Imagine if people didn't age past their 25th birthday and from that day forward they had to add time to their personal accounts to stay alive. But, at the same time, everything in the world that people did, used and bought cost, not money, but time, that came off of their personal accounts. Time would be the most valuable thing in the world - so valuable that people would steal and kill for it.

That's the interesting premise of "In Time", which starts out as a promising sci-fi action/thriller but quickly turns into a...waste of time.

Justin Timberlake stars as Will. Since he's 28 he's living day-to-day, trying to earn time, as a citizen of the "Ghetto", the area of this futuristic city where the poor people live. He resents the rich people, who live in East Greenwich, and who possess all the time, many of whom have enough time to live forever. So Will comes-up with a plan to play Robin Hood - steal time from the rich and give it to the poor.

He meets Sylvia (Amanda Seyfried), the daughter of the most powerful man in the city (he has control over most of the time). She eventually joins Will in the effort to change the system. But, of course, this is illegal so the outlaws are constantly being chased by the police, also known as Timekeepers.

After the first 30-minutes or so the concept of "In Time" really starts to get old because the film lacks any suspense or excitement to keep you interested. There's another group of bad guys who are also chasing the "heroes", but you don't really care if they get caught, when they get caught or how they get caught.

And the script has a ton of holes in it, making some of the events in the plot ridiculous. For a movie like this to work all the elements have to fit together perfectly. Here things happen simply to make the story move forward, even if they don't make any sense. 

Timberlake is o.k., but he had a very busy 2011 and probably should have passed on this role. He and Seyfried are fine together, but their comic dialogue really doesn't fit the rest of the movie.

"In Time" does deserve one award, however. It contains more scenes of characters running than probably any movie in history, and that includes movie about running. Unless they used doubles the stars deserve a lot of credit for being in such good shape.

"In Time" is rated PG-13 for action violence and some adult content and language. I can't recommend anyone spending their time (or money) to watch it.

On "The Official Kid Critic Report Card", "In Time" gets a D+. It was one of 2011's biggest disappointments.

"Real Steel" had the potential to be an exciting action film set in the intriguing world of robot boxing. Instead it's predictable, corny at times and occasionally embarrassing to watch.

Director Shawn Levy is best known for the "Night at the Museum" films. The first one of that series was smart, clever and very original. But outside of the robot boxing world, which we haven't seen before (even though many of the robots look like Transformers), practically everything in "Real Steel" is borrowed or stolen from other films (think "Iron Giant" meets "Rocky") and you can see the plot developments coming from a mile away.

The story takes place in the near future (though we're never told exactly when). Hugh Jackman stars as former professional boxer Charlie Kenton. He now owns robot boxers, but he's not very successful at it.

Charlie learns that his ex-girlfriend, with whom he had a child, has died. The plan is for the boy named Max (played by Dakota Goyo) to live with his aunt and uncle, but first Charlie has to take him for the summer. Max is a big fan of robot boxing and so together father and son get to know each other as they try to turn an old robot they find named Atom into a champion.

The set-up - getting to the point where the good boxing action takes place - takes way too long. And because the story is so simple and the characters are so one-dimensional we didn't really need all the build-up. The best part of "Reel Steel" is the actual boxing. The legendary Super Ray Leonard worked as a consultant on the film so he deserves much of the credit. The performances are o.k.. The Max character is a little too over-the-top, bordering on obnoxious at times, but Goyo does his best to keep him likeable. Jackman is solid, though much of the dialogue he's forced to deliver is pretty cheesy. Evangeline Lilly (TV's "Lost") and Anthony Mackie ("The Hurt Locker") lead the supporting cast, but they don't have much to do.

No, this is a story about a boy, his dad and his robot. Atom is the most realistic-looking of all the boxing robots in the film. The action scenes are all CGI - and they look it. Real robots were used in the scenes where they didn't have to move too much, including the bonding scenes between Max and Atom which are way too forced with too many close-ups. 

"Real Steel" is rated "PG-13" for a surprisingly high amount of adult language. This movie should have been geared to little boys, most of whom have probably dreamed of having a best friend who happens to be a fighting robot. Instead, the rating will force parents to think twice before renting/buying this for their kinds. But it certainly didn't stop the studio from trying to sell "Real Steel" toys and action figures to any boy of all ages.

On "The Official Kid Critic 'Score' Card", "Real Steel" gets a disappointing C.

Watching "Real Steel" is like watching a championship bout on HBO a week after it's was shown live on Pay Per View. It's sort of entertaining, but since you already know what's going to happen, there's just no suspense or excitement. 

Based on a true story and a best-selling book, "Moneyball" stars Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, the General Manger of the Oakland A's Major League Baseball team. Following the 2001 season the A's lose three of their best players to free-agency. The A's don't have tons of money to spend on player's salaries like most of the other teams do so Beane decided he needs to change the way he puts his team together.

First he hires a new assistant (Jonah Hill is great as Peter Brand) who analyzes baseball players by statistics and not their talent. These two then set-out to change the way that a winning team is built. Of course everyone else in baseball thinks they're crazy, including their own manager, Art Howe (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and all the team's scouts.

Beane, himself, was a great baseball player when he was young but he failed miserably when he got to the majors. We get several flashback scenes of his disappointments as a player and they drive him to want to win even more as a GM.

I didn't know most of the actual events from the A's 2002 season that are depicted in the movie, but I'm sure most adult baseball fans who watch it will, which will take away some of the suspense. But the biggest problem with "Moneyball", from a marketing standpoint, is that it's totally about baseball. Unlike "Jerry McGuire", which was a relationship movie disguised as a sports film or "The Blind Side", which was set in a football world but wasn't really about football, "Moneyball" is a baseball movie - period. A few brief scenes of Beane with his daughter only momentarily takes us away from the statistic and the strategies and the long discussions about players. And there's plenty of game action as well.

It did better at the box office than I though it would. More women and non-sports fans went to see it than expected. And the awards attention the movie has gotten will help it's DVD/Blu-ray sales.

As for the story, there's a major problem with using this season as the centerpiece of a Hollywood script that I can't give away but, again, if you know anything about the A's from that season you'll immediately understand. And the movie comes to an amazingly quick ending, especially for a 2+ hour film.

On the winning side, Pitt is very good. This is Beane's story, and Pitt is in every scene (that's no exaggeration). Hill proves he can play a light, dramatic role along with being in raunchy, R-rated comedies. The supporting cast is fine and the baseball scenes do look authentic.

"Moneyball" is rated PG-13, simply for a few cases of adult language. I can't recommend it for younger baseball fans, because there's too much talk and not enough action for most kids. Older fans of the game and of baseball history will enjoy it, but if that's not you and you're not a big Brad Pitt fan, you're better off skipping it.

On "The Official Kid Critic Report Card", "Moneyball" gets a C+. It's not a strike-out but certainly not a home run either. And for me, not a diehard baseball fan, it's a bit of a disappointment.

"Contagion" was 2001'a addition to the "worldwide epidemic, dramatic thriller" genre and it features one of the most star-studded casts of any film in recent years. But is it possible to enjoy a movie in which millions of innocent people die from a virus?

Gwyneth Paltrow plays a wife and mother who's just returned home from a business trip in Hong Kong. She soon gets sick and dies (and I'm not spoiling anything here - we learn this in the trailer). Soon outbreaks of the disease and deaths begin happening in major cities all over the world. Matt Damon plays the husband and father. He's immune from the virus and becomes the "regular guy" character that the story follows.

The Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization soon get involved, as it becomes clear that an epidemic is underway. Soon the race begins to identify the source of the virus and create a vaccine. Laurence Fishburne and Kate Winslet play C.D.C. officials while Marion Cotillard is the W.H.O. representative. 

And there's Jude Law, who plays a popular internet blogger who believes that the government isn't being truthful with the frightened public about the disease and possible cures.

Obviously "Contagion" couldn't be "the feel-good hit of the yerar". It's pretty grim, and at times, very gruesome. There are a few scenes, especially in the first half hour, that are a bit tough to watch. However director Steven Soderbergh does present a very realistic portrayal of what would likely happen if a killer virus did start taking over the world.

The performances are pretty solid. Damon does a nice job as the stunned widower trying to protect his daughter. Law's web-wacko is also an interesting character. He has one of the best scenes in the movie - an on-camera debate with Fishburne on a live talk show.

But the problem with having so many major stars in one film is that they each have to have their own subplot, which doesn't allow for any of the individual storylines to fully develop. Even though "Contagion" is told in a straight-forward, chronological fashion (complete with the days of the epidemic listed at the bottom of the screen) the film bounces around between all these stories so much that we don't really get to feel for any of the characters. When one of the key figures dies you're not sad or shocked. It's simply "oh well".

As for being a thriller, I really was never on the edge of my seat wondering who was going to live or  die, or if the cure would come in time to save the world. But you do start thinking about who was last person who sat in the seat you're in at the theater and to stop touching your face so often.

"Contagion" is rated PG-13 for disturbing scenes, violence and some brief adult language. Clearly it's not for young kids, but is appropriate for teens and up.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Contagion" gets a C.

Most people will want to watch "Contagion" because of the star-power. Afterall, how else could a studio convince anyone to see a film in which millions of people get sick and die. But this is also the movie's biggest problem.  Yet, a cast of Damon, Paltrow, Law and Winslet is nothing to sneeze at. Oops! Sorry.

"Midnight in Paris" is written and directed by Woody Allen. Many critics are considering it his "comeback film". I can't agree or disagree because this was my first Woody Allen film when I saw it this spring. What I can agree with is that "Midnight in Paris" is a delight to watch.

Owen Wilson plays Gil, a Hollywood screenwriter who's trying to complete his first novel. Gil and his fiance Inez (played by Rachel McAdams) are visiting Paris with Inez's parents. One night Gil takes a walk through the city alone. At the stroke of midnight a car drives up and the people inside ask Gil to come with them to a party. And he goes with them.

Gil ends up meeting some extraordinary people that night, and he's both amazed and puzzled as to what is actually going on. Is it real or just his imagination? Meantime, Inez and her parents think Gil has gone crazy, but he keeps going out every night, getting into the car and meeting more and different incredible people each night.

I'm intentionally not giving anything away and I hope you don't read too much about "Midnight in Paris" before you see it. I didn't know the "surprise" before I saw it and it would be great if you didn't either. And I'll admit that I didn't get all of the jokes and comments about the characters Gil meets along the way because I wasn't familiar with some of them. This could be an issue with you as well, but it won't prevent you from enjoying the film.

Allen begins "Midnight in Paris" with a long series of shots of Paris, from morning to night. I learned later that this is somewhat of a trademark for him, but I found myself wondering when the actual story would begin. The sequence is beautiful, but it goes on a bit too long.

The script is terrific, with sharp dialogue and funny but believable situations. The performances are great, especially Wilson. Other in the A-list cast include Marian Cotillard, Kathy Bates and Michael Sheen, who plays a loud-mouth know-it-all.

I especially enjoyed Allen's style of shooting scenes, some of them several minutes long, without any cutaways or breaks in the action. This is such a nice change of pace from the crazy cut/zoom/tight shot/wide shot style of most Hollywood films.

"Midnight in Paris" is rated PG-13 for some adult content and language, but there's very little. It's appropriate for teens and up. Again, the older you are the more of the movie you may "get" - but I'm not going to explain why.

On "The Official Kid Critic Report Card", "Midnight in Paris" gets a B.

Allen and the film have picked-up many nominations and end of the year awards, generating plenty of Oscar buzz. This will definitely help DVD/Blu-ray sales for the movie.

"Dolphin Tale" is inspired by the true story of an amazing animal. And while most of the human characters in the film aren't based on real people, the star - a bottlenose dolphin named Winter - actually plays herself!

The movie begins with Winter being discovered washed ashore by Sawyer (Nathan Gamble). Sawyer isn't looking forward to summer because he has to attend school and his older cousin is leaving to join the Army. But he immediately becomes attached to the injured dolphin, who is taken to a local marine hospital for treatment.

It's determined that Winter's injured and infected tail has to be cut-off in order to save her life. But everyone soon realizes that the dolphin can't survive without a tail. And so they come up with a plan to try to put a prosthetic tail on Winter, something that has never been done before.

Even though you do have a pretty good idea where the story is going, "Dolphin Tale" keeps you interested all the way through. The performances are solid. Ashley Judd play Sawyer's single-mother, Harry Connick Jr. plays the marine center's director and chief scientist, while Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman is the prosthetics expert who Sawyer recruits to try to design the new tail. Freeman has a much smaller role than I expected, but he's always great. Gamble may give the best performance. He's very believable as the lonely 11-year who's passion becomes trying to save his new friend.

There are plenty of sub-plots (in fact, too many), including the hospital running out of money, a war veteran and some weather problems, but they all lead back to the quest to keep Winter alive, and director Charles Martin Smith does make you care, right to the end. The movie looks great - especially the underwater scenes involving Sawyer and Winter. There are some intentional 3D gimmicks, which are unnecessary, and the editing is a little choppy in spots.

One of the nice messages of the film is that people and animals with disabilities can achieve great things. And Smith isn't shy about showing adults and children who are physically challenged. There's a nice sense of hope and caring in the script.

"Dolphin Tale" is rated PG for some mild thematic elements. It's appropriate for kids 8 and up and obviously it's being targeted to kids, but parents and older viewers will enjoy it as well.

On "The Official Kid Critic Report Card", "Dolphin Tale" gets a B+. It's clearly a Hollywood version of the real story, but it's also one of the best family-friendly dramas of the year.

When I first saw the trailer for "Warrior" I thought the film looked like a corny, cheap knock-off of so many other sports movie, this one designed to take advantage of the current popularity of Mixed Martial Arts. Two brothers - fighters - hard times. A rip-off version of last year's "The Fighter", without the big stars. Well, "Warrior" certainly won't get all the Oscar attention that "The Fighter" got, but it's a much better movie than I expected.

Tom Hardy ("Inception") plays Tommy Conlon, an ex-Marine who is back from Iraq. He pays a visit to his father (played by Nick Nolte), who he and his mother ran away from when he was a kid because his father was a violent alcoholic. Tommy was a great high school wrestler and he wants to get back into competing, this time in MMA. And even though he still hates his father he wants him to be his trainer again.

Tommy's brother Brendan, played by Joel Edgerton, is a former MMA fighter who is now a husband, father and high school physics teacher. The family house is about to be taken away because they can't pay the mortgage so Brendan decides to return to "the cage" to make some extra money. Eventually both brothers are entered into the greatest MMA tournament of all-time, where the winner will get $5-million. And, if you've seen the trailer, you know what's coming.

For a high-action sports movie "Warrior" gets off to a very slow start. Several of the scenes involving the sons reuniting with their father go on much too long. And the big tournament takes-up most of the last half of the film and, frankly, we know what's going to happen, at least until the final match.

And that's what sets "Warrior" apart from other typical sports movies - the ending is quite suspenseful because, for a change, you don't know who's going to win.

The script is solid and includes one nice twist that adds another layer to the story. All of the performances are good, led by Nolte. His work as Paddy will definitely get him some attention for a Best Supporting Actor nomination, and deservingly so. But this will be the only awards buzz the film will get. It's not this year's "The Fighter" or "Million Dollar Baby" or "Cinderella Man"  or "Rocky" for that matter. But this is a solid and, at times, exciting film and a must see for MMA fans. Director Gavin O'Connor (best know for directing 2004's Disney hockey drama "Miracle") stages very believable fight scenes and uses actual MMA personalities to add to the realism.

"Warrior" is rated PG-13 for the fighting scenes and some adult language. It's appropriate for kids 12 and up.

On "The Official Kid Critic Report Card", "Warrior" gets a B-. 

Let me start by pointing out that I am not a "Gleek". I've seen parts of a few episodes of "Glee" but that's it. And I never thought the show would become the huge hit that it is.

When I spoke with actress Jane Lynch (who's won an Emmy for playing tough phys. ed. coach Sue Sylvester on the show) early last year, she said she was just happy that the show had been renewed for a second season so that she'd be guaranteed to be working for another year. Since that time "Glee" has become a cultural phenomenon.

And fans had a chance to see all their favorite characters (well, at least all of the students) on the big screen this summer in "Glee: The 3D Concert Movie". Now it hits Blu-ray/DVD. This is a concert documentary of sorts of the "Glee Live!" summer 2011 tour that made it's way around the country earlier this year. The 90+ minute film stars cast members Lea Michele, Chris Colfer, Cory Monteith and many others singing some of the catchy songs that have been performed on the show over the last two seasons.

Along with the songs, we get features on four fans of the show. They talk about how "Glee" has changed their lives, motivated them and helped them realize that it's o.k. to be a little different. The filmmakers actually go to their homes and schools in an effort to show who these kids really are. We haven't seen that in any of the other concert/documentaries that have come out in recent years.

Two things I can say about the singing in the film: it's pretty good and it's very loud. You do feel as if you're at the real concert (and that you should have worn ear plugs). The actors/singers can really sing (so maybe I should refer to them as singers/actors).

As for the 3D - it's a gimmick. I think you know by now how much I hate 3D in most live-action films. And there are too many close-ups, especially on Michele. And be ready to duck during the closing credits.

Unlike "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" and the Jonas Brothers 3D concert movie "Glee: 3D" is not an "experience." We don't see the pop stars traveling from city to city and there's very little of the backstage stuff that goes on during a tour.  That would have been more interesting, especially for fans of these performers. Instead there's a tremendous amount of footage of regular people saying who their favorite character is and why they love the show so much. And surprisingly, there are absolutely no scenes of the stars meeting any of their devoted fans, which is a mistake.

There is one surprise cameo in the movie but it's not Lynch. She was cut-out of this version of the film but will apparently be part of the DVD which will be released in a few weeks. Obviously creator/producer Ryan Murphy wants to give fans who paid to see "Glee:3D" in theaters a reason to go out and pay again to own it. This is called a money grab. However "Gleeks" will enjoy the special appearance that did make it into this version.

"Glee: The 3D Concert Movie" is rated PG for brief language and some mature elements (including stories told by some of the fans). Plus a few of the dance moves may be seen as a little suggestive for younger kids. The show has a young fan base even though it's about high school kids and deals with some very adult issues. Those kids (who probably shouldn't be watching the show) will love this movie, as will all the show's fans. But if anyone is hoping to learn more about their on-screen idols, they better buy a magazine because they're not getting any of that here.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Glee: The 3D C

"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.

The original "Planet of the Apes" hit theaters in 1968. Four sequels followed in the early 70's and in 2001, Tim Burton's "re-boot" of the original starred Mark Wahlberg.

Now, 43 years after the Charlton Heston classic, we finally get to learn how all this monkey business got started.

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" stars James Franco as scientist Will Rodman, who works in a lab in San Francisco. Will's father (played by John Lithgow) has Alzheimer's disease. While trying to find a cure Will tests some of his new medicines on chimps.

Will ends up taking one of the chimps home to live with him. Caesar becomes extremely intelligent but the medicine also has side effects, which lead to problems both with the chimp and with Will's father. Eventually things start going...well...bananas.

It's tough to call "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" a true action film, because it takes so long before the real action kicks-in. And that's the biggest problem with the movie. The story leading-up to the inevitable showdown is interesting, but it could have been cut in favor of more of the ape vs. humans battle. There are a lot of medical/lab/science scenes and dialogue that slow things down (and reminded me too much of school).

The acting, for a sci-fi fantasy film, is passable. Franco is certainly better here than he was hosting the Oscars and Lithgow is always terrific. Others in the cast include Freida Pinto ("Slumdog Millionaire"), Tom Felton (Draco in the "Harry Potter" films) and Brian Cox.

I watched the original "Planet of the Apes" after seeing "Rise" back in August and a lot of references to that first film made more sense. If you're a fan of the '68 classic you will appreciate the effort put into making this prequel work with the rest of the series.

The real stars of this movie are director Rupert Wyatt and his supporting cast and crew. All of the ape roles were performed by real actors, using motion-capture technology. Then CGI apes were created following all the human movements. It's the best use of motion-capture in any film so far. The apes seem so real you'll think there had to be actual people inside costumes. Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in the "Lord of the Rings" films and King Kong in previous motion-capture roles, is tremendous as Caesar, who has more screen time than Franco. Look for "Rise" to get strong consideration for visual effect honors during 2011 awards season.

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is rated PG-13. There's plenty of action/violence and some intense, scary scenes. It's appropriate for kids 12 and up, who understand the concept of science fiction. Younger viewers could easily be spooked by the subject matter.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" gets a B. The ending does leave open the possibility for a sequel, and soon after "Rise" hit theaters this summer one was already in the works.