James Mangold, USA, 2010, 110 min.

Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz have inventive banter, run around, get chased, and dodge bullets in the suprisingly fun first hour.

After that, the script turns to serious, fills up with cliche’s and CGI, and ends with a whimper that the first half of the film did not deserve. The whole thing smacks of studio intervention. I would love to read the first draft.

This film wins the award “Coolest Safe-house” for Tom Cruise’s private island paradise.

Lee Unkrich, USA, 2010, 103 min.

Most of this film is a rousing animated adventure. Nothing new, but the writing and directing that went into it is wonderful to watch. The voice-acting is tops as well.

The animation quality is almost too good, replacing the magic of the first two films with reality. But the reality comes in handy at the end, where the film really shines in completing the trilogy on a heartfelt poetic note that was very satisfying and very emotional.

This film wins the award “Scariest Toy” for the crazy red-eyed monkey. *shudder*

John Lasseter, USA, 1995, 80 min.

The first CGI feature is also one of the best. The animation heralds a new style of film-making. One where characters and objects occupy a physical 3D space, with full depth of field.

The groundbreaking work that went into this film not only produced technical quality, but story-telling quality as well. The script is as fun, smart and colorful as the animation, and the voice-acting is top notch.

This film wins the award “Best Use of Don Rickles Voice” for casting him as Mr. Potato Head.

Harald Zwart, USA, 2010, 140 min.

The story is nothing new. This time it’s Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan in China, with some great location shooting, but the beats remain the same.

It’s a studio film all the way. Cliche, predictable, and string-pulling. Fortunately, it plays the scenes well and the leads are all personable and engaging. The scene where Jaden Smith starts to use Jackie Chan’s jacket-fu is particularly well-done. Overall it is nothing special, but I found it hard to dislike.

This film wins the award “Widest Split” for Jaden Smith getting his legs fully horizontal while balancing on handrails.

Mennan Yapo, USA, 2007, 96 min.

Sandra Bullock, a wife and mother, receives news that her husband died in a car accident. The next day, he arrives home alive and well like nothing happened.

The movie revolves around the main character predictably shifting through time. The problem is that the film-makers believe the audience is fooled and play everything as a tense surprise. The film trips its way through the plot and at the end I just didn’t care anymore.

This film wins the award “Most Boring Production Design” for its forgettable depiction of average upper middle class suburbia.