I can’t tell you much about the plot because after the setup this movie just goes all over the place. There’s something to do with the town’s missing persons problem, a spooky net-shed and an incredibly horny Tori Spelling. Before the movie’s end, the filmmakers even go so far as to bring the apocalypse to the Oregon coast. The film’s nightmarish, confusing plot reminds me of the type of film David Lynch might make—but unlike, say, Mulhulland Drive, a film that not only confused me, but intrigued to the point that I wanted to watch it over and over again, Cthulhu barely kept me from wanting to leave the theater. This isn’t just an independent film; it’s an independent independent film. Very low budget—and it shows in every single scene. Which begs the question: why does a film that must rely so much on word of mouth choose a title that most people won’t even know how to pronounce?

The best thing I can say about Disaster Movie is that it does my work for me: the review is right there in the title. In theory, the movie has that title because it supposedly lampoons “one of the biggest and most bloated movie genres of all time—the disaster film.” But really, aside from an earthquake here, a meteor there, and a tornado yonder, there is no resemblance to a Hollywood disaster movie. Few, if any, of the film’s horribly embarrassing jokes are comments on the genre. And did we really need to reunite the entire cast for a horrible musical number at the end? I would have preferred they cut the film just short of that, so I could make my escape from this unnatural disaster. I counted only once through this entire movie that I actually laughed (a great jab at Star Wars); and only very, very few times did the movie make me smile—and then only briefly, before my expression returned to the disgusted scowl this movie inspired.

I enjoyed the performances in this film. As Roy, Woody Harrelson channels the small-town aw-shucks nature of his Woody Boyd from Cheers, whereas Ben Kingsley (as Grinko) continues an incredible run this year. Is there a nationality that this guy can’t play? This tale of an innocent couple caught up way over their head in criminal acts echoes the work of Alfred Hitchcock. If fact, when Jessie first discovered that Roy was missing from the train, I thought for a minute that this film may actually be a remake of Hitch’s 1938 classic The Lady Vanishes, which we actually got a couple of years ago with the Jodie Foster vehicle Flightplan. But Transsiberian is a terrific thriller. Director Brad Anderson and co-screenwriter Will Conroy keep us on our toes, and we are never quite sure where the film is taking us next. I think Hitchcock would be proud.

Although on the surface the film seems somewhat like a new version of Jack Black’s School of Rock, I never got the feeling that I was watching a rehashed plotline. Sure, the plot is fairly predictable and you can pretty much guess its climax from the get-go, but it was so entertaining that I really didn’t care. A lot of the credit goes to actor Rainn Wilson in his first starring role, who is far from your typical leading man; but he’s able to pull off some Will Ferrell-style antics (remember, “the naked drummer”) without going overboard. I was also impressed with the music, which is quite a compliment considering I just came from the EMP. It’s a little too Pop and not near the level of the music in recent films like August Rush and Once, but it works well for the film.

As soon as Anna Faris gets in front of the camera, it seems she is immediately anointed Queen of the Ditzes. That persona worked well for Faris in the goofball spoofs that made up the Scary Movie series, and it even served her nicely as a supporting player in the Oscar-winning Lost in Translation; but like Will Ferrell’s shtick, it is getting very old very quickly. The House Bunny is far less entertaining and creative than last year’s Sydney White; but to be fair, White did have a classic fairytale to start from. Even with a talented young cast, director Fred Wolf can’t save this movie from feeling as ditzy as its main character. It’s one of those films in which I leave the theater feeling that my intelligence declined a bit while I sat in the dark.

I don’t want to give you the impression that I find no redeeming value in Tropic Thunder. It’s fun to spot the many references to classic war films like Saving Private Ryan—a rare moment in which I did burst into laughter—and Platoon. There’s also a delightful Indiana Jones moment for Jack Black’s heroin-addict character. I also enjoyed some of the film’s The Player-like satire; but most of the moments that generated laughter from the promotional screening audience resulted from the gross-out gags and excessive cursing. Maybe I’ve just become inoculated to that approach after having seen so many films that thrive on that kind of humor. Still, maybe where Tropic Thunder goes wrong is its failure to create characters to care about. I didn’t give a darn whether Stiller and company got out of the jungle alive or not. Cruel? Maybe. But hey, this is Hollywood.

I wasn’t too impressed with the film until it neared its terrific final act. Without giving away too many of its secrets, I will say that the film culminates in an over-the-top action sequence that—much like the final act of last year’s Hot Fuzz—uses every cliché in the action movie book. It’s the kind of action scene in which the heroes find that there is never a shortage of firearms (“Oh look, guns!”) and everybody gets to fire off a cheesy send-off line when disposing of a bad guy. For the most part, director David Gordon Green takes a slightly-better-than-mediocre script and creates an entertaining stoner movie. Rough edges aside, there are comedic moments in this film that nearly brought tears to my eyes I laughed so hard. As you’d expect, there is nowhere you can turn in this film without finding excessive drug use, while the sexual content was a little less than I predicted for a Judd Apatow-produced film. That said, the R rating is still very appropriate.

I didn’t particularly enjoy Hell Ride while I was watching it (though I was never bored), and I still don’t think it’s that great of a film; but after mulling over it during the drive home, I’m beginning to appreciate the film for what it is and what it was trying to be. It’s a B-movie, and a fairly well-made B-movie at that. It’s also no surprise to find Quentin Tarantino’s name attached to this project as executive producer. The film works like a grindhouse cross between a biker movie and a spaghetti western—exactly the kind of film we know Tarantino loves most: campy, overblown, and very, very violent. This seems like one of those films that you’d never seek out to watch, but you might find to be a fun interruption to your late-night channel surfing. Of course, after being edited for content, there’d only be about an hour of this film left.

American Teen is that it gives me a peek into another high school that’s authentic and not dreamed up by John Hughes. Still, I can’t help but think how much the subject’s actions were exaggerated due to the fact that they knew they were being filmed. What stunned me the most about this film was seeing just how petty and belittling high school students can be to each other. Even more assaulting is the insane amount of pressure put on these students by their parents. I’m sure the parents only feel like they are doing what they think is best for their children; but seeing it from the point of view of the kids, it’s incredibly stressful. Will seeing this film make teens less petty and abusive? Will the parents ease up a bit on the pressure? Whether they do or not, American Teen is worth a viewing.

Step Brothers is a step-up from Ferrell’s earlier basketball comedy Semi-Pro, mostly because Reilly’s presence gives Ferrell someone with whom he can share the insanity. After all, Ferrell’s antics may be funny; but by themselves they can be a bit overwhelming for an audience. The film’s first half is full of enough laughs to keep it going, but it really loses focus in the final act when Dale and Brennan must go through their inevitable character transitions. After all, even a Will Ferrell character needs an arc. Unfortunately, here the transition is so sudden, unbelievable, and hokey that it just doesn’t fly. Perhaps more importantly, there’s just not much humor in it. As usual, Ferrell is completely fearless and willing to go to any extreme to mine some comedy. But, honestly, there are certain parts of his anatomy that I just don’t want to see. I’m okay with nudity on screen—male or female—when it’s done skillfully and effectively, but in this case it’s just plain disturbing.