This film throws every bad cliché you can think of in a suspense film in there. Add to that the children who act half their age and mindless direction, along with plot devices seen from a mile away (e.g. not suspenseful at all) and you get a bad film that you shouldn’t even waste $1.25 on at a Redbox. Terrible.

I admit: I’ve never watched a Harry Potter film.  But somehow, I always thought Daniel Radcliffe had talent.  The drama film “The Woman in Black” confirms my feelings.

Put simply:  Radcliffe plays a lawyer in late 19th century England, and he has one last chance to prove his loyalty to the law firm for which he works.  He has to go to a strange house in an even stranger community to tie up the affairs of a woman who has died.  That’s as far as I’ll describe the plot, any more would take the fun out of the film.

The obvious horror cliches are here but that doesn’t detract at all.  Keep in mind that with most gothic/scary films, sometimes the director will hit you over the head with the “jump out of your seat” moments.  You should expect them here, but the nice thing about this film is that it’s limited and used sparsely.

The directing from James Watkins is imaginative.  His shots are simple, effective, creepy.  Just what this film was asking for and he delivered.  The script is no-nonsense and to the point.  (Jane Goldman adapted the screenplay from the Susan Hill novel.)

All in all, 3 1/2 stars for “The Woman in Black.”  It is a must-catch on home video soon.

Four bank robbers. One has a double life. So-so casting. There I summed it up for you.

Oh, you want a little more detail? Oh, alright…

The second feature film directorial effort for the renowned Ben Affleck, “The Town” follows four bank robbers as they attempt a heist. These robbers hail from Charlestown, a notorious section of Boston known for its fair share of criminals, mainly, bank robbers. During this robbery, they encounter one of the managers, played by Rebecca Hall. She’s nervous as she tries to dial the combination to the safe. Affleck calms her down and tells here no to be nervous (isn’t the plot exposition so obvious even within the first ten minutes here?)

She later trips an alarm and sees a fighting Irish tattoo on the back of the neck of one of the robbers, but doesn’t give this detail to the FBI. Whoops.

So they take her hostage for a brief time, then let her go. Later, Affleck appears to Hall, her not knowing he was at the robbery at first, and courts her into a relationship. At first, it’s just to make sure she hasn’t squealed and what she knows, but then it blossoms.

That’s as far as I’ll take the plot description.

This week, the National Board of Review announced their awards for 2010. They are the first organization to do so for this year’s films. A surprise on that list was that this film won for Best Ensemble Cast. I see where they’re coming from. However, I can’t help but feel that there was something missing from this cast. I’m not 100% sure what it is, nor can I put my finger on exactly what it is.

Affleck’s directing is very fresh, moving, motivated and straightforward. I couldn’t ask for better from a new director and he shouldn’t change. The story is solid, motivating and isn’t watered down with too many action scenes. The characters are very believable and true to their roots, Irish roots (which explains that tattoo, but you would have gotten that anyway.)

It’s another one of those films that was better than I thought it was going to be. 2½ stars for this film. It’s a good rent or catch it in a second-run theatre if you can.

Predictable. Badly written. Badly directed. And did I mention Renee Zellweger?

When a film takes four years, six release date changes and even being pulled off of said schedule at least once during that time, it’s probably in the best interest of the studio to shelve it for good. Oh, how I wish they would have.

We’ve seen everything in this film over and over again. The one scene I want to point out is the scene between Jodele Ferland and her psychiatric counselor involving a questionnaire of yes and no answers. The little girl spews so much irrelevant vitriol that even in reality a crazy kid probably wouldn’t say back to the counselor. It made the whole scene and practically the whole film absurd (if it wasn’t already by that point, your mileage may vary.)

And how can Zellweger’s character go from not believing what’s happening to wanting to liquidate the girl in the blink of an eye? It’s like a light switch was flipped with no indecision at all.

I’ll say it now for the record: this is a film that never should have seen the first frame of film. Awful. Half a star out of four, there were some “eh” performances.

Imagine the complexity of disaster and how it would affect everyday life. It more than certainly would turn things upside down. When the situation is grave, common men tap into their inner courage to step to the forefront and be very brave. That is the root of the movie “Unstoppable.” This film, the latest from director Tony Scott, whose credits include “Top Gun,” “Days of Thunder” and “Enemy of the State,” stars Denzel Washington, Chris Pine and Rosario Dawson as the people who are tasked with trying to stop a runaway locomotive. The train is set to derail in a heavily populated area and harm lots of innocent lives.

The best characters in cinema are the ones who are real and believable. These characters are very much so and it’s refreshing that they are, because that’s when you root for them. Chris Pine has proven himself to be a great actor (especially as Captain Kirk, sorry for working Star Trek into this review) and has great chemistry with Washington as the two railroad workers that go through this together, incidentally, on Pine’s character’s first day on the job.

The action sequences are first rate, and so breathtaking and non-stop that you probably had about a dozen or so “oh crap!” moments throughout the film, one right after the other.

This film is inspired by a similar situation that occurred in Ohio back in 2001, except that lots of dramatic license was taken here, obviously. Still, however, the writer, Mark Bomback, kept the action within reason and kept it away from impossibility. Two major pluses on the script side.

All told, this is a great film that will give you 98 minutes of pulse pounding entertainment. 3.5 out of 4 stars.

As the legend of the Phoenix goes, the mythic bird rises from the ashes. It’s not hard when you see the film “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” to think of the character of Gordon Gekko in this regard.

Joining Michael Douglas in reprising his role from the 1987 film “Wall Street” is Shia LeBeouf of “Transformers” fame and Carey Mulligan as Gekko’s daughter, Winnie. Rounding out the supporting cast is a list of well known actors, Frank Langella, Eli Wallach and Susan Sarandon, to name a few.

The basic plot is Gordon is released from prison after the events of the first film. He is alone. Her daughter is in love with LeBeouf’s character, Jake Moore, an investment broker on Wall Street. As is standard custom, I will not spoil any of the plot here and get down to my analysis.

Oliver Stone still knows how to bring it as a director. His pacing here is top notch given the frantic pace of what goes on in a typical day of trading on the street. It captivates one self as you’re watching.

However, I have a problem with a major plot point. This would be the whole father/daughter relationship as depicted. It felt very flat and very soft. This, of course, is part of a triangle involving the two and Jake Moore. It’s a story of love, betrayal and trust.

There is a cameo by Charlie Sheen in this film, but it felt very out of place and haphazard.

Speaking of which, I think that this sequel would have had a much better story had they did a rematch between Bud Fox and Gordon Gekko. It’s the natural story that has to be told. I feel like the filmmakers missed a golden opportunity to make a much more intriguing film.

In the end, I can’t go above 2 stars for this film. It’s a valiant effort, but there were some things missing here that kept it from being a classic.