Scott Mendelson

Faster 2010 95 minutesrated R by Scott Mendelson The most surprising thing about Faster is that it's not. It's not a thrill-a-minute action romp, nor...

Chris Morris's Four Lions works surprisingly well, because it dares to not obsess over the inherently daunting idea of laughing at those who wish to kill us.

Jackass 3-D grossed a whopping $50 million in its debut weekend, setting several records and setting punditry tongues wagging in the process.

The decision is a promising sign that Warner Bros. believes that the seventh Harry Potter is darn-well good enough not to need a 3D presentation to ensure massive box office success.

Opening an appealing mainstream comedy like 17 Again to $23 million is impressive. Opening a poorly-marketed and not-terribly appealing drama like Charlie St. Cloud to $12.5 million all by yourself: You, Zac Efron, are a genuine movie star.

The Last Airbender is a tragedy, pure and simple. The film is a structural disaster, the writing is putrid; perhaps the once-great M. Night Shyamalan is truly broken.

We all say we want empowering female characters who can play in the action sandbox. Yet we collectively cringe when said female heroes receive the same kind of brutal violence that is visited upon male action heroes.

In a day when Lost can't wrap up their six-year run without negating everything that came before it, and even 24 can't end with a bang, it's nice to see a final episode, even just a season finale, go out with a little style.

Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass is a film constantly at war with itself. It pertains to be a realistic story about what would happen if people decided to become masked avengers in a real big city, but it quickly gives way to implausibility.

This is not about whether the films are good or not, but whether critics properly understand the genre that said franchise represents.

An emphasis on character and plot over special effects usually results in a superior film. But with a horror picture, you occasionally do have to deliver the horror goods. Joe Johnston's The Wolfman fails on both grounds.

Dear John dethroned Avatar at the top of the box office over Super Bowl weekend. Wow... a film's opening weekend managed to exceed another film's eighth weekend.

The 3D work is truly immersive, creating the kind of 'you are there' effect that was before only achieved in cartoons like Coraline and The Polar Express.

Horror films work best when you realize that you cannot trust the filmmakers. But writer/director Oren Peli crafts a low-tech chiller that almost plays too fair with the audience.

2009 contained a number of surprise stinkers. This year I saw enough genuinely unfortunate misses to make a plausible list.

What is worth noting is that all of these male characters are basically users and abusers of their friends, family, and lovers. Yet Bella is attacked in various circles because she allows herself to be abused and used.

Pardon the obvious tardiness, but as often occurs, life got in the way. So, no more procrastination, here are my favorite films of the just finished year.

If you had a scene that explained away a massive plot hole, wouldn't you keep it in the final film? Stephen Norrington felt otherwise, leaving this breakthrough Marvel-adaptation Blade with a major storytelling gap.

Saw VI still has many of the problems that have plagued the series from the get-go. But, despite this, it's a breath of fresh air for those who have followed the series since the beginning.

Trick 'R Treat is a stunningly lifeless and seemingly aimless would-be horror comedy. It is a muted and rushed affair, seemingly edited without discipline and constructed without purpose.

The much anticipated and debated (amongst film nerds at least) Avatar debuted this weekend with $73 million. One thing we learned this weekend: never, ever bet against James Cameron.