Toy Story 3

Pixar and Disney have brought back to us our favorite toys with a new coming of age story that plays on the heart strings like a master violinist. Andy is heading off to college and is faced with leaving his beloved childhood toys behind but while cleaning up his room his toys get sent to a local day care facility in error that turns out not to be the nirvana the toys hoped it will be. All the familiar voices are back with new toys voiced by Ned Beatty as Lotso the Pink Teddy Bear, Michael Keaton as Ken, and Bonnie Hunt as Dolly. Pixar is true to form delivering a fantastic film that is for all ages and a marvel of storytelling with animation that is second to none. Also the expected opening short film, Day & Night, is pure genius with a perfect blend of traditional and computer animation that shows Pixar is a master of animation in any form.

Click here to check out the official website.

The A-Team

Growing up in the 80's made seeing the big screen adaptation of The A-Team tv series a must and I am happy to report the casting was dead on. My favorite team member from the old series was Murdock and Sharlto Copley, who starred as Wikus Van De Merwe in last year's sci fi hit District 9, was perfectly crazy with Bradley Cooper a close second as the smooth talking con man known as Faceman. If you were a fan of the show in spite of the inability for anyone ever being killed or hit by the flying bullets you will love this update that does include a respectable and deserving body count with the requisite over the top shenanigans that only could be delivered on a Hollywood budget. Be sure to stick through the credits to see the cameos you want as a fan of the show and they are worth waiting for through the credits. This is one adaptation of an old favorite tv series that does not disappoint - check it out and you will have a blast.

Click here to check out the official website.

The Karate Kid

This weekend at the movies is a throw back to some of the best of the 80's and the first thing up is the remake of 1984's The Karate Kid that starred Ralph Macchio and the late Pat Morita. This time out the story is much better in that that it takes place in China where Dre Parker, played by Jaden Smith, has relocated with his mother for her job and as an outsider crosses paths with the local teenage boys who do not accept him and attack him until he learns to defend himself and earn their respect after confronting them at a local martial arts tournament under the tutelage of his apartment building's maintenance man, Mr. Han played by martial arts legend Jackie Chan. The movie keeps the key plot points of the original but avoids the cheesiness that easily comes out in the original film. Jaden is quite the little martial artist and growing in to a decent actor under the watchful eye of his parents, Jada Pinkett and Will Smith. Judging from the clapping and cheering in the theater during the tournament finale, the audience enjoyed the movie as much as I did and if have kids that will love it even more..

Click here to check out the official website.

The Lottery

Some days I get really over-whelmed by the opportunities my job affords me. Right now I am watching this wonderful documentary on the charter school system and am awestruck by the emotional and visceral impact of the film. Kudos to Madeleine Sackler on delivering a very thoughtful and relevant film that everyone should see. I am proud knowing that Citybridge Foundation will be assisting in getting this film a wider audience in the local DC community and thank them for letting me attend the screening in their office. Eva Moskowitz you are a champion of education and one of my new heroes - continued good luck.

Click here to check out the official website.

Splice

Producer Guillermo del Toro brings us Vincenzo Natali's science fiction thriller dealing with two scientists and their offspring that is the result of their genetic splicing tests. Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley star as the two scientists with Delphine Chaneac staring as the unique and mature Dren who tries to fit in to the world around her. Although there are some horrific and bloody scenes in the film, to call this film a horror film is to do it an injustice. The effects are amazing and you do come to believe the creature Dren is very real even before she matures. As always, you can not go wrong in seeing anything directed by, written by, or produced by del Toro because it will be a unique and immersive film experience that should not be missed.

Click here to check out the official website.

Marmaduke

Everyone's favorite Great Dane makes his feature film debut thanks to the voice talents of Owen Wilson, Kiefer Sutherland and Sam Elliott. The plot centers around the Winslow family as they relocate due to a new job opportunity for the father and their teenage dog, Marmaduke, tries to make friends with his fellow pets at a local dog park. The movie is your typical family fair with nothing that you have not seen before in other feature animal films. The best parts involve the live animals with select CGI for the talking animals that is not too distracting. An adequate family film but there are better films currently out to spend you dollar on that you will enjoy more.

Click here to check out the official website.

Killers

Katherine Hegel continues her box office run with a new action-romantic-comedy with Ashton Kutcher. Jen is on vacation with her family when she meets Spencer who she falls for not knowing he is in fact an assassin for the government and is in town on an assignment. The action is pretty good and the comedy OK with the best moments being delivered by veteran actress Catherine O'Hara as Jen's mother who likes her Bloody Marys. Other comedy notables making an appearance are Martin Mull as Spencer's handler, Alex Borstein and Kevin Sussman as their assassin neighbors, and Rob Riggle from The Hangover. Save your money for a matinee if you want to see this film and then you will get your money's worth.

Click here to check out the official website.

Terry Pratchett's Going Postal

The Discworld is back on the BBC with the Ankh-Morpork Post Office being rejuvenated by a reformed con man who must outwit the owner of the popular clacks system to keep his position and most importantly his life. As always in a Terry Pratchett story the characters are the key with the ever sinister Lord Ventinari, played by Charles Dance, the con man forced to be Post Master General named Moist von Lipwig, played by Richard Coyle, Adora Belle Dearheart who over sees Golem rights, played by Claire Foy, and Reacher Gilt the owner of the clacks network, played by David Suchet. As a fan of the Discworld and all of the novels, I have enjoyed all of the BBC dramatizations, The Color of Magic and Hogfather, with this one being no exception. My favorite part was finally seeing Sergeant Angua realized for the screen as the sole female werewolf on the City Watch. If you love the Discworld and all things Pratchett like me, you will not want to miss this.

Click here to check out the official trailer.

The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie!

The ribald and raunchy Big Brother cartoon spoof from Comedy Central now gets it big movie treatment if only for the straight to DVD market. The plot is that our cast of animated housemates find out that their show has been canceled by realizing that they can now curse and show nudity without the normal bleep outs and censor bars and the plot gets more bizarre from there. The knocks at Disney princess films and South Park abound with Seth MacFarland of Family Guy riding along as the hunter-killer robot I.S.R.A.E.L. stalking our crew. Foxy Love, voiced by Cree Summer, is still my favorite character with Spanky Ham, voiced by Adam Carolla, a close second. If you are a fan of the show you will love the movie but if not you will hate it - no in between to be found here.

Click here to check out the official website.

Deadwood: The Complete Series

Since I purged my home of cable TV, I have been discovering and revisiting TV series that I never got a chance to see or that were highly recommenced by my friends that I should check out with HBO's Deadwood being at the top of the list. Once you get use to the ever flowing use of the words fuck and cunt, this was a great western series with all the trappings of The Godfather, Shakespeare, and Unforgiven sprinkled in to make it savory. The show featured Ian McShane from Kings as the wonderfully contemptible Al Swearengen, Timothy Olyphant currently starring as another lawman in Justified, Paula Malcomson who is no longer a whore but a distraught mother in Caprica, and Powers Boothe as Al's competitor and nemesis. It was a shame the show did not get a fourth season to deal with the fallout from George Hearst's strong arm take-over of the town, played by Gerald McRainey, and the departure of Alma Garrett, played by Molly Parker. I recommend checking out this show on Netflix or Amazon but you will not want your children to watch it due to the really strong language, nudity and violence: the old west at it's darkest and finest hour on television.

Click here to check out the teaser trailer for the first season.

Click here to check out the teaser trailer for the second season.

Click here to check out the gag reel from the third and final season.

Shrek Forever After 3D

The Shrek gang is back and this time in 3D - Disney's latest effort to squeeze a few more bucks out of a dying franchise. This time out Shrek, voiced by Mike Myers, makes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin, to give up a day in his life which ends up re-writing history and could lead to him being erased from existence. Not sure how this film was made better by being in 3D but it has a fairly good plot and is much better then the last two films. The high point of the film is what has become of Puss in Boots, voiced by Antonio Banderas, and how he has let himself go - very funny stuff. Unless your kids really want to see the 3D, save yourself the $3 surcharge and check it out at a weekend matinee.

Click here to check out the official website.

Just Wright

Queen Latifah and Common star in this romantic dramedy about a NBA pro who becomes injured and will lose his career unless his physical therapist get him back on to the court. Latifah is wonderful as the down-to-earth sister who takes a back seat to her gold digger sister, played by Paula Patton last seen in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, who leaves the player when his career appears over and then tries to worm her way back in after he makes his amazing recovery. All in all a good move with plenty of fun characters with a stand out performance by James Pickens Jr. as the father who can not complete the simplest home repair. No musical outing for Latifah this time but Common shows his chops at the piano . One of the better date night movies and it has basketball - what guy is not going to like this?

Click here to check out the official website.

Sex and the City 2

The girls are back and headed for Abu Dhabi as part of an all-expenses-paid boondoggle. This time out it is a year later in their lives and they are dealing with the issues of parenthood, falling in to a comfortable routine, being successful on your own terms, and menopause. The highlight of the movie was the gay wedding at the being that was completely over-the-top and hilarious to watch with a cameo by Liza Minnelli. A decent follow up to the first movie and actually more interesting. Sarah Jessica Parker has found the role of her life and seems to be milking it for all it is worth and this is a good thing as long as we do not have to sit through another outing like Did You Hear About the Morgans?

Click here to check out the office website.

Letters to Juliet

I did have free screening passes to see this movie but I let them go when the date I planned to see it with could not make it but since I had time to kill today and the times worked out between other movies I wanted to see I went ahead and checked it out. The movie stars the lovely and popular Amanda Seyfried and the wonderful Vanessa Redgrave as Sophie, who is about to get married, and Claire, a woman who missed a rendezvous with the young love of her life, who come together when Sophie finds Claire's letter to Juliet and responds to it as one of the "secretaries of Juliet" telling her she should try to find her missed love. A consummate chick flick but worth watching to see how Regrave makes acting seem effortless. The love affair that sprouts up between Sophie and Charlie, played by Christopher Eagan, seems a bit forced at times but does not derail the movie. If you have to see this film with your girl, make sure you get double brownie points to cash in later.

Click here to check out the official website.

MacGruber

It was about time for another Saturday Night Live skit to get converted to a movie to see if a repeat of the success of Wayne's World was possible. Unfortunately, even with Powers Booth, Ryan Phillippe, Kristin Wiig and Val Kilmer along for the ride, this should have just stayed as a two minute sketch because the laughs are forced and far between. When your go to sight gag is running around bare-assed with a celery stick hanging out of your ass, you maybe need to go back to the writer's table. Also, when did Kilmer actually decide the bloated image of the late Marlon Brando was a good performance look for film? Skip this and suffer through it on Comedy Central on a rainy Sunday afternoon if you cannot find anything else to watch.

Click here to check out the official website.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Until the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie can make it our way, Disney has tried to repeat the formula again but instead of high seas, pirates, and Johnny Depp we trade up for desert sand, hassansins and Jake Gyllenhaal. Although no one can hold a candle to Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, this movie does pack in the action, huge effects, a hot Arabian princess played by Gemma Arterton, and the great Alfred Molina as the bandit leader turned friend. I did not have high expectations for this film based on the fact that it starred Gyllenhaal but the movie works and works well on all levels to score a win as the big popcorn muncher, summer event movie just behind Iron Man 2. Kudos to Mike Newell on his best film effort since Four Weddings and a Funeral - still a favorite of mine. So should we look forward to the Prince of Persia: 1001 Arabian Nights?

Click here to check out the official website.

Get Him to the Greek

Our favorite rocker from Forgetting Sarah Marshall is back and gets his own movie thanks to director Nicholas Stoller. Aldous Snow, played by Russell Brand, gets to make a comeback due to a brainstorming session in the offices of record producer Sergio Roma, played hilariously by Sean Combs, featuring a return to the venue where Snow was at the top and a rock god, The Greek Theater, and it is up to Aaron Green (Jonah Hill) to make sure he gets there and performs. The movie is very funny and the best scenes involve furry walls, the career ending swan song video African Child, where Roma explains mind fucking artists to perform, and the Sarah Marshall commercial. If you are in the mood for a good comedy then you will want to check this one out. Only question I have is how did Russell land Katy Perry in right life?

Click here to check out the official website.

Iron Man 2

For the first Iron Man film, I took my staff out to see the film as part of an "off-site IT meeting" so there was no chance this was not going to happen again with the sequel. With our popcorn, hot dogs and sodas in hand we were treated to a superb sequel from Jon Favreau that brought us War Machine (Don Cheadle), more chemistry between Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), a cool villain in Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) and we finally get more of old one eye himself, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) . This time out the government is trying to force ownership of the Mark 4 suit while Stark's competitors are trying to steal his arc reactor tech to make their own battle suits with the son of a fellow scientist seeking revenge for the discrediting and deportation of his favor by Tony's father who helped him develop the original arc reactor technology all the while Tony is being slowly killed by the element that fuels his suit. The film makes a good sequel and does set up Marvel to launch their other tie-in films that will hopefully get us to The Avengers movie in 2012. Be sure to stick through the credits to see what other hero will be coming our way and swinging.

Click here to check out the official website.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Now it's Freddy's turn to get the franchise update with Robert Englund's shoes being filled by a very capable Jackie Earle Haley who brings us a darker monster with less gallows humor. First off the movie is well done and delivers most of the key visual sequences from the original film if not where you expect them and does flesh out Krueger's back story more than in the initial film. Being an avid fan of the series, I enjoyed the film but was overcome with a sense of "been there, seen that" that kept me from being as engrossed in the film as I wanted to be. One thing that never ceases to amaze me though is how manly parents bring their little kids to see these R-rated films in the theater - not teenagers but children under the age of ten. Even I have to draw the line somewhere never minding how much I look forward to taking my best friend's child to her first horror movie when she is old enough and ready to handle it.

Click here to check out the official website.

The Perfect Game

This movie was the perfect end to my day at the theater. It is based on the true story of a little league team from Monterrey, Mexico, and their undefeated season as they went to win the Little League World Series in 1957. The movie is heartwarming and wonderfully acted with a cast that includes Clifton Collins Jr., Cheech Marin, Emilie de Ravin and the seldom seen Lou Gossett Jr. It seems that some of the best movies are always sports movies especially if they are based on real events. All of the kids in the movie were amazing and it was great seeing the dads bringing in their kids to the theater in their baseball uniforms to see the film.

Click here to check out the official website.

The Joneses

Who knew a movie about the ultimate form of product placement would be so engaging or could it be that Demi Moore is still smokin' hot even though married to Ashton Kutcher and still can act? The premise is a fake family who are really shills for selling the "American Dream" to their neighbors brought to you by Sony and Ethan Allen. The cast includes the lovely Amber Heard last seen in Zombieland as the sexy girl from apartment 406, Gary Cole and Glenne Headly as the envious neighbors,and the wonderful Lauren Hutton as the creator of the marketing strategy. Honestly, I just checked this out because of Demi. It is worth checking out when it hits cable or DVD even if you are not in to Demi as much as me.

Click here to check out the official website.

Death at a Funeral

Chris Rock leads an ensemble cast in this new comedy about a family who comes together at the funeral of the family patriarch and the hilarity that ensues. The standout comedic performance is given by James Marsden as the fiance of Zoe Saldana who is accidentally dosed with a hallucinogen and freaks out overturning the coffin and eventually ending up naked on the roof. Also worth mentioning is Peter Dinklage's role as the pint-sized former lover of the deceased and his extortion of the Aaron and Ryan, played by Rock and Martin Lawrence. It is odd that the best comedy performances are given by the only white members of an all black ensemble. The movie is a remake of the 2007 Frank Oz feature film which begs the question of why this film was needed so soon but, all and all, it is funny and worth seeing at a matinee if you have the time to kill.

Click here to check out the official website.

The Runaways

Being a huge fan of Joan Jett and her music, I was thrilled when I learned about this bio-pic and happy to see Kristen Stewart in something other than the Twilight films. The story centers around Stewart and Dakota Fanning as Jett and Cherie Currie and the formation and eventual break-up of a 70's all-girl, teenage, rock band. The music is great and Stewart's portrayal of Jett seems dead on while Fanning pulls out the sexy stops as the reluctant front-woman who gets caught up in a drug frenzy and implodes. Although I enjoyed the film thoroughly an older couple decided to leave the theater when Jett and Currie started making out. Hey it's rock-n-roll - what where you expecting?

Click here to check out the official website.

Date Night

Steve Carell and Tina Fey star as Phil and Claire Foster who up the ante of date night by taking another couple's reservation at a popular restaurant and then run in to trouble when two thugs show up looking for them as the couple who stole from their boss. The trailer looked funny and thankfully the movie lived up to my expectations with a great depiction of a well-grounded married couple. Other cast notables were Kristen Wiig and Mark Ruffalo as a couple splitting up making the Foster's question their own relationship and Mark Wahlberg as a hunky former client of Claire's that turns out to be a spy. The car chase sequence is one of the best I have seen in a comedy in awhile. The film is well worth seeing and would make a great date night viewing regardless of the title.

Click here to check out the official website.

Kick-Ass

Matthew Vaughn, the director behind Layer Cake and Stardust, brings Mark Millar's comic to the big screen about a nobody teenager who decides to be a real life superhero who has no powers or any training and runs in to some unsavory characters on both sides of the mask. Like the comic, this movie has very adult themes and definitely relishes its R rating which lets all of the colorful characters from the comic come to life on the screen in hilarious and ultra-violent brilliance. The hero everyone loves and that steals every scene she is in is Hit-Girl, played by Chloe Moretz, who is a 12 year old spitfire who loves weapons, kills like a ninja in a full on blood fury, curses like a sailor but loves her Big Daddy played by Nicolas Cage. After you get past the comedy, the violence, and costumed vigilante heroes you still have a great little story that made the transition for the illustrated page to the screen without losing a single drop of its charm or wit. I loved getting a chance to see this advanced screening and have already twittered my peeps to see who are up for seeing this with me again once it is out in general release on April 16th - just f@#king awesome!

Click here to check out the official website.

Boarding House

This C grade movie holds a special place in my heart as being the first R-rated movie I saw in the theater much to the chagrin of my mother with a supposed best friend and his mother at the time back in 1982 in good old Bluefield, WV. The movie, and now the DVD in my collection, was everything a 13 year old boy could want to see - nudity, horror featuring "horror vision", and without my mother's knowledge, permission or consent. There was a bet between my friend and his mother on who could stay in the theater the longest without leaving and I can proudly say I won hands down and laughed loudly as they both left the theater and I was still there watching the "sinful" movie - nothing was budging me from my seat until the end credits rolled by. The joke of it was that with horror vision, a 70's & early 80's riff on the tactics of William Castle and Alfred Hitchcock, the film would flash a black glove or play some odd music to let you know when a scene of "intense" horror was coming up. The trailer below gives the plot but basically it was a movie about a bachelor setting up a house with all girl roommates so he could bed them all but a crazy mental patient daughter of the previous owner escapes to find her house over run but she possesses telekinetic abilities which she uses to kill off the the tenants until the final showdown of telekinetic wills between the bachelor, paired with his conquest of the day, and the nut case daughter ends the movie - just what every pubescent male teen wants to see!

Click here to see the official trailer.

Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door

For a long time I have always said Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho was the scariest book and movie I had ever read or seen until I just watched this film based on Jack Ketchum's novel which was based or inspired by a true story. As my friend Geoff always says, if the "based on a true story" tag line is there it is always a hook to see a movie but it seems most of the films that have this moniker are always horrific in nature. This story is about a young girl in the 50's who is brutalized and tortured by the woman and her sons that she and her sister are forced to live with after the death of her parents and how the neighborhood kids are pulled in to participate in the domestic violence. The movie could have easily just fallen in to pure exploitation but it does not cross the line and the moral outrage and the inability of our child protagonist to stop what is happening to Meg is truly heart wrenching. This is not an easy film to watch but it does show that the 50s where not the happy times that nostalgia would have us believe and is well worth seeing if you can take it.

Click here to check out the official website.

Let The Right One In (Lat den ratte komma in)

I have been hearing about this film for a while now and decided to pick it up Saturday at my local BestBuy. The premise is about a 12 year old boy who is tormented at school by bullies but finds friendship with the new girl across the hall who turns about to be a vampire who has been 12 years for awhile. A very unique movie that delivers a great coming of age story and shows that even vampires need friends and are not the glamorous or sparkling things that are the current craze. The English dubbing is a bit off but the movie delivers good horror that fits the realistic setting and does not require any effort to suspend disbelief. I recommend this film as a must see for all jaded vampire fans to show that creativity and good storytelling still exists in the genre.

Click here to check out the official website.

Clash of the Titans

1981's Clash of the Titans gets the remake treatment and opened this weekend starring new action thriller go-to-guy Sam Worthing, as Perseus, who must save Alexa Davalos, as Andromeda, and the people of Argos from the wraith of the Gods they no longer pray to. The story has changed a bit from the original film but still hits all the same core beats and is worth seeing if you are a fan of Greek mythology. Ray Harryhausens's classic stop motion has been replaced with new state of the art CGI and the new Kraken does look cool but the sentimental kid in me still prefers the classic special effects. My favorite part was seeing the Bubo cameo that may be lost on a lot of the new viewers but did put a huge shit-eating grin on my face. It did suck to hear that the new film was done in 3D only after the film was completed to bring in more money from the audience; so I passed on this and opted to see it on the screen as it was suppose to be seen and save my wallet an undue diet.

Click here to check out the official website.

Chloe

Not my typical movie fare but since I had the time to kill I decided to stop in and see this art house film of marital infidelity, betrayal and starring one of my favorite actresses, Julianne Moore. Catherine, played by Moore, believes her husband, played by Liam Neeson, is cheating on her so she hires an escort, played by the lovely and sexy Amanda Seyfried, to trap her husband and confirm her suspicions. A rather subdued movie but well acted and has an amazingly hot make-out scene between Moore and Seyfried. Seyfriend appears to be pulling a Gerard Butler and is the hot commodity star appearing in multiple films this year. A decent enough film but there are other films out that you may want to see instead and just wait to rent this one for date night.

Click here to check out the official website.

Hot Tub Time Machine

If you don't get the premise from the title of this film or the trailer, I can't help you here. Being a teenager of the 80's and a fan of the John Cusack classics like The Sure Thing, Better Off Dead, and One Crazy Summer, this was a must see movie for my generation. The comedy is good but not raunchy as is the norm for the current crop of comedies and it does deliver on the 80's tradition of T&A, spandex, and parachute pants. Hearing someone yell, "I want my two dollars", on the screen and in the audience met my expectations so I got my money's worth. Stand out comedy moments and laughs all come from Rob Corddry who rules fronting Motley Lue.

Click here to check out the official website.

How To Train Your Dragon: An IMAX 3D Experience

After getting over the sticker shock of the $10 surcharge on my regular matinee fee for 3D and IMAX, I really enjoyed this film and recommend it to every one as a real visual and story telling treat. The story is about a young viking who wants to be a dragon hunter like his father but gets derailed when he befriends and takes care of a mysterious dragon that he helps recover from the lost of a tail fin. The voice cast includes stars you would not expect in a typical kid film but an adult comedy like Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kristen Wiig and T.J. Miller. The various dragons are really cool and fun to learn about much like my joy of reading the Dungeon & Dragons Monster Manuals from TSR back in junior high school - enjoyed the manuals more than playing the game. I will definitely be getting this little treasure for my movie collection when it hits DVD - maybe even Blu-ray.

Click here to check out the official website.

Bitch Slap

If you want an updated and cool twist on the Russ Meyer sexploitation flicks of the 60's then this movie has everything you want to see as repeated by Michael Hurst in the DVD extras with lots of "tits and guns". Our three femme fatales, Hel, Camero and Trixie, are played by Erin Cummings, America Olivo and Julia Voth and they are smokin' hot and deliver a fun flick with further plot twists a la Memento and The Usual Suspects. Besides Hurst there are plenty of cameos by your Hercules and Xena favorites like Lucy Lawless, Renee O'Conner, Kevin Sorbo and stunts coordinated by the awesome Zoe Bell. Besides the wood-inducing trailer, I knew this was going to be a great movie when the clips shown during the opening credits rolled by with classic scenes from all of the great B-movies from my youth that I was not allowed to watch until I was older. A balls out fun film and a definite must see for all guys who have not had their man card punched in a while,

Click here to check out the official website.

Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths

DC Comics brings us a new straight to DVD movie featuring the Justice League and a tale of the DC multiverse where they are recruited by a "good" Lex Luther to help take down criminal superheroes from a parallel earth. The voice talents include William Baldwin as Batman (really?), Mark Harmon as Superman, and Chris Noth as Lex Luthor with James Woods as Owlman and Gina Torres as Superwoman. Any DC story dealing with the "mirror mirror" version of the Justice League always seemed lacking to me in the comics and unfortunately the movie suffers the same fate. Why could DC not keep with the actors who have voiced these characters well in the past? The best reveal in the film is how Wonder Woman gets her invisible plan and the DVD extra, DC Showcase: The Spectre written by Steve Niles, made a better film then the DVD's namesake.

Click here to check out the official website.

The Bounty Hunter

Gerard Butler is a bounty hunter who is tasked with taking his bail jumping ex-wife, played by Jennifer Aniston, to jail but things get complicated when he finds out she may be actually telling the truth about a faked suicide and a police cover up. The chemistry between the two is OK but not really convincing. The best laughs are to be found in the trailer with Christine Baranski giving the movie a touch of class as the lounge singer mother of Aniston. Will 2010 be another high profile year for Butler? Only time will tell but let's hope the rest of the year is filled with the action films he does well.

Click here to check out the official website.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

The trailer for this movie hooked me from the start. The kids are adorable and the depiction of middle school bullies, cooties, and the "cheese touch" are hilarious. Steve Zahn and Rachel Harris play the parents of our wimpy kid and make me wish my parents where that much fun when I went to ol' Central Junior High School. Chloe Moretz, who will be staring in Kick-Ass as Hit-Girl later this summer, plays the older and wiser school reporter who documents our wimp's exploits to be the number one kid in his grade but just fails miserably. A fun movie for the kids that will bring back bitter sweet memories for the parents - check it out.

Click here to check out the official website.

Repo Men

Early critics of this movie did not seem to like it because of the violence and the blood but what did they expect from the film? The story is about two friends, Jake and Remy, played by Forest Whitaker and Jude Law, who repossess artificial body parts from clients who have defaulted on their payments - of course it is going to be violent and bloody! The story is interesting and has potential but the climax is unsatisfying but to be expected. Liev Schreiber plays a great asshole an steals all the scenes he is part of. The movie is worth checking out but too bad it is not a must have for my movie collection regardless of the red stuff.

Click here to check out the official website.

Green Zone

Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon have teamed back up to bring us this new political action thriller based on the US's efforts to locate Iraq's WMDs, or weapons of mass destruction. Unfortunately, this movie is nothing like the successful Bourne films and the political intrigue is dumbed down and spoon feed to the audience. The film is rather meh to be honest and forgettable which does a real disservice to the subject matter. How about just giving us another Bourne film because that is what we wanted anyway and were lead to believe from the trailers. Definitely wait to see this on cable and save yourself the price of admission.

Click here to check out the official website.

She's Out of My League

Jay Baruchel, from Knocked Up and Tropic Thunder, stars as the an average guy who lucks in to a relationship with a "hard 10" played by Alice Eve to the surprise and ribbing of his close friends and family. Jay and Alice make a cute couple and the story has some very funny moments but it does not make it to the the level of There's Something About Mary. The trailer leads you to believe the movie would be a bit more raunchy but it tops out as a feel good movie. I enjoyed the film and look forward to seeing Alice Eve again on the big screen. Another highlight was seeing Debra Jo Rupp from That 70's Show but I wish her part was bigger because she is always funny and fun to watch.

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Alice in Wonderland 3D (2010)

I must say I have never been a fan of the Alice in Wonderland movies I had seen or have I ever read the actual books those movies were based on but if Tim Burton was doing a new film then I needed to see it. Luck had it that I got to see this opening night in 3D with a group of my good friends in celebration of floogee's birthday - Happy Birthday Mike - and also an impossible thing happened that night in that this was the first film we had all seen with our friend Abigail that see actually liked! The effects were amazing in 3D and the story was very engaging with Johnny Depp's Madhatter retelling of the Jabberwocky tale the highlight of the film for me. All of the Tim Burton faithful where in the audience and were as happy with film as we were. The film is truly a marvel and a must see for everyone - especially in 3D!

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Cop Out

I am a huge fan of Kevin Smith's and was looking forward to this film until I found out it was not written by him but that he was just directing it for the "paycheck". There are a few funny moments in the film but after the opening interrogation scene they are few and far between and the film just lacks the dialogue you would expect in a Kevin Smith project. There where plenty of people in the theater when I went and they were laughing at scenes that I just could not find any humor in. The stars abound in the film which included Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Kevin Pollack and Sean William Scott but none of their performances really clicked with me and Adam Brody was the worst. Skip this movie and check it out on cable - you will be thanking me later.

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The Crazies

If you cannot come up with an original horror movie idea then your safe bet is to go to the well of a master who has has done it all before and "re-image" or remake one of his. So far, remakes of George A. Romero films have been paying off well for younger directors and let's hope they continue to do so. The story is that town folks have been going crazy and killing each other and the government is stepping in to lock down the town for the citizens own protection but with all Romero stories this is never the case. The new film stars genre favorites Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mithell with relative newcomers Joe Anderson and Danielle Panabaker as a last remaining town members trying to get out of the city and away from the government that is set on killing them to hide their secret. Horror fans should be pleased with the fast pacing and appropriate levels of gore - check it out.

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Crazy Heart

Jeff Bridges stars as Bad Blake in the twilight years of country music career who is scrapping by going from one small time gig to another subsisting on whiskey, one-night stands, and a beat up pickup truck. But as he is going from town to town he falls for a local journalist and tries to start a relationship that is doomed to fail. Bridges is great and seems to channel the very soul of Merle Haggard who the story is supposedly based on. Maggie Gyllenhaal is the local love interest but other cast members include Robert Duvall as an elderly bartender and Colin Farrell as Tommy Sweet, Bad Blake protege whose star is surpassing his mentor's. This is one of Jeff's finest performances in a long time and definitely worth the Oscar buzz he is getting.

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Valentine's Day

A sappy movie with an all star cast directed by Garry Marshall. Not sure how many boyfriends and husbands got subjected to this but based on the box office it does not seem like many had to endure it. Plus side was that it did have a few of my favorite hot actresses like Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, and Anne Hathaway. The funniest part of the movie was Anne Hathaway's phone sex operator business while Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner where just plain annoying. Stick with flowers and chocolate this year and avoid this flick if you want to make through to another Valentine's Day together.

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Shutter Island

Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio are back together to bring us a mystery about the disappearance of an inmate from an insane asylum for the criminally insane. The story unfolds in the finest traditions of Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick with plot twists, misdirection and genuine scenes of graphic horror you would not typically see from a Scorsese film. DiCaprio delivers his best performance to date with a supporting cast that includes Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Max Von Sydow, Ted Levine, and Patricia Clarkson. This movie is great and a must see for all Scorsese fans to see a true master at the top of his craft. Now we just need to see what Scorsese can do with a musical or sci fi film.

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Brooklyn's Finest

Antoine Fuqua, who brought us Training Day and Shooter, is back with his newest cop drama where the line between doing what is right and what is wrong has never been more obscure. I lucked in to an advanced screening of the film with the director and Wesley Snipes on hand afterward for a little Q & A but I opted for half-smokes from Ben's Chili Bowl across the street instead of the Q & A. The movie was good but deliberately paced and a bit slow in spots. Richard Gere was interesting as the retiring cop who just wanted to make it to retirement alive while Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawke both delivered power performances as the long under cover cop who is losing is family and the cop who can not get enough money to support his family except from the leftover cash during drug busts. Wesley Snipes was good too but his role was more understated that you would expect and not the break out performance as some critics where saying.

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The Wolfman

Of all of the Universal monsters, my favorite has always been the Wolfman and upon hearing that a remake of the classic tale was being done with a cast that included Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving with creature makeup done by Rick Baker there was no way I was not seeing this as soon as humanly possible. Homages to the original film are as pervasive as I had hoped and the werewolf makeup just fantastic. There is a deeper story than found in the original film and the acting was all top notch but I did see the plot twists coming and could not have cared less. It was great seeing the classic monsters of my youth treated with the respect they deserved unlike in the ridiculous mashup called Van Helsing. Now I hear a remake of the Creature from the Black Lagoon is due in 2011 - as Stimpy would say - JOY!

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From Paris With Love

Luc Besson, who brought us the action thriller classics like Nikita, Leon, and The Fifth Element, brings us a new story starring a bald but cool bad-ass played by none other than John Travolta. Travolta plays the American spy come to stop a terrorist plot in Paris with the aid of a reluctant ambassador's aid played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers who discovers he is a key asset in the terrorist's plot. Travolta's performance steals the show and is a joy to watch on screen as he chews up the scenery with either fist fights, gun play, explosions or chase sequences. Besson films are always fun to watch unfold and worth the price of admission. Although not Besson's strongest story, Travolta more than makes up for this and redeems himself well after such a lackluster performance in Old Dogs.

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Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Another popular children's book series gets the big screen treatment by Chris Columbus but this time out it focuses on the Greek gods and their human offspring better known as Titans. Our story deals with Percy, the hidden son of Poseidon, who has been tasked with retrieving Zeus's missing lightning bolt before the gods go to war and destroy the earth in the process. The cast includes Sean Bean as Zeus, Pierce Brosnan as Chrion, Rosario Dawson as an amorous and bored Persephone, Uma Thurman as the deadly Medusa, and Kevin McKidd as Poseidon. The movie has great effects and the story is pretty good too. Studio's are looking for the next big thing to fill in the void that will be created by the last installment of the Harry Potter franchise and I am not sure this series will be up to the task. Either way, this is definitely one of the better family films out right now and it will keep the kids happy and the parents entertained.

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