Synopsis of Avatar: When his brother is killed in a robbery, paraplegic Marine Jake Sully decides to take his place in a mission on the distant world of Pandora. There he learns of greedy corporate figurehead Parker Selfridge’s intentions of driving off the native humanoid “Na’vi” in order to mine for the precious material scattered throughout their rich woodland. In exchange for the spinal surgery that will fix his legs, Jake gathers intel for the cooperating military unit spearheaded by gung-ho Colonel Quaritch, while simultaneously attempting to infiltrate the Na’vi people with the use of an “avatar” identity. Source

My Take: Phenomenal is a word that falls short in describing this movie. The visuals are ushering in a new era of CG that I welcome with open arms. Well scripted, well acted, and all around win.

[ Available on Amazon ]

Synopsis of Coraline: When Coraline moves to an old house, she feels bored and neglected by her parents. She finds a hidden door with a bricked up passage. During the night, she crosses the passage and finds a parallel world where everybody has buttons instead of eyes, with caring parents and all her dreams coming true. When the Other Mother invites Coriline to stay in her world forever, the girl refuses and finds that the alternate reality where she is trapped is only a trick to lure her. Source

My Take: As a die hard Tim Burton fan… I had to see this movie. Directly after leaving the theater I told myself that I would own it! On the surface it is a children’s tale, but it has a sinister underlying quality making it creepy and awesome.

[ Available on Amazon ]

Synopsis of Sherlock Holmes: After finally catching serial killer and occult “sorcerer” Lord Blackwood, legendary sleuth Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson can close yet another successful case. But when Blackwood mysteriously returns from the grave and resumes his killing spree, Holmes must take up the hunt once again. Contending with his partner’s new fiancée and the dimwitted head of Scotland Yard, the dauntless detective must unravel the clues that will lead him into a twisted web of murder, deceit, and black magic. Source

My Take: Serious yet funny and witty too. This movie had me laughing throughout, while also keeping me wondering what would happen next. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law played off of one another wonderfully. A must see for sure.

[ Available on Amazon ]

Synopsis of the ‘Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Extended’: Well… all the plot summaries I could find for this long winded tale take as long to read as it does to watch the films! So here is my super short trilogy summary. Frodo Baggins gets chosen to carry the burden of the evil “one ring” all the way to the fires of Mount Doom where it was forged. Many war time events transpire throughout the trilogy and lives are lost. It all boils down to a really long walk to a big volcano though.

My Take: My summary might make it sound as if I don’t like the trilogy, but I love it. The extended edition of the Lord of the Rings especially, because you get to see the extra footage that helps to flesh out some of the story and it is very valuable indeed. If you have about 12 hours to spend then you should consider this to entertain you.

[ Available on Amazon ]

Synopsis of Zombieland: CThe horror comedy Zombieland focuses on two men who have found a way to survive a world overrun by zombies. Columbus is a big wuss — but when you’re afraid of being eaten by zombies, fear can keep you alive. Tallahassee is an AK-toting, zombie-slaying’ bad ass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth. As they join forces with Wichita and Little Rock, who have also found unique ways to survive the zombie mayhem, they will have to determine which is worse: relying on each other or succumbing to the zombies. Source

My Take: This movie had me laughing pretty hard. Woody Harrelson was especially fantastic and made me want a Twinkie… and I hate Twinkies!

[ Available on Amazon ]