old Neeson proves his unlikely stint as action hero is no fluke. “Unknown” may borrow heavily from better thrillers, but it has enough suspense and smarts to keep an audience entertained during these winter movie doldrums.

Neeson plays Dr. Martin Harris, a researcher visiting Berlin with his wife (January Jones) to attend an important conference. About to check into the hotel, Harris forgets his briefcase in the cab. He rushes into another cab to pursue it, then gets into a terrible accident. (more…)

“The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech” will ultimately duke out for the year’s top prize, but there are other nominations and categories to consider.

Here are my predictions, as well as a few long-shot picks that deserve more respect. Official predictions are in bold.

Best Picture
If there were only five nominees, it’d be easy: “The Social Network,” “The King’s Speech,” “The Fighter,” “Inception” and “Black Swan.” They’ve all appeared in pretty much every Oscar precursor (Guild nominations, critics’ lists, etc.). The other good bets: “Toy Story 3,” “True Grit,” and “The Kids Are All Right.” The final two slots will go to one of these three: “Winter’s Bone,” “127 Hours,” and “The Town.” Gut feeling: Ben Affleck’s excellent heist film just misses the cut.

Needs More Respect: Edgar Wright’s brilliant video game epic “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.” (more…)

The concept of Seth Rogen as a superhero in “The Green Hornet” isn’t so far fetched once you realize he wrote the script for himself.

Together with his “Superbad” writing partner Evan Goldberg, Rogen drafts “The Green Hornet” much like his previous star-vehicles — the lead character is a pop-culture nerd/drunken man-child who rambles on about every topic and situation. Most of the actual hero stuff is handled by sidekick extraordinaire Kato (Jay Chou).

Your tolerance of the Seth Rogen archetype will probably determine your overall feelings for “The Green Hornet,” a middle-of-the-road superhero movie with lots of good ideas but little execution. The movie has a unique visual appeal thanks to “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” director Michel Gondry, but the script leaves its interesting array of characters dangling. (more…)