By Shelli Sonstein - Clear Channel

Once in a while a film comes out of nowhere that just shines in originality. 27 year old director Josh Trank (who helmed the mostly unseen gem “Big Fan” starring Patton Oswalt) and screenwriter Max Landis (son of “The Blues Brothers” and “The Twilight Zone”filmmaker John Landis) make for an exciting moviemaking team.. They’re new and bring a breath of fresh air to Hollywood. I can’t wait to see their next creation.

Three high schoolers discover a mysterious hole in a wooded area and after going inside to explore , they suddenly develop superpowers that intensify each day. Chronicled by one of the teens armed with a video camera, what begins as a thrilling blast turns dark and tragic. Think about it: mixing teenage angst with super powers??? Not a good combo.

The three mostly unknown stars are fantastic. Fans of “Friday Night Lights” and “The Wire” will recognize Michael B. Jordan , who also stars in “Red Tails”. Dane DeHaan has also won critical acclaim from “In Treatment”. Alex Russell rounds out the well-drawn trio.

The trailer looks hokey but trust me- see see see this movie. I can’t wait for the sequel.

4 stars

By Shelli Sonstein - Clear Channel

This is one of those rare true family films that will have you discarding your cheese filter to be totally immersed in a story based on a real-life effort to free family of whales trapped in beyond frigid waters in Barrow, Alaska in the 80’s. It took a village to do it. It was the unlikely coalition of Greenpeacers (with an unmade-up-bad-haired Drew Barrymore in the lead) , native Alaskan whale hunters, an oil tycoon (a very charming Ted Danson), tv reporters (with John Krasinski as the local guy who broke the story) , the White House and even The Soviets all working together. It sounds like a whale of a tale, right? But it happened.

Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski carry the film . There’sa nice family subplot involving a very engaging young native Alaskan and his old school grandfather. Tim Blake Nelson is most authentic as a whale expert. Kristen Bell is an ambitious reporter from L.A. who’s woefully unprepared for the brutal tundra . Dermot Mulroney is the very macho Alaskan National Guard colonel leading the government charge.

While adults won’t be rushing out to be the first to see it, this is perfect for the family. Blessedly 3-d-free, this one’s tense, and heartfelt and funny.

2-and-a-half stars

By Shelli Sonstein - Clear Channel

Not even a full month into the new year, we have the feel-bad movie of the year. It’s hard to imagine any film being a bigger downer . Yes- when it comes to depressing- this even tops Tilda Swinton as the mom of a teenage mass killer in We Need To Talk About Kevin. This one is even more hopeless than the apocalyptic The Road, which had audiences walking out and ruined Viggo Moretensen’s shot at an oscar. Come to think of it, that’s just what happened to Tilda Swinton, who was shutout of the Oscars this year- despite some mighty fine acting. I guess you CAN be too depressing for Oscar voters.

A mysteriously heartbroken Liam Neeson leads oil riggers after their plane crashes in a remote part of Alaska, where they are days away from death: either by the punishing weather or the human-hunting wolves.

Liam Neeson does some rich acting here. It’s his movie all the way. And talk about fierce- he actually punches a wolf!!! But if Neeson is on an Oscar hunt, well, see the above.

Before even viewing the film, some wolf enthusiasts are up in arms because they say wolves would be shunning, not hunting humans. Never mind worrying about animal rights people boycotting the film. I say, who wants to pay money to be get depressed??? And you could end up paying twice as much to drown your sorrows after!!!

1 star

Glenn Close stars as the title character Albert Nobbs, only she isn't who people think he is. The early 19th century is riddled with injustice, and Ireland is no different in this time. Donning male attire for a one time job freezes the character of Albert Nobbs and erases the woman within. After 30 years of planning and saving, Albert is ready to move forward with a new job, a new social standing and a new wife.

This movie proves the point that the bonds we make for ourselves are the hardest to break. Close delivers an interesting look into a character that doesn't shine, but excels at being dull. She is complemented in her tale by a painter and "illusionist" played by Janet McTeer. Her character expands the world of Albert Nobbs, perhaps overwhelmingly so.

Truth be told, I understood what this movie wanted of me, but I just didn't fall into place. The set and costume were superb, but something in the story didn't have me setting off fireworks. Though if you are looking for a Shakespearean story set in 19th century Ireland, with a very interesting hook, then buy your ticket and take a seat.

Grade: B-

Rating: R

Movie trailer - Albert Nobbs

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A super soldier dressed in super glam comes to a shocking conclusion at the end of her night. She's been set up and wasn't supposed to survive. Mallory (MMA star Gina Carano) takes no time when action is called for. The people she trusted and called friends are hunting her down like a rabbit. Unfortunately, this rabbit is deadly and determined with the laser focus of a bull.

Animal metaphors aside, this story isn't supremely new. What makes Haywire different is Steven Soderburghs vision of an action movie. Casting Carano (An actual MMA fighter) and shooting the fights with realism as the main objective. On top of that, he adds a cast that would make most Oscar nominations with names like Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas and Michael Fassbender.

Haywire and its main character Mallory aren't quite up to the standard of one vs. all action set by the Bourne movies. Though, it does introduce the idea of a female warrior that doesn't make excuses when action and violence are called for. Watch the action, enjoy the explosions and notice the dress!

Grade: B

Rating: R

Movie interview with cast of Haywire

Movie trailer - Haywire

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An Ex-con that was an Ex-cop takes New York hostage from a ledge. Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) plays the only chip he has left, his own life. Taking in the attention of the media, the police and New York City as a whole Eddie pleads his case so the truth may come out. Either he's a wrongly accused innocent man or he's another jumper and sad statistic. Along for the ride is hostage negotiator Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks) that wants to believe Nick, but knows that he is playing a dangerous and multi-level game.

A simple premise with some fun and easy to follow twists, Man on a Ledge delivers a good afternoon at the movies.

Grade: B

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Movie trailer - Man on a Ledge

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By Shelli Sonstein - Clear Channel

It took George Lucas – yes the great Star Wars George Lucas 24 years to get this important story brought to film. To this day, Hollywood is skittish when it comes to an all-black big budget blockbuster project. It’s a passion project for Lucas – he says he wants to inspire teenage boys. And inspire this does!

This is the story of the first African-American pilots in the Air Force, a group that battles the Nazis and racism at the same time. The movie begins with a quote from a 1925 Army War College study, concluding blacks are "mentally inferior to the white man." The Tuskegee experiment, as it was called, had these first black airmen basically doing mop-up duty til one act of bravery, taking out a German munitions train, opened the door to playing a much more critical role in the war.

Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. and Oscar nominee Terence Howard are the only big stars. Most of the others are on the cusp. While the acting is sincere, the dialogue is clumsy in parts and there are the occasional anachronisms. Sorry, but "man-up" is very 2012.

The aerial scenes are tremendous. Fittingly, the film has a very old-school Hollywood feel with narrative story-telling and even a cross-cultural love story thrown in.

This is such a great example of how film can inspire, not only to achieve and do the right thing, but inspire to learn more about history.

3 stars

By Shelli Sonstein - Clear Channel

This 2 hour long movie has a tough mountain to climb. First , there’s the impossibly hard-to-remember title, taken from the fictional book by the same name. Plus, it’s hard attracting an audience to a 911 tragedy film. It helps to add on 2 A-list stars: the always wonderful Tom Hanks as the dad who dies and Sandra Bullock as the grieving mom who can barely pull herself out of bed.

Actually, the best thing in this movie is 14 year old Thomas Horn , the unknown who plays the only child – a child who is genius-level smart but probably suffers from Asberger’s Syndrome. Horn has no acting experience at all. He was first spotted winning Kids Week on “Jeopardy!”. He blew me away. So did Max Von Sydow, who gives did an Oscar-worthy job without ever speaking a single word in this film.

The problem is the story . It’s just , well, unbelievable. A year after losing his dad to 911 (the bonding parent who inspired him to overcome his fears), young Oskar finds a mysterious key in his dad’s closet and goes on an unlikely search of the city for the key’s owner, hoping to find a link to his dad.

While certainly the tragedy rings true, there’s no way a mom would give a young kid so much freedom in the Big Apple. Also feeling false- the reactions these New Yorkers have to this kid.

This one’s tooooo sentimental for its own good . But keep an eye on Thomas Horn. A star is born!!!

2 stars

Big money goes to people who take chances; no one knows this better than your modern day smuggler. Everything from drugs to cars to currency gets smuggled into the country on a daily basis. The best used to be Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg) and his friend and partner Sebastian (Ben Foster). But danger and a new lease on life has them as retired.

Of course, retirement isn't something you can't get out of. Especially when Chris's wife Kate (Kate Beckinsale) ask him to help her younger brother who is in deep with a drug runner and psychopath (Giovanni Ribisi). So with little left in the way of options, Chris sets off to be the good guy and save the day the only way he knows how, by doing bad things.

This movie didn't blow me away, but that's sometimes the case with January action-esque releases. If you're looking for a quick story with a premise that isn't terrible, then maybe this movie is for you. On a side note: the beautiful and action packed Kate Beckinsale is in the movie and the only stunt that have for her is falling down. Guess you'll have to wait for Underworld to see her voracious might in 3D.

Grade: C+

Rating: R

Movie trailer - Contraband

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By Shelli Sonstein - Clear Channel

Meryl Streep, as always, is astounding. She nails it. And Jim Broadbent is a great balance as her much lighter-hearted better half. But the movie lacks drama. It plays like a Margaret-Thatcher’s- greatest-hits.

It’s almost an insult to one of the most powerful women in history because it focuses, more than anything else, on her apparent Alzheimer’s disease . The most insightful moment comes in her visit to her doctor, who inquires how she’s feeling. She launches into a speech about how that’s what’s so wrong with society- everyone concerned with feelings , with the telling line , “Thoughts and ideas are what matter most. What we think is what we become”. That’s the Margaret Thatcher I wish we learned more about in this film. We lack insight her “whys” . The film glosses over the family sacrifices she made along with the toll her career took on her marriage. Drama. This time more drama would have been the best thing.

You can wait for the dvd on this one but it’s worthy of your time just because of Meryl Streep- simply the best actress of our time.

2 stars

By Shelli Sonstein - Clear Channel

EVERYONE in this movie is a good person. Even the kinda-sorta-bad guys have a heart of gold. Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton are a hoot as frenemies in a church choir that always loses when it comes to choiring competitions. Thus the name Joyful Noise. So there’s lots of singing and lots of chuckles, with Latifah taking verbal jabs at Dolly and Dolly mostly making fun of her own plastic surgeries.

If you blink, you'll miss Kris Kristofferson, though he makes a sweet cameo late in the game.

This is one for the "Glee" crowd. And it's actually a warm, fuzzy family film – but not for the wee young ones.

2-and-a-half stars

Tom Cruise's super agent Ethan Hunt has beaten Robert Downey Jr's super sleuth Sherlock Holmes to the top of the box office.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol took over at number one on Sunday with a $26.5 million second-weekend take.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows dropped a spot to two with $17.8 million.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked claimed the third spot and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo debuted at four. Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin rounded out the Christmas Day top five.

By Shelli Sonstein - Clear Channel

I had the same reaction to Crowe's We Bought A Zoo that I had to Martin Scorcese's Hugo: what took you so long to do a family film? This one is perfect for adults and kids. It's the only film that brought me even to close to tears this year.

Wearing its heart of its sleeve, this one nails a grieving family in a mostly feel-good movie. It doesn't go into mawkish-depressed-mode. In fact, it has a lot of laughs. But it's still about facing loss. Matt Damon has never been better. Colin Ford is excellent as his grieving , acting-out artistic son. And you'll just want to eat up the adorable Maggie Elizabeth Jones as the young daughter.

Scarlett Johansson goes against type here, as the head zookeeper. But even glammed-down, she still looks gorgeous. The budding romance is the least of this film. It’s all about family, loss, healing, re-building – all with an authentic humanity. Not to mention some really fun animals.

I loved it. Yes- do take the kids.

3-and-a-half stars

By Shelli Sonstein - Clear Channel

This close to 2-and-a-half hour epic begins and ends as a love story: between a young man and his extraordinary horse. Set in England just before World War One, young Albert trains and tames a horse he names Joey only to lose him to the war. It’s the horse, not Albert, who serves. The movie follows what happens to this incredible horse during the war and how he changes the lives of everyone he encounters.

The scenery and action are thrilling but more than anything else, I could not believe the acting skills of this horse. Seriously. If only critics groups had an animal category!

This film is classic Spielberg and could easily become its own classic. Do take the kids (maybe not the youngest but 7 and up) and do see it with them. Don’t wait for the DVD on this one It needs the big screen to show all its glory.

3-and-a-half stars

Based on the 50-million-seller Swedish trilogy known worldwide, the original was one of my favorite movies of 2009. Noomi Rapace was brilliant and utterly searing as the fierce, smoldering Lisbeth Salander. So, why remake what was already great? Basically, because Americans don’t flock to subtitled films. Period.

Fight Club and Seven director David Fincher has created a more stylized thriller-mystery. While he’s mostly faithful to the original, his is way sharper, visually, right from the beginning with Trent Reznor's daring remake of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" with Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O on the lead, coupled with an artsy video. The Oscar winner (for The Social Network score) amps it up in this film- a perfect compliment to Fincher’s vision.

Like the original, at 2 hours and 40 minutes, this is one of the longer movies of the year. It's a nice twist that Fincher changes the ending. And while he throws in more sex and more nudity for the multiply-pierced Rooney Mara, the brutal scenes are less so in Fincher version, if you can believe, because they're still hard to watch.

But it's (relative) newcomer Rooney Mara (she was the dumper of Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network) who makes this movie great. Without saying a word, Mara's Lisbeth would still be unforgettable. While she's not quite as physically menacing as Rapace’s Lisbeth, hers is more layered, revealing vulnerability along with her feminist anti-authortity stance. She's rich. And no doubt, she will set off fashion trends with her hardcore look. In fact, H&M already launched a fashion line based on her character.

Daniel Craig is an improvement from the original. Robin Wright is perfectly cast as his sometimes lover/boss and Christopher Plummer adds humanity as the uncle of the disappeared niece.

While the 2nd and 3d movies in the original trilogy paled in comparison to the first, with Fincher at the helm, I can’t wait to see how he ramps up the next two.

3-and-a-half stars

By Shelli Sonstein - Clear Channel

Close to 30 years after playing the role on stage, 5-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close gives a subtle, quiet , dignified and understated performance on screen as a woman who chooses to live as a man, not because she’s gay, but to make enough money to one day own her own store.

Close’s Albert Nobbs is a stoic, hardworking, eager-to-please servant at a Dublin hotel. His/her life changes when he’s forced to room with another male servant , who discovers his secret and exuberantly reveals his own secret- unbuttoning a shirt to reveal very womanly breasts of her own. As Hubert Page, Janet McTeer has very different reasons for disguising as a woman. He left a miserable marriage and found new love, marriage and happiness with a woman. Albert Nobbs is inspired to try to do the same with another hotel servant, Mia Wasikowska.

Close and McTeer are very impressive, McTeer even more so , tearing into her role. The story gets bogged down in too much period detail. I definitely could have done away with seeing so much of how the 99% lived in Dublin back then. It’s a telling look at the few options most women had in the 19th century, that’s for sure.

2-and-a-half stars

By Shelli Sonstein - Clear Channel

Major props to Angelina Jolie for making an important movie about an issue many won’t want to watch: a brutal look at the genocide and ethnic-cleansing carried out in the 8 year Bosnian war. She shot each scene in English and Bosnian but chose to release it in the foreign-language form, preserving its authenticity. She could have made it more mainstream by starring herself but she chose to use local actors, who she worked with every step of the way, to make sure their tragic story was told accurately.

This is a fictional love story that starts before the war- a love between a Serbian cop (and son of an army leader) and a Muslim artist. It’s a forbidden love that changes dramatically as the war drags on.

Jolie never shies away- whether it's the lovemaking or the war atrocities. She never flinches. So, it's not easy to watch , by any means. But it’s an important history lesson from an activist actress who literally puts her money where her mouth is.

Jolie is already getting one award: the 2012 Stanley Kramer Award from The Producer's Guild of America. The film also scored a Golden Globe nomination for best foreign film. Not too shabby for a directorial virgin.

3-and-a-half stars

"Your mission, if you choose to accept it" has been uttered once again. We find the world on the brink of destruction once again and the man on the top of everyone’s Christmas list is Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise). We find him locked in a maximum security prison is Russia with nothing on his to-do list until he is broken out by MI agents Jane (Paula Patton) and Benji (Simon Pegg). They need Ethan to track down a mad man bent on world destruction.

They are on the case and given an ultra-secret directive to stop nuclear fallout at all costs. Along the way they pick up agent Brandt (Jeremy Renner) an analyst with very definitive and secret skills. They traverse the world in search of clues and any ties to the terrorist organization holding the button to Armageddon.

As you know this is a Tom Cruise movie, so expect a lot of running, actions, and as everyone who has a TV knows, many high flying feats. This movie is filled with chases and fun technology, not to mention very cinematic views and locations. And while I did enjoy this movie, it did not reach any further than the action category for me. So if you are looking for 2 & 1/2 hours of booms, bangs, chases and close calls. Then Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is for you.

BTW, yes it is worth it to see the movie in IMAX!

Grade: B+

Rating: PG-13

Movie trailer - Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

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Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) is back and revving to stop a mad man. With his trusty partner Watson (Jude Law), he attempts to unravel the diabolical schemes of a mathematical genius named Moriarty (Jared Harris). Using not only his wits, but his physical prowess and chameleon-like flare, he creates a world with levels upon levels.

This round has Sherlock's nemesis at equal footing; a chess game of epic proportions is played. And the stakes in this game have never been higher with loved ones and friends being targeted to throw Holmes off the case. He quickly discovers though that he will need to redouble his efforts because thousands and millions of live may just be on the line.

If you are looking for a fun escape this holiday season, I recommend A Game of Shadows. It speeds up and expands past the first installment and delivers a more well-rounded adventure. Robert Downey Jr. has captured something more in the character and it shows in his humor and timing. Alongside him Jude Law and the direction also take a jump forward. The character of Sherlock Holmes is being revived and I couldn't be happier.

Grade: A

Rating: PG-13

Movie trailer - Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

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By Shelli Sonstein - Clear Channel

Re-teaming team Juno writer Diablo Cody and director Jason Reitman, Charlize Theron stars as Mavis, a lonely alcoholic 30something year old writer who can’t get past the fact that the greatest time of her life was back in high school. Theron is such a narcissist, she doesn’t even remember the outsiders who fawned over her back in her glory days. The story takes her back to her hick Minnesota hometown, where she’s on a demented mission to win back her high school boyfriend (Patrick Wilson) who is blissfully happy as a married new dad.

This is a dark, cynical, twisted comedy that will have you cringing and guiltily laughing at the same time. This could be Theron’s most delicious role yet- way against type. Comedian Patton Oswalt (best known as Spencer on "King of Queens" is completely authentic as the guy who was left damaged by high school (both physically and mentally in a mistaken gay hate crime). He’s the only one who’s on to Mavis’s psycho ways.

Much darker than Juno, Cody and Reitman staunchly refuse to take the easy way out of what turns out to be one of the standouts of the year.

3-and-a-half stars