Tower Heist

Meant to see this in the theatre but it was still good on the small screen. A great cast including Matthew Broderick (is there anyone who has not seen Ferris Bueller??), Ben Stiller (Night at the Museum), Eddie Murphy (Beverly Hills Cop) at his staccato best, Alan Alda (M*A*S*H) and Tea Leoni (The Family Man).
A good story that moves well and another enjoyable rental.

Dolphin Tale

A nice mindless movie based on a true story about a dolphin that loses its tail. Nice performances by Harry Connick Jr. (Hope Floats), Kris Kristofferson (A Star is Born), and Ashley Judd (The Tooth Fairy), with actors I had not seen before: Nathan Gamble and Cozi Zuehisdorff. And starring the actual dolphin, 'Winter'.
Enjoyable rental or to watch with young children.

The Five-Year Engagement

If you liked Bridesmaids, you'll probably like this.
I didn't. Emily Blunt (see Salmon Fishing... post) is, as always, lovely to watch and usually adds a positive aspect to the whole production. But while her rapport with Jason Segel is good, I felt she was miscast.

There is a great scene of two of the characters speaking like Elmo and Cookie Monster - very funny (thus earning an extra 0.5*). The movie is overly long and I found it dragged.

To be fair, the rest of the audience seemed to enjoy it. Check out the director's and writer's previous works and you'll get a solid view of what you're in for -
I wish I had.

The Lucky One

Well, I was apprehensive about this movie, as the critics almost universally panned it. But, it is a Nicholas Sparks story (The Notebook, Message in the Bottle, etc) - need I say (much) more?

The story line is entirely predictable, as per the trailers. Zac Efron is quite something to watch and removes his shirt (well, you've gotta expect that?). One reviewer indicated that he actually caught a glimpse of some acting potential and that maybe Zac is ready for something that doesn't just feature his nice face and laser beam eyes? Taylor Schilling is better than I expected, based on her lack of (film) experience - I had seen an interview of the two of them and she had trouble maintaining eye contact (while Zac, of course, was mesmerizing). She was decent, lovely to look at and displayed a wider range of  emotions than I would have anticipated.

Blythe Danner, who doesn't have a huge part and has been around forever, is a delight. Her conservation of movement and measured responses in dialogue are great - it's fun to watch a pro.

I also liked the shooting of the scenery - lovely to see. All in all, a predictable event, I think I'd see again, and would make a good rental when you want something fluffy.