Movie | Nanny McPhee Returns | Pass

Kids' movies need to be magical and this one is. The plot is a bit messy and the action can drag a bit at times, but the cast is just a knockout and the production as well. Among many special cameos, there's Sinead Matthews from Ideal. Plenty of fun to be had and as good as the first one. Also known as Nanny McPhee and The Big Bang in the UK. A Pass.

Movie | Zoku Sanshiro Sugata | Pass

This sequel to Sanshiro Sugata gets panned by critics and fans alike, but I happened to like it. I loved how the beginning is the same as the original and I like seeing the continuation of the story. I give it a Pass.

Movie | Gone Baby Gone | Pass

Awful and gruesome premise of a child abduction don't remove the fact that this a different and superbly done film noir set in modern Boston. The acting is really marvelous, though Monaghan's character is disappointingly underdeveloped. Amy Ryan steals the show. I'd only seen her in The Office and she's a heck of an actor. A Pass, if you have the stomach for it.

TV | Boardwalk Empire | Fail

Hoowhee...somebody woke up on the grandiose side of the bed! Buscemi is his usual spectacular self, but this drama about the start of Atlantic City and the associated corruption was boring. It never seemed to turning the corner and present any surprises. I suppose if you're fascinated by prohibition, then this one might be for you. But, for me, it was a Fail because it never caught my imagination.

TV | Californication | Fail

Lots of sex don't make things interesting (yeah, I know that's the premise) about a guy with writer's block in LA. Everything is in place for a good show, but things never seem to spark. A Fail.

Movie | The Winning Season | Pass

Another retelling of The Bad News Bears (and similar movies). This one centers on the coach, a down on his luck loser who can't deal with a single aspect of his life with any success. Still, this one was a lot of fun in in a predictable way. Lots of foul language, so not for the younger set. A Pass.

Movie | Sanshiro Sugata | Pass

Also known as The Judo Saga, that's exactly what you're going to get - a movie about the beginning of that marvelous martial art set in Samurai Japan. You don't get better than Kurosawa, so why haven't you seen this yet?!? Yes, it's slow and the overly dramatic acting can seem dated, but it's still fantastic. I've seen this many times and enjoyed seeing it again - a Pass!

Movie | Cyrus | Fail

A good cast and cool indie feel just can't save what is a dreadful plot in the end. Thoroughly unsatisfying and yet strangely compelling to watch. We just ended up staring blankly at the screen when the credits rolled and then turned to each other and said, "Yeah, but why?"

Maybe it would have been a Pass if it had a more satisfying conclusion. Regardless, it was a Fail (but not a strong Fail).

TV | Dead Set | PASS

If you've been shuffling around and groaning a lot because you can't wait for the next season of The Walking Dead...your moans have been answered!

Imagine a show going on concurrently to that show (but in reality predates it - I wonder if The Walking Dead folks watched this?), but set in England. This time, it's a group of people inside and outside a Big Brother TV show set (thus, the name). Don't worry, there isn't a lot of focus on the uber-annoying, genre-defining show itself. Instead, it's all about the people and their struggle with the zombie apocalypse.

Great, great, great and gory, gory, gory! Like I said, if you liked The Walking Dead, you're gonna love this one! By the guy that did Brass Eye (which I didn't love) and Nathan Barley (which was alright).

A keeper (and not a huge time investment) and a Pass! Braaaaaiiinnnnssss.....

TV | Modern Family | Pass

Super fun sitcom that hits a lot of funny bone moments. I originally thought the show was stupid, but that's because I'd only seen bits and pieces of show. Out of context, the show offers nothing. But viewing each episode as a whole makes it all work. The characters are notably nice to each other and support each other no matter what, which is refreshing. A Pass!

Movie | The First Men In The Moon | Pass

Continuing the Moon theme, this is another enjoyable HG Wells adaptation. This one is low-budget and originally made for TV, but still fun and a Pass! A must for all steampunks.

Movie | Despicable Me | PASS

Hugely enjoyable movie about a super-villain that wants to steal the moon. Basically, a more kid-friendly Igor and well worth watching. You'd have to be a super-bore not to have a great time with this flick! A Super PASS!

Helpful Hint: The Unicorn Song, from the soundtrack, is possibly the best song to hit the heavy bag or lift weights to, ever.

Helpful Tip | How To Zombie-proof Your Car | Pass

Movie | The Last King of Scotland | Pass

Epic set in the 70s about a young doctor who becomes entwined with a Uganda dictator...and what did you think would happen? Yep, bad stuff! Still, a superb cast including James McAvoy and Forest Whitaker and superbly shot. If you're up for it, a Pass.

Movie | Special | Pass

Superb indie about a man who lives a dreary life. So, he decides to sign up for a drug testing program. Suddenly, he has superpowers...or does he?

This isn't particularly a feel good movie, but it's very well done given the budget. Excellent cast and great music make this one a definite Pass! See also Defendor, which this movie is sort of a reverse version of.

Movie | The Invasion | Fail

 Joyless remake of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. None of the roles were good for the actors' careers, but Craig in particular bothered me. It felt as if the air was being sucked out of the room when he was onscreen. I guess I'm just not a big fan of his.

Still, I watched the entire thing. So it wasn't a horrible Fail, juuuuust weak enough not to be a Pass (the final action sequences almost save it).

GREAT movie poster, though!

Movie | Trucker | Pass

Well done character study of a young woman who drives a semi for a living. As usual, life throws her some curve balls, which she has to deal with. The drama is realistic and rather depressing, but the actors really pour a lot of life into each scene.

The acting is notably good. Monaghan, Fillion and (even with minimal screen time) Bratt are so full of onscreen charisma... It was particularly fun to watch Bennett, whom we know from the fun TV show No Ordinary Family.

Well done, but not an upper - Pass.

TV | The Dresden Files | Pass

Magic is goofy. It just comes across as nerdy and dorky onscreen. Rarely can it be truly magical. Still, this was a fun show for lasting only one season. It would have been interesting to see where they went with it. The cast is quite good and they modernized it by making it more gruesome. The plots and dialogue avoid being too ridiculous and stay pretty entertaining.

Had promise, but killed before it could develop. Firefly, anyone? A Pass and worth a DVD rental if the subject doesn't turn you off.

Movie | Finishing The Game | Fail

Unfunny, but mildly (very mildly) entertaining mocumentary about the search for an actor to replace the deceased Bruce Lee in The Game of Death. For aspiring filmmakers, Bruce Lee fans and Kung Fu Theater fans only, this gets a fail because it's a comedy but there are no laughs. Some cool cameos, though, including James Franco.

Movie | Rebel Truce: The History of The Clash | Pass

Required viewing for any punk or rock aficionado. My only complaint is that surely they could have found footage of The Clash performing that synced up to music they actually played in the documentary. Bizarrely, they kept replaying the same footage that wasn't the song. Still great, though.

Movie | You Kill Me | Pass

Weak but passable tale of an alcoholic hitman sent to rehab in SF. Underutilized, good cast slightly marred by Kingsley's horrible fake accent (he's great, though, otherwise). The tag line on the poster (above) is not accurate. You will NOT die laughing...

Movie | Eat Pray Love | Fail

Robert's character is completely unlikable in this (what is basically a) travelogue. Makes you want to visit those places, but you sure don't want to spend any time with her! What a whiner. And she couldn't have been any more self involved. Blech.

TV | Top Gear: US Edition | Fail

I'm torn about this one. It's Top Gear, fer gosh sakes! What's not to like?!?

Well, the show is a faithful rendition of the UK version, minus the hosts. These guys have absolutely no charm or spark. It's as if someone told them to speak slooooowly and move as if they're wading through molasses. They just suck the fun out of practically every scene. There is no compelling reason to watch this over the English original.

They look like they just suffered through 12 hours of staring at a wall in the picture above.

Still, I'll watch every episode. But that doesn't make it anything other than what it is - a Fail.

UPDATE: No change. The show should be scrapped and redone with a different hosts. Just doesn't work with these three guys, who certainly seem nice enough but never gell and are extremely irritating.

Movie | Igor | Pass

Surprisingly fun animated kid's movie that isn't remotely for kids. Very dark, and well worth watching. Just not for children.

People | Leslie Nielsen | RIP

One of the most versatile, under-rated actors has passed away. Time to review his library of work!

Movie | Iron Man 2 | Pass

Decent franchise addition, with plenty of action and enjoyable dialogue. I can't remember all of the tie-ins and references to other characters and storylines, so some of it went over my head. Still, a great popcorn movie!

TV | Shattered | Pass AND Fail

Callum Keith Rennie is just one of those actors that you WANT to watch. His charisma really draws you in and he's got a great edge to him, like he could tell you a joke that you'd remember for the rest of your life, then suddenly hold a knife to your neck.

Unfortunately, his luck in finding exactly the right role that will showcase his skills and onscreen personality continues to allude him in this dark crime drama about a cop with multiple personalities.

Of course, if that premise is really interesting to you, you'll love this show! It doesn't me, so as much as I like him as an actor and this is clearly a well done show, it's just not for me.

A bummer. I hope he finds something someday truly worthy.

Movie | A Scanner Darkly | Fail

Slightly interesting mild scifi about a not-so-distant future where everything is monitored and everyone's a junkie. Unfortunately, it's all rather pointless, vague and less than satisfying. Based on a book by Phillip K. Dick, there are references that don't make sense to the casual watcher. They probably have great significance, if you know what they mean, but I wasn't interested enough to find out. Shame on me, maybe. But, shame on the filmakers for not involving me enough to make me care. The animation technique is interesting, but not so much that it lifts the movie out of the doldrums established by the long scenes composed of a couple of characters just talking and talking and talking. Downey steals the show as usual.

Movie | Bunny and the Bull | Pass

I saw this movie because it had a couple of the guys from The Mighty Boosh in it. It's a creative look into the mind of an agoraphobic who is reliving a trip he went on with a friend. His world is presented in a cartoon (using stop animation), two dimensional way and reminded me of The Science of Sleep.

Ultimately, a character study like this is going to be rather sad. And this movie is, but it's still worth watching if you like something a bit different and mildly shocking, subtle humor.

A Pass.

Movie | Predators | Pass

The mild twists on the plot, characters and casting made this a decent enough addition to a rather tired franchise. Thankfully, Rodriguez chose to produced and let Antal direct, who continues to be very promising (and if you haven't seen his movie Kontroll, you should).

Antal does a great job of making any scene rather claustrophobic and utilizes a rich palette of colors. It's almost as if he's using a different, top secret kind of film.

I was rather surprised to like this movie as much as I did. It wasn't great, but if you liked the other ones, you should like this one. A Pass.

Movie | Knight And Day | Pass

Picture perfect escapist action-comedy that hits every note! If you don't have fun with this one, you're dead inside. Say what you will about Cruise and Diaz, but they're also perfect in this. Super fun and a Pass!

Movie | The Expendables | Fail - WHAT?!?

I suppose if you're looking for a completely forgettable (quite violent) action flick, you could do a lot worse. But...

A truly epic cast can't save a truly stupid plot and dialogue. These guys deserved better - MUCH better. If the movie had starred a no-name cast, then it might have been a "Pass-ish". But, because of who was in this and the potential that was utterly discarded, this is a huge Fail.

What an absolute heart breaker. I hope all of them wise up, get a great script and do another movie together.

Movie | Legion | Pass

Despite all of the poor reviews, I actually really enjoyed about three-quarters of this movie. Sure, there were silly plot holes, but the cast was good and there were good elements reminiscent of Terminator/Movie where people are holed up somewhere to fight the monsters, The Seventh Sign and The Prophecy franchise. If you liked those movies, this one is a rental. I get all of the critical comments about this flick...but, seriously, what did you expect, really? A pass for a horror/action movie night!

Movie | Traitor | Pass

Don Cheadle stars in a movie that has Guy Pearce in it? I'm interested.

Unfortunately, I'm less interested in the plot of this tale of middle-eastern terrorists, political intrigue and religious fanaticism.

The acting was great, too. But the shaky camerawork gave me a headache as usual. It's a terrible technique that should be used very sparingly.

Bizarrely, this was written by Steve Martin. Well, excuse me! I wish I'd liked this more. Or, even better yet, take those two actors and put them in a better movie. Still, it's fairly well done and a Pass.

Movie | The Legend Is Born: Ip Man | Pass

This was not a great movie. Other than the fascinating (but regrettably mostly fictitious) documentation of Wing Chun's modern messiah Ip Man's life, the rest of the movie is pretty fluffy and ridiculous. The acting is fairly good, but the choreography just goes on and on and the usage of wire-fu just sucked the life out of it for me.

Oh, and the appearance of the real-life son of Ip Man, Ip Chun was very cool. Sammo Hung was his usual superb self and casting Yuen Biao was a brilliant move (he was the star of the best Wing Chun movie to date before the Donnie Yen's version - The Prodigal Son). The actor who played Ip Man was unfamiliar to me, but he was quite good.

But, unless you're a hardcore Wing Chun follower or just really love kung fu movies, this one is barely a Pass. Bummer. If you're looking for something really worth seeing, check out the movies that I've mentioned, The Prodigal Son and Ip Man instead.

People | Dino De Laurentiis | RIP

Mega-producer Dino De Laurentiis has passed away, a great loss to the cinematic world.

Movie | Drillbit Taylor | Pass

Surprise! Who knew this predictable story about a hobo who helps out some high school geeks would be so charming? Well, it is. All credit goes to a super cast and the clever dialogue. If you liked Major Payne, you'll like this one. Crazy, but a Pass!

Movie | Fanboys | Fail

A cool cast featuring some spectacular cameos can't save a dreadful script about four friends determined to see the next Star Wars movie before one of them dies. Barely any laughs and sadly a Fail. The force is weak with this one.

TV | The Walking Dead | PASS

Uh oh, AMC is at again. How one network can take so many interesting premises and make them so boring is beyond me. Take for example the remake of The Prisoner. A great cast and gorgeous filming couldn't compensate for the snails' pacing.

And how about Rubicon? The cool premise was brought down to such a crawl that I lost complete interest.

Does AMC stand for Arid Monotone Channel?

So, when I learned that they'd picked up a zombie series, I was tentative to say the least.

Happily, they've broken the mold, at least with the pilot. The show continues the dual traditions of excellent cast and superb cinematography, far exceeding "normal" TV standards.

The feel of the show is familiar and the first ten minutes could have been straight out of Mad Max, set in middle America of course. Then the plot turns to 28 Days Later, but without most of the frighteningly frenetic energy.

So, if you're a fan of the zombie or Richard Matheson-created I Am Legend genres, you've seen all of this before. And there sure has been a plethora of zombie movies lately. Pretty good ones, in fact. Fortunately, it's still fun and the entire production is buoyed by an excellent cast.

The lead, played by Andrew Lincoln, is not a familiar actor to me. But I found his performance to be superb. The show also features the fantastic Lennie James (Jericho), who is strangely uncredited on IMDB. Hopefully, that will be fixed and he will continue on with the show. It would be a crime if he wasn't utilized.

A common complaint recently is that some of the best true-blue American character roles are being handed to foreign actors. This show continues that criticism, as both James and Lincoln are English. How they hide their accents so well is amazing...

It's also nice to see Jon Bernthal in a decent role. He seems like a good actor that just hasn't found the right role yet. Hopefully, this will be it.

The show is gruesome and will amaze you with the nastiness portrayed on a cable TV channel. I was also less than thrilled about the violence towards children (even if pre-deadified) and animals. So, not for kids or the squeamish and definitely an R rating. What did you want, Thriller?

I haven't read the comic books that the show is based on, but from what I've read it's very, very close. Shot for shot, at times, even. So fans should be pleased.

Great usage of a little known late 90s Wang Chung song, Space Junk. Caution: R-rated YouTube clip for violence. And how about that reverse foreign subtitled video?

I loved it, especially the nihilistic angle. Two thumbs up and a Pass!

TV | The Lost Room | PASS

What a GREAT comic book adaptation! Creative story about a detective whose life gets entwine with a mysterious "lost room" - a place that doesn't exist in time and space. This was a six episode mini-series. Highly recommended and definitely a PASS!

TV | Luther | Fail

This well done, dark and stark English crime drama just didn't catch our fancy. It probably has a good ending at it's final and sixth episode, but we didn't make it that far. There weren't any likable characters and the plot didn't really interest us. Would probably appeal to some, but unfortunately a Fail for us.

TV | Todd Margaret | Fail

AKA "The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret".

Have only seen the pilot so far. Had promise. Some elements hit while others missed (the ending, in particular). Liked the cast and the premise is rather original. We'll see. Update coming.

Update: A Ye Old Fail. None of the characters are even remotely likable, entertaining or interesting. The jokes all fall flat and more often turn as nasty as possible, to negative effect. Clearly, they enjoyed making this show and the cast has such HUGE potential. But, it doesn't work at all on this show. A bummer and, ultimately, a Fail.

Movie | Freaked | Pass

It was fun to revisit this loopy, crass, loud and unpolished creative classic of punk rock cinema (that isn't a documentary). Great cast, music that will put you on edge, great visuals and plot and overacted to the umpteenth degree...if you're ready for it, have at it! Not for kids or even squeamish adults. Pass!

Movie | Holy Water | Fail

Tried to get through the beginning of this Irish tale of a woebegone village a couple of times. But, the characters were just too downtrodden. They probably strike it rich at some point and find that they were better off.

Might try again, but don't wait around for the review!

Movie | The Time Traveler's Wife | Fail

Lost interest after about 20 minutes. Couldn't see the point and was bothered by the terrible writing. Slick cinematography, though, and the very cool Eric Bana is in it. But, that's it. See Bana in Love The Beast instead. Fail.

Bana looks worried that he got himself into a dud in the still to the left. Which he did. Oops.

TV | No Ordinary Family | Pass

This was a surprisingly super pilot about a family that acquires superhero abilities. I wasn't expecting anything from this show and it turned out to be a lot of fun. Probably not appropriate for kids under 14-15, but worth a gander! A Pass.

TV | Terriers | Pass

Excellent yet familiar feeling show about an alcoholic ex-cop and his cat burgler buddy who try to get by doing a little PI work. There's a great Big Lebowski feel and the actors and production are excellent. Tons of potential to be a truly great show, but they're going to have to push the boundaries and get creative to get it there. Well worth a watch (from the beginning) and a Pass. Support this show - this is one of those really good shows that is going to go away because nobody knows about it!

TV | Raising Hope | Fail

We couldn't find anything to like in this Malcolm In The Middle/My Name Is Earl mashup. And, yes, we know it was from one of the Earl creators. This stinkaroo couldn't even be saved by the two very interesting actors, Martha Plimpton and Garrett Dillahunt. Fail.

TV | Chase | Fail

Completely lackluster, dull and boring TV show about US Marshals. There's nothing new here and there is nothing likable about any of the characters. To be honest, we never made it through the entire pilot. It might get better. For a great show about US Marshals with a lot of character, check out In Plain Sight instead. For now, a Fail.

Movie | Gunless | Pass

For Due South or lightweight Western fans only. But, still a Pass.

Movie | Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron | Pass

The Hellboy franchise always brings a somehow fresh spin to a genre that's been beaten to death. Decent animation, lackluster soundtrack, yawn-worthy plot, but fun to hear the same actors doing the voice work on the animated movies (straight to video). A Pass.