Contagion is at its best as an examination on the realistic levels of fear and paranoia that would strike our world if a disease came around that all of our Purell and flu shots couldn't beat. The movie keeps a very methodical scientific point-of-view and depicts a broken-down order that doesn't coddle the formula to make good guys and bad guys out of the situation. Everyone is a victim on some level and the movie keeps that compelling tone very well.
Read MoreOnce the cage doors start closing, the bells start ringing, and the fists fly, Warrior hits an even higher gear. The matches and fight scenes generate thrills, chills, cheers, and even some tears.
Read MoreThese are just my favorite 10 that I find to be the best (sorry front-runners, you won't find The Blindside). Also, to fit the hook and theme of my reviews, each movie on the list will be coupled with the top life lesson one can extrapolate from some good movie hard knocks.
Read MoreEvery poster and commercial you're going to see for this movie is going to market Emma Stone, but this is undeniably Viola Davis's picture. She's better than just a Best Actress Oscar nominee. Go ahead and hand her the golden trophy right now.
Read MoreThe Change-Up is right there with Bad Teacher and Bridesmaids for over-the-top R-rated comedy and jaw-dropping laughs this summer.
Read MoreI'm here to pleasantly report that Rise of the Planet of the Apes delivers rock-solid and engaging summer entertainment. Yes, the trailers do give just about all of it away and you can see just about everything coming, but the watching the performance of it all play out is outstanding.
Read MoreCrazy, Stupid, Love. is not divorce drama like Kramer Vs. Kramer. You're not watching courtroom proceedings and messy custody battles. Crazy, Stupid, Love. is bigger than that and so much more. It's about personal reinvention, mentoring, courtship, fighting for love, and the idea of soulmates. It's incredibly fresh, funny, emotional, daring, and, for a romantic "dramedy," has more jaw-dropping twists than big budget thrillers.
Read MoreHorrible Bosses follows the trend of "2011: Summer of the R-Rated Comedy," meaning that their bumbling schemes and actions cross as many lines of censorship as they do laws. While the premise, of course, has no merit and is intentionally unbelievable, the movie still triggers more eye rolls than big laughs.
Read MoreBesides the obvious cardinal importance of chemistry, every great romantic comedy film has to have one other element that rises it above the usual formulaic and terrible contenders that try all call themselves romantic comedies. That #2 element is "layers." If your romantic comedy main characters are caricatures or one-dimensional archetypes, then your audience won't identify with them, fall for them, or root for them. You've got to have something more than chemistry and two pretty faces. That's where the layers come in.
Read MoreThe Captain America character stirs your patriotism in the audience as a guy you really root for to save the day and get the girl. For all that, Captain America: The First Avenger is, far and away, the best comic book movie this summer and acts as an outstanding final springboard piece to Marvel's mega-event Avengers team-up next May.
Read MoreBeyond all that, the real progress that made the movie series tick is the dual-growth of Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the three actors that played them. The classic aspects of teenage coming-of-age storytelling have always been present in the Harry Potter series, but on two distinct fronts. As the characters, they have grown to find their skill, importance, and desires as to what really matters in the grand scheme of all that has transpired around them. As actors, Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint have gone from unknown cute-faced children playing borderline stereotypes to mature and capable performers we genuinely care about and root for through this decade within their characters' shoes and robes.
Read MoreWhile I missed making a "Best of 2010" list in my blog's first year, I'd like to change that and start here with a first-half "Best of 2011" list from "Every Movie Has a Lesson." In keeping with the blog's theme, each member of the list will be backed up by its best life lesson of the typical three from each review.
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