Skyfall

Cast
Daniel Craig
Javier Bardem
Ralph Fiennes
Naomie Harris
Bérénice Marlohe
Judi Dench
Albert Finney
Ben Whishaw
Helen McCrory
Ola Rapace
Rory Kinnear
Screenwriters
John Logan
Neal Purvis
Patrick Marber
Robert Wade
Director
Sam Mendes
Running Time
143 minutes

In Skyfall, Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost. (Columbia Pictures, MGM)

A pleasant mess. It tries mixing together the old bond  style with the new post-bourne style which for me don't fit together at all. The villain was well played but reminded me of the last Star Trek villain in that his motivation was being really angry which isn't that interesting.

Frankenweenie 3D

Cast
Charlie Tahan
Catherine O'Hara
Martin Short
Winona Ryder
Martin Landau
Atticus Shaffer
Screenwriter
John August
Director
Tim Burton
Running Time
86m 51s

After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life—with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor's fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new "leash on life" can be monstrous. (Walt Disney Pictures)

Pleasantly enjoyable.

January Comics

CBR has the new Dark Horse, DC,  Marvel and Image solicitations for January.

This is the stuff I'm thinking about in addition to my regular pull list.



STAR WARS #1
Brian Wood (W), Carlos D'Anda (A), Gabe Eltaeb (C), and Alex Ross (Cover)
On sale Jan 9
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
Ongoing
This is Star Wars as you remember it... and as you have never seen it before! We're taking you back to those heady, adventure-filled days following the destruction of the Death Star—when the Empire ruled, the Rebels were on the run, and the galaxy was a dangerous place where anything might happen!
• Writer Brian Wood (The Massive, Conan the Barbarian).
• Artist Carlos D'Anda (Batman: Arkham City).
• Cover artist Alex Ross!
• Classic era, classic characters, all-new Star Wars!

Wood is a good writer and it's an ongoing with the original characters.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

Cast
Logan Lerman
Emma Watson
Ezra Miller
Mae Whitman
Nina Dobrev
Paul Rudd
Joan Cusack
Screenwriter
Stephen Chbosky
Director
Stephen Chbosky
Running Time
103 minutes

The Perks of Being a Wallflower captures the dizzying highs and crushing lows of growing up. (Summit Entertainment)

Atmospheric with a delightful vitality to the whole thing. However I thought the darkest elements which had happened in the past to the characters seemed at odds with the rest and rang false.

Looper

Cast
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Bruce Willis
Emily Blunt
Paul Dano
Piper Perabo
Jeff Daniels
Screenwriter
Rian Johnson
Director
Rian Johnson
Running Time
118 minutes

In Looper, time travel exists, but it is illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they send their target 30 years into the past, where a “looper” – a hired gun, like Joe – is waiting to mop up. Joe is doing good as a looper until the day the mob decides to “close the loop,” sending back Joe’s future self for assassination. (TriStar Pictures)

Imaginative, gripping and unexpected.

To Rome With Love

Cast
Woody Allen
Alec Baldwin
Roberto Benigni
Penélope Cruz
Judy Davis
Jesse Eisenberg
Greta Gerwig
Ellen Page
Ornella Muti
Flavio Parenti
Alison Pill
Alessandro Tiberi
Pierluigi Marchionne
Screenwriter
Woody Allen
Director
Woody Allen
Running Time
111 minutes

To Rome with Love is a kaleidoscopic comedy movie set in one of the world's most enchanting cities. The film brings us into contact with a well-known American architect reliving his youth; an average middle-class Roman who suddenly finds himself Rome's biggest celebrity; a young provincial couple drawn into separate romantic encounters; and an American opera director endeavoring to put a singing mortician on stage. (Sony Pictures Classic)

I enjoyed it a lot. I couldn't quite figure out Alec Baldwin's character which seemed to change from real to symbolic with no explanation.