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.

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.

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.

For most people, the title “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” surely recalls images of Mickey Mouse in a blue wizard cap naively attempting to magically control an army of brooms to do his chores. It’s the feature sequence in Disney’s 1940 classic Fantasia and arguably the most famous image of the animated mascot. Now, Disney has made a live-action, feature-length version. It may seem like a stretch, but so did the idea of a feature-length movie based on a theme park ride called “Pirates of the Caribbean” and that seemed to work out okay for Disney. The house that Mickey built can’t quite duplicate that success with The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, but it does provide for a couple hours of fun escapist entertainment.

Director M. Night Shyamalan’s name is all over the promotional materials for The Last Airbender. It’s appropriate. After all, he is the film’s director and, despite his last few flops, he is still a very popular director. Still, promoting this movie using his name is a felonious case of false advertising. The quality of the film does accurately reflect the quality of half of the director’s previous movies. Unfortunately, it’s not the good half. Still, there is one question about this movie that I just can’t answer: will its target audience be satisfied? My guess is yes.

After recently viewing Pixar’s brilliant Toy Story 3, I began racking my brain to come up with third movies in a series that stand out as the best. It’s a rare feat, but arguments could probably be made for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Goldfinger, Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban and a few others. Azkaban, certainly, stood out above its two predecessors and the same can be said for the third chapter in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. While I struggled to find reasons for the following the first two films received, I actually enjoyed—or, at least tolerated—Eclipse, a vast improvement over Twilight and New Moon.