[Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82utG7Q3G_k]

Despicable Me: One of the only non-Pixar animated movies to thrill me as much as a Pixar movie (was that too confusing?), Despicable Me is adorable, hilarious, and just plain fun to watch. Steve Carell voices wannabe bad guy Gru, who’s lately fallen from evil grace and determined to steal the moon before his younger replacement Vector does something else bigger—but when he attempts to use 3 orphan girls to mastermind his plan, his black heart gets confused. Just trust me: it’s CUTE (and I didn’t even mention the minions!).  Watch the clip above to melt into a pile of “aww”. (PS: It’s so FLUFFFY!)

[Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSM2Xm5acL4]

Micmacs: I saw this Jean-Pierre Jeunet film at SIFF, and I think it’s pretty brilliant. After Bazil catches a stray bullet in his brain, he becomes obsessed with revenge when he finds out the culprits who made the bullet are also responsible for making the landmine that killed his father.  Homeless and desparate, he finds a band of outsiders that lives off re-selling scrap metal and repurposes old junk, and they agree to help him with his “micmacs” (translation: schemes, tricks, funny business). This film is full of  awesome signature Jeunet shots, and of course, his cast of regulars, including Yolande Moreau (one of my favorites) and Dominique Pinon.

[Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgwjTy_cohg]

The Kids Are Alright: I never got a chance to see this in the theater, so I’m happy it’s out on DVD and now I can catch it before the Oscars. The plot centers around long-together couple Jules (Julianne Moore) and Nic (Annette Bening) and their kids, who decide to look up their birth father, who shows up and throws everyone for a loop. EW’s Mark Harris said he “…couldn’t remember the last time I saw such a good film about being married”, which makes me kinda desperate to watch it ASAP.

[Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wYCh5nxyCI]

Hard Boiled (on Blu-ray): I’m a strict “Hong Kong films only” John Woo fan, so I snapped up The Killer on Blu-ray earlier this year, but I was upset that Hard Boiled wasn’t out then so I get both. As of today, my wish is granted. Both movies succeeded in creating my huge crush on Chow Yun-Fat, but really, my fascination with Woo films is THE ACTION—and Hard Boiled has the goods. Everything from the teahouse gunfight to the final shootout is the awesome.