Eagle Eye

Where to begin... The first 15 minutes were a series of "Wow!" Then I figured the movie out. I say this not to make myself sound superior, it's just that the plot wasn't that good. I think it would be better for folks who don't watch much sci-fi because those of us who do saw right through this one. One part particularly gave it away. A military person assigned to the "project" was named "Bowman." PLEASE, for the love of Stanley Kubrick, don't go all "Dave, I cannot do that" on us.
The acting was really good. I'm not sure how much Billy Bob Thornton got paid, but he earned it. He had the best lines: (something like) "I'll make sure you're next assignment is touching shit...with your hands." He was great in this movie. Watch it to see him.
As a quick note, you'll see a lot of people in this movie you've seen in other stuff. Watch closely. Rosario Dawson was super and I was crossing my fingers she wouldn't die in the end (you'll have to watch it). Michael Chiklis from "The Shield" played a small but pivotal role.
As for Michelle Monaghan and Shia LaBeouf, they gave convincing performances - I would watch them in other movies because they seem to have the "craft" down well. The movie's downfall wasn't in the actor's performances; it was in the plot, so if you l-o-v-e Shia, rent this. His was actually more of a dual performance as he has a twin brother, so you get two Shia for the price of one! He really did an excellent job as the grieving, neglected, lesser brother.
The score was good, the action scenes were fantastic and I especially liked the cinematography. There were quick shoot-to shots that aided the weak plot. The sleek design of the machine "Aria" was also very futuristic and somewhat convincing.
I don't think I can conclude the review without pointing out that this movie was original, but borrowed HEAVILY from other movies. The Aria shots were very much like "Event Horizon" or "Sphere," and possibly "Alien." One may even argue the "Star Wars" light saber duel had a similar backdrop to Aria. The 1984-ish Big Brother was obvious from the beginning.
Even with these other similarities, the movie is more of an homage to Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey." It is an example of what happens when the government puts more trust in the machines than the people. Crazy crap happens.
The ending is predictable but sweet. I suggest that fans of action movies and possibly sci-fi should watch this movie. It's not the best, but it has some great moments. While there is no sexuality, there are some strong phrases uttered, so I'd let teens watch it but not preteens or smaller kids. It would make a good date night movie or for a 15 year old girl's slumber party.

Traitor

Don Cheadle, steals my heart as his movie roles keep getting better. His acting is so good and so believable that his movie roles are getting better. I loved him in the "Oceans" movies and adored him in "Hotel Rwanda," but this is a close second. The audience is not aware if Cheadle is a good guy or not as he races across continents, religions and international situations. Guy Pearce ("Memento") and Neal McDonough ("Star Trek:First Contact") play U.S. agents searching down Cheadle's character. Jeff Daniels plays the government official working the covert operation. Said Taghmaoui plays the radical Cheadle befriends and together work as a team against the U.S. This is one of those movies in which the audience is shocked (in a good way) at the ending. I highly recommend you rent this one.

Tropic Thunder

This was recommended by my professor. What was he smoking? Do I want to know? This was a silly, stupid movie with a few exceptions. The opening pretend credits were LOL funny, one with Tobey McGuire ("Spiderman") posing as a gay monk opposite Robert Downey Jr. Jack Black's role was stupid and forgettable. The star, Ben Stiller, had the everyman role and played it better than expected. Unfortunately, the movie wasn't all that. There are definitely funny parts (one at the end on the bridge) and takes at the mercy of the way movies are made. This is a movie for those who are not offended by racial slurs, gay situations, drug use, potty humor or child villains (who tote guns and smoke). Side note: Tom Cruise has a small part that is pretty good and you get to see him dance like an idiot as the ending credits roll.

UPDATE: My professor read this and feels I have done this review an injustice. I will admit that after reading his email, this movie was better than my bashing. Hey, it even got some award noms (not for the movie, but for the comedic actors) Looking at the movie from a film maker's perspective, it is slightly more funny than I gave it credit. Sorry.

The Dark Knight

I know people will hate me but I didn't like this movie. The only redeeming quality was Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker. Christian Bale's Batman was mild, Maggie Gyllenhaal as the love interest was not convincing, and again - Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are the better actors who have been shoved off in the overseer roles. Aaron Eckhart's role as Harvey Dent/Two-Face was okay but the special effects for his alternate personality were out of this world. My only real beef with this movie is that as a comic book reader, I was disappointed the audience saw a very young Commissioner Gordon's daughter. I am taking this to mean that future movies will not follow in the comic book line. I was glad to see Scarecrow and some other buddies show up and hope to see more of them in sequels. If you want to see Ledger, watch this. Otherwise, it's a skipper.

Wanted

Skip this movie. Go online and look at sexy pictures of James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie. You'll thank me later. This is an unbelievable movie about a secret society of assassins and the quest for one young man (McAvoy) to find out about his lineage. The special effects were the only redeeming quality in this movie. Folks, I had this one figured out with the exception of the mass murder scene at the end. This was not that creative of a movie and I'm disappointed that these stars did the gig for money instead of their craft. Especially Morgan Freeman, who played the behind-the-scenes boss that he's played in a number of movies. Morgan: Please stop being the old wise sage and start doing the action again. You've got it in you.