With his 2006 debut “Brick,“ writer-director Rian Johnson had the vision and ambition to make a film noir set at a California high school.  With his follow-up, “The Brothers Bloom,“ he has made . . .  well, he has made a Wes Anderson film, something that’s idiosyncratic enough to qualify as a genre all its own. If Johnson lacks originality here, though, he makes up for it in vibrant energy and visual flair. If he’s copying—or borrowing liberally, to be more charitable—at least he has made a better Anderson movie than Anderson himself has in about a decade.

J.J. Abrams’ hugely anticipated summer extravaganza “Star Trek” boldly goes to the past within the distant future of the “Trek” universe, years ahead of the TV series and the myriad movies and spinoffs it spawned. 

Hannah Montana: The Movie” just shouldn’t be analyzed from an adult perspective—which, frankly, is irrelevant.  The big-screen version of the Disney TV series is not made for us—it’s made for girls ages 6 to 14 and no one else—and so we must consider how they’re going to respond to it.

The most charitable thing we can say about the otherwise insufferable “Observe and Report” is that it shows Seth Rogen has some range.  He’s not just the self-deprecating cutup, the stoner teddy bear we’ve come to know in movies such as “Knocked Up,“ “Superbad” and “Pineapple Express.“ Apparently, he also has some pent-up rage in him, which he unleashes in spectacularly wild fashion as the head of security at a suburban shopping center.

‘Fanboys’ is uneven but funny You can tell a lot about a comedy by its cameos. Actually, if a comedy stoops to having cameo appearances by celebrities, it is usually a sign of desperation and a willingness to interrupt the illusion of the story with a cheap gag. But every once in a while, cameos work. Such is the case with “Fanboys,“ and you can tell a lot about “Fanboys” by its cameos.

LOS ANGELES (AP)—“Watchmen” clocked in with $55.7 million in ticket sales to claim the top spot at the box office, making director Zack Snyder’s comic book adaptation about a team of twisted superheros the biggest opening of 2009 so far.

In pro wrestling, the fights are staged, but the pain is real.  Darren Aronofsky’s extraordinary “The Wrestler” begins with the story of a past-his-prime wrestler and takes it to stunning new heights.  The revelation here is Mickey Rourke, finally cashing in on that promise he flashed so long ago and then squandered. As Randy “The Ram,“ he gives a searing portrait of a man who, having once known great fame, is now unable to give up the hope of finding it again.

Though it is a comedy with stupid humor, “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” is notable for what it is not. It is not a film that revels in its infantilism. It is not a film that takes its main character’s physical trait—his obesity—and turns it into his defining characteristic. The thing is, “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” is made by Adam Sandler’s company, Happy Madison. Sandler is a producer. So you would be forgiven for expecting it to appeal solely to guys experiencing a painfully protracted pubescence, boy-men who shriek with laughter at the very thought of flatulence.

It’s easy to mythologize the dead. Especially when the mythologizing is being done by the dead’s mother and best friend/business partner. But there isn’t much sugarcoating in “Notorious,“ which recounts the life and death of Christopher “Biggie Smalls” Wallace, the Brooklyn rapper gunned down inside his SUV almost 12 years ago at age 24.

At one point in “Revolutionary Road,“ Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet contemplate crossing the Atlantic in an ocean liner.  We’re not sure that would be such a great idea. It didn’t work out so well for them the last time. 

You can say one thing for Clint Eastwood: He has amazing arms.  The man is 78, and his arms are muscular and strong. Ordinarily, we would be talking about his many talents as a filmmaker. But the only thing that impresses about “Gran Torino” are his guns.

CRITICS’ POLL

All in all, 2008 wasn’t the best movie year. Even so, the 10 best movies of the year were pretty darned good. 1. “The Wrestler” - Mickey Rourke is brilliant - yes, that Mickey Rourke - as a has-been pro-wrestler trying to find fame again after 20 years.

Even if you are not old enough to remember the 1978 murder of San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, the new film “Milk” lets you know it is coming almost from the beginning.

Daniel Neman of the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Mike Ward of Richmond.com review “Australia.“ Big budget, but is it any good?