Eagle Eye, Nick and Norah, How to Lose Friends...

Eagle Eye - At the very least it's entertaining. Entertaining in a "wow, this will never ever happen" kind of way. I'm all about conspiracy theories and corrupt government tales but, geez, even this one is pushing it. I'm not going to give away the big surprise but I will say that it's disappointing to say the least. I am still on the side of the fence that thinks Shia LaBeouf is fantastic. Maybe he's not as good of an actor as someone like Emile Hirsch or Paul Dano but he is charming as hell. He's got that perfect sort of combination of charm, wit and looks. So, watching him for two hours (only it felt like three) was great. I can't say that this movie is good per se but it is exciting at times and it will at least keep your interest, even if it is a little hard to follow at times. Still, it's not a bad way to kill two hours.
Grade: C+

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - The same could be said for Nick and Norah. Not a bad way to kill two hours. It's at times very funny, it's always very hipster friendly but it's mostly predictable and cliche. It's maybe trying too hard to be cool. But, then again, aren't most hipsters trying too hard to be cool? Anyway, the film follows one crazy night in New York City and the adventures of a bunch of teens as they try to make it to a secret show by the elusive band Where's Fluffy. Much ensues, mostly focusing on our hero and heroine, Nick (Michael Cera - wonderfully funny and charming) and Norah (Kat Dennings - not as annoying as I thought she'd be). They have an attraction to one another but both have some issues with exes. Nick is still hung up on the Tris (the beautiful Alexis Dzenia) who broke his heart and Norah is on-again / off-again with Tal (one of my celeb crushes, Jay Baruchel whose very presence makes this a better movie). Anyway, the movie is fun at times and very funny at times as well. Still, we've seen it all before. Mostly the "plus" here is for whoever cast this film because the cast is pretty fricking great - even if they don't always have the greatest material.
Grade: C+

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People - It's pretty sad when I have to type the following sentence... "Thank heavens for Kirsten Dunst." Yeah, I said it. I'm not her biggest fan (or her fan at all, really) but she's really the only thing decent about this movie. Her Alice (or Allison... I'm not entirely sure... that's how much I didn't care about this movie) is the living embodiment of most women in their twenties and she does a damn good job portraying the confusion and frustration. Lead Simon Pegg, usually funny and charming, is trite and boring here. Hottie Megan Fox does a solid job being hot... but that's about it. For being billed as a comedy, the only funny things really come out of Jeff Daniels mouth - and that's not really a surprise. Overall, this movie is pretty boring.
Grade: D

88 Minutes - Why Al Pacino why? I don't even know what to say about this mess. First of all, yes, it's called 88 minutes and it runs for almost two hours. I'm fine with that. There is a deeper meaning to the phrase "88 minutes." I mean, if you can call "lame filler back story" deep then sure. The supporting cast is terrible. The script is terrible. The big outcome twist is apparent to anyone with half a brain. And, really, why Al Pacino? Why?
Grade: D-