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Joining together several genres of action films, from a fugitive trying to prove his innocence, to a police negotiator realizing the truth, to a mission impossible manipulation, Asger Leth’s “Man on a Ledge” is an engaging tale. We not only care about the people involved on both sides of the negotiation but we have a clear sense of why evil is destructive and love creates courageous loyalty. Written by Pablo F. Fenjves, an accomplished writer for television drama, this film represents his first attempt to fill the big screen.

Racial equality continues to be a struggle in the United States. But what helps us make progress is the proven recognition that all humans are created equal and racial inequity is unfounded. One such moment occurred during WWII when the 1925 Army War College report claiming that “Blacks are mentally interior to the white man, by nature subservient…cowardly…and therefore unfit for combat” was proven untrue. Creating the “Tuskegee Experiment” the army formed an all black unit of fighter pilots who served with distinction. One of the reasons was the attempt by the army to make the standards too high for blacks to qualify. The actual result was an entire unit of black pilots and ground crew who were uniformly remarkable. “Red Tails” is a fictionalized telling of the results of this experiment.

Grief is never an easy process. When the grieving person also has the challenges of Asperger’s or other relational disorders, the process is even more difficult. Unable to fully connect with others, such a person often turns in their grief to their own idiosyncratic methods to deal with their pain. This is where young Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) finds himself in Stephen Daldry’s film “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.”

It is easy to understand why Phyllida Lloyd chose Meryl Streep to portray Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady.” Not only is she a gifted and nuanced actress who sympathetically portrays Thatcher in her cloistered life as an octogenarian with dementia, but Streep also believably portrays the confidence and stubbornness of Thatcher at the height of her power as the only woman Prime Minister of Great Britain. Although the political life of Thatcher is presented with undeniable bias, the entire film is as much about her as a person as it is about her rise and fall from power.

For those who find the work of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung fascinating, David Cronenberg’s version of their lives will be a frustration, but with some interesting observations. Based on the non-fiction book of John Kerr titled “A Most Dangerous Method: the story of Jung, Freud, and Sabina Spielrein” and adapted for the stage and screen by Christopher Hampton, the embellishment of their relational struggles and inferred sexual fantasies and actual encounters, (which are not fully supported by historical evidence), undermines what could have been a great film.

It is a delight to get caught up in the inspirational experience of every aspect of Gospel music. Modern as well as traditional Gospel music is an obvious symbol of the history and tradition of the Black Christian Church in America. In writer / director Todd Graf’s “Joyful Noise,” it is also obvious that the experience of attending the traditional “black church” in Georgia today is a far cry from the days of Martin Luther King, Jr. It has been only 50 years since Dr. King noted that “11 o’clock on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America”.

The stunts are breathtaking in Brad Bird’s “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.” Even though we know that the star of the film series, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), would not be allowed to die, the entire audience holds our collective breath as he climbs on the outside of the Burj Khalifa at 130 stories with only a high tech glove. This view of him hanging off of the tallest building in the world standing in the heart of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is only one of many tense moments set in beautiful locations.

Based on the true story of a British man whose family purchased a dilapidated zoo and refurbished it into an acclaimed zoological park, “We Bought A Zoo” is more about the humans than the animals. Directed by Cameron Crowe and joined in writing the adapted screenplay by Aline Brosh McKenna (27 Dresses, The Devil Wears Prada), the original story is an autobiography by Benjamin Mee. In moving the setting from England to California, the characters and their relationships are artistically shifted. Though the story is predictable, it is nevertheless an inspiring and moving tale.

Horses are complex creatures. Similar in many ways to humans, they are competitive and loyal, stubborn and responsive, fearful and courageous, and seek love wherever it might be found. This resemblance has caused our relationship to horses to be one of companionship and compassion as we easily empathize with their reactions. Recognizing that the greatness of both a horse and a human is in the nature of their heart, Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse” brings both together in a heart-felt story of loyalty and love.

Over eight decades have passed since sound movies became an overnight sensation and silent movies became history. It is a remarkable achievement, therefore, to release a “silent movie” in 2011 and have audiences find it so fascinating. Written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist” takes us back to the 1920’s in this captivating look at life as if it were all a film without sound.