By Renee Lorenz Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Jan 14, 2011 at 2:55 PM

I generally enjoy movies based on comic books and graphic novels, even though I don't read much of the original material. With a few exceptions, my reaction to their big-screen adaptations usually rates on a scale of "meh" to "awesome."

I don't expect amazing things from "The Green Hornet." It'll probably have a few decent laughs thanks to writer/lead Seth Rogen, but I suspect it will end up being a more superficial version of last year's "Kick-Ass." And while Michel Gondry is a good director in his own right, I don't think he has the punch to do a superhero action film justice. 

What will make or break this movie: Christoph Waltz. After his multi-award-winning turn in "Inglourious Basterds," I have no doubt he has the range to pull off a comic supervillain role. For his sake, I hope the character of Chudnofsky was given enough diabolical complexity for Waltz to work with, or else the performance may just turn cartoonish. And I do not want to spend the whole movie wondering if he'll exclaim "That's a bingo!"

Chances I'll spend theater money to see it: 70 percent

Here's the overview: As the son of L.A.'s most prominent media magnate, who dies mysteriously, Britt Reid inherits his father's vast empire. Striking an unlikely friendship with one of his father's more inventive employees, Kato, Britt sees a chance to do something meaningful in his life: fight crime. To get close to the criminals, Britt and Kato plan to pose as criminals themselves. Britt becomes the vigilante Green Hornet, and Kato builds the ultimate in advanced retro weaponry, an indestructible car, equal parts firepower and horsepower. The Green Hornet and Kato quickly make a name for themselves.

And, with the help of Britt's new secretary, Lenore Case, they begin hunting down the man who controls LA's gritty underworld: Benjamin Chudnofsky.

Showtimes: onmilwaukee.com/myOMC/movie/show/58884

Renee Lorenz Special to OnMilwaukee.com

Contrary to her natural state of being, Renee Lorenz is a total optimist when it comes to Milwaukee. Since beginning her career with OnMilwaukee.com, her occasional forays into the awesomeness that is the Brew City have turned into an overwhelming desire to discover anything and everything that's new, fun or just ... "different."

Expect her random musings to cover both the new and "new-to-her" aspects of Miltown goings-on, in addition to periodically straying completely off-topic, which usually manifests itself in the form of an obscure movie reference.