House of Traps

House of Traps (1982) – Yes, it’s comic booky and the costumes are ludicrous, but it’s got decent intrigue and some solid kung fu action, and Philip Kwok is the highlight of a host of colorful characters; so…the guards stay in those closets all day, or what? 6

Super 8

Super 8 (2011) – It has Spielberg’s fondness for adolescence and it has some atmosphere, but it has trouble establishing its own identity: it’s derivative of too many other works, Spielberg’s and otherwise; it wants to be Stand by Me and a sci-fi thriller at the same time, but doesn’t manage to be either, and as a result, it’s never very compelling; it’s more interested in exploring emotions than telling a story, and the ending is particularly flat; the train wreck at the beginning is overdone to a Michael Bayan degree. 6

Conan the Barbarian

Conan the Barbarian (2011) – This is a good looking film that starts off well, and it has all the blood and guts and bare bosoms you’d expect, plus some visceral energy (but why is Morgan Freeman the narrator?); it even has some flashes of brilliance, but as many or more flashes of terribleness; moreover, the dreadful dialogue, clichéd script, and utter lack of a cohesive narrative make it inexcusably generic. 5  

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) – This one takes the silliness up a good notch from its predecessors, and what little story there is is just a MacGuffin quest from one loud action sequence to the next; nevertheless, it’s passably entertaining on the sheer force of its presentation (it does have great effects) and the zany antics of its characters (Rush is really chewing the scenery here), although these latter are wearing a bit thin; Bloom and Knightley are not missed at all. 6

Green Lantern

Green Lantern (2011) – It’s so over-reliant on CGI it might as well have been a cartoon, but it’s well directed, and the Green Lantern ring and Corps are such solid concepts that the movie is enjoyable for their sakes; the cosmic setting is a breath of fresh air as well; with a creative script and a more compelling story we might really have had something. 6

Bunraku

Bunraku (2010) – The papercraft set design is an impressive and stylish highlight; unfortunately, the rest of this overlong, Afro Samurai-emulating film is little more than a string of cool but tedious fights strung together against a paper-thin backdrop of worn-out story elements. 5

The Petrified Forest

The Petrified Forest (1936) – This is a well-acted film notable for Humphrey Bogart’s breakthrough performance, but it’s marred by poor external set design, goofy supporting characters, general sappiness, and a great deal of stilted dialogue that hasn’t translated well from the stage (although there are some clever one-liners). 6

Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) – While this entry in the increasingly oversaturated superhero genre occasionally gets a little too absurd, the cast, characters, and setting make it thoroughly enjoyable (it does a good job capturing the spirit of the period), and it’s refreshing to see a compelling non-Joker villain in a superhero movie (for the first half of the film, anyway) – it’s been awhile. 7

Tron: Legacy

Tron: Legacy (2010) – The good score and excellent visual style go a long way toward overcoming what is too often a lazy, silly (but impressively dark) script; the whole thing is swimming with untapped potential and references to greater works. 6