X-Men Origins: Wolverine - 3 stars

I didn't really care for the first 2 X-Men movies. The first one was a mediocre action flick. The second one sucked. The story attempted to be a good versus evil megapic, but failed to tell a cohesive story. So, I wasn't all that psyched to watch the third installment.

Lo and behold, it was good! Hugh Jackman does a great job of playing Wolverine. There is a clear, good storyline that you can follow and is interesting.

No surprise that Origins goes back to the beginning for Wolverine. It's personal and descriptive, and you can root for the hero. It's worth watching when you want to zone out.

American Gangster - 4 stars

Denzel Washington can't make a bad film. Throw in Russell Crowe and you have a must-watch movie. Excellent all around and deserving of its 2 Oscar nominations.

American Gangster is a true story about the rise of gangster (Washington) and his pursuit by a NYC policeman (Crowe). One of the reasons why this story was such a big deal is that the black driver of a Mafia boss rose to power and superseded the entire NYC mafia scene.

The story is tight, the acting is perfect, and the drama is real. Rent it today.

Last Chance Harvey - 4 stars

Last Chance Harvey stars the Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman, and delivers on its star power.

Hoffman plays Harvey who is at the end of his career, divorced, and lonely. He goes to London for his semi-estranged daughter's wedding where he meets Kate (Thompson). It's patiently paced, thoughtful, and revealing. The film poses the question of how someone ends up where they are in life - how much of it is luck and how much of it is your own doing. Perfectly acted, excellently written, beautifully shot, Last Chance Harvey is a very well made film.