“The Ghost Writer” could be the companion piece to “Shutter Island.” Actually, “Shutter Island” should be the companion piece to “The Ghost Writer,” since “The Ghost Writer” is the better film.

To mix monsters, “The Wolfman” is one of those films that was put together like Frankenstein. It’s a patchwork mess, but it lives!

There’s still a place in movies for small, literate, well acted niche movies that focus on character.

“From Paris with Love” is a raucous cartoon. You have to decide whether you want to take this wild ride. It’s dippy, dopey and dizzying.

“The Messenger” is a film about shock and healing. Forget awe. In a world that avoids the realities of war (the U.S. government didn’t allow photographs of coffins), “The Messenger” casts a flickering light on some of the human cost of war.

At the end of every year, there’s a rampage to open movies in LA and NY to make them eligible for Oscar voting consideration.

“The Lovely Bones” aims at heaven and misses.

At the end of a decade, James Cameron seeks revolution, not only in the way we see movies, but in the way we see life.

Based of a top rating of four stars

One of the meanings of the title “The Blind Side” is that in football, the left tackle defends the quarterback’s blind side from the defensive linemen he doesn’t see.