CONTRIBUTERS THIS WEEK Home Page Opinions. H.P.O.'s White Rabbitt M.Q.R.E. Movie reviews and listings. Associated Press Wire Services. Fargo Forum. American Branch of the International Organization of Unionized Otters. (A.B.I.O.U.O.) Local Raft #305.

Entertainment highlights for the week of January 25th, 2009 - January 31st, 2009. 1948: The first Emmy Awards were given for excellence in television. The first Emmy winner was Shirley Dinsdale and her puppet, Judy Splinters, for Most Outstanding Personality. 1958: Actors Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were married. 1962: "Twistin' the Night Away" by Sam Cooke was released. 1976: "Laverne and Shirley" premiered on ABC. 1977: Comedian Freddie Prinze died, two days after shooting himself in the head. He was 22. 1979: "The Dukes of Hazzard" made it's debut on CBS. 1980: Entertainer Jimmy Durante died at the age of 87. 1989: "Playboy" hit the newsstands with nude photos of La Toya Jackson. 1990: Actress Ava Gardner died of pneumonia at her London home. She was 68. 2005: Jury selection began in Michael Jackson's child molestation trial. He was acquitted.

MQRE's own review.

Seaweed brings you the short side of the reviews. MSN Picks CLOSE THE BOOK ON 'INKHEART' 'Inkheart' Our rating: A  Whimsy shouldn't be overwhelming. It shouldn't be a busy, messy cacophony. By definition, there should be something delicate about it. Charming, even. "Inkheart" has long since slammed the book shut on that concept, with director Iain Softley cramming in more literary characters and mystical creatures than would seem humanly possible. The mythology here, taken from the best-selling novel by Cornelia Funke, is mind-bogglingly dense and, often, illogical. Hotel for Dogs "The premise ... seems foolproof ... Unfortunately, [the film is] a clever concept that quickly runs out of room to roam." Paul Blart: Mall Cop "The biggest crime of all ... [is] the egregious way in which Kevin James' innate likability goes to waste." Bride Wars Our Rating: A "A clichaed comedy ... tosses out stereotypes about female materialism and cattiness with ... giddy gusto ... The Unborn There are some effective scares here ... But other images and pieces of dialogue are [unintentionally] hilarious ... Defiance "A potentially exceptional story is told in a flatly unexceptional manner ... [the film] becomes more conventional as it goes ... Marley & Me Yes, it's effective in its ability to evoke emotion. Having said that, it's not a particularly good movie." Bedtime Stories Sandler has delivered on his promise to make a movie his kids can enjoy ... without alienating his core audience. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Absorbing, even moving, but emotionally cool film, which [may be] accessible and distinctive enough to catch on ... The Spirit Relentlessly cartoonish and campy, it's a work of pure digital artifice, feverishly committed to its own beautiful, hollow universe ... Valkyrie [Cruise is] distractingly bad in this, the iconography of his celebrity so strongly overshadowing his performance. Revolutionary Road A very good big-screen adaptation ... [though] the film conveys only a fraction of the nuances and layers of the book. Seven Pounds The filmmakers might have been onto something here, except the script seems so intentionally confusing, it's hard to feel engaged.

GO TO: The top 10 Movies This Week.

Each week HPO will publish an up-to-the-minute listing of the TOP 10 movies and videos. Use these as a resource in helping decide which flick is for you.

GO TO: The top 10 Videos This Week.