Poos in Boots

Consistent with the general filmmaker's blueprint for fairy tale revisionism, warm and fuzzy characters are transformed into edgy ones in Dreamworks' latest animated action adventure comedy about brotherhood, betrayal, revenge, and redemption.

Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas), a suave outlaw on the run, is persuaded by the femme fatale Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) to team up with the scheming Dumpy (Zach Galifianakis) to join in the plot to steal the magic beans from Jack (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jill (Amy Sedaris), a husband and wife bandit team.

Featured are dynamic vocal performances. In their fifth film together, Banderas and Hayek's onscreen chemistry sparks, displaying a good match in their portrayal of strong feline fighters. However the most complex character Dumpy, a multidimensional, vindictive villain, is portrayed by Zach Galifianakis. Pleasing the fans is executive producer Guillermo del Toro, voicing the Comandante of San Ricardo village.

Set in crystal clear, immersive and magnificent 3D visuals is the perfect marriage of composer Henry Jackman's music and Laura Gorenstein Miller's beautifully choreographed dance scenes that humorously blend flamenco, Latin ballroom, and contemporary dance sequences. Along with Tom Wheeler's screenplay filled with jokes, the feature is sure to entertain the entire family.

Contagion

Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, and Marion Cottilard, form the exceptional cast that lead this realistic portrayal of director Steven Soderbergh's blockbuster drama about a rapidly spreading lethal virus.

In a race against time, the international medical and scientific community attempt to halt the pandemic and avert the mass hysteria that is diffusing even faster than the virus itself.

Without resorting to sensationalism or heroism, the feature brings forth the tense atmosphere, while exalting interpersonal dynamics and inevitable chain reactions.

The use of technically skilled montage and cinematography, along with Scott Burns' screenplay and Cliff Martinez' emotionally pulsating original soundtrack, create a solid, well assembled, and thought provoking feature.

The Help

Superb cast and exceptional performances mark Tate Taylor's feature based on Kathryn Stockett's best selling novel.

Well balanced and captivating, the stories are revealed from the maids' perspective. The story centers around local newspaper columnist, Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan (Emma Stone, Easy A), who embarks on a clandestine writing project. She interviews the reluctant African-American maids about their personal experiences working for privileged white families in 1963 Jackson, Mississippi.

The leading and supportive cast bring characters to life in a regionally authentic way displaying charisma, depth, and chemistry. Emma Stone as Skeeter bring a healthy naivete with a progressive mind. Academy Award® nominee Viola Davis (Doubt), in the role of Aibileen, is a complex and conflicted reluctant hero who agrees to tell novice writer Skeeter the painful and potentially incendiary stories about her life. Octavia Spencer's Minny is a strong character working initially in an oppressive environment for villain Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard), and later in a mansion for the blonde, air-headed and often misunderstood fish-out-of-water, Celia Foote (Jessica Chastain).

The strong supporting cast include: Emmy® Award winner Allison Janney as Charlotte Helan, Chris Lowell as Stuart Whitworth, Oscar® winner Sissy Spacek as Missus Walters, Academy Award® nominee Cicely Tyson as Constantine Jefferson, Mike Vogel as Johnny Foote, as well as Anna Camp as Jolene, Aunjanue Ellis as Yule Mae, and Mary Steenburgen as Elaine Stein.

Production designer, Mark Ricker, coupled with costume designer Sharen Davis, create a detailed feel and look of the 60's true to the characters and the time.

A moving and empowering story about women who found their unique voice and inspired change.

The Change-Up

In this new take on body-switching comedies, David Dobkin, director of Wedding Crashers, and writers of The Hangover, Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, present a comical and revealing look into the world of men.

Dave (Jason Bateman) is a successful lawyer, married to his childhood sweetheart Jamie (Leslie Mann), has three kids, and lives a conservative suburban lifestyle. 


His polar opposite, friend since junior high, Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) is single, barely employed and chasing women like he is still in college. One night, as they stand in front of the Greek goddess Metis' fountain, they argue how they wish they could be in the other's shoes only to find the following morning that the shape-shifting goddess of wisdom has granted their wish.



The best friends are forced to live each other's lives and, while at the law firm, Mitch meets Dave's mysterious sexy associate Sabrina (Olivia Wilde).

Bateman and Reynolds well portray each other's character in a familiar plot reformatted to include raunchy, outrageous, R rated humor, geared for young adult audiences.

Cowboys & Aliens

Crossing the classic western and alien-invasion action-thriller, Cowboys & Aliens gives a new look to the traditional western by blending sci-fi elements with CG state of the art special effects.

Daniel Craig stars as Jake Lonergan, a stranger with no memory of his past and with a mysterious shackle encircling one wrist. He stumbles into the hardscrabble and unwelcoming desert town of Absolution in New Mexico. Nobody makes a move in the Absolution's fear laden streets unless ordered to do so by the town's benefactor, the iron-fisted cattle rancher Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford).

As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and what he experienced, he realizes that he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. Lonergan pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents: townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws, and Chiricahua Apache warriors to prepare for an epic showdown for survival.

In Clint Eastwood's tough but cool image and Steve McQueen's rugged appearance, Craig conveys much with few words while Harrison Ford delivers maximum impact in his portrayal of the tough, self-reliant Dolarhyde. Portraying a woman against type in a western genre movie is Olivia Wilde as Ella, the elusive, enigmatic traveler who shadows Lonergan wherever he goes.

Characters are introduced in creative fashion, gradually unfolding the story and revealing clues. Every character in the piece touches on a classic western archetype: saloon owner Doc (Sam Rockwell) and his wife Maria (Ana de la Reguera), the colonel's right hand man Nat Colorado (Adam Beach), the preacher Meacham (Clancy Brown) Sheriff Taggart (Keith Carradine), his grandson Emmett (Noah Ringer), and Dolarhyde's thug son, Percy (Paul Dano). Joining the cast as Deputy Sheriff Lyle is John Wayne's grandson Brendan Wayne.

Blockbuster filmmaker Jon Favreau is joined by an arsenal of top moviemakers that include Steven Spielberg, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci, in this ambitious and well made feature.

Crazy, Stupid, Love.

From a first crush to a crushing breakup, relationships are the focus of Crazy, Stupid, Love, a coming-of-every-age comedy involving three generations of romance, consistently taking bad advice and performing crazy, stupid things for love.

Forty-something, straight-laced, Cal Weaver's (Steve Carell) perfect life becomes unraveled when he learns that his wife Emily (Julianne Moore) has cheated on him with her colleague, David Lindhagen (Kevin Bacon), and wants a divorce.

Tormented Cal is offered an unexpected and unusual lifeline in the form of alpha-male, ladies' man Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling) who thinks of himself as a gift to women. Jacob's new-woman-every-night modus operandi is challenged when he meets Hannah (Emma Stone). In the meantime, Cal's 13-year-old son, Robbie (Jonah Bobo) falls in love with his 17-year-old babysitter, Jessica (Analeigh Tipton) who has a major crash on Cal.

Based on a screenplay by Dan Fogelman, directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa as well as producers Steve Carell and Denise Di Novi, take a dramatic, edgy and hilarious look at this non-traditional romantic comedy.

Giving a complicated and rich character depth, is the pivotal Cal-Jacob relationship. Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling place a fresh spin portraying characters on different ends of the spectrum, lost in their respective façade.

The humor comes very naturally out of situations and characters. Some of the funniest scenes involve the combustible relationship between Steve and Marisa Tomei as Kate, Cal's first post separation fling. Moore's effervescent personality provides balance between the comedy and drama.

This funny, witty, and smart, character-based comedy explores the notion that even as we get older, we don't always have all the answers, but how worthwhile it is to hang in there.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Ten years after the first Harry Potter adventure, the 8^th final and shortest, installment of J.K. Rowling's immensely popular seven volume literary masterpiece comes to a close.

Before the last confrontation between Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his arch-nemesis Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) takes place, Harry Potter, along with Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint), must find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes, items in which the Dark Lord has embedded pieces of his soul in his quest for immortality. However, the destruction of each Horcrux makes the amphibious faced, Lord Voldemort, even more dangerous. The stakes are higher and no one, not even Harry, is safe.

In what may be his best film to date, returning helmer, David Yates, perfectly blends the thrilling feature with an emotional underpinning. Surprising revelations and complexities are uncovered such as Professor Severus Snape's (Alan Rickman) hostile nature towards Harry.

One of the many extraordinary scenes involves a magical bank heist featuring great 3D special effects and prosthetic makeup, taking up to four hours to apply on each of the dozens banker goblins.

The epic finale, augmented by impeccable acting in addition to well merged practical and visual designs, captures the imagination, delivering a satisfying, climactic conclusion.