I know the doctors say I should cut back, but I would love an extra thrilling serving of Salt.

Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) is a female action hero living up to her full potential. She’s right up there with Ellen Ripley from “Alien” and Sarah Connor from “Terminator.”

Salt is a seasoned CIA agent who is accused of being a Russian spy. She goes rogue, but you’re never sure if she’s doing it to protect herself or to get away. We do know she’s crafty, deadly and runs full speed at her target.

The reason I’m enthralled with this story is because it works on my paranoia. Is it a far stretch to believe that the Russians have been training children to be sleeper agents? Not really. Could our former enemies still hold a major grudge against the US? Sure. Could the president ever be tricked into launching our own nuclear weapons? I hope not, but in the action genre, it’s plausible.

I can’t say I’ve always been a big fan of Angelina Jolie, but this seems to be a role tailored to her talents. She’s good looking (I know, an underestimation,) she’s energetic and she seems wise too. The energy in particular really brings this character to life. Jumping from semi-to-semi takes a lot of it ya know.

Salt has to go through the motions of your typical action movie too. The hero has to take out untold numbers of henchmen. Ammunition can never run out. Unbreachable buildings have to be breached. Honestly, she’s right up there rivaling Die Hard, Rambo and Terminator, and this movie makes those clichés fun and entertaining.

I’m sooooo glad that Tom Cruise turned the role down and they did a rewrite to make Salt a female.

Imagine you just ate a delicious steak and the next day you were given dog food for dinner. That’s how I felt with Swedish-subtitled The Girl Who Played With Fire. This is a bad sequel.

The follow up to the impressive thriller: The Girl With Dragon Tattoo, (and the trilogy book series they come from) fails to capture much of what was entertaining in the first film.

Goth super-hacker Lisbeth returns to Sweden after a year abroad to make sure her court-appointed and blackmailed guardian is filing satisfactory reports on her. At the same time, investigative journalist friend Mikael is about to expose a sex-trafficking ring. When a fellow journalist is killed, Lisbeth is named as the key suspect. In parallel, but soon to be connected story, both Lisbeth and Mikael work to clear Lisbeth’s name, find the killers and help Lisbeth piece together her childhood.

Sounds intriguing, but it isn’t carried out that way. Plot lines are left dangling. Chemistry between the two lead characters is missing. The thrill of the chase is absent and things don’t feel resolved at the end. I couldn’t have been left with a poorer taste in my mouth.

The fiery relationship chemistry between Lisbeth and Mikael was essentially left off the table. The introduction of James Bond-esque villains was weak and non-comical.

I’m conflicted, because I think the viewer really wants to root for Lisbeth. She’s very un-heroine like, but that’s also one of her likable traits. She’s had a rough life, is fueled by vengeance and we want her to have it. But Lisbeth is tame and less likable this time around. Maybe we’ve seen all she can do? Maybe there’s only so much vengeance she can deliver?

There are American versions of the novels coming out in the near future starring Carey Mulligan and Daniel Craig. I had no interest in seeing them before. Now, my hope is they can shore up this disappointing story.

It’s a good reminder that you’re only dysfunctional, until someone even more dysfunctional comes along.

In this dark comedy Cyrus, John (John C. Reilly) is at a low point in his life. Afraid of being alone, he is forced by his ex-wife to meet someone else.

While acting a drunken fool at a party, John meets Molly (Marisa Tomei) and for some reason his awkwardness is attractive to her. Their relationship blossoms, until John later meets Molly’s 22 year old son Cyrus (Jonah Hill) who has some serious mommy attachments.

What results is an all-on war between Cyrus and John for the possession of Molly. The passive aggressive tension between the pair is palpable and brilliant. Both men realize they can’t own her, but in a very child-like fashion, they also refuse to submit to each other.

It’s hard to resist the likeability of this movie. Like a pro-athlete can make their game look easy, Reilly and Tomei are instantly believable in their roles. Hill is also starting to prove he has more depth than just being the “fat guy” comic.

The realistic nature of this trio’s relationship to each other is also what makes this an adorable story. Both John and Molly crave with a passion, a real relationship. Both have relatable hang-ups and luggage that they have to deal with.There’s a lot of honesty and realism in it.

The viewer gets to sit back and watch the train wreck develop, and the payoff is plentiful.

I don’t see why any kid under 10 wouldn’t love Despicable Me. There’s a super villain with cool gadgets, another super villain with even cooler gadgets and a bunch of sassy little yellow Sponge Bob-like goofballs running around.

Steve Carell lends his voice to Gru, a James Bond-lite villain who is more concerned with winning the title of Baddest Villain, instead of demanding $1,000,000,000 like Dr. Evil would.

He’s got a pretty cool freeze gun that he uses to skip the lines at his local coffee shop. Outside of denting the car next to his while parallel parking, that’s the extent of how evil he really is. Hi rival, Vector (Jason Segel) is doing bigger and badder things like stealing the pyramids of Egypt. That’s the catalyst for Gru to one-up him.

In his suburban home’s basement, Gru hatches a plan to use a shrink ray to literally steal the moon. He adopts three young girls from the neighborhood orphanage to infiltrate Vector’s stronghold, under the guise of selling cookies.

Little does Gru know that he’s in for a lovey-dovey change of heart, just like the Grinch who stole Christmas had coming.

It’s a nice twist that the villain is the hero in this story. It’s probably dangerous waters to tread in for a kids movie, but Gru is really a villain-lite who is still working out his mommy issues. He’s also got a crew of minions, literally called Minions who steal most of the jokes and help make Gru look better. They do, and that helps make Despicable Me a fun ride.

This the latest in the movie to cram 3D down our throats. While they did use the technique to it’s most appropriate use (a roller coaster ride,) again, I don’t see why you should have to pay the surcharge for the goofy glasses. I caught this in 2D and I still enjoyed the experience.

This is the fifth movie in the Predator franchise, which usually doesn’t bode well for the viewer. Aside from the 1987 original starring Ahhh-nold, this one is the second best in the series.

This time around a group of warriors are dropped onto an alien planet that serves as a game preserve for the Predators.

When I say dropped, I mean that literally. The film opens with Adrian Brody in free fall searching for a ripcord to pull on a parachute. How does he know he’s wearing a parachute? Those aren’t the kind of details you need for an action movie so don’t ask that question. Just enjoy the free fall and you’ll enjoy Predators like I did.

The motley cast of hunted humans is what makes this entertaining. You get an ex-military mercenary (Adrien Brody,) a Mexican drug cartel thug, a Yakuza sword master, an African death squad meanie and the list goes on. Lest I forget the Russian soldier wielding a Microgun. You can’t have a good Predator movie without a rotary machine gun that can mow down dense jungle brush like a chainsaw.

Side note: I say that, but I actually fear the coming collection of every action hero out there in The Expendables. Not sure if my brain can handle that.

Back to the movie at hand. Once the warriors figure out they’re the ones being hunted, the chase is on. You get to guess who’ll be the next one to go, but even with a few twists thrown in, the hunt gets repetitive.

You get the feeling that Brody, who I’ve always considered to be a more refined actor, really, really wants to be an action hero. That’s fine, he’s mostly believable as a mercenary. I just don’t see him there yet.

If you love saying “get to de chopper” like I do, it makes all the difference in whether you’re gonna enjoy your viewing experience. If you have no idea what that means, skip this one.

Unless you don’t mind wasting your time on uninspired dialogue and sappy romance there is no need to see the new Twilight film.

Obviously, I am not inside the head of a 14-year old girl, so I am quite confused as to why this movie series is popular. The only logical explanation is that people sometimes love trash.

In this chapter, human teen Bella Swan is the designated target of a vampire army. Torn between two potential suitors; Edward the vampire and Jacob the werewolf, Bella has to decide which will be the love of her life. Things get complex when both rivals decide to join forces to fight off the oncoming army.

Here’s my main problem with the Twilight series. I don’t believe Bella’s motivations. Whether that’s the fault of actress Kristen Stewart or just a collection of bad writing & directing, I’m not sure. I don’t believe the words she says when she opens her mouth and I don’t believe her reactions to the world she lives in. They seem fabricated. They seem counter-intuitive. Is that the world of a teenage girl? Maybe, but it makes me feel unconnected to her character.

I get that these movies are about chastity, forbidden fruit and teenage love. It’s just those stories can be told in better ways.

Simply put, this is a poor example of movie making. Without knowing all the details from the novels these are based on, the viewer is mostly confused as to what is going on. Even sequels should be able to stand on their own.

I will say that Eclipse is slightly better than the last two Twilight films, but that’s not saying much for this afterschool special.

At times I found myself wishing I was watching the Kristen Stewart/Dakota Fanning vehicle The Runaways again.  At least the pair were intriguing characters in that movie.

It’s a typical Adam Sandler movie. There’s goofy one-liners and immature behavior but underneath it all, there’s a warm-fuzzy feeling to it. I’m not sure I should be glad or sad that I can relate to his films.

Grown Ups is about five childhood friends who reunite as adults following the death of their beloved basketball coach. They’ve all got jobs & families of their own, but once reunited, they retort to their childish ways together.

The plot is sketchy at best. This movie is much better described as five forty-somethings that like to play pranks on each other while ogling women. It feels at times that the cast is settling for mediocrity, which will only disappoint fans. Part of the problem is the mass of players onscreen including, but not limited to : Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Kevin Smith, Maria Bello and Salma Hayek.

Someone has to lead here, which means the other talent is left at the wayside.

I think on some level, all Adam Sandler movies try to include a small moral lesson about being good to each other. That little notion seems to allow me to enjoy his stupid humor. There is a good hearted nature, but it doesn’t make this a great comedy. Just an OK one.

Some of the “guys hanging out together” humor may be relatable, but the series of one liners gets old quickly. I feel like there was a good story to tell here, but there are too many completely phony and ridiculous storylines which water down the more solid scenes.

I laughed, but I don’t think this will go down as one of the better comedies of the year.

It’s rare that a movie series can three-peat, but Toy Story 3 is one of the rare wins.

There’s only a few movie series that can say they are worthy of a trilogy. Toy Story is now one of them. I can’t say whether this will be as fantastic as the Star Wars, Indiana Jones and the Lord Of The Rings films, but it is a worth-while movie.

In this chapter, Andy is heading off to college and has to decide whether to toss, donate or put his beloved childhood toys into the attic. The toys are accidentally given to a local daycare, where Woody (Tom Hanks,) Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the crew find out life can be rough, especially at the hands of toddler.

The toys decide that it’s their duty to belong to the departing Andy, even if it means being stored in his attic is their fate. Now that’s dedication.

This Toy Story was different, because the toy’s lives always revolved around Andy, now they’re off into the world. Yet, that disconnect doesn’t distract the toys from their sense of family for each other.

The blend of comedy is clever. At one point, the group is trying to reset Buzz Lightyear from his factory settings and accidentally switch him into Spanish mode. Buzz’s new Latino personality takes over and one is helpless but to laugh by the confusion. It’s a smart humor that doesn’t have to resort to the lowest common denominator.

This film wins because the people at Pixar are able to convey real emotion and humanity in the objects. You feel for their plight and hope for their success. That’s as good as it gets for a character in a movie, be they toys or humans.

As for the 3D, 2D debate, I’m still not sold that 3D is a superior viewing experience. I’ve actually heard some say that comparing the 2D & 3D version, you lose some of the vividness of colors in the 3D version. I say if it doesn’t improve the story itself, it’s not worth the cost.

I do know this. You pay extra for the 3D viewing.