BLACK BOOK - Director Paul Verhoeven (Robocop, Basic Instinct) returns to form. This movie has got it all: Beautiful women, Nazis, Spies, and fantastic set pieces. Set during WW2 in Holland it is a stunningly well-paced, energetic film with memorable visuals. The only drawbacks for some viewers will be it's subtitles and length (2 1/2 hours). In the end, an awesome genre picture with fabulous acting by Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, and Thom Hoffman. Rated R
The Grade: A-

GRINDHOUSE - The Tarantino/Rodriguez double bill has arrived and in this reviewer's opinion it goes something like this.
Trailer #1 - B-
Planet Terror - It is fun, badly acted, and absurd. I was entertained mostly and bored only a little. - B
trailers 2,3, & 4 - B+
Death Proof - Thought-provoking, intelligent, but there is utterly too much pointless dialogue to make you really care. I was bored a lot. The car stunts are totally awesome but they only make up about 1/4 of the movie. - B-
If you need to take a break (for food or bathroom) at all during this 3 hour plus double feature I'd go right after the titles of Tarantino's film because his opening reel is all talk.
The Grade: B