Best Picture of the year hits the shelves (or queue) this week. Not to be missed. And if bleak pseudo-westerns about unstoppable evil aren’t your thing, there is plenty else to choose from.

No Country For Old Men – MovieZeal rating – 5 out of 5 stars
This year’s Best Picture winner (as well as Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Director), and deservedly so. A powerful, relentless film. Javier Bardem is a living nightmare. The third act might take people unawares, as the Coens don’t quite deliver on what they seem to be promising, but regardless, this is a must see, friend-o.

Recommended if you liked Blood Simple, The Proposition, or Unforgiven

August Rush

August Rush – MovieZeal rating – 2 out of 5 stars
Heartwarming tale about a little boy with a gift for music and the parents who are trying to reconnect with him. Apparently the critics have hearts of stone, because they dumped all over this one. Feel good movie of the year or inept mess? Does it make you want to rent it more if you know Freddy Highmore (aka the new Haley Joel) stars in it?

Recommended if you liked Pay It Forward or Mr. Holland’s Opus

Hitman

Hitman
There are three things that are certain in this world: death, taxes, and that cinematic video game adaptations will always be rubbish. In the video game you assassinated people and hid their bodies in dumpsters. Here you want to assassinate yourself, just so you don’t have to watch anymore. Honestly, though, if you’ve got that blood & bullets itch blazing, this may scratch it slightly. Very slightly.

Recommended if you liked Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever, The Long Kiss Goodnight, or if you’re Uwe Boll

Dan In Real Life

Dan In Real Life – MovieZeal Rating – 3.5 out of 5 stars
A quiet, much slower paced comedy that survives on the everyman charm of Steve Carrell. This isn’t The Office, or even The 40 Year Old Virgin, so check your expectations at the door. Perhaps the most surprising thing here is that Dane Cook is in it, and he doesn’t suck.

Recommended if you liked Sleepless in Seattle, The Family Stone, or movies where comedians stretch themselves (as in Will Ferrell in Stranger Than Fiction)

More after the jump!

Nancy Drew

Nancy Drew
Is it even necessary to write anything about this? Nancy Drew wears its target audience on its sleeve, so you’ll either be rushing to Blockbuster or spurning it like the spawn of Satan. I’m going to wager a guess that the former demographic isn’t in our readership, so spurn away.

Recommended if you like sleepovers, painting your nails, and solving the mystery of who took your leftover sandwich

Bee Movie

Bee Movie
Bee Movie was a juggernaut of hype on its way to the box office. It seems like you were assaulted with ads, promos, and Jerry Seinfeld cameos on your favorite comedies (my fingers pointing straight at you 30 Rock!). And then….poof. While not an unmitigated failure at the box office, it certainly didn’t set any records. Perhaps the story of bees suing humanity over the use of their honey didn’t appeal to filmgoers at large.

Recommended if you liked Antz or always imagined the cast of Seinfeld as tiny yellow and black buzzing creatures (didn’t we all?)

Sleuth

Sleuth
I saw the original 1972 version of this, with Michael Caine and Laurence Olivier, and was moderately entertained. The film suffered from a poor makeup job, although its possible audiences of the early 70s were more easily fooled. Kenneth Branagh directs, and Michael Caine returns in the opposite role this time, facing off with Jude Law. Branagh has always struck me as an inconsistent director (Much Ado About Nothing and Frankenstein were directed by the same person?), and this film always seemed like it would have made a better play, which, incidentally, it originally was. A decent cat and mouse game, but don’t expect any unpredictable twist endings.

Recommended if you liked Wait Until Dark or Hard Candy