Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn enjoy Four Christmases (New Line)

By Janeane White

Four Christmases (opens November 26 throughout San Diego) is an amazingly funny movie. It's about this couple -- Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) -- that has been dating for three years yet still don't know each other as well as they think they do. Every year they go on some vacation around the world for the holidays and make up some lame excuse to tell their families as to why. They claim they are helping children in third world countries make quilts or are helping vaccinate people on some island because you see "you can't spell families without lies," as brad and his family would say. Every year for every occasion there is a different excuse. This year they plan to go to Fiji but their flight gets cancelled due to weather problems. to make things worse they end up being filmed for the news about their cancelled flight. Their families see this footage and immediately start calling and arranging for them to come over and spend the holidays with them. This leads to them learning things about each that they thought they would never speak about again. Kate learns Brad's real name and Brad learns Kate isn't what she used to be.

I loved this movie! It was hilarious. The lines that were said and the things that these characters had to endure were great. Vaughn and Witherspoon made such a perfect couple too. They believed in the same views and they totally loved each other. They both agreed that marriage wasn't for them but through the movie you see a change in their point of view. I think that it's important for couples to know everything about their partner and sometimes it's necessary. This movie does a good job of showing how most people grow up in insane households and that everyone has some sort of embarrassing past. These two just take it to the extreme though. When most say their family is crazy, it's usually an overstatement. But in this case it is true.

I think that if you get a chance to see Four Christmases (rated PG-13 for some sexual humor and language) you definitely should. It was a great film and kept me laughing pretty much the whole time. I give this film a thumbs up!

--Janeane White is a senior at Mount Miguel High School. She enjoys movies and spends all her time at the theater. She is also interested in special effects makeup done in the movies. She is an honors student and is currently working towards early graduation. Some of her favorite movies include Queen of the Damned, Hellboy, The Descent, the Underworld series, and the Saw series.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa gets another thumbs up from a KPBS Teen Critic (Dreamworks)

By Jason Lacsamana

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (in theaters November 7 in San Diego) is one of the best films I've seen this year. The film features our four favorite New York zoo animals Alex, Marty, Claudia, and Walter finding themselves on yet another epic adventure in a foreign land. This time our friends find themselves stranded in Africa, which at first seems like a wasteland but soon becomes a long lost paradise.

I really enjoyed watching this film and I highly recommend it to others especially to parents with young children or older brothers and sisters with younger siblings. The film had a lot of moments that I even found amusing which is a bit of a surprise because I'm more into the darker side of humor. I can't comment much on the animation of the film because it wasn't really anything too special; it was pretty basic animation. Although I did find myself forgetting that it was animals in the movie not humans. The acting in the movie was good enough to make me forget that. I found the movie to be a great success with great acting, a great storyline, and very funny moments. I would definitely say that it's worth the money to go see it.

--Jason Lacsamana is a senior at Mount Miguel High School. He says he wants to be a Teen Critic because he loves watching movies and loves to critique them but never really had a way of sharing his critiques.He cites zombie movies as his favorites of all time.

Behind the scenes manuevering in Loins of Punjab (Emerging Pictures)

When I first saw the title for the new film opening at Reading Gaslamp, I thought it was Lion of Punjab. I think that was the filmmaker's intent, to have people misread the title, which is actually Loins of Punjab (opened November 7 exclusively at Reading Gaslamp) and refers to the name of a company run by a character who's a pork loin king.

Loins of Punjab marks the directing debut of Manish Acharya and it's designed as a Christopher Guest-like behind the scenes mockumentary. The object of ridicule here is a reality game show in the tradition of American Idol, with a side target being non-resident Indians. Set in New York and New jersey, the focal point of the story is the first ever Desi Idol, a Bollywood take on American Idol sponsored by the pork company of the film's title. This allows the film to bring together a diverse group of characters all hoping to realize the American Dream. Through fake interviews and a day-by-day, blow-by-blow account of all the backstage shenanigans, the film follows a half dozen characters through this cutthroat competition.

The film has an appealing cast and lots of energy but it tends to play out like a predictable sitcom. Behind the broad comedy, Acharya tries to make serious points about identity, assimilation, and finding your place in the world. The problem is that there's just nothing special about the film. It's never as fresh as Guest's film can be at their best.

Loins of Punjab feels like an Americanized version of a Bollywood comedy. The musical numbers are tame and the story plays out along predictable comic lines.

Companion viewing: Om Shanti Om, American Dreamz, Waiting for Guffman

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Dreamworks)

By Lily Canones

Madagascar 2; Escape 2 Africa (opening November 7 throughout San Diego) was a story of the four animal friends, Alex, Marty, Melvin and Gloria attempting to go back to New York and going back to their old lifestyle of living within the zoo. Unfortunetly, on their way over to New York, their plane experiences some "techinical difficulties" and the four infamous, mischievous, penguins (as I would describe them) discover that the plane runs out of fuel. Their solution --  crashlanding in Africa. Throughout the movie, Alex, Marty, Melvin and Gloria all experience many things. For example, they discover their true feelings for each other. They also realize the importance of friends and family relationships as they await the repairs on their airplane.

Madagascar 2; Escape 2 Africa (rated PG for some mild crude humor) was a funny movie with that touch of love revolving around the storyline. If you enjoyed the first Madagascar, you will love Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.

--Lily Canones is a senior at Mount Miguel High School. She became a Teen Critic because she wanted to share her perspective and opinions on new movies. She loves horror movies and Asian movies. Most of the horror movies she watches are originally from Asia and she counts the original Thai version of Shutter as one of her favorites of all time.

The gang's all back in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Dreamworks)

By Darren Buchanan

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (opening November 7 throughout San Diego) is your typical kids movie -- you laugh and say, "Aww!" But there is no twist, no suspense or anything new. In this movie, you see Alex the Lion as a baby and find out how he ended you in the New York zoo in the first place. It picks of from the origanal Madagascar film in the jungle. The main animals Alex, Marty, Melman, and Gloria are trying to get back to New York by plane but the plane ends up crashlanding in Africa. They all run into a watering whole were Alex meets his long lost parents. Alex has to prove himself to the tribe by fighting another lion to prove to the tribe that he is a man, or else he will be banded form the tribe for life. Alex fails the test and his father, who is the Alpha-Lion, is the one who needs to ban him. But can his father do this to his own son?

Meanwhile, the watering hole runs ot of water because of a dam built up stream by humans. So Alex and his father go up stream to take down the dam. They fight the humans and their efforts might just win them a place back in the tribe.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (rated PG for some mild crude humor) is a predictable family film. It's somthing you take your kids to but it's not for teenagers. It is funny but eventually funny isn't enough. I started to fall asleep toward the end because since I've seen plenty of kid movies I knew the end was going to be another happy one.

--Darrin Buchanan is a seventeen-year-old senior at Mount Miguel High School. His main hobbies are theater and speech. He's also a member of the varsity speech team and a part of all the theater productions at school. He loves going to movies and is looking forward to sharing his views with others.

Seann William Scott and Paul Rudd deal with Jane Lynch in Role Models (Universal)

By Lily Canones

Role Models (opening November 7 throughout San Diego) is a story about two friends, Danny (Paul Rudd) And Wheeler (Seann William Scott), who work together in advertising an energy drink and end up conducting wild behavior. Their punishment -- work off 150 hours of commmunity service hours in a Big Brother program mentoring kids. Both are assigned to a kid: Wheeler, the very outgoing one, gets stuck with Ronnie, a want-to-be tough 10-year-old boy who happens to curse a lot for his age. On the other hand, Danny, the one who hates his life and has no joy in it whatsoever, gets stuck with Augie, a nerd who is absolutely obssesed with the fantasy world of Medival times. Throughtout the story, Danny and Wheeler go through many hardships but at the same time, they learn the importance of many things in life from Augie and Ronnie despite the many hours they had to work off.

Role Models (rated R for crude and sexual content, strong language and nudity) is a hilarious movie and I highly recommend it as a "must-see." I really enjoyed the storyline and especially Bobb'e J. Thompson's character Ronnie -- his cursing so much and his obsession with women (despite the fact that he's such a young kid).

--Lily Canones is a senior at Mount Miguel High School. She became a Teen Critic because she wanted to share her perspective and opinions on new movies. She loves horror movies and Asian movies. Most of the horror movies she watches are originally from Asia and she counts the original Thai version of Shutter as one of her favorites of all time.

Sukiyaki Western Django serves up a spaghetti western samurai style (First Look International)

Imagine a war between the Crips and the Bloods played out as a samurai spaghetti western set in ancient Japan with all the Asian actors delivering their lines in halting English and you'll begin to have an idea of what iconoclastic director Takashi Miike's Sukiyaki Western Django (opened October 31 at Landmark's Hillcrest Cinemas) is like.

The film opens with a prologue in which QuentinTarantino gathers us around the campfire to spin a tall tale about the Heike (whose color is red) and Genji (who wear white) clans who faced off at the Battle of Dannoura in 1185. Then the film picks up the rivalry a few hundred years later, possibly the 1880s, in the small town Yuta, Nebada. Tarantino's over-the top turn as a poncho-clad gunslinger sets the tone for the film.

Kevin Smith mixes sex and sweetness in Zack and Miri Make a Porno (The Weinstein Company)

By Jason Lacsamana

Zack and Miri Make A Comedy -- That title seems more fitting to this film. Zack and Miri Make A Porno (opening October 31 throughout San Diego) was one of the funniest films I've seen this year. The film features two best friends living together through tough economic times. Zack Brown (Seth Rogan) suggests making a porno to Miri Linky (Elizabeth Banks) as a solution to their financial woes. Soon enough this suggestion turns into a fun filled and sex filled adventure to stardom.

I found this film to be ridiculously funny. Seth Rogan played his role marvelously along with the rest of the cast. Many in the cast are unknown actors and actresses but they were still wonderful. There are so many funny scenes in this movie I thought I was going die from laughing so much. The storyline was very well written and the movie was very well produced and directed by the same person, Kevin Smith. This film set a whole new standard for movies, I think it really earned its R rating. While a lot of the film is comedy and sex, there are also serious and romantic moments as well. This movie has just about everything from drama to sex to getting shot below the belt to shooting (filming) below the belt.

If you liked other movies with Seth Rogan -- such as Superbad or Pineapple Express -- then you'll love Zack and Miri Make a Porno.

--Jason Lacsamana is a senior at Mount Miguel High School. He says he wants to be a Teen Critic because he loves watching movies and loves to critique them but never really had a way of sharing his critiques.He cites zombie movies as his favorites of all time.

Elizabeth Banks and Seth Rogen in Zack and Miri Make a Porno (The Weinstein Company)

By Eric Zacarias

At a time when Hollywood (or rather, Judd Apatow) has been stepping up to the plate and delivering quality comedy films with both substance and raunchiness in comes Kevin Smith. Smith not only adds to this line of great comedies but he does so in a manner that combines the best of both his trademark dick jokes and a heartwarming story. As an avid fan of director/writer Kevin Smith over the years, there were elements in Zack and Miri Make a Porno (opening October 31 throughout San Diego) I gleefully saw coming a mile away. The name itself is a display of the dirty-yet-proud-of-it demeanor of which the film is a shining beacon. The astounding collection of actors, both new and old to Smith's repertoire, did just as good a job as anyone could have hoped for. But make no mistake, as laugh-out-loud dirty as this film is (and it is), Kevin Smith manages to take it into a poignant and touching route that his earlier efforts tried on a more subtle note.

Sally Hawkins is Happy-Go-Lucky (Summit)

Back in 1993, British director Mike Leigh made a scathing film called Naked that focused on a razor-tongued misanthrope played by David Thewlis. The character was keenly intelligent but filled with bile and anger that he would vent on any unsuspecting person who happened by. It was brilliant but bleak. Now Leigh serves up a character who is Thewlis' polar opposite in Sally Hawkins' Poppy, the bright cheery protagonist of Leigh's latest film, Happy-Go-Lucky (opening October 24 at Landmark's Hillcrest Cinemas). You can also listen to the discussion from the KPBS Film Club of the Air.