lety

The Vow's not just the weepy love story for hard-up romance fans that the trailers make it seem, but instead a truly moving relationship film with more depth than you'd expect. Even with its flaws, The Vow will no doubt shortly be taking its place on that list of guilty pleasures you don't channel surf off of on TV, films you can watch over and over again (like The Notebook) but don't often admit to being hooked on. Releasing the weekend before Valentine's Day, The Vow is set up to be the perfect date movie. Yes, it'll play better to the female crowd. And, yes, Channing Tatum's shirtless and even pantless (the man has an incredible body) which provides a great deal of eye candy, while Rachel McAdams mostly keeps her clothes on. But anyone who can get into a touching romantic story of love found, love lost, and love rediscovered should be able to find something to latch onto in this moving romantic drama based on a true story. Unfortunately, it's the baby-making conversation that leads to a life-altering event. Paige unclasps her seatbelt to get a little more snuggly with her hubby as they wait at a stop sign, and the snowy road causes a truck to not break in time to avoid hitting them. Paige smashes through the windshield and survives, but the impact to her head leaves her with limited amnesia. Coming to after a drug-induced coma, Paige has absolutely no memories from the last five years of her life. She doesn't recognize her husband, doesn't understand why she's an artist when she was planning on going to law school, and doesn't remember that she hasn't seen or spoken to her family during those five now-absent-from-her-mind years. She does, however, recall that she's engaged to Jeremy (Scott Speedman who doesn't look like he's aged a day since Felicity). Leo's a stranger and the home they've made together brings up no feelings of comfort, while being in Jeremy's presence makes her feel safe and more like herself. Even watching their wedding video (a very hip event that took place on the sly in an art museum with a few close friends) elicits no emotional response from Paige who grows more and more perplexed over her relationship with Leo the more she learns of her new life.

Magic Mike sells itself as a male stripper film, a movie that could be considered a little payback for all the films that objectify women. "It's our turn, ladies!" could have been the battle cry when it came to this 2012 R-rated movie based in the world of erotic entertainment. I mean, it's perfectly set up that way. But, it's a neutered version of what was promised to us in those trailers. Damn them for showing Hollywood hunks dancing for our pleasure and then sliding in a film that is strangely sexless. Oh, there are a few dance numbers in the movie, but I've got to believe what's on the cutting room floor - or perhaps will be included in the DVD extras - are fleshed out (pardon the pun) versions of those choreographed pieces. The women in the preview audience were into the numbers, cheering on the actors and generally having a good time for the first half hour, right up until Soderbergh and screenwriter Reid Carolin threw on the brakes by transitioning the film from a story of how and why men would strip to drug deals gone bad and Mike's financial problems as he tries to establish his own furniture business while the club boss dangles promises of equity in a new club over his head to keep him in line. Do we go into this film wanting to see thugs trashing a home or someone sleeping in their own vomit after nearly overdosing? No. I don't recall hearing a single member of the target audience discussing why they wanted to see Magic Mike and mentioning anything other than men dancing in thongs. Sure, you have to have a story to surround the 'stripping' theme, but the demographic that wants to see this movie is not being well-served here. For a film about men taking their clothes off to please women, Magic Mike misses the mark by not just giving the audience what we want. A little more spice on stage to balance out the seedy side of the business that bogs down the second half of the film would have been greatly appreciated. Oh, and a little more time spent on the stripping scenes themselves - since that's how this film is being marketed - would also have garnered more goodwill. They seem to end prematurely, just so Soderbergh can cut to another scene of uninspired dialogue. Again, target missed, opportunity lost.

Flight opens with Whip drinking and getting high with a flight attendant just hours before his next commercial flight. His newbie, by-the-book co-pilot (played by Brian Geraghty) is immediately uneasy due to Whip's behavior (he doesn't hide being high well), but no one on the flight crew steps up to stop him from taking the controls. His decision to manually steer the plane through rough turbulence further sends up red flags with his co-pilot - that is until Whip's control of the plane has expertly maneuvered them out of the nauseatingly bumpy air and into clear skies by taking a path contrary to what the autopilot and the air traffic controllers suggested. But as the plane settles into what appears to be a normal flight, something goes horribly wrong mechanically. Acting against all prescribed procedures, Whip inverts the plane which slows down its descent. His quick thinking saves 100 lives and elevates him to hero status. However, he's well aware of what the toxicology reports will uncover. Fortunately, he's got the pilot union on his side as well as a lawyer (played by Don Cheadle) who's ready to do anything to keep the report away from the FAA. Meanwhile, Whip continues drinking and angrily denying he needs help. Another crash is on the way, one that Whip may not be able to maneuver his way out of. Flight contains a few scenes which - for one of the few times in his lengthy, impressive career - I could see actor Denzel Washington playing a character rather than the character he was playing. The moments are few and far between and mostly involve Washington's portrayal of Whip when he's under the influence and hanging out at his family's farm. Part of that could be chalked up to the fact those same scenes have a repetitive feel to them and slow the movie to a crawl. It's absolutely necessary to examine Whip's alcoholism and the toll it's taken on his personal and professional lives, however by overplaying the drunk scenes Flight misses the target of being a serious analysis of the effects of addiction, which is very much what the film wants to be about. Instead, the repeated scenes of alcohol and drug abuse are more likely to make the audience uncomfortable while not serving to further the story. Once Flight travels past the lead up to the crash and the horrifying sequences inside the cabin as the passengers realize they're going down, the film lands in the world of cliched movie characters. There's the estranged wife and son who've had too many years of dealing with Whip's addictions to be sympathetic to his problems. And then there's the pretty drug addict (played by Kelly Reilly) who tries to convince Whip to go to counseling and/or rehab, and of course Whip is going to refuse to accept assistance and insist he can fight this battle on his own. But the biggest cliche and the biggest misstep of the Flight is the insertion of John Goodman as a hippie drug dealer who actually - I kid you not - enters the film to "Sympathy for the Devil." It's understandable that screenwriter John Gatins (Real Steel, Coach Carter) and director Zemeckis would want to lighten the mood a bit, but Goodman's character isn't the solution. His appearance was like a needle scratching its way across a record, so jarring was its inclusion in scenes. It's also surprising that after the dramatic build up, the film ends with a whimper rather than a bang. The co-pilot's character arc is given short shrift, and talk about your Hollywood endings...Flight could be held up as a textbook example.

Ronny (Vaughn) is a fast-talking salesman who makes a deal with Dodge to deliver an electric motor that replicates the sound of a muscle car. Ronny and his business partner and best friend Nick (James) only have a few days to actually come up with the product, but if they do, it will all but guarantee the success of their company. Kevin's the brains of the operation, however Ronny seems to be in charge of overall operations. And the lack of any actual work leaves Ronny plenty of time to get into mischief. After a night out with Nick and his wife, Geneva (Ryder), Ronny comes to the conclusion that he finally wants to take his relationship with his long-time girlfriend, Beth (Connelly), to the next level. To do so he'll need to find the perfect spot to pop the question. He decides on a botanical garden but as he's setting things up, he spies Geneva off in the bushes with a studly, tattooed hunk (Tatum) who's definitely not Nick. After falling into the poisonous plants thus ending any chance of using the facility as the venue to propose, Ronny's left with a real...wait for it...dilemma on his hands. Should he tell Nick what he saw? The little angel on his shoulder tells him he absolutely needs to, but the devil points out that by doing so he'd throw Nick off his game and they'd probably lose any hope of signing what could be a multi-million deal with Dodge. Nick needs to concentrate and now's not the time to interrupt his creative process with the news his wife's having an affair. So, Ronny, who is being driven crazy by having to keep this secret to himself, opts to confront Geneva. That decision sets off a chain of events that leads to dead fish, a particularly vicious beating, the destruction of a classic car - as well as the near destruction of Ronny's relationship with Beth - and all sorts of other mayhem.

What's even more disappointing is how the screenplay doesn't take any chances. It's a fairly basic story: A guy (Craig) wakes up in the middle of nowhere with no idea who he is or how he got there, but with a strange mechanical device strapped to his wrist. He beats up/kills some nasty-looking dudes who show up just moments after he comes to, takes one of their horses and their dog, and heads into the nearest town - which he just happens to know the location of despite the fact he's got amnesia. There, he has a run-in with the son of the town's wealthiest citizen (a rancher named Colonel Dolarhyde, played by Ford), has a drink in a bar and meets a strange, beautiful woman (Olivia Wilde) who acts like she knows him, gets hauled into jail by the sheriff (Keith Carradine) because he's a wanted criminal named Jake Lonergan, and then bam! the aliens attack. Enemies are forced to team up after some of the townsfolk are lassoed and taken away in alien spacecraft. Secrets are revealed, identities are made known, Olivia Wilde gets naked, and Indians enter the picture because what would a Western be without stereotypical Native Americans? All the while, Ford scowls, acts ornery, and shows Dolarhyde is, yes, a jerk but one who actually loves his no-good son (played by Paul Dano), so he's got that going for him. Craig handles the action scenes like the pro/James Bond actor he is, but isn't given anything real interesting to say or do - other than to point his wristband at the aliens. Cowboys and Aliens has a fun title, but that's where the fun begins and ends. Cowboys and Aliens is just boring. Yes, there are attacks by aliens. Yes, there are some decent (but not spectacular) action scenes. But with a title like Cowboys and Aliens, you expect a wild romp through the Wild West with interesting, colorful characters leading the way, and that's far from what's delivered here.

Beau Hutton (Garrett Hedlund) is a good-looking singer/songwriter who loves to play his music in front of appreciative crowds in dive bars. They love him, he loves them, and all is right with the world. But when Beau's off the stage, his real job is to help out at a rehab center and that's where poor Beau encounters the woman who turns his world completely upside down.Country superstar Kelly Canter is a patient at the rehab hospital, and of course she and Beau make a connection over music. They try out lyrics on each other, and you know that's not all they're 'trying out' together. The six-time Grammy winner - don't worry if you don't catch how many Grammys she's won the first time she says it, it's repeated over and over again throughout the film lest we forget how great this troubled singer once was - had to cut short her latest tour after a disastrous show in Dallas in which the then five month pregnant alcoholic was so drunk she tripped over a mic cord, fell, and lost the baby (thankfully we don't actually see this tragic event). Now she's trying to get herself together in what's likely an expensive, exclusive rehab center, but her manager/husband James (Tim McGraw who never sings) has other plans. Against everyone's advice, James pulls Kelly out of rehab a month before she's scheduled to be released. Why? So she can get back on tour because, you know, that's the best thing for someone in her fragile condition to do. Beau argues against it, but an extremely rude and condescending James puts him in his place and pushes Kelly into agreeing with him that she's ready to leave.Now here comes the kicker... Before they leave the hospital, they sit outside surrounded by gorgeous scenery and Kelly reveals what she's been cradling in a cigar box. Seems she's rescued an orphaned quail and is now it's mother. James gets all gushy over his wife's maternal instincts coming out and since they lost their child due to Kelly's drinking, together they pledge to raise the bird as their own and show it the good life. All right, so that part's made up - the gushing and the raising, but not the appearance of the orphaned bird in their lives. That really happens in Country Strong. And yes, we're supposed to connect her need to care for the bird as her attempt to show she could have been, and might still be able to be, a good mother. The next major leap of faith comes when James decides to hire on Beau and an unknown beauty queen (played by Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester) to open for Kelly when she hits the road on tour again. She's a six-time Grammy winner who sells out arenas, and her controlling, manipulative husband/manager signs up two people with no experience to open for her after seeing them perform once in a bar, a performance which found the beauty queen freezing up and unable to open her mouth until Beau took to the stage to help her. Does this make sense to anyone? No matter, it happens, so we must live with writer/director Feste's decision and forget about logic. As long as Kelly's still got that baby bird to nurture, everything will work out in the end, right? So now we've got the unlikely trio of a train-wreck of a country singer, an emotionally vulnerable beauty queen who can actually sing, and Beau - the sensitive hunk both women desire. Throw in the pushy manager/husband who no longer wants to sleep with his wife or support her emotionally and it's a time bomb just waiting to explode. And there's that bird to consider, too. Don't forget about the bird.

The story remains nearly the same, with Brand playing Arthur Bach, the sole heir to a fortune who's been raised by a nanny (Mirren) and is detached from his all-business mother (Geraldine James). Arthur goes about life without a care in the world, but after one particularly embarrassing run-in with the police, his mother demands he either marry Susan (Jennifer Garner), a Type-A personality fully capable of running the family business in Arthur's stead, or else he'll be cut off and disinherited. Arthur agrees to the marriage, despite the fact he's not attracted to Susan, because he can't live without the money. However, when he runs into an unlicensed tour guide named Naomi (Greta Gerwig), Arthur discovers he's stuck between following his heart into the poor house or retaining his luxurious lifestyle alongside a woman he'll never love. It's possible that my lowered expectations for this remake played into the fact this Arthur actually worked for me. It's not a laugh-a-minute romcom and it doesn't live up to the comic heights reached by its predecessor, but 2011's Arthur stands on its own as a sweet romantic comedy with heart. Will we remember this Arthur as fondly in 30 years as we do the original? Absolutely not. If we remember this Arthur in 3 years, it'll be a minor miracle. But 2011's Arthur is energetic and fun, a likable enough comedy that's faithful to the original film while not attempting to be a carbon copy.

The Woman in Black finds Radcliffe starring as Arthur Kipps, a lawyer and single father who travels to a remote town in order to square up the affairs of a recently deceased client. Arthur's still mourning the death of his beautiful wife who passed away while giving birth to their son, and the train ride to the village allows him time to reflect on her loss. Arthur's been warned by his boss that he absolutely must handle this estate perfectly or he'll be fired, so when the townspeople - except for Daily (Ciaran Hinds) - put up a series of roadblocks in an attempt to keep him from visiting Eel Marsh House, Arthur pays them no attention and pushes on. The mansion is accessible only during certain hours when the tide is out and the road is visible, so once there Arthur's stuck for hours without any chance of escape. At first, being cut off from the outside world is not an issue. But as events inside Eel Marsh House and in the surrounding gardens start to take on a sinister, otherworldly tone, Arthur's solitary status has him jumping at shadows. Wind-up toys produce an eerie symphony in the home's dusty nursery, chairs rock on their own, and the titular character makes an appearance which means yet another kid in the nearby village will die. Arthur quickly learns from Daily, the only friendly person in town, that the villagers all believe in this Woman in Black and that's why they find his meddling in local affairs so disturbing. By visiting the Eel Marsh House, he's stirred up the ghost, and no one can fight that which is already dead.

The Woman in Black finds Radcliffe starring as Arthur Kipps, a lawyer and single father who travels to a remote town in order to square up the affairs of a recently deceased client. Arthur's still mourning the death of his beautiful wife who passed away while giving birth to their son, and the train ride to the village allows him time to reflect on her loss. Arthur's been warned by his boss that he absolutely must handle this estate perfectly or he'll be fired, so when the townspeople - except for Daily (Ciaran Hinds) - put up a series of roadblocks in an attempt to keep him from visiting Eel Marsh House, Arthur pays them no attention and pushes on. The mansion is accessible only during certain hours when the tide is out and the road is visible, so once there Arthur's stuck for hours without any chance of escape. At first, being cut off from the outside world is not an issue. But as events inside Eel Marsh House and in the surrounding gardens start to take on a sinister, otherworldly tone, Arthur's solitary status has him jumping at shadows. Wind-up toys produce an eerie symphony in the home's dusty nursery, chairs rock on their own, and the titular character makes an appearance which means yet another kid in the nearby village will die. Arthur quickly learns from Daily, the only friendly person in town, that the villagers all believe in this Woman in Black and that's why they find his meddling in local affairs so disturbing. By visiting the Eel Marsh House, he's stirred up the ghost, and no one can fight that which is already dead.

If the new Red Dawn didn't have Chris Hemsworth, hero of Thor and wielder of a gigantic hammer in The Avengers, and Josh Hutcherson, dreamy love interest of Katniss in The Hunger Games, in the lead roles, it's a sure bet the film would have gone straight to DVD. Filmed way, way back in 2009, long before Hemsworth played a demigod or Hutcherson upped his fan base by starring as Peeta in The Hunger Games franchise, this version of Red Dawn provides in-your-face action along with plenty of unintentionally humorous moments. And if all you're interested in is watching bad guys get blown away and buildings get blown up, then Red Dawn is worthy of a viewing at home on cable, but not worth the price of a movie ticket - no matter how big an action geek you are. It's highly unlikely that 30 years from now anyone will be looking back with fondness on this 2012 release or paying it much mind if it happens to show up on cable, the way we do now with the first Red Dawn. Now, not everything about 2009's-delayed-until-2012 Red Dawn is horrible. Chris Hemsworth rises above the material, playing the older brother home from the war who's forced into creating a ragtag fighting unit out of his younger brother (played by Josh Peck) and his high school friends. It's not Hemsworth's fault that the new Red Dawn - a remake no one was begging to see done - fails to live up to its predecessor. Hemsworth's actually the best thing about Red Dawn. Not faring so well are Hemsworth's two main co-stars. Josh Peck is saddled with playing one of the most annoying characters we've add the displeasure of watching on screen this year, a character who's vastly different than the same character in the 1984 version. Peck also looks nothing like Hemsworth or his film dad (played by Brett Cullen in a too-short role), and I'm going to venture a guess that had director Dan Bradley known what we know now, he would have flip-flopped Peck with Josh Hutcherson. Hutcherson's third banana here, and acts circles around Peck. If you can wait it out and make it through the first hour, the final 30 minutes pays off with a decent finale. But by then, the sun will have set on most audience's patience for this generic action film that wasn't necessary nor wanted in the first place.

The film's footage is supplied by one main 'documentary camera man,' supplemented by footage that's supposed to look like it's been shot on cell phones by partygoers. So, yeah, it's shaky cam to the extreme. But who cares, right? It's just a big, dumb party movie and it's not supposed to be taken seriously. There is no plot other than three outsiders (played by newcomers Jonathan Daniel Brown, Oliver Cooper, and Thomas Mann) want in with the cool kids and go about upping their social status by throwing a killer party. That's all fine and dandy, but even dumb party movies can be well-written and feature characters we give a damn about. That's most definitely not the case with Project X, which opts instead to give us one decent guy and a female character (played by Kirby Bliss Blanton) who seems genuinely interesting, but then surrounds them with a bunch of people you wouldn't want to party with unless you're completely desperate. If you're considering seeing Project X because it looks like an R-rated John Hughes film and you really miss John Hughes, or because it looks like a rowdier version of Superbad, then you'll be sorely disappointed. This isn't a hardcore version of a Hughes film nor is it as smart as Superbad. Stuffing a dwarf in an oven, penis punching, dildo-sniffing, and a psycho with a flame-thrower torching homes - Project X gets mean fairly quickly and never pulls back. Yet while the filmmakers obviously want us to believe their pushing the limits and seem to think no way will we be expecting what's coming next, it's all so very, very predictable in the end. Too many of the scenes play out like twists on other party movies (a scene with the threesome in charge of the party up on their roof surveying what they have wrought feels way too Almost Famous-ish). There are some laughs in Project X, and for the first half hour it had a lot of promise, but then just as with the wild party at the center of the film, Project X spirals out of control, culminating in a finale that does a complete 180 in terms of tone. And the ending's a complete letdown, even for a film that has as little substance to it as this one does.

The less you know, the better. Scientists Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) have discovered that cave drawings created thousands of years apart all indicate the presence once upon a time of an alien life-force on Earth. Shaw believes these aliens created humans and that they want us to seek them out for answers as to how and why we came to exist. Fast forward and Shaw, Holloway, a handful of additional scientists, and the spaceship Prometheus' crew have been in suspended animation for years (necessary because of the voyage's length), watched over by an android named David (Michael Fassbender) who spends his hours watching old movies and learning languages and who has his own objectives to accomplish on this mission. They awaken on a distant planet which promises to hold the key to Earth's mysteries. Funded by the Weyland Corporation, represented by the no-nonsense Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron), the scientists have made this incredible journey in hopes of discovering the intelligent life-form that created the human race on Earth. However, once they start to explore this alien landscape, it becomes quickly evident the aliens are not going to provide the scientists with the answers they were expecting. And it also becomes increasingly clear this alien race doesn't hold the lifeforms it created in high regard. Scott is a master at the genre, and we welcome him back home with open arms. And if he wants to delve back into this alien world again, we'll show up to see the results of his efforts. But Prometheus, as absolutely gorgeous as it is to look at, doesn't quite live up to the hype. Ridley Scott and screenwriter Damon Lindelof do a terrific job of building up the tension over the course of the two hour running time, however the big payoff isn't quite as satisfying as we'd hoped. Fortunately, none of the film's shortcomings have anything whatsoever to do with the cast of Prometheus as Scott's gathered together a fine group of actors at the top of their games to bring his tale to life. Noomi Rapace is the prequel's answer to Sigourney Weaver, and Rapace shows again here why audiences and critics lavished her with praise for the performance she delivered as Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Charlize Theron's coolly controlled performance as Meredith Vickers shows an impressive amount of restraint. She's tough and unquestionably in charge of the operation, waking up from stasis and immediately forcing herself into a series of push-ups. Idris Elba provides a few lighter moments as the ship's captain, but it's the performance of Michael Fassbender as the android David that truly stands out. Fassbender doesn't make a single misste Overall, Prometheus is worth seeing on the big screen - in 3D - but revise your expectations downward before sitting down to enjoy Scott's return to sci-fi. It's beautifully crafted, has a decent amount of thrills (but no real scares), and even includes scenes that would have fit snuggly in Alien, but there's something lacking in the story which denies Prometheus from attaining Alien and Alien 2 levels of brilliance. p as this synthetic human who studies us - including surreptitiously spying on our dreams - and appears to find us infinitely fascinating while at the same time holding himself above his human creators.

Mirror Mirror has its fun moments, most of which come from Armie Hammer getting goofy as a handsome Prince who thinks way too highly of himself, Julia Roberts camping it up as a beauty-obsessed evil Queen, and the combined work of Jordan Prentice, Joey Gnoffo, Sebastian Saraceno, Martin Klebba, Mark Povinelli, Ronald Lee Clark, and Danny Woodburn as the seven dwarfs (none of whom are named Dopey). Roberts is the Queen of Camp in Mirror Mirror, with the Oscar winner embracing the part of Snow White's evil stepmom with a real appreciation for the pure wicked silliness of the character. The acting elevates this film from a totally forgettable goofball comedy to a fairy tale adventure that sporadically entertains. The Story Writers Marc Klein and Jason Keller use the original fairy tale as the jumping off point for a story that lets Snow White take more control of her destiny. Mirror Mirror has all the basics: a King who's disappeared leaving his young daughter with snow white skin and raven hair in the care of an evil stepmother. The Queen is jealous of Snow White's beauty and doesn't want her distracting the handsome Prince, so she sends her off to be killed by a henchman in the forest surrounding the kingdom. The Queen's servant can't go through with the murder and leaves Snow to fend for herself in the terrifying forest that's home to a vicious beast (created via disappointingly less than perfect CGI). Rescued by seven dwarfs, Mirror Mirror's version of the story finds the dwarfs (who have resorted to robbing anyone who travels through the forest, including the Prince and the Queen's tax collector) teaching the young beauty how to handle a knife and a sword. Snow becomes a member of the dwarfs' little band of thieves, though only after making them pledge they will return the gold they've stolen from the Queen to the poor townsfolk who have suffered greatly since the Queen has taken over the country following the King's disappearance. Can Snow White save the kingdom? Will she win the love of the handsome Prince? And what will become of the narcissistic Queen? Really? You need to ask these questions?

Pay attention to every single minute of Looper. Sorry, I don't mean to sound so bossy but it's important in order to get the most out of writer/director Rian Johnson's intricate plot that you never allow your mind to wander. This is a time travel story with a unique twist, a sci-fi action thriller that's smart, complicated, and that actually follows through on plot twists guaranteed to make the audience uneasy. Johnson takes the story in a completely unexpected direction and then rather than find an easy route out, he ventures into territory that few would approach in a major studio release. No further explanation can be made nor any hints dropped about the specific twist that's sure to divide the audience as that would spoil the film, but suffice it to say very few films would attempt this. The fact it doesn't completely alienate the audience - it will have some moviegoers heading to the aisles (that happened in the preview I attended) - is due to Johnson's storytelling skills and a cast that's fully committed. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Dark Knight Rises, 500 Days of Summer) stars as Joe, a drug-addicted hired killer working as a Looper. It's 2044 and while time travel hasn't yet been invented, in 2074 it's available but outlawed. Joe works for Abe (Jeff Daniels), assassinating targets sent back from '74. The targets are sent from the future to a specific spot in a remote cornfield where Joe stands ready to shoot them the second they arrive. Each victim is strapped with silver bars as payment for the job, and each body is then cremated. It's actually a smart idea given that many of the victims haven't even been born when they're murdered in 2044. However, there's a change at the top of the organization in 2074 and the Loopers in 2044 are all having their circles closed, meaning their future selves are being sent back for them to murder. In doing so, the 2044 version is retired from looper service to live out the next 30 years knowing exactly when their death will come. Retiring a looper is normally a rare event, but with the change in management, loopers are being kicked out of the service at an ever-increasing pace. And not every one wants to kill their future self... When it comes time for Joe's loop to close, his future version (played by Bruce Willis) is unwilling to go quietly. And by failing to kill his future self, 2044's Joe becomes a wanted man alongside his 2074 version.

The Grey finds a group of roughnecks on board a plane in weather that would have grounded 99.9% of all flights. We know very little about these men, other than the fact Ottway's job at the drilling site was to kill wolves. We also see in the opening moments of the film that he's freshly out of a relationship with a woman he still loves and misses. We don't know what happened to break them up, but we know it left Ottway (Neeson) so devastated that he was on the verge of killing himself right before boarding the plane to return home. His fellow passengers on this ill-fated flight are your standard horror movie fare, meaning they have one-dimensional personalities lifted straight from the supporting characters instructional manual. And after the one designated as the group's joker (Joe Anderson) makes a crack about the plane crashing, of course the plane crashes into the wilderness, in the middle of a blizzard, with no visible means of rescue, and without any supplies necessary to stay alive in the frigid conditions. Yet the pack of seven survivors do manage to make it through the first few hours before they learn that the weather isn't their only enemy. Oh no, these unfortunates have crashed down in the middle of the hunting range of a vicious pack of overgrown wolves. Fortunately for them, Ottway's become a bit of a wolf whisperer (probably from having to shoot so many of the poor creatures who need to hunt to live). Ottway knows what the wolves are thinking, and tries to plot the group's escape path based on where they would least likely be forced to square off against the wolves. But just as the human survivors have Ottway's whispering skills, the wolf pack has an alpha male in charge who seems to have made it his goal in life to pick these intruders off one at a time. It's a battle of alpha males with the lives of the wolf pack and the ragtag pack of humans hanging in the balance. Forget the Super Bowl, this is the Ice Bowl pitting Team Human vs Team Wolf.

The first 15 minutes of the film can only be described as too staged. It's almost as if Lawless starts off being a movie imitating a film from the '30s. There's nothing real or genuine to the way people and props are placed, lending the scenes an aura of phoniness that sets the wrong tone from the start of the production and doesn't sort of dissipate until Tom Hardy is given the reins. Hardy's Bane may have backed down from his Forrest Bondurant as the much-in-demand actor plays the boss of the brothers' moonshining business as both a larger-than-life force of violence and a humble introvert at the same time. How does he pull off such a bizarre personality while at the same time delivering the one character in the film worth rooting for? It's a complicated trick that helps prove why Hardy has recently catapulted to the top of so many directors' "must work with" lists. When Hardy's on the screen, Lawless lives up to all of its potential. Without him, Lawless is mostly lifeless, as neither Shia LaBeouf (playing Forrest's younger brother, Jack) nor Jason Clarke (as the menacing and slightly unhinged brother, Howard) can pull us in in the way Hardy proves capable of with Lawless. Lawless serves up a good deal of nasty players with more than its fair share of villains, if you add in everyone who opposed the sale of alcohol and made moonshining into such a huge business along with all the rival moonshiners who wanted to knock the Bondurants off their pedestal. Forrest earned a reputation as a man who could not be killed (although that didn't stop his enemies from trying), and his rep helped make the Bondurants' moonshine the local top seller. Fellow moonshiners both respected and hated him, however the main villain of Lawless is unarguably Guy Pearce who plays Special Agent Charlie Rakes, evil incarnate wearing dandy clothes, leather gloves and slicked-back dyed black hair. Rakes wants to take down the brothers, working outside the law to destroy the brothers' business. He's also a sadist who takes great pleasure in other people's pain, and even if you don't agree with the Bondurants way of business, you agree Rakes' approach and his use of the local police as his minions is just plain disgusting. Others of note include Gary Oldman who shows up in disappointingly too few scenes, playing a Chicago gangster the brothers do business with who may or may not be double-crossing them with Rakes. Dane DeHaan as Cricket, the kid with the golden touch when it comes to mixing moonshine, and Mia Wasikowska, as the daughter of a local minister who attracts the attention of Jack, are terrific in supporting roles (both get more screen time than Oldman). But of the supporting players it's really Jessica Chastain as a former stripper who moves to the Bondurants' small town and moves into their lives - in the case of Forrest, uninvited - who proves to be the film's real breath of fresh air. Chastain's charming and sexy, tough yet feminine love interest for Forrest gives the film a much-needed emotional punch.

T Big Miracle is inspired by the true story of a family of three grey whales trapped outside the small town of Barrow, Alaska in 1998, as chronicled in Tom Rose's 1989 book, Freeing the Whales: How the Media Created the World’s Greatest Non-Event. John Krasinski (The Office) stars as Adam Carlson, a TV reporter who longs for a chance to leave Alaska news behind for a job in a bigger market. While out covering the local color of Barrow, he and a kid from the town, Nathan (Ahmaogak Sweeney), accidentally stumble upon the whales. The three trapped creatures must come to the surface for air in the only tiny patch of sea free from ice. But with the temperature dipping, their one ice-free area is threatening to freeze over, spelling death for the whales. And even if they're able to keep the little bit of sea open for breathing purposes, they're still miles from the open ocean with no possible means of making it to freedom without help. And that's where Adam, the reporter with visions of escaping Alaska, comes into play. He does a story on the whales which gets picked up by Tom Brokaw. That bit of exposure on the NBC Nightly News leads to a rush of reporters descending upon Barrow, and to Adam becoming a recognizable face in the crowd. His stock goes up, as do the survival odds for the whales who now have a worldwide audience hanging on to every bit of news regarding their predicament. And, of course, Greenpeace is involved from the get-go and becomes one of the driving forces in obtaining help from the government. Activist Rachel Kramer (Drew Barrymore) begs, pleads, cries, and screams in order to get the most unlikeliest of allies - the Alaska National Guard, a big oil executive (played by Ted Danson), Barrow whaling captains, and even President Reagan and his staff - working together toward the common goal of freeing the whales. But everything they attempt to do just isn't enough. he trapped whales should be the heart and soul of the movie, but director Ken Kwapis and screenwriters Jack Amiel and Michael Begler opted to spend a little too much time on human relationships, including a weird flirty thing between John Krasinski's good guy reporter dude and Kristen Bell as an LA fish-out-of-water Barbie who only sees the whales as a story that will further her career. Yes, Krasinski's Adam also looks upon the trapped creatures as a way to get ahead, but he has his priorities straight and actually cares about the whales' welfare first, with career advancement a distant second. And giving Krasinski one love interest apparently wasn't enough as he also has to handle a romantic entanglement with Drew Barrymore's Greenpeace activist character. Adam and Rachel used to date, and there's still a spark between the two that you just know by the time the whales are freed will have reignited into a full-fledged romance. The film also touches on the relationship that springs up between the National Guard Colonel Scott Boyer (Dermot Mulroney) and White House staff member Kelly Meyers (played by Vinessa Shaw). The relationship is based on the true story of Colonel Tom Carroll, who passed away in a tragic plane crash a few years after the events of the film, and Reagan administration aide Bonnie Mersinger. The two spoke by phone as the efforts to rescue the whales were getting underway, and the real Bonnie says she knew just from speaking to Tom that she'd marry him - even before they met. It's a sweet story which deserves the time spent on it in the film, even at the expense of visits with the whales. Big Miracle does point the finger at big oil, and Barrymore has to deliver a couple of passionate/sanctimonious speeches as expected. The Alaskan villagers are alternately made out to be the villains and then the saviors of the piece, but never is the story really about them, other than for a few brief minutes in which the captains debate killing the trapped whales (even though grey whales are not harvested for food). That's too bad as the Barrow natives seem like an interesting lot in the short time the film spends with them.

T Big Miracle is inspired by the true story of a family of three grey whales trapped outside the small town of Barrow, Alaska in 1998, as chronicled in Tom Rose's 1989 book, Freeing the Whales: How the Media Created the World’s Greatest Non-Event. John Krasinski (The Office) stars as Adam Carlson, a TV reporter who longs for a chance to leave Alaska news behind for a job in a bigger market. While out covering the local color of Barrow, he and a kid from the town, Nathan (Ahmaogak Sweeney), accidentally stumble upon the whales. The three trapped creatures must come to the surface for air in the only tiny patch of sea free from ice. But with the temperature dipping, their one ice-free area is threatening to freeze over, spelling death for the whales. And even if they're able to keep the little bit of sea open for breathing purposes, they're still miles from the open ocean with no possible means of making it to freedom without help. And that's where Adam, the reporter with visions of escaping Alaska, comes into play. He does a story on the whales which gets picked up by Tom Brokaw. That bit of exposure on the NBC Nightly News leads to a rush of reporters descending upon Barrow, and to Adam becoming a recognizable face in the crowd. His stock goes up, as do the survival odds for the whales who now have a worldwide audience hanging on to every bit of news regarding their predicament. And, of course, Greenpeace is involved from the get-go and becomes one of the driving forces in obtaining help from the government. Activist Rachel Kramer (Drew Barrymore) begs, pleads, cries, and screams in order to get the most unlikeliest of allies - the Alaska National Guard, a big oil executive (played by Ted Danson), Barrow whaling captains, and even President Reagan and his staff - working together toward the common goal of freeing the whales. But everything they attempt to do just isn't enough. he trapped whales should be the heart and soul of the movie, but director Ken Kwapis and screenwriters Jack Amiel and Michael Begler opted to spend a little too much time on human relationships, including a weird flirty thing between John Krasinski's good guy reporter dude and Kristen Bell as an LA fish-out-of-water Barbie who only sees the whales as a story that will further her career. Yes, Krasinski's Adam also looks upon the trapped creatures as a way to get ahead, but he has his priorities straight and actually cares about the whales' welfare first, with career advancement a distant second. And giving Krasinski one love interest apparently wasn't enough as he also has to handle a romantic entanglement with Drew Barrymore's Greenpeace activist character. Adam and Rachel used to date, and there's still a spark between the two that you just know by the time the whales are freed will have reignited into a full-fledged romance. The film also touches on the relationship that springs up between the National Guard Colonel Scott Boyer (Dermot Mulroney) and White House staff member Kelly Meyers (played by Vinessa Shaw). The relationship is based on the true story of Colonel Tom Carroll, who passed away in a tragic plane crash a few years after the events of the film, and Reagan administration aide Bonnie Mersinger. The two spoke by phone as the efforts to rescue the whales were getting underway, and the real Bonnie says she knew just from speaking to Tom that she'd marry him - even before they met. It's a sweet story which deserves the time spent on it in the film, even at the expense of visits with the whales. Big Miracle does point the finger at big oil, and Barrymore has to deliver a couple of passionate/sanctimonious speeches as expected. The Alaskan villagers are alternately made out to be the villains and then the saviors of the piece, but never is the story really about them, other than for a few brief minutes in which the captains debate killing the trapped whales (even though grey whales are not harvested for food). That's too bad as the Barrow natives seem like an interesting lot in the short time the film spends with them.

would be funnier had the best scenes not been showcased and spoiled in the trailers. Once again, the funniest lines have been given away in advance, making it unnecessary to actually see the film/pay for a ticket. Add in the fact that this is neither Will Ferrell nor Zach Galifianakis stretching far from what we've seen before and The Campaign won't be getting my vote for one of the top 10 The supporting players have it better than the stars, with Dylan McDermott as Marty's campaign manager and Jason Sudeikis as Cam's manager/babysitter pretty much stealing this film from Galifianakis and Ferrell. But even their performances aren't enough to compel us to support this Campaign. The script takes the film into much darker territory than was needed and/or necessary. And every joke that comes at the expense of politicians, America's political system, and lobbyists seems as though it's been lifted out of SNL skits. In fact, The Campaign actually plays out like multiple SNL skits pieced together. Just shy of 90 minutes, The Campaign feels as though it's been padded out to even make it to that super-short running time. In this race between Cam Brady and Marty Huggins, I'm going off the ballot and writing in votes for Step Brothers and The Hangover (the first one, not the second) on DVD. comedies of 2012. Will Ferrell was funnier doing George Bush on SNL and Galifianakis needs to move away from the schleppy/quirky little 'man-child who repels friends' roles. We've seen this done before and done better by these two. Cam Brady (Ferrell) is used to having things his way. He's an incumbent Congressman from North Carolina who expects an easy ride to another win as he's running unopposed - as usual. Cam has gone through his years in Congress spending more time in intimate situations with women other than his wife than he has in actually performing his job and voting on bills. However, good times in office may be coming to an end as a last minute opponent emerges. When Cam loses the potential backing of billionaire lobbyists (Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow) who want to outsource jobs, they throw their considerable weight behind the sweet as sugar Marty Huggins (Galifianakis), a simple man who is the polar opposite of most politicians. Marty loves his family and his town, and by agreeing to run he thinks he'll finally be pleasing his father for the first time in his life. So, Cam gets an opponent, Marty gets a taste of life in the fast lane, and both wind up learning what it's like to walk in each other's shoes.

irresponsible, socially unacceptable antics are - once again, four theatrical films into the franchise - the best thing about this American Pie movie. If it weren't for the Stifmeister, American Reunion would be a nearly laugh-free 'comedy' packed with familiar Pie faces just doing the same old things. Yes, American Reunion introduces a child into the lives of Jim (the Pie Guy) and Michelle ("One time, at band camp..."), so that's a new twist. But their relationship, even though it's supposed to be the very heart and soul of the story, feels more like an anchor weighing down the film. Do we care that Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) don't have time for sex now that they have a kid? Not really, and revealing Jim's penis (yes, there's full front nudity) is too little, too late as far as their storyline is concerned. And no, that's not a slam on size but rather the quality of the joke. And how much do we care about the other Pie members? Not much, when it comes right down to it. Do you remember the names of the characters played by Eddie Kaye Thomas, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, or Thomas Ian Nicholas? No? Neither do I, and after watching American Reunion their names still escape me. With American Reunion, their characters are basically just filler between Stifler's scenes. Stifler (played by Seann William Scott has always been the most entertaining member of the pack and it's only when he and/or Eugene Levy as Jim's dad are on the screen that American Reunion has any real life to it. You know, when we first met Jim, Michelle, Stifler, Oz (Chris Klein), and the rest of the gang back in 1999, they were a fun, relatable bunch of sex-obsessed teenagers. American Pie 2, released in 2001, sort of captured that spirit - and the characters hadn't yet worn out their welcome. And, surprisingly, the third film, American Wedding, pulled off that rare feat of being a better film than its immediate predecessor. But the reason for the characters to get back together - a 13 year high school reunion...really? - in American Reunion doesn't make sense. And with a delay of nearly 10 years between the release of the third and the fourth film, we've had time to lose all interest in the group's antics.

I don't remember the 1980s TV series 21 Jump Street being a raunchy buddy comedy, and the fact the big screen adaptation re-imagined the '80s cop drama as an R-rated comedy had some fans crying foul. For some, it was bad enough Hollywood had once again shown a lack of originality by mining the world of '80s TV shows as fodder for a film. But to take the series and make it into an R-rated comedy? That's pushing it too far, right? Wrong. In a show of hands, who was leery of 21 Jump Street the series redone as a feature film? Yes, my hand is raised, making it very difficult to type. But, it turns out 21 Jump Street made the jump to the big screen as one of the funniest, most entertaining comedies of recent years. Writers Michael Bacall and Jonah Hill were smart enough to address with their script how ridiculous it is that Hollywood relies so heavily on remakes. They were also smart enough to realize that A) they only had to pull the very, very basics from the series into their film, their target audience is probably younger than the audience that watched the show during its 1987-1991 run, and C) as long as the film entertains, the dreaded 'remake' label will ultimately not matter. The 21 Jump Street series helped make Johnny Depp a star (or at least set him on the track to becoming one) and while it did have its occasional funny moments, there are very few similarities between it and the film it inspired. The series found a unit of cops going undercover in high school, as does the film. In the movie, it's Channing Tatum as 'Jenko' and Jonah Hill as 'Schmidt' who, as rookies, head back to high school after showing their lack of real police skills (Jenko can't remember more than the first few words of the Miranda Rights, Schmidt doesn't have the physical prowess to take down the bad guys). Their assignment: nab the dealers who are selling the latest designer drug, HFS (for holy f**king sh*t), to students. Jenko was a stud in high school while Schmidt was a G-rated version of Eminem, but when they re-enroll as brothers, the tables get turned. Schmidt transforms into the popular guy and Jenko is the outcast, which totally flips his world on its head. And as they become more involved in their new classmates lives, Schmidt kind of loses sight of the whole point of their undercover mission and it's Jenko who keeps an eye on the prize. The Cast and the Bottom Line: Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill could quite possibly be the best new buddy team to emerge since Will Ferrell and John C Reilly scored success with Talladega Nights and Step Brothers. It's as unlikely a pairing as you'll find, but for some reason Tatum and Hill absolutely click on screen. And directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller - the guys behind the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs animated film - did a terrific job with the supporting cast. Lord and Miller brought in Ice Cube to play the gruff police captain in charge of the Jump Street unit (he even explains that he's the very stereotype of an angry black police captain), Rob Riggle to play a high school coach who has a hilarious encounter with Schmidt and Jenko after they're forced to try HFS, Ellie Kemper (The Office, Bridesmaids) as a high school teacher who's hot for Jenko and who can't seem to stop making sexual references in his presence, and a couple of cameos that had the audience nearly on their feet. A great cast, a surprisingly fresh and funny script, and the best non-explosion action scenes on film combine to make 21 Jump Street one of 2012's best comedies. And, yes, I realize it's only March, but I feel safe in saying now that this one will remain on our Top 10 Comedy Movies list for the remainder of the year.

Bruce Willis has signed on and Sigourney Weaver is in talks to join the thriller The Cold Light of Day set up at Summit Entertainment, according to Variety. If everything works out, the twosome would be joining Henry Cavill (The Tudors, Whatever Works) who's already committed to the project. Filming's expected to begin in September with Mabrouk El Mechri directing. Scott Wiper (The Condemned) and John Petro wrote the original script which Richard Price (Freedomland) is finessing. The Cold Light of Day follows Cavill as an American whose family is kidnapped while on vacation abroad. Willis will play Cavill's father and Weaver will be playing against type as someone involved with the kidnapping plot. Bruce Willis will next be seen in The Expendables and Red. Weaver's got the sci-fi comedy Paul and the Disney comedy You Again hitting theaters this year.

First he couldn't tell a lie. Now with Yes Man Jim Carrey's unable to say no, even when it's obviously the right answer. Continuing the trend, next Carrey will be starring in a movie in which he's completely lost his free will. If Yes Man's plot sounds a little too similar to Liar, Liar, take heart – at least there's no supremely cute, supremely annoying kid in Yes Man. And this comedy's of a much more romantic vein than Liar, Liar. Of the two similar Carrey films – Liar, Liar and Yes Man – Liar, Liar has a higher percentage of jokes that hit their mark. Yes Man's got the more intriguing premise, but it feels somehow incomplete. Yes Man comes up short because it doesn't get as outrageous as it could. I'm really on the fence about this one… It's a little disappointing in that the comedy is reined in when just letting Carrey continue doing the dumbest things imaginable might have generated more laughs. There were only two or three big laugh-out-loud moments in the entire film, which makes it tough to recommend to anyone looking for strictly light-hearted fun. On the other hand, Yes Man has a message to it and it does take itself too seriously at times, but it's not a total throw away effort. Watching Carrey get goofy again is entertaining, and the chemistry between he and Deschanel is something special. So, should you say yes to Yes Man? I'd say the answer is a definite maybe. That's as clear as mud, right? If you're a Carrey fan, you'll probably enjoy Yes Man. You might even walk away saying yes a little more often.

Sex and the City: The Movie doesn’t shirk its fashion duties, allowing Parker as Carrie the chance to flaunt the signature style created by the show/film’s costume designer, Patricia Field. In one touching scene, Carrie puts on a mini fashion show, donning outfits from the past while her friends judge whether it’s a keeper or ready for the donation box (it’s fun to check out looks from years past, both the hits and the disastrous misses). But Parker’s not the only one who gets to play dress up, and Field must have had a field day getting another chance to clothe these attractive women. The meat of the series always seemed to me to be the times when the women got together around a table and just let it all out. It was all about sex, sex, and more sex, relationships, and men in general. Their frank discussions drew in millions of viewers while the series ran on HBO, and what worked on the small screen works almost as well in the feature film. For those not totally absorbed by the world of SATC, the 2 ½ running time is a bit excessive. However, the diehard Sex and the City fans in the audience at the preview screening I attended barely moved in their seats. Hardly anyone got up for popcorn or sodas, and that speaks well of the job King did in recapturing the spirit of the series and in satisfying its fans. Serving up sex, fashion, and friendship, Sex and the City: The Movie is the cherry on top of the series, and a fitting way to say a final good-bye to Carrie, Miranda, Samantha, Charlotte, and all their men.

Paranormal Activity takes a Blair Witch Project-style approach to storytelling, using 'footage' found after an event to reveal what took place. But while the Blair Witch Project filmmakers opted to keep the actual action (other than rock piles) off camera, Paranormal Activity shows us the goods. What scares the participants also scares the audience. The Cast First off, I don't know a thing about Katie Featherston or Micah Sloat but I will say they are extremely convincing and absolutely perfect as the couple in the center of all the action. Everything rests on their shoulders, and their performances are truthful and riveting - better than much of what we've seen onscreen this year from actors making millions of dollars in less demanding roles. The Bottom Line Had Paranormal Activity taken the Blair Witch Project route of just teasing the scares, it would not have been in any way effective. But Paranormal Activity uses a camera set up in the bedroom at night with low lighting and shows us the paranormal activity going on around this couple sleeping in their bed. Paranormal Activity works so well because it shows us there really is something going bump in the night. You have every reason to be freaked out by squeaking noises you hear on your stairs or that door that seems to be opened wider than it was when you went to bed. That feeling of being watched...yes, something is keeping an eye on you as you get your 40 winks Paranormal Activity takes its time getting to the scares, building up the story, drawing us into the lives of this couple, fleshing them out so we see them as flawed but innocent people. As the events unfold and as we see Katie and Micah increasingly lose control of what's going on, we genuinely want to reach out and help them. But unlike many haunted house films, there's a reason why the main characters can't just simply leave. And it's a good reason, a real plot twist that makes Paranormal Activity not just a creepy ghost story. There's a lot to appreciate about Paranormal Activity, and I'm going to admit a large part of my disappointment in the film likely came from knowing too much going in. That, and I wanted more of the nighttime activities of whatever's in that home with this couple. Yet it is, as I said at the beginning of this review, a decent horror film. The plot is tight, the film moves right along at a snappy pace, and there are a few scenes that made me jump in my seat. My suggestion: try to avoid watching any trailers or videos from the film before sitting through Paranormal Activity. The less you know, the more likely you are to be frightened.