A day after seeing this film at an advance screening, I had the good fortune of a trip to Chicago, where much of the film takes place. The city is somewhat proud of its legendary criminal history; they even sell Al Capone bobble-heads for souvenirs. While there I had the opportunity to see the Biograph Theater, famous for being the location of John Dillinger’s death. Now, if you think I spoiled the ending of the new gangster saga Public Enemies, then maybe its time you brush up on your American history. The ending of the John Dillinger story is famous. The beginning, not so much; but don’t expect Public Enemies to provide much of a backstory for the famous criminal.

There were a lot of problems with director Michael Bay’s live-action Transformers movie released in 2007. The comedy was forced, the robot battles were confusing, and the movie was about 30 minutes too long. As this was a live-action Transformers movie, a movie I had been dying to see since I was about six years old, I was willing to forgive these flaws. Now, Bay returns with the inevitable sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I had faint hopes that these issues would be fixed in the sequel, but unfortunately they are only magnified; and now that I’ve gotten over the initial buzz of a live-action Transformers movie, I must admit that I’m much less forgiving.

Take two attractive, talented stars and put them together in a romantic comedy. Make them hate each other at first, of course, so that when they manage to overcome their differences and fall in love at the end, it makes it all the more effective. It’s a formula that has worked for years—really since 1934’s best picture Oscar winner It Happened One Night—and it works again this year with The Proposal. It also helps that the movie stars Sandra Bullock, an acknowledged master of the genre… one which must be akin to riding a bike for the actress, who fits right back into the genre with ease. She’s believable as both the ice princess and the human being she becomes once the ice begins to melt. The movie is very funny from start to finish, and most of the credit has to go to the two leads.

Director Sam Mendes’ previous film, Revolutionary Road, featured a married couple unraveling through a storm of shouting matches. The unmarried couple in his next film, Away We Go, is at the opposite end of the spectrum. They hardly argue. In fact, one has to encourage the other to go ahead and raise his voice once in a while. It is certainly a different kind of movie and it is fortunate enough not to be burdened with the weight of being a Titanic reunion. It is also a much better movie.

It was a super-cheesy television show in the’70s that featured special effects so bad that they are almost legendary. Now, Land of the Lost is remade as a big-screen vehicle for Will Ferrell, who is a funny guy… but his onscreen persona is really starting to grow tiresome. The fact that the film is designed specifically as a vehicle for him is its first fault: the first of many. Foul language and a shocking amount of sexual content may wind up being a turn-off for many parents who might think of taking their kids to this movie. Of course, given the movie’s complete lack of entertainment value, that may just be the excuse they are looking for.

It has now been fourteen years since Pixar debuted Toy Story, the first feature-length computer-animated movie. They have released nine films in that time period and I am still waiting for them to slip up. Their newest release is Up, the story of an elderly man who uses hundreds of helium-filled balloons to fly his house to South America. Will this be the film that will end their run of visually breathtaking, endlessly entertaining blockbusters? I am very happy to report that the answer is a resounding no.

When it came to 2006’s Night at the Museum, this reviewer found himself more in line with the popular opinion than with the critical majority. I thought it was fun. It was the kind of movie people like me often refer to as a rollicking adventure. New York City’s Museum of Natural History sure wasn’t complaining either as their visitation numbers spiked thanks to a renewed interest in their exhibits. Three years later we get the inevitable sequel, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. While I’m sure the Washington D.C. museum will receive a similar boost to the one in New York, unfortunately the sequel failed to win me over as its predecessor had.

About a third of the way through the 1987-set comedy Adventureland, the main character does a very ’80s thing and creates a mix tape for the young woman on whom he has developed an infatuation. He describes it as a tape of his top “bummer” songs… and about halfway through the movie, I felt “bummer” was a better description of the film itself that I certainly would have expected. Whereas the trailers and advertisements for the film make it appear closer in vein with the pure gross-out, sex comedy that was writer/director Greg Mottolo’s previous work, Superbad, Adventureland actually turned out to have a slightly darker, more involved plotline. And that’s not a bad thing.

I Love You, Man belongs in a genre of its own: the Bromantic Comedy. Paul Rudd plays Peter Klaven, a real estate agent who has never had problems striking up relationships with the opposite sex. As it turns out, while Peter was having an easy time meeting women, he never really had a chance to develop any male friendships and has no one to be the best man at his wedding. With the help of his mother and younger brother, he sets out on a series of man-dates, hoping to meet his Mr. Right. The film is consistently funny from start-to-finish, and holds up well against other recent, great sex comedies.

Director Tom Cappello, whose body of work includes short documentaries for The History Channel and National Geographic Explorer, subtly and sumptuously weaves a three-stranded tale of oppression, organization, and victory. The premise behind A Powerful Noise is that women can be a dynamic, positive force in the world by constructively raising their voices in their communities, and the film makes the general case not by argumentation but by highlighting three specific instances of such constructive activism. So I’m telling you, guys: impress the heck out of your wife, and do her a huge favor. Even though times are tough, hire a babysitter, buy a couple of tickets, and take her to participate in A Powerful Noise Live at a theater near you on March 5.