Opening, 3/31-4/2/2010

For show times select a theatre in the Showing at: section at the end of each synopsis. Friday times appear starting Wednesdays.

Opens Wedneday, 3/31

THE LAST SONG [PG] 1 hr. 47 min.Drama Watch Preview Cast: Miley Cyrus, Bobby Coleman, Liam Hemsworth, Hallock Beals, Nick Lashaway, Carly Chaikin, Nick Searcy, Kate Vernon, Kelly Preston, Greg Kinnear. Plot: based on best-selling novelist Nicholas Sparks' novel, "The Last Song" is set in a small Southern beach town where an estranged father (Greg Kinnear) gets a chance to spend the summer with his reluctant teenaged daughter (Miley Cyrus), who'd rather be home in New York. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Warren East, Warren West.

 Opens Friday, 4/2

CLASH OF THE TITANS 3D [PG-13] 1 hr. 50 min. Action/Fantasy Watch Preview Cast: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Danny Huston, Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelsen, Jason Flemyng, Alexa Davalos, Izabella Miko, Nicholas Hoult, Pete Postlethwaite. Plot: the ultimate struggle for power pits men against kings and kings against gods. But the war between the gods themselves could destroy the world. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine,  Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

TYLER PERRY'S WHY DID I GET MARRIED TOO? [PG-13] 1 hr. 45 min. Comedy/Drama Watch Preview Cast: Tyler Perry, Sharon Leal, Janet Jackson, Malik Yoba, Jill Scott, Lamman Rucker, Richard T. Jones, Tasha Smith, Michael J. White, Cicely Tyson, Louis Gossett Jr. Plot: the next chapter in the lives of eight college friends struggling with the challenges of marital life. Showing at: Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

Leaving 3/30, 4/1/2010

Derby Plaza - (Shutter Island drops 3/30), She's Out Of My League
Movie Machine - (Percy Jackson, She's Out Of My League drop 3/30), Alice In Wonderland
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - Old Dogs, Legion, Princess & The Frog, New Moon
Starlite Drive-In - Open Weekends Only
Warren East 13th - (Cop Out, Remember Me drop 3/30), Percy Jackson, The Crazies, Our Family Wedding
Warren Old Town - Crazy Heart, Repo Man, She's Out Of My League
Warren West 21st - (Percy Jackson, The Crazies drop 3/30), Repo Man

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 3D ***

Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders directed this Animated fantasy adventure  featuring the voices of: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrara, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Ferguson, Kristen Wiig, T.J. Miller.  See Preview  Rated PG for sequences of intense action and some scary images, and brief mild language. Running time is 1 hour and thirty-eight minutes.

Set in the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild dragons, and based on the book by Cressida Cowell, the action comedy tells the story of Hiccup, a Viking teenager who doesn’t exactly fit in with his tribe's longstanding tradition of heroic dragon slayers. Hiccup's world is turned upside down when he encounters a dragon that challenges he and his fellow Vikings to see the world from an entirely different point of view.

The plot and animation are nothing to write home about with this film but the 3D is very, very good and worth the price of admission. The story is simple and quite predictable with a few scary parts, but children old enough to be taken to a theatre should enjoy it, as will their parents. My personal opinion is this would be fairly bland without the 3D, so go for that process and see it on as large a screen as possible. This is not Pixar quality but it's still  very good. SEE IT HERE 2D.  SEE IT HERE 3D.

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE **½

Steve Pink directed this Comedy starring: John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Crispin Glover, Lizzy Caplan, Chevy Chase, Sebastian Stan, Lyndsy Fonseca, Collette Wolfe, Charlie McDermott, Kellee Stewart.  See Preview Want the soundtrack? Rated R for strong crude and sexual content, nudity, drug use and pervasive language.Running time is one hour and forty minutes.

Follows a group of best friends who've become bored with their adult lives: Adam (John Cusack) has been dumped by his girlfriend; Lou (Rob Corddry) is a party guy who can't find the party; Nick's (Craig Robinson) wife controls his every move; and video game-obsessed Jacob (Clark Duke) won't leave his basement. After a crazy night of drinking in a ski resort hot tub, the men wake up in the year 1986, giving them a chance to kick some past and change their futures.

This film will have to fall in the "guilty pleasure" category. Frankly, I wasn't expecting much from this film but was pleasantly surprised. If you're offended by female nudity, bad language and general crude behavior, this picture isn't for you. But if those things don't bother you when there's some humor and quality film making, you might want to give this some consideration. I found myself chuckling throughout and actually laughed out loud a few  times. It's never going to win any awards but if you're in the mood for a few laughs this could be one you want to see. SEE IT HERE.

Worthwhile (or not), 3/26/2010

Here's MetaCritic's numerical rank of this week's films (xx/100 - the higher the number, the better the critics liked the film). This week your choice is between an adult, erotic thriller; a rude and crude teen flick starring adults; and an animated 3D family film. You won't go wrong with any of the picks. I've seen two of the three and heard good things about the third.

 

49 Chloe,
64 Hot Tub Time Machine,

75 How to Train Your Dragon

Click on the title links to see if the ratings change as more reviews come in, and to read your favorite national critic's review. My reviews of  HOT TUB TIME MACHINE and HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON will be posted after 4:30 pm today (Friday).

Opening, 3/26/2010

For show times select a theatre in the Showing at: section at the end of each synopsis. Friday times appear starting Wednesdays.

CHLOE [R] 1 hr. 39 min. Drama/Thriller See Preview Cast: Julianne Moore, Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson, Max Thieriot. Plot: a married woman (Julianne Moore) hires a prostitute (Amanda Seyfried) to find out whether her husband (Liam Neeson) is cheating on her. The prostitute, however, cons her about the nature of her husband's fidelity, a move that puts the family in jeopardy. Showing at: Warren East.

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE [R] 1 hr. 39 min. Comedy See Preview Cast: John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Crispin Glover, Lizzy Caplan, Chevy Chase, Sebastian Stan, Lyndsy Fonseca, Collette Wolfe, Charlie McDermott, Kellee Stewart. Plot: follows a group of best friends who've become bored with their adult lives: Adam (John Cusack) has been dumped by his girlfriend; Lou (Rob Corddry) is a party guy who can't find the party; Nick's (Craig Robinson) wife controls his every move; and video game-obsessed Jacob (Clark Duke) won't leave his basement. After a crazy night of drinking in a ski resort hot tub, the men wake up in the year 1986, giving them a chance to kick some past and change their futures. Want the soundtrack? Showing at: Derby Plaza, Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2D and 3D [PG] 1 hr. 30 min. Animated fantasy adventure See Preview Cast: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrara, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Ferguson, Kristen Wiig, T.J. Miller. Plot: set in the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild dragons, and based on the book by Cressida Cowell, the action comedy tells the story of Hiccup, a Viking teenager who doesn’t exactly fit in with his tribe's longstanding tradition of heroic dragon slayers. Hiccup's world is turned upside down when he encounters a dragon that challenges he and his fellow Vikings to see the world from an entirely different point of view. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine,  Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

Leaving, 3/25/2010

Derby Plaza -Avatar, Green Zone
Movie Machine - Cop Out
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - An Education, It's Complicated
Starlite Drive-In - Open Weekends Only
Warren East 13th - Last Station, Brooklyn's Finest, Crazy Heart, Avatar
Warren Old Town - Green Zone, Shutter Island
Warren West 21st - Dear John, Valentine's Day, Brooklyn's Finest, Crazy Heart, Our Family Wedding

THE BOUNTY HUNTER **½

Andy Tennant directed this Action comedy starring: Jennifer Aniston, Gerard Butler, Jason Sudeikis, Dorian Missick, Joel Marsh Garland, Christine Baranski.  See Preview  Rated PG-13 for sexual content including suggestive comments, language and some violence. Running time is one hour and fifty minutes.

A down-on-his-luck bounty hunter (Butler), gets his dream job when he is assigned to track down his bail-jumping ex-wife (Aniston).

If the plot description looks a little sparse it's because that pretty well describes the plot. This is a predictable comedy where there are no surprises. That said, the two leads are fine and have good screen chemistry. There are a few laughs although not as many as you might like. Basically, this is your stereotypical "chick" flick, but one most women will enjoy, and it makes a good date film. See It Here.

Worthwhile (or not), 3/19/2010

Here's MetaCritic's numerical rank of this week's films (xx/100 - the higher the number, the better the critics liked the film). The films pretty much run the gamut this week. BOUNTY HUNTER is clearly aimed at the female and dating crowd, WIMPY KID is clearly for harried parents trying to find entertainment for the kids during Spring break, GHOST WRITER is getting good reviews and is aimed at the sophisticated, adult crowd and REPO MEN is aimed at the teen/twenties market.

 

31 Bounty Hunter, The,
64 Diary of a Wimpy Kid,

77 Ghost Writer, The,
29 Repo Men

Click on the title links to see if the ratings change as more reviews come in, and to read your favorite national critic's review. My review of  THE BOUNTY HUNTER will be posted after 4:30 pm today (Friday).

Opening, 3/19/2010

For show times select a theatre in the Showing at: section at the end of each synopsis. Friday times appear starting Wednesdays.

THE BOUNTY HUNTER [PG-13] 1 hr. 51 min. Action comedy See Preview Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Gerard Butler, Jason Sudeikis, Dorian Missick, Joel Marsh Garland, Christine Baranski. Plot: a down-on-his-luck bounty hunter, gets his dream job when he is assigned to track down his bail-jumping ex-wife. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID [PG] 1 hr. 40 min. Family Comedy See Preview Cast: Zachary Gordon, Chloe Moretz, Steve Zahn, Rachael Harris, Robert Capron, Devon Bostick, Grayson Russell. Plot: based on the best-selling illustrated novel "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney, which chronicles the adventures of  a wise-cracking middle school student who must somehow survive the scariest time of anyone's life: middle school. Showing at: Derby Plaza, Movie Machine, Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren West.

THE GHOST WRITER [PG-13] 2 hrs. 09 min. Thriller See Preview Cast: Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Hutton, Eli Wallach. Plot: a successful British ghostwriter agrees to complete the memoirs of a former British Prime Minister when his agent assures him it's the opportunity of a lifetime. But the project seems doomed from the start—not least because his predecessor on the project died in an unfortunate accident. Based on the best selling novel, The Ghost. Showing at: Warren East.

REPO MEN [R] 1 hr. 51 min. Action/Thriller See Preview Cast: Jude Law, Forest Whitaker, Liev Schreiber, RZA, Alice Braga, Carice van Houten. Plot: in this futuristic action-thriller humans have extended and improved their lives through highly sophisticated and expensive mechanical organs created by a company called The Union. The dark side of these medical breakthroughs is that if you don't pay your bill, The Union sends its highly skilled repo men to take back its property... with no concern for your comfort or survival. Showing at: Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

Leaving, 3/18/2010

Derby Plaza - Valentine's Day, Cop Out
Movie Machine -Valentine's Day
Northrock 14 -
Palace West -Youth In Revolt, The Lovely Bones
Starlite Drive-In - Open Weekends Only
Warren East 13th -Dear John, The Messenger, Valentine's Day
Warren Old Town - Cop Out, Avatar
Warren West 21st - Cop Out

GREEN ZONE ***

Paul Greengrass directed this Thriller which stars: Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan, Brendan Gleeson, Jason Isaacs, Khalid Abdalla.  See Preview  Rated R for violence and language. Running time is one hour and fifty-five minutes.

During the U.S.-led occupation of Baghdad in 2003, a Chief Warrant Officer (Damon) and his team of Army inspectors are dispatched to find weapons of mass destruction believed to be stockpiled in the Iraqi desert. Rocketing from one booby-trapped and treacherous site to the next and helped by a CIA agent (Gleeson), the men search for deadly chemical agents but stumble instead upon an elaborate cover-up led by a military intelligence agent (Kinnear) and inadvertently aided by a Wall Street Journal reporter (Ryan) that inverts the purpose of their mission.

If non-stop action is your thing, here's your picture. While I like action films this one, especially at the beginning, bordered on frenetic. Either it eventually slowed down or I got used to the pace because I was comfortable with the speed by the end. The story is basically what this country has been arguing about since the start of the Iraq War. Did we know there were no weapons of mass destruction before we started the war or were we actually surprised by the fact. The film has a definite viewpoint so your feelings about the film may depend on whether or not you agree with the filmmakers. Production values and  the cast are  first rate. A big screen and surround sound definitely add to the impact.

Worthwhile (or not), 3/12/2010

Here's MetaCritic's numerical rank of this week's films (xx/100 - the higher the number, the better the critics liked the film). There's plenty of action in GREEN ZONE, bordering on too much at times. FAMILY WEDDING appears to be a formula film with very limited prospects. REMEMBER ME should give some indication whether or not Rob Pattinson can help what appears to be a here and gone film. OUT OF MY LEAGUE is aimed at the young crowd and the people I talked to who watched it thought it was pretty funny.

60 Green Zone,
36 Our Family Wedding,

40 Remember Me,
48 She's Out of My League

Click on the title links to see if the ratings change as more reviews come in, and to read your favorite national critic's review. My review of  GREEN ZONE will be posted after 4:30 pm today (Friday).

Opening, 3/12/2010

For show times select a theatre in the Showing at: section at the end of each synopsis. Friday times appear starting Wednesdays.

GREEN ZONE [R] 1 hr. 55 min. Thriller See Preview Cast: Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan, Brendan Gleeson, Jason Isaacs, Khalid Abdalla. Plot: during the U.S.-led occupation of Baghdad in 2003, a Chief Warrant Officer and his team of Army inspectors are dispatched to find weapons of mass destruction believed to be stockpiled in the Iraqi desert. Rocketing from one booby-trapped and treacherous site to the next, the men search for deadly chemical agents but stumble instead upon an elaborate cover-up that inverts the purpose of their mission. Theatres & times: Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

OUR FAMILY WEDDING [PG-13] 1 hr. 50 min. Comedy See Preview Cast: Forest Whitaker, America Ferrera, Carlos Mencia, Regina King, Lance Gross. Plot: when a couple return from college and suddenly announce their marriage plans, they soon discover their fathers -both with  highly competitive over-the-top egos - can wreak a major amount of havoc on their special day. Theatres & times: Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren West.

REMEMBER ME [PG-13] 1hr. 52 min. Romance/Drama See Preview Cast: Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Chris Cooper, Lena Olin, Tate Ellington, Ruby Jerins, Pierce Brosnan. Plot: a rebellious young man  meet a girl through an unusual twist of fate and begins to fall in love. But soon,the circumstances that brought them together threaten to tear them apart. Theatres & times: Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren West.

SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE [R] 1 hr. 45 min.  Romantic comedy See Preview Cast: Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve, T.J. Miller, Nate Torrence, Krysten Ritter, Geoff Stults, Lindsay Sloane, Mike Vogel. Plot: an average Joe can't believe his luck when a successful and outrageously gorgeous babe falls for him. Now he has to figure out how to make the relationship work. Theatres & times:  Movie Machine,  Northrock 14, Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

Leaving, 03/11/2010

Derby Plaza -
Movie Machine -The Tooth Fairy, The Wolfman
Northrock 14 - Avatar, Dear John, Sherlock Holmes, The Wolfman
Palace West -Daybreakers, Leap Year
Starlite Drive-In - Open Weekends Only
Warren East 13th - Blind Side, Sherlock Holmes, When In Rome, The Wolfman
Warren Old Town -Valentine's Day, The Wolfman
Warren West 21st -The Tooth Fairy, Blind Side, Edge Of Darkness, The Wolfman

ALICE IN WONDERLAND 3D **½

Tim Burton directed this Fantasy adventure starring: Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas, Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Christopher Lee, Paul Whitehouse, Barbara Windsor.  See Trailer  Rated PG for fantasy action/violence involving scary images and situations, and for a smoking caterpillar. Running time is one hour and forty-eight minutes.

Alice (Wasikowska),  returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting with : the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, the red Queen (Carter), the white Queen (Hathaway) and of course, the Mad Hatter (Depp). Shown in 2D and 3D.

I saw this in the 3D version and the 3D and CGI effects are quite impressive. The cast is fine with Wasikowska doing a fine Alice, Depp appearing quite mad, Carter being appropriately despotic, and Hathaway being underused. When all was over, however, I found myself singularly uninvolved in the whole drama. It's nice to look at but there's no one here you're really going to care about and I think you'll have forgotten all about it within 30 minutes.. Younger generations will find this more entertaining than will those, say, over 40. I'd expect large crowds during the opening week but it shouldn't be hard to find a seat after that. There are a lot of 3D films being released this Spring and only a limited number of 3D auditoriums, so I don't expect to see this here for an extended stay. 3D theatres & times. 2D theatres & times. 

Worthwhile (or not), 3/5/2010

Here's MetaCritic's numerical rank of this week's films (xx/100 - the higher the number, the better the critics liked the film). A fairly decent variety this week: a kid/family film in 3D, a gritty cop pic, and a drama about the military. I saw ALICE and think the younger you are the better you'll like it. As usual, the "art" film has the highest numbers and will no doubt have the lowest attendance.

55 Alice in Wonderland,
40 Brooklyn's Finest,
77 Messenger, The

Click on the title links to see if the ratings change as more reviews come in, and to read your favorite national critic's review. My review of ALICE IN WONDERLAND will be posted after 4:30 pm today (Friday).

Opening, 3/5/2010

For show times select a theatre in the Showing at: section at the end of each synopsis. Friday times appear starting Wednesdays.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND 3D [PG] 1 hr. 49 min. Fantasy adventure See Trailer Cast: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas, Mia Wasikowska, Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Christopher Lee, Paul Whitehouse, Barbara Windsor. Plot: Alice,  returns to the whimsical world she first encountered as a young girl, reuniting with her childhood friends: the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Dormouse, the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, and of course, the Mad Hatter. Shown in 2D and 3D. Showing at: Movie Machine,  Warren East, Warren Old Town, Warren West.

BROOKLYN'S FINEST [R] 2 hrs. 13 min.  Crime drama See Trailer Cast: Richard Gere, Ethan Hawke, Don Cheadle, Jesse Williams, Ellen Barkin, Wesley Snipes, Lili Taylor, Brian F. O'Byrne, Shannon Kane, Will Patton, Vincent D'Onofrio. Plot: in the course of one chaotic week, the lives of three conflicted New York City police officers are dramatically transformed by their involvement in a massive drug operation. Showing at: Warren East, Warren West.

THE MESSENGER [R] 1 hr. 45 min. Drama See Trailer Cast: Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone, Eamonn Walker. Plot: a U.S. Army officer who has just returned home from a tour in Iraq is assigned to the Army's Casualty Notification service. Showing at: Warren East.

Leaving, 03/04/2010

Derby Plaza -
Movie Machine - nothing
Northrock 14 -
Palace West - Invictus, Nine, Planet 51
Starlite Drive-In - Open Weekends Only
Warren East 13th -Up In The Air, Edge Of Darkness, The Tooth Fairy, From Paris With Love, The Book Of Eli
Warren Old Town - Percy Jackson And The Olympians
Warren West 21st - The Book Of Eli