I think Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is a sequel. It’s ill-defined but it appears to be the next step after 2008‘s Journey to the Center of the Earth. The tie is Josh Hutcherson’s character Sean Anderson. He and his dad — done by Brendan Frasier — went to the center of the Earth.

The movie is Safe House. It is anything but safe.

The Vow is based on a true story.

The 35th Annual Portland International Film Festival has begun. It runs through February 25. For film fans this one is loaded. There are 140 films from 36 different countries — 93 are features and 46 shorts.

Portland isn’t that far from Tri-Cities so if you’re an art film lover you may want to consider catching some of the 35th Annual Portland International Film Festival.

You can legitimately call Big Miracle the feel good movie of the year.

Groups like the Golden Raspberry Awards Foundation give out bad acting awards and winning a Razzie to some actors is an honor.

Young filmmakers — especially those doing horror and on an extremely low budget — love making the camera a character. Usually there’s an irritating, but mostly unseen character behind the camera. Obnoxious commentary by said recorder follows.

Daniel Ratcliffe, after 10 years as bespectacled wizard Harry Potter, picked The Woman in Black as his first move into mainstream movies.

Like The Count of Monte Cristo or A Christmas Carol, Jane Eyre is so classic, and so inspired and — to some — inspiring, that it’s almost impossible to do a version that doesn’t work.

Young Adult re-teams director Jason Reitman with Juno writer Diablo Cody. They craft a semi-serious, semi-comic tale of a struggling, self-absorbed 30-something woman.

Every year, there is one picture that if not for one other picture would be everyone’s pick for the year’s best.

Sam Worthington is an ex-cop set up during a sting.

The 2012 Oscar nominations are in. Lots of head-scratching with these. But that’s usual with nominations from any group.

Haywire opens with one hell of a good fight. A beautiful woman and a totally buff guy go at it.

The Artist breaks all the rules.

Thomas Schell and Oskar, his 9-year old son are very close. Best pals even.

Sometimes, producers make movies just for the accolades.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Gary Wolcott said this week's snowstorm has prompted the Battelle Film Club to cancel Friday night's program from Aesthetica Short Film Festival.

Yasmina Reza and writer/director Roman Polanski adapt her Tony Award-winning play God of Carnage for the screen and cast Jodie Foster, John C. Reilly, Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz as the four characters in the story.

In its Golden Globe nominations, the Hollywood Foreign Press ignored last year’s best movie Win Win.

Studios dump movies in January.

Set in the 1970s at the height of the Cold War, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a taut thriller about a British spy unit with a problem.

The Hedgehog is a subtitled French film from 2009 that finally got released in the U.S. last year, and thanks to the Battelle Film Club, it will be seen in the Tri-Cities.

First some observations: If you're just interested in my best and worst of the year picks, scroll down. They're easy to find.

Families — before you pack up the kids and head to the movies, be warned.

As a snapshot of history, My Week with Marilyn is fascinating.

Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson lead We Bought a Zoo's cast. It is a highly fictionalized but based on a true story film about a widowed writer who buys and refurbishes a small zoo.

Trying to escape his captors, Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt slides down a wire and hits the top of a moving truck.

Newly crowned superstar Daniel Craig picks up the role of scandalized and ostracized investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist.

The source of The Adventures of Tintin is a Belgian comic book done by Herge that began in the 1930s and ended in the 1960s.

The bottom line: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is not the detective made popular in your granddaddy’s days.

This week, the Battelle Film Club presents Le Bonheur, a French film with the title that translates to “Happiness.”

It’s hard not to take aspects of this job personally. New Year’s Eve is an example.

With the exception of one of my favorites, the movies on the list all revolve around Christmas.

Writer/director Gotz Spielmann's Oscar-nominated film 'Revanche' is an incredible piece of work. He’s a patient storyteller playing with the proverb "Revenge is a dish best served cold."

Times are tough for the Muppets.

Set in the 1930s, Hugo is a family-friendly movie about a French child desperate to hang on to all he has left of his father.

In 2011, Santa is high tech. He zooms about the globe in an other-worldly looking craft.

Tippity tap. Penguins love music and dancing.

Critics get skewed for taking things too seriously.

Warning. This is a gay film that is being presented by Battelle Film Club in Richland. It has been labeled as such and the story’s themes are definitely pro-gay Undertow is also from Peru and subtitled.

Fart jokes at age 45?

Biopics are difficult. Recognizable real people, living or dead, are tough to do. Dramatic license often has to be taken of the events of their lives to keep the movie moving and at least somewhat interesting.

At least the studios waited until after Halloween to release the year's first holiday movie.

Written and directed by Emilio Estevez, The Way casts real-life dad, Martin Sheen, as Tom.

Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick and Alan Alda lead a cast of seasoned comedians and not-so-seasoned comic actors seeking revenge.

This week's featured film, brought to you by the Battelle Film Club, is F for Fake — a 1973 documentary whose anchor subjects are Orson Welles and writer Clifford Irving.

It is going to take some time to explain the basics of In Time.

I’m going to ramble a bit. Normally when picking a best list you do five or 10. I’m doing six. It just worked out that way.