Movie Reviews

Sony Pictures

Review in a Hurry: The publicity for The Vow would have you believe it's primarily about a man (Channing Tatum) constantly re-wooing his amnesiac wife (Rachel McAdams), in a manner that subtly reminds audience members not to get complacent about their own love lives.

The actual movie is a bit more complicated than that, and more of a mixed bag.

Not everything in it works, but the lack of reliance on easy answers earns it enough credibility points for a passing grade. Those hoping for a fairy tale may disagree.

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Warner Bros.

Review in a Hurry: Grown-ups and reviewers aren't supposed to like movies that are almost entirely CG and PG-rated eye candy, but screw it. The inner child wins out on this one. Dwayne Johnson and Vanessa Hudgens in a movie that's non-stop 3-D creature-action equals total win. Also, there's a new Daffy Duck short attached.

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Nick Wall/Alliance Films

Review in a Hurry: Daniel Radcliffe is sent to a remote village to sort out the affairs of a recently deceased eccentric who lived in a spooky old mansion. There, he sees a whole lotta dead people, but not the helpful kind that haunt Hogwarts.

This supernatural thriller has plenty scares and creepy atmosphere, but the plot could have used more surprises.

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Darren Michaels/Universal Pictures

Review in a Hurry: This whale of a tale—an inspirational rescue-adventure about three gray whales trapped in the Arctic Circle—would be hard to swallow if it weren't based on actual events from 1988. Whale fans will blubber, but uneven Miracle flounders in its hunt for narrative focus.

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Twentieth Century Fox

Review in a Hurry: High school outcast Andrew is a videophile who records everything, even the intense bullying he endures between classes. But all that changes when he and two other students discover something underground that gives them...superpowers!

The best "found footage" flick in years, Chronicle makes great use of the you-are-there POV with stunning in-camera FX. Fanboys, this is a must-see.

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Open Road Films

Review in a Hurry: After their plane crashes in a frozen Alaskan wilderness, Liam Neeson and seven other men must work together to bear the cold and...a pack of angry wolves! A better than average survivalist flick, The Grey succeeds with taught direction, strong pacing and the fact that Neeson is one man you do not want to mess with. Seriously, he will take you out with his bare hands.

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Sony Pictures

Review in a Hurry: After leaving the third film to the just-as-sexy Rhona Mitra, Kate Beckinsale is back in skintight black for the fourth installment. Death Dealer Selene (Beckinsale) wakes up in a future where humans have discovered the existence of vampires and Lycans. Led by Stephen Rea, they have waged a war to eradicate both.

The budget is bigger and the 3-D is pretty much a given nowadays, but Awakening keeps it simple and most importantly knows Beckinsale never needs a wardrobe change. Fans will be pleased, although if you've never seen an Underworld film there's probably no reason to start now.

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Twentieth Century Fox

Review in a Hurry: George Lucas' dream project for over two decades hits the big screen with spectacular dogfights, a strong cast and an ample supply of well intentioned but clunky dialogue. The characters are fictional, but they're based on the real life Tuskegee Airmen, the first all-African-American aerial combat unit to serve in World War II.

Less gritty than Saving Private Ryan, more squeaky-clean than Captain America, Tails zips like a speedier, higher flyin' Top Gun.

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Warner Bros. Entertainment

Review in a Hurry: Tom Hanks mugs irritatingly as a dorky dad for a few minutes, then dies in the World Trade Center on 9-11. His kid, who may or may not have Asperger's (in a cop-out kind of way, we're told that tests were inconclusive), spends the whole rest of the movie trying to cope. In part this is achieved by searching for the origin of a mysterious key, but mostly it involves talking, talking, talking...which rapidly becomes tiresome.

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Warner Bros.

Review in a Hurry: Dolly Parton, Queen Latifah and Keke Palmer face off for the ultimate churchy showdown. The fairly predictable story about a choir that dreams of winning the National Joyful Noise Competition impresses with song and dance numbers that soar. And we're saying it: No matter how obvious things are, any film that delivers a Latifah-Parton food fight...well, we really can't hate. Get ready for Glee-inspired mashups refashioned for the Faithful. Just wait until you hear the Usher's hit "Yeah!" written as "I'm in the church with my homies!"

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