Critics

Quentin Tarantino fans won't be disappointed in "Django Unchained," a crazy mess of ideas from spaghetti westerns, "Roots" and "Blazing Saddles" jangled up in a tale of pre-Civil War slavery and revenge. Tarantino borrows from the best, even from his own past. Cristoph Waltz unchains slave Django (Jamie Foxx) to become a fellow bounty hunter. There's goofy laughs (Klansmen who can't see through their hoods) as Waltz and Foxx become buddies on a blood-soaked road trip. Leonardo DiCaprio makes evil elegant, as Waltz did so memorably in his Oscar-winning role in "Inglourious Basterds," which was a much better movie.

Tom Cruise already has a successful action movie franchise in the "Mission: Impossible" films. But he makes a serious bid to start up a similar action series as "Jack Reacher," a hard-boiled operative in the mold of Jason Bourne. Jack lives off the radar screen after a career as a military police investigator. A former army sniper Jack knew in Afghanistan becomes the prime suspect in a shooting spree that kills five people in Pittsburgh. Jack's efforts to solve the crime cause problems for the police investigation.

Director Peter Jackson has cinematic ownership of J.R.R. Tolkien's legendary fantasy novels. His epic treatment of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy led to box office success that allows him to do whatever he wants in the prequel, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. " The indispensable Ian McKellen reappears as the great wizard Gandalf to anchor the cast. Newcomer Martin Freeman plays the young Bilbo Baggins with subtle skill. He is perturbed when Gandalf sends a platoon of unruly dwarfs to his home to plan a journey of revenge.

"Playing for Keeps" employs every cliché in the PG-13 romantic comedy playbook. But the comedy is in short supply as the laughs prove to be few and far between. The end result is a big, steaming bowl of romantic mush with little connection to the relationship realities of anyone in the audience. Hunky Gerard Butler plays George Dryer, a pro soccer star at the end of his career. His beautiful wife (Jessica Biel) divorced him years earlier because of his many affairs. Now retired, he suddenly yearns to reconcile with her and be a real father to their son. But she is about to marry someone else.

Writer-director Andrew Dominik created a hard-boiled gangster movie in "Killing Them Softly. " It owes much to the work of the Coen Brothers and Quentin Tarantino. It's filled with constant tension offset by the sort of cerebral dialogue and strange humor seen in "Pulp Fiction" and "Fargo. " The story starts with small-time crooks looking for a bigger caper. They pull off a foolish amateur robbery of a mob-protected poker game. Their success makes them very hunted men. Brad Pitt is pitch-perfect as the no-nonsense hitman hired to find and execute the robbers.

Steven Spielberg is the premier film director of his generation. When he turns his creative spotlight on major historical events, he has no equal. In "Saving Private Ryan" and "Schindler's List," he brought forth the reality of World War II like no other director ever could. In "Lincoln," he shines his awesome spotlight on the most revered president in American history. Daniel Day-Lewis virtually becomes Abraham Lincoln through his astonishing portrayal of the legendary man. He is certain to be nominated for Best Actor.

"The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" could also be titled "The Glampires Strike Back," as three teen heartthrobs finally end their endless saga. Forever. One hopes. The "Twilight" films started a new age of beautifully groomed, soft spoken Undead. Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella (Kristen Stewart) fell in love in high school, no doubt because their blank gaze was reflected in the other's eyes. Although their love seemed doomed - he's a dull vampire, she's a dull mortal - together they make a fortune.

"Skyfall" may be the most satisfying James Bond film in years with jaw-dropping action, smart beautiful ladies and an Oscar-winning villain. Daniel Craig is again the impeccably tailored superspy and more vulnerable, physically and emotionally, than we've seen before. The only one who doesn't seem to doubt Bond's abilities is his boss, M (Judi Dench), who is also being asked to think about retirement. Threatening all the agents on Her Majesty's Secret Service is Silva (Javier Bardem)

Whip Whitaker wakes up with a beautiful woman after a night of hard partying. He has a flight to catch in two hours, so he downs more booze and cocaine to pull himself together before strutting onto the plane. Whitaker is the pilot. What follows in "Flight" is a white-knuckle takeoff during a storm and an even more terrifying equipment malfunction mid-flight. Capt. Whitaker is a hero for his skillful crash-landing with few fatalities, all the more miraculous considering his condition.

Since announcing my candidacy for the Costa Mesa City Council, I have visited some 1,500 households and attended 46 neighborhood coffees over the course of this campaign. The vast majority of people I have met and with whom I have spoken to care deeply about Costa Mesa and are utterly repulsed by the ugliness, the name-calling, sign stealing and the vitriol that has poisoned this campaign. Candidly, many have told me they're not sure which of the City Council candidates they can trust because of the terribly negative tone of the campaign.