Contagion (2011)

Contagion (2011)

[6] Steven Soderbergh directs what is probably the most believable, realistic approach to a deadly epidemic movie that I've ever seen, but that doesn't necessarily make it the best movie. The building action is the film's strong point, and primarily…
Fast Five (2011)

Fast Five (2011)

[4] Vin Diesel and Paul Walker star as hot dudes who drive fast cars, apparently for the third or fourth time. I would never have given this kind of movie a look if it weren't for the unusually good notices…
Super 8 (2011)

Super 8 (2011)

[6] J.J. Abrams' comprehensive homage to Spielberg's early career is a decent spooky kids' adventure movie. It does a good job stirring nostalgia among 30-somethings like myself. It's not as mysterious or suspenseful as one might expect from Abrams, the…
Drive (2011)

Drive (2011)

[8] Ryan Gosling channels his inner Eastwood in this stylish thriller about a Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver. The combination of Hossein Amini's emotionally restrained script and Nicolas Winding Refn's visceral direction are a winning combination, boosted…
Hanna (2011)

Hanna (2011)

[7] Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones) stars as a mysterious teenager raised in the wilderness by her ex-CIA father (Eric Bana) to be a lethal killing machine. Director Joe Wright steps out of his comfort zone (his previous films include…
The Change-Up (2011)

The Change-Up (2011)

[3] I'm all for slummin' it through a naughty romp every now and then, and sex comedies are even a favorite genre of mine. But The Change-Up reeks of pathetic desperation, actually giving dick, fart, piss, and boob jokes a…
30 Minutes or Less (2011)

30 Minutes or Less (2011)

[5] Working from a stale script that comes too late in the Tarantino wake, this dark, violent 'who's conning who' comedy is made tolerable by its flavor-of-the-week casting. If you like Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, and Aziz Ansari (like I…
Red State (2011)

Red State (2011)

[7] I love horror movies and nothing scares me more than religious conviction. So I had high hopes for Kevin Smith's Red State. The funny man (Clerks, Chasing Amy) does right by the horror genre and delivers a mostly thrilling…
Thor (2011)

Thor (2011)

[4] Thor features solid direction from Kenneth Branagh, a rousing score from Patrick Doyle, and always stunning set design from Bo Welch. Tom Hiddleston gives the best performance in the film, as Thor's jealous brother, Loki. No one else, including…
Hesher (2011)

Hesher (2011)

[7] As a bullied grade-schooler (Devin Brochu) grapples with his mother's death, an enigmatic stoner bad boy named Hesher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) bursts into his life and further complicates things. At first, I worried that Gordon-Levitt would slip into show-off mode,…