Cloverfield — Starring a bunch of One Tree Hill types. Produced by J.J. Abrams
So there’s this dude Rob who takes a job that will send him overseas. Rob’s apparently a really popular guy, so his 300 or so friends put on a going away party. When the waifish Beth shows up, the party turns into a bit of a downer – turns out that Rob and Beth had a bit of an intimate encounter. Things didn’t really hold out because of the job situation, and Beth toted along New Dude to the party. Some fighting rears up, and off goes Beth into the night.
Aaaand… send in the head of the Statue of Liberty, looking like it was just swatted around by Mothra or Rodan or one of the other critters from Destroy All Monsters. Look out Tokyo, here comes... the Cloverfield monster? Don’t be fooled by the first-person shaky cam. Cloverfield is a dressed up revamp of Godzilla, all wrapped around a group of friends’ hero’s myth quest sorta thing through New York City. A lot slicker than the 1998 Godzilla, but if you’re not really interested in seeing a big critter tear through the city you’re better off with other fare. B (Joe Allison)

The Great Debaters — Starring Denzel Washington, Surnee Smollett, Nate Parker, Forest Whitaker, Kimberly Elise. Directed by Washington
One of the best of 2007, this awesome film tells the story of a 1930’s debate team at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas. Based on a true story, it tells of Professor Melvin Tolson (Washington), who creates an elite debate team that’s better than any in the country. The problem is — no while colleges will debate them because the students are black. They begin by debating other black colleges and working their way up. There are humorous and frightening moments and lots of historical relevance. For instance, the youngest debater, 14-year old James Farmer, Jr., (Denzel Whitaker) went on to establish C.O.R.E., which was actively involved in the civil rights movement in the ’60’s. The Great Debaters is a real gem. A (Linda Hollar)

Bucket List — Starring Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman
This delightful film is about two old codgers who find themselves as hospital “roomies.” Edward Cole (Nicholson) is a corporate billionaire (who owns the hospital). While Cole has spent most of his life making money, Carter Chambers (Freeman) has lived life more fully, as a kind-hearted mechanic. Throughout his years, Carter has made a bucket list — a list of things he’s like to do before he dies.
When both are given limited times to live, they invoke on an adventure fulfilling their bucket lists, traveling the world and doing crazy things. Funny, moving, with terrific acting, as only Nicholson and Freeman can deliver. A- (Linda Hollar)

National Treasure: Book of Secrets – Starring Nicolas Cage, Justin Bartha, Diane Kruger, Jon Voight, Helen Mirren, Ed Harris, Harvey Keitel, Bruce Greenwood. Directed by Jon Turtletaub
The last time we saw Ben Gates (Cage), he was fresh off a giant treasure hunt that involved a lot of historically relevant stuff like the Constitution, the Liberty Bell and Masons. The story was pretty far-fetched and silly, but made for a great popcorn film. Book of Secrets is a little more down to earth, so it’s a little less silly, and therefore a little less entertaining. Ben has his ancestor’s name flung right square in the mud by Mitch Wilkinson (Harris), and off he goes, kidnapping the President (yes, THE President) and looking for the truth behind Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Which turns into a search for the City of Gold. Look, I said a “little” more down to earth. Not quite as much fun as the original and the payoff isn’t as good, but it’s still entertaining. B – (Joe Allison)

Cassandra’s Dream — Starring Evan McGregor, Colin Farrell, Tom Wilkinson; written and directed by Woody Allen
Somehow I missed seeing “written by” Woody Allen, or I’d have given this a pass. Never been a fan. Cassandra’s Dream basically tells the story of two brothers (McGregor and Farrell) who have royally f#*ked up their lives. Instead of taking any personal responsibility, they look for an “easy” way out. Way too long and extremely boring (the scenes just drag on). D – (Linda Hollar)

The Golden Compass — Starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and Dakota Blue Richards. Voice of Ian McKellan. Adapted from Philip Pullman’s book
Lyra (Richards) is sort of the lone kid living among a bunch of adults at a college. Kids are disappearing left and right around town. Dad (Craig) goes off, and Lyra is left holding the proverbial bag in the form of the Alethiometer (can you say mouthful?). That’s the Golden Compass from the titles, except it’s not really a compass. Apparently if you’re a kid, it can tell you stuff about things.
Lyra tromps off with the slinky and worldly Marisa Coulter (Kidman) — who turns out to be more snakelike than anything else — and heads out after her dear old dad.
There is a LOT of story packed into this movie, though I don’t have the space to get into all the dust and particles and religious stuff and daemons and big ass-kicking, talking polar bears. Suffice it to say it works. Can’t wait for the sequel! A (Joe Allison)

Persepolis — An animated feature
Persepolis is a beautiful story of a young girl living in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. It takes place through the eyes of very precocious and outspoken nine-year old, Marjane. Instead of accepting the country’s rules and regs — such as wearing a veil — she’s listening to Iron Maiden, punk and ABBA. To protecther, her parents send iher to Austria at 14, where she’s all alone; her later return to Iran and wearing the veil, and her future thereafter. Done in black and white with simply-drawn animated figures, the film is extremely creative. It has received nominations for both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award. A– (Linda Hollar)

Juno – Starring Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney and J.K. Simmons. Directed by Jason Bateman. (Yes, who’s in the movie and still comes across like Michael J. Fox’s nice cousin).
Juno (Page) is a typical teenager. Fun loving, light-hearted, sexually active and… pregnant. For our purposes, pregnant is the important part here. Not one to waste time, she zips down to the clinic, gets cold feet and sets her sights on adoption. One goofy ad in the Pennysaver later, Juno and her best chum find the prospective parents. And that’s pretty much it. The rest of the film is all about the interactions between the characters, how pregnancy affects a teenager’s life and loads of witty dialogue. It’s a lot more entertaining and clever than the commercials make it out to be, so do yourself a favor and check it out. B+ (Joe Allison)

No Country for Old Men — Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardern, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald. Directed & written for the screen by the Coen brothers. Adopted from Cormac McCarthy’s novel
Not that you’d know it from the previews, but No Country is basically an old school vengeance film. Set in 1980, it follows Llewelyn Moss (Brolin) as he finds a big stack of cash in the middle of a whole bunch of dead guys. After making the completely poor decision to go back and give the only living guy left some water, he finds himself hunted down by what is probably the most cold, if principled, killer ever put on film (Bardern). It’s hard to tell you much more than that without giving away too many details. Let’s just say people die, people bleed and people get busted up. If you long for stuff like “Death Wish” and “Dirty Harry,” No Country should suit you pretty well. A (Joe Allison)