It could have been much worse.

Of all the 2011-released movies I saw this year (a little more than a hundred), most fell into the “merely OK” category. Like many of you, I chose not see some of the year’s obvious clunkers, like Adam Sandler’s cross-dressing “Jack and Jill” or the new “Chipmunks” movie. And, after sitting through 120 excruciating minutes of the last “Twilight” movie, I decided not to bother with “Breaking Dawn.”

The following list, however, were cinematic experiences I hope will be forgotten by 2012.

In alphabetical order:

Arena
I typically don’t see straight-to-DVD movies because, well, they’re terrible. Samuel L. Jackson stars as a sleazy promoter of an online fighting league where the competitors brutally kill each other. I’ll watch Sam Jackson in anything. I just won’t be watching this ever again.

The Hangover Part II
It’s the same as the first movie minus humor and originality. How did this make so much money?

Larry Crowne
Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts play “ordinary” people in this insulting and insipid look at middle-aged, middle-class folks trying to make it in the new economy. Oh, and Hanks’ character joins a hipster motor-scooter club.

To make things worse, Hanks and Roberts spend the closing credits waving and smiling at the audience as if to say, “Look, we’re movie stars! We’re only pretending to be like you!”

Mars Needs Moms
A dull, grimy-looking motion-capture cartoon about Martians kidnapping and murdering human moms. Don’t worry. Your kids will be too bored to even notice the nightmarish storyline. (more…)

Adventure is out there this Christmas weekend, and not just the high-tech gadgetry and stunts found in the latest “Mission: Impossible” film.

The first of two Steven Spielberg movies this holiday season, “The Adventures of Tintin” is a motion-capture thrill ride with the energy and fun of Spielberg’s Indiana Jones franchise and the Saturday morning serial-adventures that originally inspired “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Spielberg’s much more serious film, “War Horse,” opens Christmas Day.

Based on the world-famous comic series by Herge, “Tintin” follows the exploits of a young reporter and his faithful dog, Snowy. This story introduces Tintin (Jamie Bell) to the perpetually drunk Captain Haddock (motion-capture king Andy Serkis), who is the last limb in a family tree of heroes and adventurers. Together they hope to find the secret treasure of The Unicorn, the legendary ship captained by Haddock’s famous ancestor, Sir Francis. Only cryptic clues, thousands of miles and the nefarious Sakharine (Daniel Craig) stand in their way.

“Tintin” is wall-to-wall action, with fist fights, shootouts and chases by land, air and sea. It’s a bit relentless, save for some lighter moments with bumbling police officers Thomson and Thompson (the dynamic duo of Nick Frost and Simon Pegg). Luckily, Spielberg knows his way around large scale set pieces, and the motion-capture allows him to move the camera through complicated action sequences that would be impossible in live-action. (more…)