5. THE SOLOIST
Even though Joe Wright's "The Soloist" did not impress me as much as I expected, I still ended up loving it, particularly because of its unforgettable story, gorgeous photography, stellar cast and marvelous soundtrack. As a film about the power of friendship and the struggle for redemption, "The Soloist" worked really well, and what I enjoyed most was Robert Downey Jr.'s honest and heartfelt performance.

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"Superbad" director Greg Mottola returns to the big screen with "Adventureland," a comedy that is set in 1987 and follows a recent college grad as he takes on a boring job at an amusement park. Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig star, and here is what the Web's critics say:

• Erik Davis at Cinematical: "Once on the grounds of Adventureland, the film really takes off -- reminding us not only of the summer-fling films of our youth, but also introducing a wicked ensemble cast who put the funk back in funktastic."

• Cinema Blend's Katey Rich: "But the movie is funny enough, and an enjoyable ride overall, and most importantly evokes those familiar nostalgic feelings that get you looking over old camp photos one random night."

• RopeOfSilicon's Brad Brevet: "The only negative I can come up with is that it does have a few moments where it drags, but I appreciate the effort by writer/director Greg Mottola to tell a story as opposed to only offering enough plot to get the story to the next punchline."

• Joblo's JimmyO: "I really loved Adventureland. I watched the trailers and I was expecting something else, but I certainly wasn’t expecting something as warm and honest as it turned out to be."

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This week, we're only looking at two wide releases: Greg Mottola's comedy "Adventureland" with Jesse Eisenberg, Ryan Reynolds, Kristen Stewart and Bill Hader, and Justin Lin's "Fast & Furious," starring Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster:

FAST & FURIOUS

Synopsis: When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto reignites his feud with agent Brian O'Conner. But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmanuever him. And from convoy heists to precision tunnel crawls across international lines, two men will find the best way to get revenge: push the limits of what's possible behind the wheel.

First thoughts: I enjoyed "The Fast and the Furious," but I wasn't at all impressed by "2 Fast 2 Furious." I haven't even seen "Tokyo Drift." Anyway, the return of the original cast does souns appealing, and I am really interested to see whether Walker and Diesel can steer this franchise back into the right direction.

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This year's March at the movies has been a lot better than January and February, and while I still ended up seeing quite a bunch of weak flicks this month, I feel things are slowly improving. Well, April is coming up fast, and here is a brief look at what you can expect in theaters over the next 30 days.

The first weekend in April doesn't look that bad, primarily because I'm really excited to check out Greg Mottola's latest comedy "Adventureland." In the film, Jesse Eisenberg plays a college grad who takes on a job at a local amusement park. The trailer looks hilarious, the cast sounds great too, and with "Superbad," Mottola already proved he's capable of delivering top-notch comedy.

Also opening April 3 is Justin Lin's anticipated sequel "Fast & Furious," starring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. I'm not sure they'll be able to reboot this franchise with style, but the recent trailers and TV spots at least promise plenty of explosive car action. That's what this is all about anyway, right?

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January was a disappointing month as far as new movie releases were concerned, and to be honest, February hasn't been that great of a month either. But what about March? Will we finally be able to see more than just one or two solid films in one month?

I have to admit my expectations are pretty high. The movie month of March kicks off with Zack Snyder's anticipated "Watchmen," a film many folks out there are just dying to see. Some early reviews I read are pretty mixed, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. I'm really excited to see this flick, and I hope it will deliver the goods.

The following weekend, however, doesn't look that exciting. One of the three releases set for March 13 is "Race to Witch Mountain," in which Dwayne Johnson helps two alien kids return to their crashed spaceship. Judging by the previews, the film looks rather crappy, but maybe it's the Rock's bad acting that just scares me too much.

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