Vampires are more popular than ever right now in the entertainment world, thanks to "The Twilight Saga" and TV shows such as "True Blood" and "The Vampires Diaries". Hard to imagine that they were also big 40-years ago, on daytime TV of all places.

But that was the case. And now Johnny Depp and Tim Burton have teamed-up, for the 8th time, to bring the daytime soap opera , "Dark Shadows" (1966-71) to the big-screen.

Depp plays Barnabas Collins, who was a member of the richest family in Maine back in the late 1700's. He's cursed by a witch who loved him, because he loved someone else. She turns him into a vampire and locks him in a coffin. We flash forward to 1972 and the coffin is discovered by some construction workers who open it (big mistake) allowing Barnabas to return to what's left of his family and try to restore them to glory in a town that's been taken-over by an evil woman named Angelique (played by Eva Green), who just happens to be the same witch who cursed Barnabas nearly 200 years earlier. He's looking for revenge, he's looking for love and he's looking for blood.

"Dark Shadows" starts with a good set-up, laying-out the plot in soap opera fashion. It grabbed my interest from the opening shot. But one of the big problems with the film is that it's extremely inconsistent. An engaging scene is followed by one that just loses you and any momentum the story had. And this happens over and over. 

Also, this movie is being sold in the trailers and commercials as a comedy - but it just isn't. All the attempts at humor fall flat, including trying to get laughs out of the fact that this is a vampire from the 1700's is now living in 1972. He's amazed by a McDonald's sign, baffled by a lava lamp. Please, that's the best the writers could do?

The strength of "Dark Shadows" comes from what Tim Burton always provides: a great look and feel. You could tell this was a Burton film even if you didn't know (and Depp and Burton's wife - Helena Bonham Carter weren't in it). The sets and costumes are fantastic and even the make-up is well done.

The cast does a nice job of playing this is soap opera style - delivering dialogue that is sometimes sharp, other times intentionally bland and almost always over-the-top. Michelle Pfeiffer is a good choice to play the matriarch of the Collins Family. She has some good early scenes with Depp, who is classic Depp here again. But seeing him play yet another "wacky character" is getting kind of old.

"Dark Shadows" is rated PG-13 for some language, adult content and violence. There are more sexual references than you might expect from a PG-13 film, probably because sex was a big part of daytime dramas. It's appropriate for kids 12 and up, but most of them will likely not be interested. This movie was made for fans of Depp and Burton and fans of the original show, which had a huge cult following. I'm not really sure how those fans will like it. There were certainly a lot of them at the screening I attended, but I didn't hear too much from them during or after the movie. Regular movie goers will likely be split down the middle, which was exactly the way I felt leaving the theater.

On The Official LCJ Report Card, "Dark Shadows" gets a C.

At times it tries too hard, especially over-doing the fact that it's set in the early 70's (including a weird Alice Cooper cameo). The editing is a little rough and it's not a bit scary. In fact this is probably the dullest vampire movie ever made. But with a solid cast, a director who's a visual master and a great soundtrack "Dark Shadows" is not a complete wash-out.

I just wish it had a little more bite.

On The Official LCJ Report Card, "Dark Shadows" gets an    .

It's the big screen event diehard superhero comic book and film fans have been waiting for: an "Avengers" movie. And it's finally here. After "Iron Man" became a box office hit and re-launched Robert Downey, Jr.'s career, Marvel Studios released "The Incredible Hulk" (starring Edward Norton) and "Iron Man 2", and then followed with last summer's "Thor" and "Captain America: The First Avenger". And now all these iconic characters have come together to save the world in "Marvel's The Avengers", the first film of the 2012 Summer Movie Season. And what a way to start it off!

Samuel L. Jackson first appeared as Nick Fury, the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D, our country's top-secret defense unit, at the end of "Iron Man" asking Tony Stark to become part of The Avengers Initiative. In "The Avengers" we see that project come together. But Fury needs to assemble this team sooner than he expected because the evil god Loki, Thor's half-brother (and the villain in "Thor"), has escaped his world and come to earth. Loki has an army and a plan to either kill or make slaves of all humans. Early in the film he steals a weapon that Shield was working-on that will give him the power, literally, to destroy everything in his path.

So it's up to The Avengers to join forces (and egos) to try to take Loki down. The six very different members include Downey Jr.'s Iron Man (who isn't big on the idea of this project at the start), Chris Hemsworth's Thor (who feels guilty because it's his brother causing all the trouble), Chris Evans' Captain America (who's still trying to adjust to the modern world), Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow (who debuted in "Iron Man 2"), Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye (he and his bow and arrows had a small role in "Thor"), and Bruce Banner (a.k.a. The Hulk), played by Mark Ruffalo. He's the third actor to play this role in the past decade (Eric Bana starred in 2003's "Hulk" and then Norton in 2008).

This might sound like way too simple of a plot-line: Six superheroes comes together to battle one evil mega-villain and his army. And on the surface, it is. And that's what makes "The Avengers" even more of an amazing accomplishment because it turns this very simple story into a wildly entertaining film.

First of all, the movie is  jammed with action. Many of the early fight scenes involve the Avengers fighting amongst themselves, as they test each other to see who's worthy. The last half-hour is practically one non-stop battle sequence, but it's staged with a nice pace that keeps it interesting and not (like in so many other action films) mind-numbing. In fact all of the action scenes are a lot of fun. And the script is filled with touches of humor - clever dialogue and funny moments that help balance-out all the action. 

Downey, Jr. is spot-on as usual as the sharp, sarcastic Stark. Ruffalo is a good choice as The Hulk. He brings his own unique style to the character and, some will argue, steals the movie.  Johansson and Renner are solid. The Chrises are also good, though Evans stands-out a little more than Hemsworth. But the strongest performance for me comes from Jackson, who can deliver effective dialogue, shoot a weapon and make you laugh. He's the ideal choice to play the role of a non-superhero leader of a group of superheroes.

"The Avengers" is close to two-and-a-half hours long. The first half, while the team is coming together, is dominated by Loki. Tom Hiddleston does a nice job. The character works well within the storyline and his interactions, one at a time with each of the Avengers, are a strong element of the film. Most of the special effects are impressive, though a few do look a little cheesy (especially on Asgard - Thor and Loki's planet).

Is this movie goofy, silly and at times a little overly-dramatic? Of course...but who cares! It's exciting and engaging, with the best score and costume design of any movie so far this year.

"The Avengers" is rated PG-13 for all of the action/violence. It's appropriate for kids 11and up, who will love all the action. Parents, if you're going to take younger kids to this, and I know you are, please keep them quiet during the film. Of course Marvel fans (both comics and films) will not be disappointed either. And, as usual, there's a few extra to keep an eye out for: the regular cameo by the great Stan Lee and not one, but two surprises during the credits.

On The Official LCJ Report Card, "Marvel's The Avengers" gets an A-. It may just be the greatest modern-era superhero movie of them all.

Up-coming Marvel projects include next year's "Iron Man 3" and "Thor 2", "Captain America 2" in late 2014 and an untitled project for May 2014. Could that be a second "Avengers"? Considering the killing this one will do at the box office it's a lock that we will see a second "Avengers". It's just a question of when.

Aardman Animation is best known for their stop-motion, claymation films and shorts, many of them involving the characters Wallace and Gromit, and most of them award-winning. On the big screen Aardman has given us 2000's "Chicken Run" and 2005's "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" and, more recently, the studio provided character development for two CGI animated films: 2006's "Flushed Away" and last year's instant holiday classic, "Arthur Christmas".

"The Pirates! Band of Misfits" is the studio's first stop-motion film since "Were-Rabbit", and it is so incredibly funny throughout I was exhausted from laughing when it was over.

Hugh Grant stars as the voice of The Pirate Captain. He's the leader of a wacky and diverse crew who storm the seven seas in search of gold. For his entire life The Pirate Captain has wanted to win the "Pirate of the Year" Award. Every year he enters and every year he loses, but that doesn't stop him from entering again, and since he's never won before he think he's got a really good chance this time. You gotta love his optimism.

But he needs to steal a lot of booty to have a chance to compete with the more successful pirates for the award. So he and his crew take to the high seas and eventually come upon a ship with a young scientist named Charles Darwin on board. Before being made to walk the plank, Charles notices that The Pirate Captain's parrot (named Polly) is actually a scientific wonder - a thought-to-be-extinct Dodo bird. Charles wants to enter Polly in a major Science competition in London. But London is not a safe place for pirates because England's Queen Victoria HATES pirates. If he goes The Pirate Captain could win enough riches to realize his dream of being "Pirate of the Year" or he and his crew could get caught and killed. And what about Charles Darwin and his assistant - a highly intelligent, but silent chimp?

It's a wonderfully goofy plot - set in the 1800's - and yet characters have Sharpies, use modern expressions and one of the other scientific experiments is a Rubik's Cube. And this only adds to the goofiness. "The Pirates! Band of Misfits" is filled with big laughs, subtle jokes and clever one-liners from start to finish. You have to pay attention and listen closely to get them all. The first scene of the movie, in which we meet The Pirate Captain and his men (all of which aren't men) has more laughs in it than some full-length so-called comedies. Overall, "The Pirates!" is more geared to an older audience because the jokes and references are more for them, but that's not to say that younger kids won't like it.

The writing is brilliant. The script relies on so many forms of comedy: satire, parody, farce, slapstick. There are situations and events thrown-in just for laughs (my personal favorite is the "Pirate of the Year Award" ceremony), others that are flat-out ridiculous, but it all works because the writers stay true to the story and the variety characters.

The other element of "The Pirates!" that makes it so enjoyable is the stop-motion animation, which is fantastic. All characters and settings look so good that you watch in awe wondering how the Aardman team was able to create these scenes with modeling clay and hundred of thousand of still photos. Grant, in his first animated role, does a nice job as the likeable Pirate Captain. Jeremy Piven, Salma Hayek and even Al Roker are part of the supporting cast. The rest of the voices mostly come from British actors, including Martin Freeman and Brendan Gleeson.

This is the most ambitious of any Aardman film, with loads of characters and tons of action. The movie packs so much into 90 minutes, and that includes the credits, which may be the most entertaining I've ever seen. You'll feel bad for the people who worked on the film because you won't be able to pay attention to their names. Don't make a mistake and leave early.

"The Pirates! Band of Misfits" is rated PG for some mild action, rude humor and brief language. It's appropriate for kids 8 and up. But again, youngsters will enjoy it for the characters and the action, but the older crowd, including parents, will appreciate it even more.

On The Official LCJ Report Card, "The Pirates! Band of Misfits" gets a B+. It's a whale of a good time and the funniest film of 2012...by far. I saw it in 3D and the extra dimension works, though it does make a few of the scenes a little too dark. When I see "The Pirates!" again (and it'll be soon) it'll be in digital 2D and I'm sure it will be fantastic. Either way, if you don't enjoy "Pirates!" it's time for you to walk the plank!

This is a big year for animated movies, with two other stop-motion films, plus Pixar's "Brave" and "Madagascar 3" coming out. But it'll be very hard for any of them to defeat "The Pirates!".

Disneynature has had much success with their Earth Day documentaries: 2009's "Earth" was about our entire planet, primarily focusing on polar bears, whales and elephants and was narrated by James Earl Jones. 2010's "Oceans", narrated by Pierce Brosnan, took us under the sea. And last year's "African Cats", about lion and cheetah families, was narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. Combined they've grossed more than $200 million worldwide. This year the studio is taking us back to Africa, this time to meet a young chimp named Oscar.

"Chimpanzee" is narrated by Tim Allen, who tells Oscar's story of survival in the rain forest. We first meet Oscar as a baby - instantly cute and likeable. He's curious and loves to literally "monkey around". His mother Isha takes care of him and tries to protect him at all times. The leader of their group is Freddy - an older chimp who's not a big fan of young upstarts, especially when he's trying to sleep.

Freddy's #1 duty is to protect his group from his enemy - Scar - and his gang of chimps who want to take over Freddy's territory for food. During one confrontation between the two sides little Oscar is separated from his mother and this takes all of their lives in a surprising direction.

At only 78 minutes "Chimpanzee" goes by very quickly. At the end I immediately thought - "It's over already?"  The subject matter is interesting and the story is engaging, I just wish there was more to it, especially since much of the film is taken-up by many wide shots of the rain forest and close-ups using time-lapse photography.

When I interviewed co-director Alastair Fothergill (who also worked on "Earth" and "African Cats"), he told me that unlike Disneynature's previous films, they wanted "Chimpanzee" to be more of a comedy. And it is, so Allen is a good choice for the narration. He has a distinct voice and adds his own personality to the storytelling. Some of Allen's lines are a little corny but there are some humorous moments with Oscar interacting with the his mom and the other chimps, and you do learn a lot about chimps, including one amazing fact about what they eat that I guarantee will surprise you.

What's most impressive about "Chimpanzee" is the footage. Fothergill and co-director Mark Linfield ("Earth") deserve a lot of credit for capturing great, natural moments on film. And it wasn't easy. The camera crews were restricted to standing 22 feet away from the chimps at all times and everyone had to wear masks so they wouldn't spread human germs to the chimps. Some of the shots are amazing, especially knowing that all of the close-ups we see had to be taken from a distance. Like the other Disneynature documentaries, there is a "Making Of" short at the end, which could have been much longer.

At times the material runs a little dry. There are one too many scenes of Oscar and the others trying to break open nuts with rocks and sticks. And come on, you named the rival chimp leader Scar? The old, evil lion in "African Cats" was also Scar. It's time the writers come-up with another name of a Disney cartoon villain for the enemies in these documentaries.

"Chimpanzee" is rated G. Unlike "African Cats", there is no blood on the screen, but there is some action/violence during the attacks that may briefly scare younger ones, especially with the over-dramatic music during those scenes. Overall, it's appropriate for kids 8 and up.

On The Official LCJ Report Card, "Chimpanzee" gets a B.

At the screening I attended, there was no preview for next year's Disneynature film. Fothergill told me there are a few projcets in the works, but he couldn't give anything away, so we'll have to wait and see what Disneynature has is store for it's 2013 Earth Day film.  Maybe we'll finally get that a bird documentary I've been looking for.