The film has flaws though. Most of my concerns lie with Yuri as a person. Though I understand the need for his character to be unsympathetic—I wish there was more devotion to the suffering of the ‘good’ and less concentration on the glamorous life of the ‘bad.’ It also seems that some of the decisions Yuri makes are way out of line. For example, he may take 2 minutes out of his life to kiss his son goodnight, but he is more concerned about issues that effect his financial operations than his son’s first steps.

Simplicity can sometimes trump all. And that is how director Steven Soderbergh has triumphed with perhaps the most true to life film I have ever seen. Bubble is simple in nearly every aspect—from the story, to the dialog, to the camera angles, and even to the acting. Thus, we are drawn in as an audience to how eerily realistic the lives and conversations of the characters are.

Director/Writer Craig Brewer turns an average story into quality entertainment by developing and pushing strong performances all around. The character development alone sets it aside from typical underdog cliches. And a less than predictable final few scenes keeps the viewers in suspense up to the final credits.

When I first saw the trailers for The 40 Year Old Virgin I was very lackadaisical to see it. It had the typical look and feel of another over hyped slapstick comedy with sex and fart jokes. As always, I am happy to announce that not one fart joke is unveiled. There is, however, one puking scene and scenes involving urination, extreme vulgarity, and a female receiving a bloody nose as the result of incidental contact during an intimate encounter.

The kids will love it, as will many adults. The problem with Madagascar is it fails to match the creativity of fellow DreamWorks counterpart Shrek, but it is much better than Shark Tale. Without question, it is nowhere near the level of the superior Pixar creations, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. If Madagascar had been made ten years ago, it would have been a breakthrough in filmmaking.

Millions will knock you out with its visual mastery… and the brilliance doesn’t end there. The end result is one of the most enchanting feel good films in recent history. Everything done in Director Danny Boyle’s masterpiece is perfectly executed. This includes some of the most dazzling and creative visual effects ever captured on film, combined with the energetic and creative mind of a special little boy.

These are not your average citizens in the sense of normality - normal being a perceived conception. These are the type of strange people you might come across in a mall or grocery store. They are unique indeed—even peculiarly eerie. Picture the type of person that seems so intelligent and full of desire, yet lacks the skills to fit into the norms of society. What director July does best with Richard, as well as her own performance, is indulge us with a solid character study.

A smorgasbord of famous pro athletes and wrestlers combine to form an ensemble of key characters. Former NFL stars Michael Irvin, Brian Bosworth and Bill Romanowski join forces with wrestling legends Kevin Nash, Steve Austin and Bill Goldberg in this quirky remake of the 1974 hit The Longest Yard.

Chase scenes reminiscent of an episode of the ‘80s television show "The A-Team" and over-the-top fight scenes similar to "Walker: Texas Ranger" make up a large portion of the film. What makes this acceptable is that the film doesn’t overplay the seriousness of the situations. Instead, it inserts laughter in places where most films would use eerie background music or bogus dialog.

It is next to impossible to watch the film without being reminded of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. Both were quality films produced by Matthew Vaughn. Vaughn breaks apart from buddy Guy Ritchie to take over in the director’s chair in this cunning feature, welded in the tradition of the Scorsese crime examinations, Casino and Goodfellas.

Action sequences, high octane explosions, modern day gadgets, and expensive cars draw large audiences. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always equate to quality filmmaking. In a genre that continues to disappoint year after year and film after film, xXx: State of the Union does nothing to change that pattern.