Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2

It was love at first yap, and in the continuing adventures of Beverly Hills' most charming chihuahua, Chloe and Papi exchange wedding bow-wows, then plunge paws first into parenthood as their five pups turn their home into a canine fun house. Sam (Marcus Coloma) is called in to dog-sit when Aunt Viv (Susan Blakely) goes away on vacation, and when Sam learns that he's about to lose his own home, his four-legged friends come to the rescue.

Paranormal Activity 2

Doors slamming shut, shadows moving across the floor -- the unexplained, terrifyingly real supernatural forces are back, and this time, Dan (Brian Boland), Kristi (Sprague Grayden), Ali (Molly Ephraim), baby Hunter and dog Abby become part of the nightmare as the cameras roll. Tod Williams (The Door in the Floor) directs and Michael R. Perry ("Persons Unknown") writes this spine-chilling sequel to the wildly popular 2009 flick.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Saw: The Final Chapter

insane, intense cruelty is the calling card of the Jigsaw killer (Tobin Bell), whose twisted spirit and terrifying human traps -- recalled in flashbacks following his death in Saw III -- inspire another installment of the hugely successful gore franchise. Led by fellow survivor Bobby Dagen (Sean Patrick Flanery), Jigsaw's past victims band together to support each other. Cary Elwes reprises his role as Dr. Lawrence Gordon.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Stone

Edward Norton plays a convicted arsonist who hopes to get out of prison early by putting to work the seductive talents of his beautiful wife, Lucetta (Milla Jovovich). Robert DeNiro plays the parole officer who is the target of the couple's cat-and-mouse scheming. John Curran (The Painted Veil) directs this subtle psychological thriller based on the play by screenwriter Angus MacLachlan (Junebug).

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Megamind

When a cunning supervillain (voiced by Will Ferrell) accidently kills his crime-fighting nemesis, the rogue suddenly finds life boring and uninspired. So, he creates a new enemy (Jonah Hill) who seeks to destroy the world, forcing Megamind to play the hero role for once in his life. This hilarious 3D animated feature from director Tom McGrath (Madagascar) also features the voices of Brad Pitt and Tina Fey.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

The Social Network

Director David Fincher's biographical drama chronicles the meteoric rise of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) from Harvard sophomore to Internet superstar, examining his relationships with co-founder Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) and Napster founder Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). The film racked up Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Eisenberg) and Best Supporting Actor (Garfield).

Machete

Hired to assassinate a politician, vigilante and ex-Federale Machete (Danny Trejo) nearly dies when a sniper shoots him during the job. Out for revenge, he's joined by a reluctant old buddy (Cheech Marin) who's become a pacifist priest. Written and co-directed by Robert Rodriguez, this homage to exploitation films based on his fake trailer in Grindhouse co-stars Robert De Niro, Michelle Rodriguez, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Alba and Steven Seagal.

Dinner for Schmucks

Tim Conrad's (Paul Rudd) boss hosts a dinner party where he invites his friends to bring along the saddest, most pathetic loser they can find. But when the ultimate schmuck (Steve Carell) arrives, his actions somehow turn everyone else into the losers. Comic heavy hitters Zach Galifianakis and Ron Livingston lend able support in director Jay Roach's (Austin Powers) darkly humorous film, an adaptation of the French comedy The Dinner Game.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

True Grit 2010

After her father is murdered by drifter Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin), 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), hires Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), an alcoholic U.S. Marshal, to help her exact vengeance. The disreputable Rooster still has grit though, and mounts an epic search. The pair is joined on their quest by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), who is also hunting for Chaney, in this updated Western from Joel and Ethan Coen.

Piranha 2010

Ravenous piranhas with razor-sharp teeth terrorize Lake Havasu vacationers in director Alexandre Aja's remake of Joe Dante's campy 1978 horror film, itself a satire of Steven Spielberg's Jaws. When an earthquake tears open the bottom of Lake Havasu, schools of carnivorous piranhas are released from their underwater lair, and the lake turns into a bloody, frenzied death trap for unwitting water-goers.

The Fighter 2010

Mark Wahlberg stars as boxer "Irish" Mickey Ward and Christian Bale as half brother and trainer Dicky Eklund in this inspiring drama based on the fighter's rise from working-class Lowell, Mass., to world-class welterweight champ. After a string of defeats, Mickey rediscovers his fighting will with help from Dicky -- a once-talented pugilist battling drug addiction. The film earned multiple Golden Globe nods, including Best Motion Picture (Drama).