For the second weekend in a row, Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” has taken the box office top spot, earning $62 million, more than four times second-place finisher “Green Zone” ($14.5 M). Other newbies this weekend, “She’s Out of My League” ($9.6 M) and “Remember Me” ($8.3 M), finished third and fourth respectively, and “Our Family Wedding” debuted in sixth place with $7.6 million. All in all, it was an “Alice” kind of weekend. Not familiar with the other movies out in theaters lately? Read up on this weekend’s top five.

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When Martin Scorsese makes a movie, it’s usually worth watching– especially if Leonardo DiCaprio is in it (think: “Gangs of New York,” “The Aviator” and “The Departed”). The latest Scorsese/DiCaprio flick, “Shutter Island,” is an interesting breed: It’s a book adaptation. But the story’s original author, Dennis Lehane, is no stranger to books-turned-movies; the novelist also penned “Mystic River” and “Gone, Baby, Gone,” both Hollywood darlings in their own right. But what does this all mean? It means, Lehane plus Scorsese/DiCaprio equals box office gold. Clearly.

DiCaprio plays Teddy Daniels, a U.S. marshal paired up with a new partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), and en route via ferry in the mid-1950′s to Shutter Island, Massachusetts in the film’s opening scene. The island is small and remote, surrounded by rough terrain, and it’s home to a hospital for the criminally insane; the marshals are being sent there to investigate the disappearance of patient Rachel Solando. They’re greeted by Deputy Warden McPherson (John Carroll Lynch) and a slew of his police team when they arrive on the island, forced to surrender their firearms and given the lay of the land. The hospital grounds are picturesque with meticulously manicured lawns and beautiful old buildings, but Daniels can see right away that the patients are disturbed. He and Aule are escorted to meet the hospital’s head psychiatrist, Dr. Cawley (Ben Kingsley), who describes Solando’s crime and the details of her improbable escape from a locked cell.

Daniels and Aule begin their investigation, lasting several days through treacherous, hurricane-like weather. As events begin to unravel, Daniels reveals his real motive for taking on the case– to avenge the death of his wife (Michelle Williams), whose murderer may be on Shutter Island. Aule is loyal and willing to help Daniels, who he refers to as “boss,” however he can. But the most interesting relationship in the movie is between Daniels and Cawley; the doctor claims he uses respect and understanding to best treat his patients, but Daniels suspects torture and lobotomies are being conducted in secret.

The tension between DiCaprio and Kingsley, coupled with the gorgeous cinematography and shots of the landscape, are what make “Shutter Island” so thrilling. Both actors have proven themselves with larger than life roles and multiple Academy Award nominations: DiCaprio as Howard Hughes in 2004′s “The Aviator,” and Kingsley even scoring an Oscar win for the title role in 1982′s “Ghandi.” Their relationship here as cop and doctor becomes even more complex as “Shutter Island” unfolds. Ruffalo unsurprisingly plays a worthy sidekick; his under-the-radar acting career pops up every now and then with a strong portrayal to remind you exactly who he is. And Williams, although playing a deceased character who only appears in flashbacks throughout the film, is convincing as DiCaprio’s lost love, with an authentic Boston accent to boot. Patricia Clarkson (“Six Feet Under,” “Good Night, and Good Luck”) and Jackie Earle Haley (“The Bad News Bears,” “Little Children”) both play vital, half-crazed patients in the movie; although they each only appear in one scene, their characters are central to solving the story’s mystery.

But what really makes “Shutter Island” work in the end is the marriage of a solid tale and expert directing. Lehane’s story is gripping, and plot twists will keep moviegoers guessing up until the very end. Scorsese is a film genius, and his ability to transform a book to the big screen is a credit he deserves alone– regardless of Lehane’s past Hollywood successes. Together, writer and director have created a riveting movie, not so much scary as it is tense and perplexing.

So yes, this may indeed be a box office smash (in its first weekend, it earned $41 million), but “Shutter Island” is a film worth seeing regardless. And you just may leave the theater thinking you’d like to read that book.

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When you think of Sandra Bullock, Oscar nominee probably is not the first thing that comes to mind. The actress has made her career on a mix of romantic comedies and thrillers, and although she’s always been a Hollywood sweetheart, she’s never necessarily been seen as a top talent. And if it could at all be possible 15 or 20 years into a movie career, Bullock has just finally proven her acting abilities with “The Blind Side.” A 2010 nominee for best picture, the film would be nothing without Bullock as its leading lady.

It’s the true story of Michael Oher, a rookie offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens this past fall. As a high school student in Memphis, Oher was taking in by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, after being bounced around in foster homes for years.

Emily Blunt stars as a teenage Victoria taking the throne as queen. (Flickr/i heart him)

We don’t have a problem with period pieces. We love the beautiful costumes and the English accents, and we’re always intrigued by old-timey, Victorian love. But we’ll lay this one out to you plain and simple: Don’t see “The Young Victoria.” In one hour and 45 minutes, absolutely nothing happens.

Emily Blunt has always been a charmer. She flew into moviegoers’ hearts as Miranda Priestly’s beautiful but bitter first assistant in 2006′s “The Devil Wears Prada.” Since then, the 26-year-old actress has landed roles in “Dan in Real Life,” “Charlie Wilson’s War” and “Sunshine Cleaning,” and she’s up again next month alongside Benicio Del Toro in “The Wolfman.” Exposure is not her problem, but perhaps choosing the right roles is.

“The Young Victoria” dramatizes the true story of a 17-year-old girl in line to be the queen of the United Kingdom in the 1830′s. Queen Victoria ultimately served for more than 63 years, making her reign the longest of any British monarch to date.

Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal star with opposite personalities in "Brothers." (Flickr/Alessandra Ogeda)

Jake Gyllenhaal has been in serious movies– let’s get that out right from the beginning. “Donnie Darko” and “Jarhead” showed the actor in disturbing and man-on-the-edge-type roles, and let’s not forget he was Oscar-nominated for “Brokeback Mountain.” But for some reason in Hollywood, if you’re just a little too pretty or have a private life that’s just a little too public, your actual talent can sometimes be overlooked, even by extremely observant movie bloggers. But in the current release “Brothers” when we were expecting Tobey Maguire or Natalie Portman to steal the show, Gyllenhaal rose to the top with the best performance to show for the trio.

It’s a heart-wrenching and at-times scary, real story of marriage and family, and not every moviegoer will enjoy “Brothers.” But it’s the real life performances that all of its actors give that make it a solid movie, and also what will certainly lead to multiple Oscar nominations next week. Gyllenhaal and Maguire star as brothers Tommy and Sam, respectively; Tommy is the classic screw-up, released from jail at the start of the story, while Sam is an honorable military man, dedicated to his wife Grace (Portman) and two young daughters.

Zoe Saldana plays Neytiri in "Avatar," but she is never portrayed in the human form. (Flickr/k-ideas)

When James Cameron set out to make “Avatar,” we wonder if he really thought he might ever be able to break his own record. Since 1997, “Titanic” has reigned supreme as the highest grossing movie in the U.S. (fast forward to 1:00 to see how we may have to eat our words from five months ago). At $600 million in box office sales, it seemed like no other film would be able to touch it. When Health Ledger passed away in 2008, “The Dark Knight” became incredibly hyped, and with its tremendous box office success, it appeared that it might…just…finally…surpass… “Titanic”… But no. It stopped short at $533 million. And then came “Avatar.”

Around the world, “Avatar” has already earned $1.8 billion (yes, we said BILLION). To give you some perspective on that, the GDP of Bhutan was $3.8 billion in 2008, and that’s a 15,000 square mile country with a population of 700,000 people living and working every day. And sales for “Avatar” haven’t shown signs of slowing down yet; it’s still at number one, and it’s only been in theaters for six weeks. At this point the question isn’t really if “Avatar” will surpass “Titanic.” The question is when, and by how much money.

So…you’ve seen it already, right? We know this is a movie review and all, but we’re six weeks behind the eight ball, so we’re pretty sure everyone knows just about everything about this crazy-hyped, excessive-earning flick. But for those still living under a rock, we’ll catch you up to speed.

Anna Kendrick stars opposite George Clooney as Natalie Kenner. (Flickr/twilight foxdie)

Every year around Christmas, Oscar-type movies begin to be released in theaters. Sure, there’s always the occasional “Moulin Rouge!” (released June 1, 2001) or “Crash” (released May 6, 2005)– the flicks released in spring or summer that everyone forgets about until they’re nominated for a long list of Oscars come January. And this year, with an anticipated 10 films to be nominated for best picture, there are bound to be a few of those surprises. But when George Clooney releases a movie around this time of year, you can bet on a sure thing: “Up in the Air” will most definitely be nominated for a slew of Academy Awards.

It’s not your typical Clooney movie of the past five years; Oscar lovelies like “Good Night, and Good Luck” (2005), “Syriana” (2005) and “Michael Clayton” (2007) all have a distinct tension built-in, where our main characters are often escaping for their lives. “Up in the Air,” although centered around the very depressing topic of unemployment, is a light film on the surface, filled with funny quips and beautiful people flirting with each other. But of course, with any really Oscar-worthy movie, there’s a deeper meaning there, and a special quality to the characters that makes you reflect on your own life.

Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a well-dressed, well-travelled businessman, whose profession is firing people all over the country– his firm does the work that ordinary bosses don’t want to do. He may be based in Omaha, in a desolate, junior one-bedroom apartment, but his real home is in fancy hotels and in business class on the friendly skies. He travels more than 300 days out of the year, and as a self-described fanatic of airline and hotel miles, he loves every minute of it. But his very existence is threatened when young Natalie Keener (portrayed by relative-newcomer Anna Kendrick) arrives on the scene; her innovate idea of teleconference firings could save the company millions of dollars by keeping employees like Ryan regularly grounded in Omaha. Bossman Craig Gregory (Jason Bateman) likes the idea, but is willing to let Ryan take Natalie out on the road (or in this case, the skies) to show her the traditional way of face-to-face firings before he commits to an overarching, company-changing decision. As their business trip goes on, these two seemingly opposite personalities learn from each other, and begin to take a look inside their own hearts to understand exactly how they’ve gotten to this place in life.

And so, “Up in the Air” turns into a story about self-examination. What face do you show to the world, and how does it differ from who you truly are on the inside? Do you really have a passion for your career, or is it just something you’re damn good at? And most importantly, what are you running from? Every character in “Up in the Air” seems to be running from something– a life that could get boring if you stay at home, the idea of being single– or married– but mainly just from reality. And facing reality can often be the most difficult challenge in a world filled with luxury hotels and fat paychecks.

Vera Farmiga (“The Departed”) gives a dynamite performance as Alex Goran, Ryan’s female counterpart in the world of jet-setting, and Zach Galifianakis (“The Hangover”) is easy to relate to as regular man Steve, soon-to-be Ryan’s brother-in-law. Kendrick gives the most surprising performance though; at just 24-years-old and better known as Jessica in the teen-beloved “Twilight Saga,” an Oscar-worthy performance from her was one of the last things we expected. But “Up in the Air” is sure to be nominated for more than just its acting; based on a 2001 novel of the same name and with a perfectly-composed score and a soundtrack that matches the film’s tone, adapted screenplay and music nominations would be well-deserved.

But perhaps the best part of the movie (other than the fact that Farmiga is Ukrainian and from New Jersey– shout-out to my Grandma) is Ryan’s self-realization that sometimes you’re not really running from anything at all. Or, sometimes running is okay, because it’s the momentum that defines who you are, and there doesn’t have to be anything wrong with that. Some people know what they want, and others only think they do. But in the end, it doesn’t matter what your boss, or your sister, or your young colleague tells you you should want; all that matters is actually taking a look inside; you might realize you’re already quite happy with what’s there.

And for all this, we’re happy with “Up in the Air,” stereotypical of Clooney or not.

Flickr/wallyg

Wes Anderson is a love-him-or-hate-him type writer/director. Quirky characters like Max Fischer from ”Rushmore” and Steve Zissou from ”The Life Aquatic” might just be a little too– how should we say– odd for your liking. But whether you’re drinking the Anderson Kool-Aid or not, it’d be hard to watch his newest flick, “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” and not fall straight in love with the cuddly, furry Mr. Fox. After all, the character is voiced by George Clooney, so right there we have a running start to things.

At first glance, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” might seem like a divergence for Anderson, as it is a stop-motion animated movie. That is, he filmed the entire thing with puppets, moving them ever so slightly between each shot to make all of their movements come to life on screen. But Anderson’s dialogue and the interplay he creates between characters– even animated characters– is classic to his style. “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is based on a 1970 Roald Dahl children’s book of the same name, but Anderson’s style still comes through in every scene of the movie.

When Mr. Fox’s wife (aptly called Mrs. Fox, and voiced by Meryl Streep) becomes pregnant, Foxie vows to give up his life of robbing hen houses and become a responsible father. Years pass and their young son, Ash (voiced by Jason Schwartzman), begins to grow up; in the meantime, Foxie has become a respected newspaper columnist, and even wears a suit and tie to work everyday. He wants to move his family out of their lowly hole in the ground, and they eventually wind up in a beautiful, real home– a tree. When Foxie realizes his new proximity to the meanest farmers around, Boggis, Bunce and Bean, he’s ready to pull one final heist. But returning to his no-good roots is a no-good plan, and the Fantastic Mr. Fox ends up facing his biggest challenges to date.

The story is simple, of course, with its children’s book roots, but the characters are all rich and wonderfully voiced. Schwartzman brings complexity and humor to Ash’s struggles to compete with his cousin Kristofferson, and Bill Murray’s Badger is delightfully dumb. Clooney and Streep are wonderful as our central couple, interacting as animated foxes much as you would expect them to interact in live-action roles: loving, knowing and understanding of each other’s shortcomings. Willem Dafoe as Rat, Mr. Fox’s intermediary to the farmers, is a classic villain, while Owen Wilson as Coach Skip provides some much-needed diversion to the primary story line.

When Anderson’s career began in 1994 with “Bottle Rocket,” things were not looking great. The movie was a commercial bomb, earning only $1 million to its $7 million budget. But Anderson followed in 1998 with “Rushmore,” and the comedic combination of Schwartzman and Murray was instant movie gold. The writer/director’s cult following began to grow, and all the while he kept true to his off-center sensibilities on screen. Like many other filmmakers who realize when they’re working with a solid crew, Anderson has stayed true over the years to his actor friends, repeatedly casting Schwartzman, Murray, Dafoe, Owen and Luke Wilson and Anjelica Huston in his films.

Anderson comes through yet again with “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” and in many ways, more so than he ever has before. This newest film is a real crowd-pleaser, with a basic moral tale children will love, the character intricacies that parents will appreciate and a classic Anderson feel that film buffs won’t miss. “Fantastic Mr. Fox” was nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at this year’s Golden Globes, but against powerhouse “Up,” it didn’t stand a chance of winning. With the Oscar nominations fast-approaching, we hope to see “Fox” get another nod, even if it doesn’t win. It would be Anderson’s first Academy recognition since 2002′s “Royal Tenenbaums,” and for attempting stop-motion animation alone, he deserves it.