Toronto Real Estate Agents | Julie Kinnear

If you see only one movie this holiday season, please do not let it be The Good Shepherd. Never mind that it's directed by DeNiro or that it stars Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie. Come on, you don't really go to see movies just because Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie are in them, do you? Didn't you learn from The Brothers Grimm and Mr. & Mrs. Smith? Whether the story of the founding of the CIA bears any resemblence to the truth or not, seems to be in question, but that is the wrong question: we should be asking, why couldn't they make it more entertaining? In the movie, the CIA quietly takes shape with a number of acts of espionage undertaken by tense young men in shirts with the sleeves rolled up. For three excruciating hours. It is painful to witness the crumbling of a man's essence even as his career soars, however we have to imagine this pain, as Damon does nothing but purse his lips and furrow his brow throughout. I would say wait for the video, but only if everything else is sold out. [Nicole]

• IMDB link: The Good Shepherd
• Rating: **½

I took a single dad up on his offer to see this movie on Christmas Day,trying to be spontaneous, thinking that for his benefit I would sit through a self-aggrandizing Will Smith holiday spectacle and squeeze out a tear or two. This skeptical movie-goer was very pleasantly surprised by The Pursuit of Happyness - brilliant acting by both Will and his real-life son, not to mention a beleaguered Thandie Newton. Anyone who has ever struggled to achieve anything, or faced financial insecurity, prejudice, or had a dream denied, will identify and be moved. Though certainly designed to manipulate our emotions, we buy into it completely. And isn't that what the holidays are all about? :) [Nicole]

• IMDB link: The Pursuit of Happyness
• Rating: ****