It seems like there are dozens of romantic comedies that come out every year and let’s face it, all of them are virtually the same: two people that we know belong together overcome obstacles—many of which are self-inflicted—to find true love. Since the plots are so similar, what separates the good ones from the bad ones are the characters and the comedy. Fortunately, Going in the Distance features fun, lovable characters and plenty of good laughs.

When I think of some of the more popular heist movies in recent memory, I think of movies like Ocean’s Eleven and The Italian Job. What do they have in common? They were fun. They featured fun characters, a sense of humor, and a sense of cool. They also invited the audience in on the clever plans, while leaving just enough information out for a surprise or two. For two-thirds of the running time, Takers is exactly that kind of movie. Then, for some reason, it decides to take itself way too seriously. Ironically, that is when it becomes goofy.

Eat Pray Love is the much-anticipated film adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s 2006 memoir fully titled Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia. The book lasted 158 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list and no less than Julia Roberts has been tapped to play Gilbert. The often charming film that results is likely to win praise from fans of the book and others in its target audience, but may prove too dull and preachy for the rest of us.

If you were a fan of action movies in the eighties and early nineties, then it is hard not to be excited for The Expendables. Not only is the movie written and directed by its star and action icon Sylvester Stallone, but it also marks the first time that Stallone has appeared together with fellow action icons Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The movie promises to be a throwback to the macho movies that used to dominate the box office and in certain parts it succeeds. In others, however, it just proves why those kinds of movies have gone the way of the dinosaur.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World may be based on a graphic novel, but it plays like the best video game adaptation ever made. Even the opening Universal Studios logo and fanfare is given a classic Nintendo feel. Sitting in the theater attempting to absorb this busy movie, one gets the feeling one is caught in the middle of an epic battle between Guitar Hero and Mortal Kombat, with some of The Legend of Zelda thrown in for good measure. The result is a movie that will require at least a second viewing to fully catch all the references… but it only takes one viewing to win you over.

The Other Guys is the latest collaboration between director Adam McKay and star Will Ferrell, whose track record includes Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Having already attacked the world of news anchors and NASCAR drivers, the pair now turn their attention to the world of cops; or cop movies, anyway. It’s similar to what director Kevin Smith tried to do with Cop Out earlier this year starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan (who cameos here), only funnier, more entertaining, and far more worth your hard-earned buck.

There’s no way around it, Zac Efron is blessed with matinee idol good looks. That works for the title character of Charlie St. Cloud… at least in the beginning. I can certainly buy that a popular high school senior and recipient of a full sailing scholarship to Stanford would be a good looking guy, but after a tragic accident causes him to throw it all away in order for spend the next five years maintaining the cemetery grounds, wouldn’t he at least have some stubble? Wouldn’t his hair be not-so-perfectly stylish? Wouldn’t there be some sadness in those bright blue eyes? It’s just one of the many problems with this wannabe tearjerker.

As I sit down twenty-four hours after seeing the new comedy Dinner for Schmucks, I look at the notes I jotted down throughout the screening and find “when is dinner?” It’s the focal point of the film and yet it takes forever to get there. Now, I am a firm believer in the idea that it is the journey, not necessarily the destination, that makes a movie, but when the journey is this lame, unfunny and annoying, it can’t get over soon enough. But all hope is not lost for star Steve Carell; if he plays the adoptive parent of a football player later this year, he may just win an Oscar.

Although it seems like she gets more attention for her off-camera life than her movie career, Angelina Jolie has managed to secure her place at the top when it comes to female movie stars. Not even Julia Roberts or Sandra Bullock can match her ability to bounce between blockbuster and award-bait. She’s already been called the female Indiana Jones thanks to the Tomb Raider movies, but she has said that she wants to be James Bond and her latest film, Salt, may make her just that.

Upon hearing that Inception was director Christopher Nolan’s first original project since his 2001 breakout hit Memento, I was struck by a feeling of surprise. Even though the four films he made in between—Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Prestige and The Dark Knight—were adaptations of previously produced works, Nolan managed to make them his own. Reportedly, Nolan actually pitched Inception immediately following the completion of 2002’s Insomnia, but the writing of the script he intended to take “a couple of months,” ultimately took eight years. Having seen the movie, the reason for this is clear. Inception is one of the most complex scripts I’ve ever seen brought to the big screen.