The Artist *****

Writer/Director: Michel Hazanavicius

Year: 2011

Cinematographer: Guillaume Schiffman

Wonderful. A breath of fresh air. Delightful. A new classic that gives the contemporary cynical audience a reason to feel all warm and fuzzy about Old Hollywood. My #1 must see movie of 2011.

The Ides of March ***

Director: George Clooney

Year: 2011

Play by: Beau Willimon

Adapted by: Beau Willimon, George Clooney, Grant Heslov

Cinematographer: Phedon Papamichael

A solid political drama. Good movie, fun to watch that all-star cast.

Moneyball ***

Director: Bennett Miller

Year: 2011

Book by: Michael Lewis

Adapted by: Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian

Cinematographer: Wally Pfister

A good, solid movie. Not particularly outstanding or cinematic. The most impressive things about the movie are that Aaron Sorkin actually made this subject into a movie like he did last year's facebook movie, and that Jonah Hill did a better job in his role than Brad Pitt.

Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol ***

Director: Brad Bird

Year: 2011

TV Series Written by: Bruce Geller

Adapted Screenplay: Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec

Cinematographer: Robert Elswit

Fun, but not very memorable aside from the Dubai action sequence. Not special enough, but very capably directed by Brad Bird. Just not much there in the screenplay. Also, the denouement was slowed by a cheesy reference to a character who isn't known to the audience unless you've followed the entire franchise. Nothing here to make it fall as a bad movie, but not enough to make it stand out either.

Reservoir Dogs *****

Writer/Director: Quentin Tarantino

Year: 1992

Cinematographer: Andrzej Sekula

My favorite Tarantino film. Doesn't show you the heist, shows you the emotional build-up and fall-out of it. Classic dialogue. Great characters. Well acted. Sucks you in. More than the sum of its parts.