Talking Pictures

Sitting down in the theater I thought about the plot of “Life As We Know it”: A couple of singles inherit a baby and must immediately contend with parenthood.

Ok, yes… we’ve all seen this one before, Diane Keaton did it in “Baby Boom” and there are countless other films like it.

So I wasn’t expecting much.

And maybe that’s the mindset I needed for this film to work. As it turned out it wasn’t really THAT bad. As I said we’ve all seen this one before in many different disguises, but Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel actually had the comic fortitude to pull it off.

As it turns out even a joke that’s old and worn can be funny again if told by the right comedian.

So I’m giving “Life As We Know It” a B- for trying to recycle.

The Social Network is one of the finest films of the year. Great acting combined with a compelling story will add up to a sure-fire Oscar nomination for this film.

It gets an A. See it!

In “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole,” a young owl grows up listening to the stories of glory and battle about the legendary protectors known as the owls of the ga’hoole.

When an evil warlord threatens to make his friends and family slave soldiers, he goes on a quest to find the “Guardians” and enlist their help.

Animation-wise the film is beautifully done. The movie boasts vibrant colors, textures and characters. However, the plot loses it’s self rapidly and becomes a “Star Wars” rip off.

“Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole” needed to be as unique and brilliant as its animation, not a rehash of something else.

It gets a C and is rated PG.

Director Andy Fickman puts together a delightful cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Kristen Bell and Odette Yustman for a tour-de-farce called “You Again.”

In the comedy, Bell plays a young woman who was bullied through high school by the reigning campus queen. On her way to her brother’s wedding she learns the girl he’s marrying is the one who made her life hell.

In due course we find that these trials and tribulations everyone goes through are understood universally.

Granted “You Again” isn’t edgy, it actually has a warm sweetness about it. But that sweetness really works as does the inspired casting in the film.

Check the film out for a few laughs.

It gets a B- and is rated PG

Ben Affleck’s new film “The Town” is simply one of the best films of the year. Affleck continues to prove his worth as a writer, director and star. Don’t miss this film.

It gets an A- and is rated R

In Emma Stone’s new teen comedy “Easy A” a nice girl becomes the talk of the town when she pretends to lose her virginity. Reveling in her new-found infamy, she becomes the most popular girl around.

Although the subject matter might bother a lot of parents, this is actually very funny and shows off Stone’s acting and comedy chops. Also in the film are Amanda Baynes, Stanley Tucci and a host of great supporting players making “Easy A” easy to watch.

It gets a B and is rated PG-13

In the new animated film “Alpha & Omega,” two wolves are displaced from their forest and set out on a trek to return home. Not quite as wonderfully written as ““The Incredible Journey,” this story seems to stall out somewhere about the first hour in.

With jagged-edge animation, less than impressive 3-D and cliché-ridden characters, I am not sure who the target audience is for this film. It is too adult for small children and too immature for adults.

“Alpha & Omega” needed to be more. More fun, more colorful and more adventure filled.

It gets a C- and is rated PG

Milla Jovovich returns as “Alice” in perhaps the best film in the series, as she returns to fight the un-dead in “Resident Evil: Afterlife.” Returning to the fray with her is Ali Larter as the duo battles zombies and the “Umbrella Corporation.”

“Resident Evil: Afterlife” is actually pretty good as the special effects are eye-popping. But it is a video game film, and I am reviewing it as such. If you like video game films, you’ll love this one.

“Resident Evil: Afterlife” gets a B and is rated R.

“‘Going the Distance” isn’t a bad romantic comedy, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good one either.

The film is basically a lackluster second-rate comedy with a few laughs, but nothing memorable or new.

I found the acting to be anemic and forced with Barrymoore not really giving herself to the role. Justin Long seems to be the better of the two, but that’s not saying much in this poorly constructed and surprisingly slow to boil comedy.

It gets a C- and is rated R

From the mind of Robert Rodriguez comes this spin off film from “Grindhouse” about an ex-Federale who launches a brutal rampage of revenge against a drug lord.

Or something like that.

Machete, played by the rough-hewn Danny Trejo, is the perfect anti-hero for a throwback film like this one. Trejo absolutely understands the film he’s in and plays each scene with hardened gusto, making Machete delightfully brutal and gory.

Also in the cast are Steven Seagal, Robert DeNiro, Michelle Rodriguez, Jessica Alba and Don Johnson (whom the opening credit roll has fun with).

I don’t recommend a film like “Machete” to everyone, but for those who will understand its humor and tip-of-the-hat to the actors and plots of the late 60’s and 70’s “double feature” films, you’ll find it well done.

Machete gets a B- and is rated R.