In Theaters: Looper ****

Okay, let's say you've watched the trailers and commercials for Looper.  So, you're aware that it's a shoot-em-up actioner with an odd but interesting sci-fi premise.  You know that it involves a group of hit-men assigned to kill targets transported back in time from a future wherein time travel has been invented.  And, you know that the protagonist is assigned to kill his future self.

Sorry, you don't know anything about this movie.  Not of the most interesting parts anyway.

There is a rich, detailed world created for this movie that's only hinted at in the trailers.  There are twists and wrinkles to the story that aren't even alluded to in the commercials.  Even if the movie wasn't very good -- and it is, believe me -- the studio could claim credit for outstanding marketing that managed to pull viewers in without giving everything away.

It's a triumph all-around.

In Theaters: The Dark Knight Rises ***1/2

The Dark Knight about four years ago, virtually everyone on the planet has been eagerly anticipating the next entry in Christopher Nolan's Batman saga.  The only thing exceeding our anticipation was our expectations.  After all, given Nolan's track record and the brilliance of the first two films, we've all been certain from the outset that the third -- and what is purportedly the final -- act in the trilogy was going to blow us away.

But, what if it didn't?  What if it fell victim to the Third-Movie-in-a-Super-Hero-Series Curse and just stunk up the place?  Between the tradition of franchise-ruining third entries and the law of averages suggesting that Nolan is due for a misfire, there was a lot going against The Dark Knight Rises.  And, honestly, when the first few trailers started rolling out, I, personally, started to feel like maybe the just wasn't going to be as good as we all hoped/needed it to be.

If you haven't seen the movie in the first two days, you'll be happy to know that my fears were misplaced.  This is a very good movie.  It left me riveted, fascinated, and anxious to go out and see it again.  But, that doesn't mean it's flawless.

Rather than catalog all the little problems with this movie, I'll just lump them into one big problem: the first hour.  The first sixty minutes or so of the movie are, for lack of a better word, dumb.  Another good descriptor for the initial hour would be sloppy.