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.

Over the past five years Sony Pictures Animation has produced some outstanding animated films, including "Open Season", "Surf's Up" and "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs." For "Arthur Christmas" they partnered with Aardman (the Wallace and Gromit folks) and together they've have created a modern holiday classic.

James McAvoy (who also voiced Gnomeo is this year's "Gnomeo and Juliet") stars as the voice of Arthur. He's Santa's cheery, but clumsy youngest son, who works in the mail department at the North Pole. Older brother Steve (Hugh Laurie) is cocky, self-centered and all business, as he impatiently waits for his father, Santa, to retire, so he can get out of mission control and actually take over the reigns of the toy delivery operation as the new Santa.

Following what seemed to be another successful Christmas Eve mission Arthur discovers that one toy has been left behind, meaning a child was missed. Steve doesn't think it's a big deal but Arthur believes that no child should wake-up Christmas morning without a gift from Santa under the tree. So he and his Grandsanta (the hilarious Bill Nighy), who's been retired from the job for some time, decide to get out an old sleigh, and with the assistance of an equally old reindeer and an inexperienced elf, set-out to deliver the present before it's too late.

What seems like a very simple storyline actually branches-out into unexpected areas. The script has so much to say about the holidays, sibling rivalry, family relationships, modern technology - and it does it in a sweet, smart and very funny way. The characters are complex as are the issues. First time Director Sarah Smith, who also co-wrote the script, has packaged a film that's great for kids and adults - on many different levels.

At first I thought "Arthur Christmas" was going to be a big-screen rip-off of "Prep and Landing", Disney's 2009 Christmas special, which stars Santa's elves, and shows how they "really" get the job done on Christmas Eve, using high-tech, secret agent-style methods. And the opening scene in "Arthur" takes that idea to the next level, with a spectacular 3D sequence. But then the focus shifts to Arthur and his family (including Mrs. Santa, who has a small, but important role) and the movie blossoms into a genuine original.

Jim Broadbent, Laura Linney and Eva Longoria are also part of the talented voice cast. And all of the elf voices are very well done - just listen closely because you don't want to miss any of the funny lines.

"Arthur Christmas" is sweet - but it's so much more than that. This movie captures the spirit, wonder and magic of the holiday so beautifully that it does what all great holiday movies do: make you forget about all the craziness and stress of the season and simply appreciate what Christmas is all about.

"Arthur Christmas" is rated PG for some very mild language. It's appropriate for kids 7 and up. Little ones will be mesmerized by the brilliant 3D images and delightful characters and older kids, parents, grandparents and everyone else will be thoroughly amused and delighted by the story and the messages.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Arthur Christmas" gets an A-. The movie's pace does slow down a little bit in the middle, but other than that it's a perfect holiday treat for the entire family.

It's movie-goers first true Christmas present of the year - and it may be our best!

I was very excited when I first learned that Disney was planning to bring Winnie the Pooh back to the big screen. I've loved all the characters from the Hundred Acre Wood since I was very young. Once I saw the trailer for the first time late last year and then learned that this new version was going to have the feel and look of the classic 1960's shorts my hopes grew even more.

Thankfully, "Winnie the Pooh" is delightful. The 2D, hand-drawn animation is stunning, with colors as vibrant as in any digital, computer-animated film you've ever seen. And the tone is classic "Pooh", right from with the opening scene in a real boy's bedroom, filled with stuffed versions of Pooh and his friends. There is a narrator (John Cleese - a perfect choice), characters interacting on screen with the animated pages of the book, and wonderful dialogue that occassionally has Pooh, Eeyore and the others talking directly to the narrator (and us).

The movie begins with Pooh needing some "hunny" to fill his tummy because he's run out of his favorite food. But soon everyone's attention turns to trying to find a new tail for Eeyore, and that becomes a contest, with the winner getting a big pot of hunny. But then an even larger  problem arises: a note found near Christopher Robin's house has everyone believing that the boy has been taken by a mysterious creature called the "Backson" and all of their efforts now go toward trying to save their friend.

The magic of  the Pooh books and previous on-screen versions has always been in the writing and it's the same here. Each of these very familiar characters is well defined and their interactions are often priceless. There are some very funny lines delivered in such a low-key fashion, often so quickly, one after the other, that you simply end-up with a smile on your face throughout most of the movie.

And the voice cast is tremendous. The legendary Jim Cummings is back as both Pooh and Tigger. Talk show host Craig Ferguson does a great and almost unrecognizable job as Owl and Tom Kenny (the voice of SpongeBob) debuts as Rabbit. There are several songs in the film, all appropriately simple and fun, and most performed by actress Zooey Deschenel. Oddly, the song that made the trailer so powerful ('Somewhere Only We Know' by Keane) isn't in the movie. I can only guess that the studio wanted to keep the tone of the film silly and sweet and not too serious or emotional.

"Winnie the Pooh" is rated G and, of course, it's appropriate for everyone. The version released in theaters this summer was only 63 minutes long, a nice length for little ones, but the DVD/Blu-ray does include extended scenes and, of course, plenty of extras. And don't think this is just a kids movie. Anyone of any age will be charmed by the story, the characters, the dialogue and the message.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Winnie the Pooh" gets an A-. I have a few very minor quibbles, but they're not even important enough to mention. This is clearly one of the best animated films of the year.

"Buck" is the year's best documentary for a lot of reasons, but mainly because of it's honesty.

The focus of the film is Buck Brannaman, a modern day cowboy who works with horses and their owners. Buck has an amazing way of "breaking" young horses - getting them to behave and be calm so that people can ride them. He handles the animals with care, understanding and love.

Why this is amazing is because as a young child Buck didn't gert any of those things from his own father, who beat him and his brother on a daily basis. The two boys were very talented doing rope tricks - getting on TV shows and even doing a commercial. But the abuse at home was incredible so, after his mother died, Buck and his brother were taken to a foster home.

One day he saw a demonstration in which a horseman was able to calm some wild colts using just words and a single rope and Buck decided that's what he wanted to do. Year's later Robert Redford based his character in "The Horse Whisperer" on Buck, and Brannaman actually became a consultant on the movie. Redford shares some great stories on Buck's contribution in the film and one clip from the 1998 film is a highlight.

But most of the compelling stories in "Buck" come from Brannaman himself: Memories of his childhood; the lonliness of his job, which keeps him on the road, mostly by himself, for 9 months a year; and the similarities between how horses and humans should be treated. All spoken with brutal honesty.

This is an extremely well designed documentary. Director Cindy Meehl takes us back and forth from Brannaman's difficult past to his current successful life, always keeping us unsure of what's coming next. We travel around the country with Buck (and his daughter in some scenes) and watch him work his magic on these horses - and their owners. And his sense humor is present throughout the film. But so is his sadness. "Buck" is both serious and uplifting - horrifying and hopeful.

It's rated PG for mild language and the abuse issue. It's ok for kids 10 and up but really is a film that everyone should see. It has all the elements necessary for a great documentary: an interesting subject, presented in an fascinating way so the audience not only learns about the topic but is moved emotionally.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Buck" gets an A-. It has already picked-up several end of the year awards and I'll be disappointed if it doesn't get an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature.