Basic Plot: He robs from the rich, gives to the poor, kisses the girl, blah blah, arrow-champion, blah. Do I seriously need to explain this?

Outburst: Wow, what’s with the creepy Children of the Corn references? No, seriously, killer kids with homemade masks traipsing through the forest tra-la-la… did some producer’s brat throw a tantrum because they didn’t have a cool part in the movie or what? As much as I love Ridley Scott, I’m going to have to stick with the Kevin Costner version of this tale as my favorite non-animated.

— This was actually a good movie (provided you also enjoy classic Braveheart-style flicks), but the ‘knock your socks off’ hype surrounding it left me under-impressed.

Official Robin Hood movie Website
Wikipedia Entry: Robin Hood (2010 film)
DVD to be released September 2010

Basic Plot: Humanity attempts to take over a alien planet. A disabled soldier is torn between the desire to follow orders and the need to protect the world he has come to be a part of.

Outburst: Am I the only person not totally blown away by this movie? Okay, so I didn’t get to see it in IMAX 3-D with the dorky glasses. The special effects are still stellar, but a few times I could tell where objects were placed or moved to enhance the 3D effect, just like in those ridiculous rides at theme parks. Once you get past all the glitz, the plot itself is rather mundane.

/CULT — Folks who want to paint themselves blue notwithstanding, this is just an average-good movie. It’s pure Hollywood entertainment.

Official Avatar Movie Website
Wikipedia Entry: Avatar

BUY IT NOW! Avatar (2Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) [Blu-ray]

Basic Plot: The game’s afoot, and Holmes is on the chase!

Outburst: Entertaining wit, engaging fights, and a clever Sherlock concept make this a fun movie.  I had a few small quibbles with minor details, but overall was vastly pleased.

/DVD  (3 of 3 stars) — It’s just a fun sort of movie.  While not technically steampunk, I think fans of steampunk and/or Holmes will want to add this to their DVD collections as well.

Official Sherlock Holmes Website

Outburst: As a born cynic, I could probably nitpik all day about trivial things (why does the Romulan ship look like something out of the Matrix; is all that Uhura ‘romantic interest’ nonsense necessary) but that would just be my fault-finding nature on overdrive. The movie certainly paid lip service to its fans (whether Trekker or Trekkie) in a humoristic series of lighthearted camps that didn’t pretend to be anything other than fan-pleasers… and yet I was still pleased by them, ridiculously so. Who would want a Trek movie where Kirk doesn’t tangle with a hot alien girl, get into fist-fights with alien baddies, and no one gets saved ‘unexpectedly’ just in the nick of time? Those aren’t even spoilers on my part; they are so much a part of the franchise.

And just as I was enormously pleased by the slightly campy, action-packed futuristic fun, so too will you be, even if you are only a moderate Trek fan. The latest edition of the popular series is a romp of a movie and certain to be a real crowd pleaser.

/DVD (3 of 3 stars) — A totally awesome movie you should definitely check out in theaters AND add to your Star Trek collection.

Official Site: Star Trek.com