Free Enterprise

Free Enterprise (1998) – Most of the geekery jokes are pretty obvious, and there’s a painful abundance of film references in the overly-contrived dialogue; the highlight of the film is Shatner playing “himself” with surprising depth, but ultimately, there’s not enough going on here of interest. 5

True Grit

True Grit (2010) – The Coens rely on straightforward storytelling and don’t try to get cute for a change, and it’s all to the good; it’s got a nice score with a great use of “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” and Hailee Steinfeld is impressive – in all, a solid, entertaining film. 7

XIII: The Conspiracy

XIII: The Conspiracy (2008) – Oh, the dialogue (the script is no world-beater either); if you want an uncompelling movie about an amnesiac super spy/ninja, you should probably go with Bourne. 5

Skyline

Skyline (2010) – It’s got some solid effects, but with a cast of annoying characters and grossly inadequate storytelling, it doesn’t manage to do anything interesting or creative until the last five minutes. 5