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The Eagle genuinely surprised me at the start as I had not expected the lead character to become a civilian so quickly, but there isn't a lot of meat to the plot beyond that. I did very much like the idea that Roman soldiers were so loyal to the office that they would risk their lives in order to attain an emblem symbolizing their order. There is someone heroic about having that much respect for an ideal as well as its physical representation.

I found The Beaver to be absolutely gripping for 75 minutes. Then, there is a climactic series of events that largely undoes everything leading up to it. Still, I admire the idea as well as the performances of Jennifer Lawrence (who is less than two months away from becoming one of the five or six biggest female stars in the industry) and loath as I am to praise Mel Gibson, he really went for it in this role. Director Jodie Foster brings out the best in him, which is something we learned with Maverick.

The Conspirator is one of those movies where you can reasonably guess everything that will happen in the film well before it happens yet the entertainment value of it remains the same. This is the type of role in which James McAvoy excels and I hope he gravitates toward more of this than the Wanted garbage he has been choosing lately. Robin Wright is also tremendous in what is one of my favorite female performances of the year. The Conspirator is very well acted as we should expect of a Robert Redford film.

An entirely different type of movie I absolutely loved is Tucker and Dale vs. Evil. It completely blindsided me with its slapstick humor. This is a relatively unheralded project that strikes me as the modern equivalent of Tremors. It's a hyper-violent Three's Company, and oh so much better than it has any right to be.

Get ready for a magnificent football feast.

Kim Hollis: Super Bowl is next Sunday! Who ya got?

Reagen Sulewski: I think the Patriots win even if Belichick has to use Force Lightning on Eli Manning himself.

Matthew Huntley: Unfortunately, this year's Super Bowl is like a sequel no one was really asking for. OK, maybe Patriots fans were, but I'm still pulling for New York, mostly be default.

Max Braden: The Giants will come back from behind to just barely lose, the halftime show will make people want the Black Eyed Peas to come back, and a car commercial will be everyone's favorite ad of the night.

Samuel Hoelker: Living in Boston means that no one will be at a screening of We Need To Talk About Kevin that night. I'm a lucky man.

David Mumpower: I pick New England by a lot. If you look at it analytically, the Giants needed a fluke involving a David Tyree catch and a media maelstrom surrounding Spygate the last time around to have a chance. I think this Patriots team, while less explosive is better rounded. The Giants remind me of Arizona a few years ago in that they have overachieved to reach the Super Bowl. Simply getting there is their reward.

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