I also watched Ghost Rider: SoV yesterday. The original was pretty stupid, so I wasn't expecting much. This new movie mostly ignores the first one, even to the point of changing the origin and how the power of the Ghost Rider works through Blaze. What this boils down to is that the new movie is stupid in a different way. I think this one is an improvement over the original. We don't have to suffer through an extended character origin, and there is no romantic interest. The Ghost Rider's character design is a definite improvement over the original, with a more stylized skull instead of the basic anatomically correct one used in the first movie.

There's not much of a selection at the cineplex this weekend. It was either Ghost Rider, or that McG movie. Giant douche, or a turd sandwich?

Saw Chronicle. Liked it enough, but felt like the style got in its own way. The "found footage" worked for the first half, and then I kinda wish they'd have switched to just regular shots. Especially at the end battle.

Watched ##### Slap last night. Wasn't that good as I was expecting more action sequences then what it had.

I just saw War Horse.

So there is this horse.
And then #### happens.
And then there still is that horse.

Extraneous, trivial and kitschy.

I believe that you might appreciate this illustrated review of the film.

Last night watched the good ol' Transporter for a laugh.

This morning watched Beetlejuice for a bunch more. Really pleased with how well that movie holds up for me.

Crazy, Stupid, Love. I liked it. I'm starting to really enjoy seeing Ryan Gosling in movies.

The Vow....not too bad, seemed better after knowing was based on real life story.
Would have to rate as Chic flick, and it is one of those movies where you keep thinking...why didn't the character say this or that, would have made more sense...oh thats right it wasn't in the script!!! Which of course makes it semm a little more less enjoyable...mho.

Red State. Certainly not like any other Kevin Smith movie I've seen.

The Disapperance of Alice Creed. Watched all but the last 40 minutes of it. Wasn't that great :-/

Watched Howl's Moving Castle this morning. Made me feel silly for not having seen it before. It was really enjoyable.

Word Wars in on hulu. Pretty good doc on Scrabble as a competitive event.

What? the last 40 minutes are the best. That's where all the twists happen!

We went bit crazy with watching Oscar noms in the last few days.

The Artist: totally lives up to the hype. I love the era that it is a love letter to so I was kind of a mark for this one. It took some incredible acting and directing to pull this off.

The Descendants: The best acting of the year in my opinion. Funny, sad, warm, and true in all the ways one might expect from Alexander Payne.

Midnight In Paris: Kind of a Purple Rose Of Cairo for this generation. It is one of Woody Allen's most inventive films in years and I loved it. While it is true that I love everything he does this one is a step above most.

Tree Of Life: A gorgeous film that fell a bit flat for me. It is worth watching for the experience. Mallick as always breaks new ground and finds a way to tell a story that cuts to the soul of everything. It is one of those that I appreciate as art and am glad I saw but did't connect with.

Hugo: A lovely family film that is part children's story and part Scorcese love letter to film history. I would recommend this one to anyone.

All five are completely worth watching and deserved to be up for best picture. If you are the kind of person who thinks Transformers is a great popcorn movie you may want to stear clear of all but Hugo, but if you have a real interest in film these are all must sees.

Have you seen Totoro, Spirited Away, or Ponyo? They are all Miyazaki films that you will love if you enjoyed Howl's Moving Castle.