Friday the 13th

Movie Info

Directed by: Marcus Nispel (The Texas Chainsaw Masacre (remake), Pathfinder)
Written by: Screenplay: Damian Shannon (Freddy vs Jason) & Mark Swift (Freddy vs Jason)
Starring: Some 20 hot somethings who play hot teenagers who end up dying hotly
Genre: Horror
MPAA Rating: R for strong bloody violence, some graphic sexual content, language and drug material
Runtime: 97 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 25% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 35/100
IMDB Rating: 7.0/10
My Response: At least it's rated R. A slasher pick that is only PG-13 is no slasher at all. I'm not a huge fan of remakes that are not necessary, so I just recommend renting the original and cozying up with someone hot if you want to watch a scary movie this Friday the 13th.

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Confessions of a Shopaholic

Movie Info

Directed by: P. J. Hogan (Peter Pan)
Written by: Book: Sophie Kinsella; Screenplay: Tracey Jackson (The Guru), Tim Firth (Kinky Boots), & Kayla Alpert (film writing debut)
Starring: Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers, The Lookout), High Dancy (King Arthur, Black Hawk Down), Krysten Ritter (What Happens in Vegas, 27 Dresses)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
MPAA Rating: PG - for some mild language and thematic elements
Runtime: N/A minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 17% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 39/100
IMDB Rating: N/A
My Response: This one looked good from far, as Isla Fisher is becoming a star in her own right, but it ended up far from good (I bet you didn't see that "far from good line comin'). Skip it.

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He's Just Not That Into You

Movie Info

Directed by: Ken Kwapis (About A Boy, The Office (TV))
Written by: Book: Greg Behrendt & Liz Tuccillo, Screenplay: Abby Kohn (Never Been Kissed) & Marc Silverstein (Never Been Kissed)
Starring: Jennifer Aniston (Marley & Me, Friends (TV)), Ben Afflect (Good Will Hunting, Pearl Harbor), Drew Barrymore (E.T., Fever Pitch)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
MPAA Rating: PG-13 - for sexual content and brief strong language
Runtime: 129 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 44% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 48/100
IMDB Rating: 6.5/10
My Response: While this one looks to try to be an American version of Love Actually, it falls way short. It may be the best romantic comedy to come out in a while, but that's not saying much.

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Push

Movie Info

Directed by: Paul McGuigan (The Reckoning, Lucky Number Slevin)
Written by: Screenplay: David Bourla (Nostradamus)
Starring: Camilla Belle (When a Stranger Calls, 10,000 BC), Dakota Fanning (Man on Fire, War of the Worlds), Chris Evans (The Fantastic Four, Sunshine)
Genre: Action
MPAA Rating: PG-13 - for intense sequences of violence and action, brief strong language, smoking and a scene of teen drinking
Runtime: 111 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 26% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 39/100
IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
My Response: This one reminds be of last year's Jumper: Tons of CGI action...bad plot. ...Explosion!...bad characters...action-packed!...dumb. Skip it.

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The Pink Panther 2

Movie Info

Directed by: Harald Zwart (One Night at McCool's, Agent Cody Banks)
Written by: Scott Neustadter (debut), Michael H. Wever (debut), & Steve Martin (The Pink Panther)
Starring: Steve Martin (The Jerk, Roxanne), Jean Reno (Leon, The Da Vinci Code), Emily Mortimer (Notting Hill, Match Point)
Genre: Comedy/Family
MPAA Rating: PG - for some suggestive humor, brief mild language and action
Runtime: 92 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 14% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 37/100
IMDB Rating: 4.6/10
My Response: What the hell happened to Steve Martin? He used to be great, and now look at him. WTF Steve? WTF. Skip this one just like everyone skipped the first Pink Panther remake.

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New in Town

Movie Info

Directed by: Jonas Elmer (Nynne)
Written by: Screenplay: Ken Rance (Wednesday Afternoon) & C. Jay Cox (Sweet Home Alabama)
Starring: Renee Zellweger (Jerry Maguire, Chicago), Harry Connick Jr. (Independence Day, My Dog Skip), Nathan Fillion (Serenity, Slither)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
MPAA Rating: PG-13 - for brief strong language
Runtime: 96 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 16% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 30/100
IMDB Rating: 5.7/10
My Response: This one is easy for me to say "skip it". It's just another formulaic rom-com, with nothing special added in. It was even already made when it was called Sweet Home Alabama. But I guess, that depends on which southern hunk you like more.

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The Uninvited

Movie Info

Directed by: Charles & Thomas Guard (feature film debut)
Written by: Screenplay: Craig Rosenberg (After the Sunset), Doug Miro (The Great Raid), & Carlo Bernard (The Great Raid)
Starring: Elizabeth Banks (Zack & Miri Make a Porno, W.), Emily Browning (Darkness Falls, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events), Arielle Kebbel (The Grudge 2, John Tucker Must Die)
Genre: Horror
MPAA Rating: PG-13 - for violent and disturbing images, thematic material, sexual content, language and teen drinking
Runtime: 87 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 41% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 44/100
IMDB Rating: N/A
My Response: I swear this one has been done before. It feels like we've seen it many times by now. But hey, Japanese horror remakes always make some dough, so let's have another one! I'll be skipping it.

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Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

Movie Info

Directed by: Patrick Tatopoulos (Bird of Passage)
Written by: Nine dudes....too many to list
Starring: Rhona Mitra (Doomsday, Shooter), Michael Sheen (Underworld, Frost/Nixon), Bill Nighy (Underworld, Love Actually)
Genre: Action/Fantasy/Horror
MPAA Rating: R - for bloody violence and some sexuality
Runtime: 93 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 38% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 47/100
IMDB Rating: 6.8/10
My Response: There is only one word I can use to talk about this film: Why? As in... why make a prequel to a crappy movie franchise...why would Michael Sheen go from the Oscar-nominated Frost/Nixon to this....why does Bill Nighy, a respected English actor, do these horrible vampire movies...why are there NINE writers for this movie? Why? Why? Why? Skip it.

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Paul Blart: Mall Cop

Movie Info

Directed by: Steve Carr (Daddy Day Care, Are We Done Yet?)
Written by: Sreenplay: Kevin James (The King of Queens (TV)) & Nick Bakay (Sabrina the Teenage Witch (TV))
Starring: Kevin James (The King of Queens (TV), Hitch), Keir O'Donnell (Pathology, Sons of Anarchy (TV))
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: PG - for some violence, mild crude and suggestive humor, and language
Runtime: 87 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 28% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 41/100
IMDB Rating: 5.5/10
My Response: I think this teaser clip that was released online a few months ago about Paul Blart: Mall Cop says a lot about the movie. I can sum it all up in three...okay two...words: Not Funny. This looks to be the worst comedy since, well, a very long long time ago. Skip it and hope Kevin James didn't sign some deal like Rob Schneider did a few years ago that let me put out crap film after crap film after crap film.

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Notorious

Movie Info

Directed by: George Tillman Jr. (Men of Honor, Soul Food)
Written by: Screenplay: Reggie Rock Bythewood (Biker Boyz) & Cheo Hodari Coker (film writing debut)
Starring: Jamal Woolard (film debut), Derek Luke (Friday Night Lights, Miracle at St. Anna), Anthony Mackie (We Are Marshall, Eagle Eye)
Genre: Biography/Drama/Music
MPAA Rating: R - for pervasive language, some strong sexuality including dialogue, nudity, and for drug content
Runtime: 100 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 53% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 61/00
IMDB Rating: 5.7/10
My Response: This one is a hard one to pin down, but don't expect it to be too great. There is not much talent behind the camera, and the producers would have tried to get it released in December in order to collect some awards if it was any good. Although Jamal Woolard is getting some nice things said about his performance, I'd still skip it.

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Hotel for Dogs

Movie Info

Directed by: Thor Freudenthal (Motel)
Written by: Lois Duncan (book), Jeff Lowell, Robert Schooley, & Mark McCorkle (screenplay)
Starring: Emma Roberts (Nancy Drew, Wild Child), Jake T. Austin (The Ant Bully, Everybody's Hero), Lisa Kudrow (Friends, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion)
Genre: Family/Comedy
MPAA Rating: PG - for brief mild thematic elements, language and some crude humor
Runtime: 100 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 44% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 51/100
IMDB Rating: 4.2/10
My Response: I will start off by telling you the absolute best thing about this movie: the director's name is Thor. Thor?!? Really Thor's parents? You're going to do that to him?? Oh well, skip his movie.

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Not Easily Broken

Movie Info

Directed by: Bill Duke (Hoodlum, Sister Act 2)
Written by: T.D. Jakes (novel) & Brian Bird (screenplay, The Last Sin Eater)
Starring: Morris Chestnut (Boyz N The Hood, Ladder 49), Taraji P. Henson (Four Brothers, Hustle & Flow)
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: PG-13 - for sexual references and thematic elements
Runtime: 99 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 37% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 42/100
IMDB Rating: N/A
My Response: What? No Tyler Perry? That's weird. This must be the first Africa-American focused film in years without the pretense "Tyler Perry Presents". I think that's a good thing (diversity is always good), but this one still looks like a bomb. Skip it.

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Bride Wars

Movie Info

Directed by: Gary Winick (13 Going On 30, Charlotte's Web)
Written by: Greg DePaul (Saving Silverman), Casey Wilson (film writing debut), and June Diane Raphael (film writing debut)
Starring: Kate Hudson (How to Lose a Guy in 10 days, Almost Famous), Anne Hathaway (The Princess Diaries, Rachel Getting Married), Candice Bergen (Murphy Brown, Miss Congeniality)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
MPAA Rating: PG - for suggestive content, language and some rude behavior
Runtime: # minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 12% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 25/100
IMDB Rating: N/A
My Response: Some movies are made to win awards and some are made to have a good time. This one definitely falls into the latter category, and while I don't have many hopes for this one, I do hope that Anne Hathaway wins the war. Skip it.

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The Unborn

Movie Info

Directed by: David S. Goyer (The Invisible, Blade: Trinity)
Written by: David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight, Jumper)
Starring: Odette Yustman (Cloverfield, October Road), Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight, The Fifth Element), Cam Gigandet (Twilight, The O.C)
Genre: Horror
MPAA Rating: PG-13 - for intense sequences of violence and terror, disturbing images, thematic material and language including some sexual references
Runtime: 87 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 14% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 33/100
IMDB Rating: N/A
My Response: I'm not surprised that all the promotional material for this one focuses on two things: David S. Goyer's ties to The Dark Knight (he helped write it) and Odette Yustman's greatest asset (and it ain't her acting skills). Althought Goyer helped pen TDK, don't give him too much credit, as he had the help of two great film writers in the Nolan brothers. And don't expect much from this one either, so skip it.

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Defiance

Movie Info

Directed by: Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai)
Written by: Nechama Tac (book), Clayton Frohman (Under Fire) & Edward Zwick (The Last Samurai)
Starring: Daniel Craig (Casino Royale, Munich), Liev Schreiber (The Manchurian Candidate, Scream), Jamie Bell (Billy Elloit, The Chumscrubber)
Genre: Drama/Action/War
MPAA Rating: R - for violence and language
Runtime: 137 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 40% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 56/100
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
My Response: Everyone is saying two things about this film: the direction turned a great story into a run-of-the-mill movie, but the acting is pretty solid. Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber perform admirably, and I've been a huge fan of Jamie Bell (since he's still young, he's going to be an actor to watch for years to come). But despite these performances, this film looks to dissappoint. Skip it.

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The Spirit

Movie Info

Directed by: Frank Miller (Sin City)
Written by: Frank Miller & Will Eisner (comic books)
Starring: Gabriel Macht (American Outlaws, Because I Said So), Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Jurassic Park), Scarlett Johansson (In Good Company, Lost in Translation)
Genre: Action
MPAA Rating: PG-13 - for intense sequences of stylized violence and action, some sexual content and brief nudity
Runtime: 103 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 16% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 31/100
IMDB Rating: 5.8/10
My Response: While this film looks like Sin City and many people will go watch it because of all the similarities, The Spirit falls far short of the breakthrough that Sin City achieved. Frank Miller made this movie without the help he's had in the past (with Sin City and 300), and the lack of help definitely hurts this movie. Skip it.

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Marley & Me

Movie Info

Directed by: David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada)
Written by: John Grogan (book), Scott Frank (Get Shorty) & Don Ross (Happy Endings)
Starring: Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers, Bottle Rocket), Jennifer Aniston (Friends, The Break-Up)
Genre: Comedy/Family
MPAA Rating: PG - for thematic material, some suggestive content and language
Runtime: 120 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 51% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 53/100
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
My Response: This is the kind of movie that a certain group (dog lovers) will love no matter what, and most other people will think it's sub par. See it if you are the former, skip it if you're a cat person.

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Bedtime Stories

Movie Info

Directed by: Adam Shankman (The Pacifier, Bringing Down the House)
Written by: Matt Lopez (The Wild) & Tim Herlihy (Little Nicky)
Starring: Adam Sandler (Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy), Keri Russell (Felicity, Eight Days a Week), Courtney Cox (Friends, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective)
Genre: Comedy/Family/Fantasy
MPAA Rating: PG - for some mild rude humor and mild language
Runtime: # minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 15% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 34/100
IMDB Rating: 6.3/10
My Response: Remember when Adam Sandler made good movies? You know, movies that were enjoyable to watch? Well, I miss those times. It seems like they happened in the long long ago. Skip this one.

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Seven Pounds

Movie Info

Directed by: Gabriele Muccino (The Pursuit of Happyness)
Written by: Grant Nieporte (film writing debut)
Starring: Will Smith (The Legend of Bagger Vance, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), Rosario Dawson (Sin City, Kids), Woody Harrelson (No County for Old Men, Cheers)
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: PG-13 - for thematic material, some disturbing content and a scene of sensuality
Runtime: 118 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 25% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 36/100
IMDB Rating: N/A
My Response: This one's pretty easy to breakdown. If you liked The Pursuit of Happyness, you'll like Seven Pounds. Same director, same actor, same sad-yet-triumphant drama. Since I'm a fan of originality, I'm going to skip it.

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Yes Man

Movie Info

Directed by: Peyton Reed (The Break-Up, Bring It On)
Written by: Danny Wallace (novel), Nicholas Stoller (film writing debut), Jarrad Paul (film writing debut), Andrew Mogel (Fun with Dick and Jane)
Starring: Jim Carrey (Bruce Almighty, Earth Girls Are Easy), Zooey Deschanel (Elf, Almost Famous), Bradley Cooper (Wedding Crashers, Alias)
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: PG-13 - for crude sexual humor, language and brief nudity
Runtime: 104 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 42% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 45/100
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
My Response: I liked it better the first time when it was called Liar, Liar. Jim Carey simply looks old trying to do his old schtick and it's somewhat sad to watch him now. I think his best films are behind him, and this one is easily skipable.

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