Review - Movie catch-up!

Lately Bob and I have been going to movies - lots of movies - but I haven't had time to do full on reviews of any of them.  So instead, I thought I would group them together into some mini-reviews instead.  Sound all right?  Ok, let's go!

Red Riding Hood * * * * *
Amazing!  Stunning!  Gorgeous!  Beautiful!  Fantastic!!
I can't say enough good things about this movie.  It's stunningly beautiful, and a good story on top of that.  Amanda Seyfreid has been accused of under-acting, and I can't necessarily disagree, but I think she was perfect for the part.  The ending was a surprise, which was nice, although all the clues are there if one pays attention.  Overall I say this is a fabulous twist on the traditional tale, and it was well done.  Also, make sure you watch until the end of the credits for a special surprise!!

Scream 4 * * * *
Loads of fun!  I'm a huge fan of the series, although I'm not really a fan of horror movies in general.  The Scream series straddles the line between gory and suspense, and Scream 4 did not disappoint.  This one addresses the issue of the movie "reboot" or "reset" and the true horror is when you find out who the villain is and learn their motivation!  Neve Campbell rocks it out as usual, even with a mostly younger generation taking the front of the stage.  I loved it!

The Conspirator * * * *
This Robert Redford film is about a young lawyer in 1864 who is asked to defend one of the alleged members of the conspiracy to assassinate President Lincoln.  It's a very interesting movie, a good story, and it was fun to see a courtroom drama set in the past.  I find it odd that I haven't seen ANY promos, trailers, or commercials for this movie, and wouldn't have even known about it if someone online hadn't mentioned it in passing.  It's a good movie, but not necessarily a happy movie, and leaves you thinking when it's done.  Good stuff.

Water for Elephants * * * * *
I haven't read the book, (although I was already planning to read it when we went to see the movie, and now I'm even more excited about reading it!), so I can't speak to whether or not the movie stayed true to the book.  I've heard that it mostly does, but I can't speak to that myself.  However, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, loved the story, loved the elephant, loved everything about it.  Pattinson and Witherspoon were great in their roles, and it was REALLY nice to see Pattinson do a movie where I didn't want to drive a stake through his heart. (Yes - I admit, I'm Team Jacob.  Get over it).  It's a beautiful story that will make you laugh and cry and want to run away to join the circus, and have your very own elephant for a pet.  Definite must see!

Hanna * * *
I totally loved this movie right up until the ending.  The movie is strange, funny, weird, twisted, and sad, and as the story unfolds, you totally end up rooting for the young Hanna, who is both strange and awesome.  And the ending is mostly perfect, but I think I kinda wanted more from it.  There's a definite feeling of "Wait!  What happens next?!?" but all in all it was pretty good.  Twisted, but good.

Rio * * * * *
Rio is the story of a parrot who gets kidnapped and lost in Rio, and his adventures in trying to get back to his human.  Along the way he makes new friends, and learns about what it means to live.  It's amazing, beautiful, funny, sad,  funny some more, and sweet.  The music was great!  Kids will love it!  Adults will love it!  Go see it now!!

Source Code * * * * *
Awesome!  Made of awesome!  Dipped in Awesome and cooked in Awesome!  AND - it's not the movie that you think it is based on the previews!!  Aha - sneaky!  But it's totally great and while it has its sad moments, it was a very, very good film.

Your Highness * *
Funny if you like the dumb humor type of films.  Interesting that it was a fantasy setting, but there were way too many sex and fart jokes for my taste, and I would've had to have been REALLY drunk to enjoy it.  The one good thing was hearing Natalie Portman say "...like a burning in my beaver" with a straight face.  But yes, it is THAT kind of movie.  Enter at your own risk.

Movies that I'm looking forward to in May are:
Thor
POTC: On Stranger Tides
Priest
Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom!

Wait - what are you still doing here?  I thought I told you to hurry up and go see "Rio" right now!?!
Well, as long as you are here, leave a comment and let me know if you've seen any of the above movies and what you thought about them!
And also, I'm curious - what movies you are looking forward to seeing this month? What previews are looking particularly good to you?

--Update: Reposted 05.16.11 to clear up some issues raised by Blogger's Issues last week!  Happy Monday!