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Max Braden: Looking back, I've had a pretty good time in the theaters recently.

Pitch Perfect should have been a run of the mill Stomp the Yard/Glee knockoff, and it has its faults, but I liked it a lot. Anna Kendrick is at her best when she's more relaxed and not bound up in a business suit. But Rebel Wilson stole the show and I think this would be considered her breakthrough.

I'd known about the Argo story for a while so I was stoked to hear that it was being made, and with Affleck as director. It's hard to create a lot of tension with a bunch of people stuck in a house (I've never figured out the appeal of Big Brother). But even knowing the ending, there was a lot of anticipation in wondering if they'd pull it off or get caught. Affleck continues to demonstrate his skill in the role of director.

Man, after seeing Flight, all I want to do is fly an airplane upside down. And get a date with Trina. The story took a different tone than I expected, but it worked. I especially liked the pivotal moment just before the climactic scene. Denzel and the other actors were all good.

Skyfall was good, though I was a little annoyed I did all that recap catchup to make sure I knew everything about Quantum and then they don't even appear in the movie! I liked all the Bond lore and franchise touches, but wow, there were some terrible tactical decisions by both Bond and Bardem's villain. (Bardem had the best scene in the movie, when he had Bond tied up.) Dalton is still my favorite Bond, but I've come to like what Craig is doing with the role and I'd support him for a few more movies.

Recently seen on DVD:

Magic Mike - why do they keep bending over in front of the camera?? Do women find this sexy?

The Raven is something I'd be drawn to because of the time period. But it falls short of Sherlock Holmes and From Hell. It wasn't really dangerous enough. I did like seeing Alice Eve barely dressed up.

360 is a multi-storyline ensemble drama with Anthony Hopkins, Rachel Weisz, Jude Law, and Ben Foster, among others. It turned out the storyline I enjoyed the most was with a Russian actor, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, I hadn't heard of before.

I rented Arthur Christmas, maybe a little too early in the season, but I enjoyed it as straight up family-friendly entertainment. Bill Nighy's Grand-Santa and Ashley Jensen's elf were the highlights. Hugh Laurie's voice didn't quite match his character's physique.

Last Ride is an Australian movie starring Hugo Weaving as a dad on the run from the law with his son. Weaving is good, but the movie is kind of depressing. There's a neat visual of a large, very shallow "lake" that I'd like to identify.

The Courier is pretty much a slower-action remake of The Transporter, starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan as a tired, grizzled, mercenary. I like JDM in roles like this and The Losers. He carries the age, world-weariness, and a touch of rebelliousness well.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was a little too much precious pandering for my taste, but I did like Wilkinson's storyline, and Ronald Pickup was fun.

That's My Boy - Did I laugh a couple times? I can't remember.

Madagascar 3 - I laughed a lot during this sequel, more than the previous two I think. I'm a big fan of the penguins, but the bear on the motorcycle killed me.

The Five-Year Engagement took a turn away from romantic comedy, but I thought that was a realistic depiction of the real reason most couples disintegrate these days. I thought Emily Blunt and Jason Segel had good chemistry.

Olivia Munn and Paul Schneider had great chemistry in The Babymakers, about a guy who robs a sperm bank to get his own deposit back so he and his wife can have a baby. It's from the Broken Lizard guys and is a lot of fun.

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