Who’d have thought that David Fincher would end up making movies like Robert Zemeckis? And in what kind of twisted, crowded-race awards season does Brad Pitt cop nominations while Cate Blanchett gets bypassed for a much more difficult role? The film’s ultimate point—that Fate or Providence sometimes deals us raw hands, but we still have choices about how we respond to factors over which we have no control—is certainly worth noting… but it could have been made just as well with about an hour less running time. By the time the film wound its gimmick to its inconsistent conclusion, I was no longer curious at all, merely impatient. I was kind of hoping that the movie itself would be more surprising than the awards.

At first glance, the new computer-animated sci-fi adventure Battle for Terra may sound a bit clichéd. A civilization is on the brink of extinction when technologically superior invaders from a distant planet arrive with the intent of taking over the planet and harvesting its natural resources for their own survival. Independence Day, maybe? War of the Worlds? Fortunately, that is where the twist comes that makes Battle for Terra stand out from the rest and even succeed in being halfway entertaining: the invaders are humans.

After the super successful summer of superhero movies last year that included Iron Man, The Dark Knight, and the underrated The Incredible Hulk, X-Men Origins: Wolverine has a lot to live up to as it kicks off the 2009 summer movie season. Hugh Jackman returns in the role that first shot him to stardom in 2000’s X-Men. Playing the title role for a fourth time makes Jackman the first actor to play the same superhero in four consecutive franchise entries since the late Christopher Reeve played Superman. If only that achievement weren’t the only thing the film really has going for it…

Is Anybody There? is a very personal film for veteran thespian Michael Caine. Reportedly, in recent years the actor had suffered through the experience of seeing a close friend struggle through Alzheimer’s Disease. So when he was offered the part of Clarence, a man who is in the early stages of the dementia, was offered to him, he didn’t even need to read the entire script before signing on. In fact, the script moved Caine to the point that he dropped his regular fee. The result is one of the best performances from a two-time Oscar winner who has been acting for over fifty years.