Ender’s Game

I guess some folks thought this was going to be really big. For that to happen, it would have had to have been really good--and it’s not. Which isn’t to say it’s bad; the movie works on its own level, it’s entertaining and well-paced, most of what you see is visually impressive. There’s just something missing, a deficit that keeps this flick from making that jump into the stratosphere of big-time sci-fi hit. Perhaps it's too intellectual at its core; that might work in a book--this film is famously based upon a book--but a blockbuster action movie needs a little more "duh" in it. Maybe. You can still get a couple of decent hours out of watching it; it's just not "all that."

Hugo

Martin Scorsese finally discovers subtlety. It's worth noting, perhaps, that if even one of the characters in this movie had simply told the honest truth from the beginning, much trouble could have been averted. Then again, we wouldn't have had much of a movie. And this is much of a movie: a wonderful, deeply involving--at times riveting--story about life, hope, and redemption that also makes a powerful case for the director's pet passion of film preservation. The film's look is gorgeous; the 3D aspects, even in a 2D presentation, never overwhelm the storytelling. And pitch perfect performances from the terrific cast (even from Sacha Baron Cohen's almost over the top station inspector) bring the story alive and make for a deeply affecting movie experience. A must see.