Priest

Did you ever go into a movie and expect it to be good based on the trailer and the premise? Then 10 minutes into the film you are still hoping that it will end up being a great movie but you know that it will not be? Well that movie is Priest.
The movie is about a priest who disobeys the church law to track down the vampires who kidnapped his niece. The desert landscape CGI effects are beautiful to watch but that's it. Paul Bettany is a good character actor (see The Tourist) but he fails in making you care about his delimma. Then Cam Gadget shows up and tries to show his acting talents which is as thin a a string of floss. He dreams that he is Steve McQueen in this movie (not literally but he must have seen The Magnificent Seven 100 times based on his performance) but his acting talents make watching him a nightmare. Finally the sexy Maggie Q from the television show Nikkita shows up and she is boring and makes watching paint dry a pleasurable experience.

Verdict:
Why was this not sent straight to the $4.99 DVD?

Thor

Back in the day the Marvel comic book character Thor was never considered as cool as Spiderman, Hulk, and the Fantastic Four. Thor talked funny, carried a Hammer, and was not from earth. Newcomer Chris Hemsworth as Thor does an excellent job of embracing the character and making the audience enjoy his adventure.
The movie begins when Thor is cast out of Asgard (his home) and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their defenders.
Natalie Portman plays the love interest but it's more of a lust interest because there is not enough time to develop their interest in each other.
Anthony Hopkins as Thor's father is excellent and gives a great performance.
I highly recommend the 3D version so that you can see the awesome special effects of Asgard which takes up the first 50 minutes of the movie.
Actor Kenneth Branagh directed this film with a good sense of what people want to see in Superhero movies: great special effects, a story you can follow, and as much action sprinkled in between but not to the point where the action is senseless ie: Transformers 2.

Verdict:
Worth seeing for the special effects and the performances.

Fast Five

I would like to say that this was the perfect movie at the right time. Hollywood has been selling America "B" movies and trying to tell us they are great.
Rarely does a franchise comes out that can continue to haul in millions after 3 movie versions much less 5(exclude James Bond). Fast 5 does not disappoint.
Dominic (Vin Diesel) and his crew find themselves on the wrong side of the law once again as they try to switch lanes between a drug lord and a The Rock, Duane Johnson, who plays a federal agent/hunter.
Do we really care what the story is about? Not really, fans just want to see all the elements from the original: have Vin Diesel kick someones ass and not say much; have at least one race; open the movie with a action scene that keeps you in your seat. Then sprinkle with beautiful women, muscle bound men, and you must have a righteous bad guy. This movie has all of the above. Vin Diesel should never again think of acting in anything else (remember when he left the franchise to be a serious actor), he is blessed to be in a franchise that will not die in the near future.

Verdict:
Perfect popcorn movie, cars, action, location, and the original cast (minus the great Michelle Rodriquez). Keep making these money machines until the wheels fall off.

The Conspirator

The Conspirator has everything going for it. It's timely, has great actors (Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkinson to name a couple), excellent costumes, and sets. The movie also has great buzz which is hard to get these days with the crop of poor films that have been coming out.
The story is about Mary Surratt, who is charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination trial of Abraham Lincoln. As the whole nation turns against her, she is forced to rely on her lawyer to uncover the truth and save her life.
My problem with this movie is that I didn't care about Mary and I knew well in advance how it was going to end. In between the 2 hours there was nothing to engage me, I couldn't wait until the end of the movie.
Academy Award winning director Robert Redford gives Kevin Kline a chance to show talent that he has not displayed in years.
James McAvoy, from Wanted, gives it the college try but is not able to carry the film.

Verdict:
You will want to hang yourself after sitting thru this movie.