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March 19, 2010

                         
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NOW SHOWING  

Tracy Morgan in "Cop Out"

A Prophet: B+
(Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif) While serving time in a French prison that’s divided between Corsicans and Arabs, Malik (Rahim) murders an inmate at the request of the Corsican leader (Arestrup). This alienates him from the Arabs, but he soon learns he’s not a natural fit with either group. It’s a bit slow developing, but also endlessly fascinating as we watch Malik use his opportune moments, good fortune and prison smarts to take control of his six-year sentence. Winner of nine Cesar Awards (the French Oscars), including Best Picture. Rated R.

Remember Me: D+
(Robert Pattinson, Emilie de Ravin, Chris Cooper) Tortured Edward, err, Tyler (Pattinson) dates the daughter (De Ravin) of the cop (Cooper) who beat him up in this uneven drama. The love story takes on some interesting elements, and Pierce Brosnan is effective as Tyler’s distant father. The ending, however, is a cheap, manipulative and unforgivable disgrace. Rated PG-13.

She's Out Of My League: B
(Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve, Krysten Ritter) Skinny, geeky Kirk (Baruchel) is shocked that stunning beauty Molly (Eve) is interested in dating him. So will his insecurity undo the good thing they have? Have you ever seen a romantic comedy? Fortunately, this rom-com is pretty funny throughout, with some inspired gags keeping us laughing and two supporting characters (played by Ritter and T.J. Miller) who are more fun to watch than the leads. Rated R.

Brooklyn’s Finest: B
(Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke) Three Brooklyn cops – one in uniform (Gere), one undercover (Cheadle) and one a narc (Hawke) – share a mutual disregard for the law when it comes to what they believe is right and wrong. Although the three plotlines rarely intersect, the compelling story from “Training Day” director Antoine Fuqua is one of the best cop dramas in quite some time. Rated R.

Alice In Wonderland: B
(Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter) Now 19 years old, Alice (Wasikowska) learns she has unfinished business in Wonderland with the Mad Hatter (Depp) and Red Queen (Carter). The 3-D looks fine, but the real reason to see director Tim Burton’s fun interpretation of the classic tale is to enjoy his gothic style with some slight twists on a story we’ve known our whole lives. Loosely based on Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass.” Rated PG.

Cop Out: D
(Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Guillermo Diaz) Partners Jimmy (Willis) and Paul (Morgan) try to get Jimmy’s rare baseball card back from a Mexican drug lord (Diaz) in this labored and awful comedy. Morgan plays his character as a petulant baby, and you will immediately want to punch him in the face. This is the first film Kevin Smith (“Clerks”) has directed that he hasn’t also written, and it shows. At no point is the script sharp, clever, funny, witty, amusing, inspired or original. What a disaster. Rated R.

Shutter Island: B
(Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, Patricia Clarkson) In 1954 off the coast of Boston, two federal marshals (DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo) are sent to a hospital for the criminally insane to investigate the disappearance of Rachel (Emily Mortimer), an inmate who murdered her three children. Director Martin Scorsese (“The Departed” does a great job of creating an eerie mood and atmosphere, but the story is a bit too complex for its own good. Kudos to DiCaprio and the accomplished cast for fine performances all around. Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane (“Mystic River”). Rated R.

The Last Station: C+
(Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer, Paul Giamatti) In his dying days, famed Russian writer Leo Tolstoy (Plummer) debates leaving the rights to his work to his wife (Mirren) or to his loyal followers, called “Tolstoyans.” The Oscar-nominated performances of Mirren and Plummer are strong, but the story feels hollow in that Tolstory doesn’t believe in the ideals of his legions of his followers, and therefore has no real reason to consider giving the rights to them. Rated R.

The Wolfman: C
(Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt) Upon hearing the news that his brother (Simon Merrells) was murdered, actor Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro) returns to his dreary English home and meets his brother’s ex-fiancé (Blunt). His father (Hopkins) warns him to stay inside, but he doesn’t listen and is soon bitten by a werewolf. Bad things happen from there. I know it’s set in 1891 England, but it’s so insistently gloomy that you can’t help but think some sunshine would brighten everyone’s spirits. Alas, the story is a bit all over the place and the action/effects are serviceable but not impressive. Rated R.

Valentine’s Day: D
(Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Garner, Julia Roberts) Love is lost, found, hated and embraced in this comedy/drama of intertwining stories set on Valentine’s Day in Los Angeles. It’s trying to be “Love Actually” for Valentine’s Day, but it’s not funny, charming nor cute enough to fulfill its purpose. Rated PG-13.

From Paris With Love: D+
(John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Kasia Smutniak) In Paris, an ambassador’s assistant (Meyers) helps an unconventional American spy (Travolta) stop a drug ring, then a terrorist cell. The story is utter nonsense, but the action is good fun and Travolta is a real treat. Rated R.

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