Now Playing

Here's a look at the films I saw this week, including a summer blockbuster and a pair of documentaries.

Babies

Quick Take: This is a documentary film about the first year of life for four babies around the world — one in San Francisco, one in Tokyo, Japan, one in Mongolia, and one in Namibia. Director Thomas Balmes was very sparse in his work on the film, which provides no narration and precious little in the way of a true statement. It is what it seems like — montages of baby activity strung together. One can infer a bit about the different environments the children are brought up in, though the film doesn't really seem to make any judgements. The cute factor is certainly ramped up given that the stars of the film are babies, and there are some humorous and some heart-warming scenes. It's a unique idea and good counter programming against the typical fare this time of year. Some of the scenes are pretty raw.

Rating: PG for cultural and maternal nudity throughout.

Verdict: Three stars out of four.

Iron Man 2

Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Don Cheadle, and Scarlett Johansson

Quick Take: A follow-up on the highly successful "Iron Man" from 2008, this sequel picks up where the last one left off. Director Jon Favreau does a good job of mixing in a sarcastic wit with the copious action sequences. This is an ideal cast for one-liners and improvisation, and Downey is capable of playing the suave leading man as well as holding his own in action sequences. The films works best when it focuses on Tony Stark and his own personal demons and development, but falters a bit when it comes to "epic" showdowns with the villain played by Rourke. Rourke is a capable actor, but there is little in the way of character development for his villain, which feels like it is more of a means to an end. The film also does a nice job of continuing to develop the S.H.I.E.L.D. initiative and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), which will pay off with "Avengers" in 2012. Overall, "Iron Man 2" is an enjoyable ride and a great way to kick off the summer season.

Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some language.

Verdict: Four stars out of four.

Oceans

Narrated by Pierce Brosnan

Quick Take: Disney Nature kicked off an annual film tradition last Earth Day with "Earth." The documentary was breath taking, had a definitive theme, and featured beautiful footage. This year, the company sought to continue that tradition with "Oceans." Though it has some interesting footage, the film fails to find its creative footing, seemingly lacking a bit in terms of direction and delivering an overly heavy-handed message about pollution that detracts from the beauty of the rest of the film. Though there are some neat sequences featuring ocean life, the film bounces around too much and then devolves into a guilt trip. Honestly, that last part doesn't make a great deal of sense given that the target audience for the film is probably the group least likely to need to hear the conservation message. Another quibble I have is that the film didn't seem to adequately explore the ocean. It seemed too focused on certain sea life groups and bounced around too quickly to get attached to the featured creatures. It was somewhat entertaining but failed to capture the beauty of nature the way "Earth" did.

Rating: G

Verdict: Two stars out of four.