Angelina Jolie stars as CIA officer Evelyn Salt, who swore an oath to duty, honor and loyalty – a loyalty that’s seriously tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. So she goes on the run, using all those CIA skills and experience as a covert operative to elude capture.

What do you think of the poster? She’s got the steely stare down pat, doesn’t she? Oh, those lips!

Image: Sony Pictures Entertainment

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Movie: 2012 * Trailer * Official Site	In Theaters: Nov. 13, 2009
Runtime: 158 minutes	Directed by: Roland Emmerich
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense disaster sequences and some language	Gecko Rating:

If you’re not familiar with the theories surrounding the year 2012, there are a lot of them, ranging from the Apocalypse, the return of the aliens, a comet colliding with the earth, sunspots, and other various cataclysmic events.

But some also say the year will signal a spiritual awakening, so maybe it’s not all bad. Check out Armageddon Online for more theories.

In the movie “2012,” the focus is on a series of catastrophic natural disasters that center on a shift and destabilization of the earth’s core. Thus we’ve got earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and just about every other sort of disaster you can think of.

More after the jump…

The central character is Jackson Curtis (John Cusack), an author who’s written a book about Atlantis but works as a driver for a Russian diplomat, Yuri Karpov (Zlatko Buric). Now divorced, Jackson is disconnected from his two kids (Liam James and Morgan Lily), and decides to take them on a camping trip to Yellowstone. Meanwhile, his ex-wife Kate (Amanda Peet) and her new husband Gordon (Tom McCarthy) stay behind in their happy suburban home.

But, of course, things start coming apart. California starts experiencing little earthquakes, and Jackson and the kids see some odd happenings during their Yellowstone camping trip, too. They also meet a crazy mountain man, Charlie Frost (Woody Harrelson, whose perfectly cast in that role), who broadcasts a radio show, warning everyone that the end is near. 

Meanwhile, the politicians are gearing up in Washington, D.C. and around the globe, including U.S. President Thomas Wilson (Danny Glover), his daughter Laura (Thandie Newton), and a geologist, Adrian (Chiwetel Ejiofor). They’re aware of the earth shifts and have a plan of their own. When Jackson catches wind of the plan from Charlie, he does everything in his power to get his family — including Gordon — to safety.

A lot of the dialogue in this movie is downright corny, but the special effects make up for it. You have to just sit back and enjoy the disaster ride that includes giant cracks that open up in the earth and threaten to swallow whole stores, skyscrapers toppling into each other, massive pieces of land sliding into the earth (cities and all), and sweeping tsunamis taking out entire continents, including a monk’s retreat on a mountaintop. And it’s all done really well.

But you also have to snort in disbelief at some of the outrageous things that would never happen, should a real disaster of this type occur. Like planes taking off on rubbled runways, then landing in a remote mountain area near exactly where the travelers were headed.

Still, as far as disaster movies go, this is a fun one. If you like this sort of thing, you should definitely check it out. At 158 minutes, though, it’s long, so be prepared for lots of disaster.

NOTE TO PARENTS: While I wouldn’t call “2012” a family movie, it definitely has some family elements to it. Even though Jackson feel disconnected to his kids and ex-wife, they work together during the disaster and realize they need each other.

The PG-13 rating seems on target for this movie. There are plenty of disaster scenes and people in peril, but you don’t see too many close-up shots of dead people or anything, and the movie isn’t “real” enough to warrant any major emotional upheaval in kids 13 and older.

Images: Sony Pictures Releasing

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Movie: Disney’s A Christmas Carol * Trailer * Official Site	In Theaters: Nov. 6, 2009
Runtime: 96 minutes	Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
MPAA Rating: PG for scary sequences an images	Gecko Rating:

We all know the classic Charles Dickens tale about the crotchety Ebenezer Scrooge who’s visited by three ghosts who make him see the light. There’s really nothing new to tell here, but it’s the WAY the story is told that makes it seem fresh and new in our eyes. This animated, 3D version of “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” does indeed bring new life to the story.

It’s directed by Robert Zemeckis, the genius behind “The Polar Express,” and this animation is quite similar to that film. It’s really well done, somehow merging real people – in this case, mainly Jim Carrey, who plays Scrooge and all three ghosts – with the animated figures. So what you get is an animated film that seems almost like live action, jumping right off the screen at you (the 3D helps in that regard, too!).

More after the jump…

Zemeckis also helmed “Monster House,” and so even his family films have a tendency to be dark and psychological. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but in the case of both “Monster House” and “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” they’re much too scary for little ones.

“Disney’s A Christmas Carol” opens with Scrooge looking over the body of his dead partner Marley, now lying in a casket with coins on his eyes. Of course, miserly Scrooge snatches up the coins before the body is sent to its final resting place.

We have Bob Cratchit (Gary Oldman, who also voices Marley and Tiny Tim), working faithfully in Scrooge’s dismal accounting shop. Bob somehow manages to keep his positive attitude, despite hanging around the cup-half-empty Scrooge all day. At home, his family likewise manages to be positive, despite being dirt-poor with a crippled Tiny Tim.

Another main character is Fred (Colin Firth), Scrooge’s well-off nephew who desperately desires to be friends with the old man, who’ll have none of it. Instead, Scrooge shuffles home to his massive dark house and settles in for the night with some porridge. And that’s where the action begins, with the procession of ghosts calling on him in the wee hours.

The ghosts are pretty scary although each has their little quirks. The first one, the Ghost of Christmas Past, is a funny little spirit with a flame for a head. During this sequence, we see the young Scrooge courting his love, Belle (voiced by Robin Wright Penn).

The Ghost of Christmas Present is a giant Viking type spirit sitting atop a large mound of bountiful things. And the third, the Ghost of Christmas Future, is a dark, Grim Reaper type spirit accompanied by a team of frightening stampeding horses. Each takes Scrooge through their particular time era, showing him as a young boy, a young man, a present-day miser, and a dead soul with no one to grieve for him.

The animation during these sequences is stunning, capturing both the beauty and despair of this particular era. However, if you’re at all prone to motion sickness, I recommend closing your eyes during the flying scenes. During the Ghost of Christmas Present sequence, the floor somehow becomes a glass through which you can see into the present-day time. Really awesome, and they use the 3D technology to its best use in this movie. I say that because it’s blended so well into the animation that you don’t really even notice that you’re wearing 3D glasses.

Overall, “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” is a creative and visually beautiful take on the classic tale, the ultimate story of an old miser regaining hope and love, even when things are at their bleakest. Jim Carrey is a master at his craft.

NOTE TO PARENTS: There’s really no sexual content or language issues to speak of. Most of the PG rating comes from the frightening scenes involving ghosts, skeletons, corpses, and red-eyed stampeding horses. The movie opens with Marley’s body in a casket, and we also get scenes of Scrooge being haunted in his dark mansion, and falling into a deep hole towards a casket. For these reasons, I don’t recommend it for kids younger than eight.

Images: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

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I’m sort of hot and cold on Hilary Swank. There’s no doubt that she’s a great actress – she’s won two Oscars, after all (for “Million Dollar Baby” and “Boys Don’t Cry”). But there’s something about her that’s just a little annoying. I almost hesitate to say it, but she seemed to be over-acting in her portrayal of Amelia Earhart. I just wanted her to snap out of it and be a real person on the screen – not a caricature of a historical figure. There, I’ve said it.

Most of us know the story of Amelia Earhart, the legendary pilot who brought flying into the realm of women, and who disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937, while attempting to fly around the world with her navigator, Fred Noonan (Christopher Eccleston). They were supposed to re-fuel on Howland Island, a tiny speck of land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, but while trying to make radio contact with a ship, their connection was lost and they were never seen again.

More after the jump…

That was the best scene of the movie, because you really get the whole impact of that lost radio contact – both Amelia and Fred realize that this is the end for them. We don’t actually see them fly into the ocean, but you know it happens.

Prior to this fateful flight, Amelia fell in love with and married publisher George Putnam (Richard Gere), who helped her create the hype over “Lady Lindy,” as well as an advertising campaign (selling an “Amelia Earhart” luggage and clothing line, among others) and lecture circuit to help fund her flying. She wasn’t happy with it, but she knew it was necessary to keep her in the skies. She loved the freedom of flying.

But Earhart also had an affair – with fellow pilot Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor) whose son Gore Vidal grew up to be an icon himself.

The film includes shots here and there of archival footage of the real Amelia Earhart, and with her thin frame and tousled hair, Swank closely resembles the famed aviatrix. I have no idea what the real Earhart sounded like, but both my 12-year-old daughter and I were ultra-annoyed with how Swank talked – like she had cotton in her mouth. I don’t know – maybe that’s how the real woman sounded. The film also portrays her as a women with a gentle soul and the heart of a poet. I hope that’s how she was in real life, because it adds to her mystique.

“Amelia” isn’t a bad movie, and it’s clear that Earhart helped women make great strides in not only aviation, but other areas of their lives, too. The movie is also visually stunning, with sweeping views of land across the globe, as seen from the cockpit of an airplane.

Still, the movie leaves something to be desired and will most likely appeal to people who are interested in aviation or the life of Earhart. At the very least, it will make you want to search further to find out more about her.

Images: TM and © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

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If you’re not attuned to the whole “Twilight” buzz, that’s the third book/movie in the franchise, and David Slade will direct it.

Stephenie Meyer has certainly taken lots of flack for her writing style, but no one can deny that she has a huge fan base, so more power to her.

Any thoughts on the “Eclipse” title art? It’s a little boring, but I guess they want the titles for all of the movies to be similar.

Image: TM and © 2009 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Movie: The Invention of Lying * Premiere Pics * Official Site	In Theaters: Oct. 2, 2009
Runtime: 99 minutes	Directed by: Ricky Gervais
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language, including some sexual material and a drug reference	Gecko Rating:

“The Invention of Lying” is a sweet little movie – not particularly funny, but sweet with a nice message: we need to look beyond the surface of people to see what they’re really like inside.

It stars Ricky Gervais, the award-winning creator and star of the original BBC series "The Office" and HBO’s "Extras," as Mark, a down-on-his-luck loser who lives in an alternate reality where lying — even the concept of a lie — does not exist. Everyone –from politicians to advertisers to regular joes — speaks the truth.

I often dream about this concept, where we could just say what’s on our minds without thinking about the consequences, but of course, it has its downfalls. For one thing, people can be horribly hurt when you just come out and say what you think of them.

More after the jump…

When Mark snags a date with Anna (Jennifer Garner), she has no problem telling her mom on the phone exactly what she thinks of him – he’s short and snub-nosed and there’s no way she’s going to sleep with him, not now or ever. Keep in mind that Mark is sitting across the table from her.

If that’s not depressing enough, Mark loses his job writing screenplays for the “Lecture Film” company, because his era is the 1300’s and the only thing that ever happened during this time is awful stuff like the Black Plague.

The trailer made it seem like “The Invention of Lying” would be funny, but it’s really more of a thoughtful, philosophical film. Like what happens after we die? What role does faith play in our lives? How important is it to be kind to others? And if NOT saying what you really feel is lying, then some of us need to do more of that, out of respect for others’ feelings.

In supporting roles are Jonah Hill as Frank, Mark’s suicidal neighbor; Louis C.K. as Greg, another loser type whom Mark befriends; Jeffrey Tambor as Anthony, Mark’s boss who’s tasked with the job of firing him, even though he doesn’t want to; Rob Lowe as Brad, a co-worker who’s riding through life on his good lucks and breeding genes; and Tina Fey  as Mark’s secretary. It seems like a funny little role for Fey, as she’s so big in TV and films, but whatever. She does a good job with it, as do all of the supporting players. 

If you’re a fan of Ricky Gervais or any of the other players, this movie is worth a look. I saw it with my 12-year-old daughter, and while there’s a bit of sex talk here and there, it’s nowhere near as suggestive as many PG-13 movies. I’d say it’s ok for kids 12 and up.

Check out the trailer:

Image: TM and (c) 2008 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc

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The movie also stars Cate Blanchett as Maid Marian (of course, she’ll be perfect, even though at one time I thought they might be too old for the characters), Kevin Durand as Little John, William Hurt as William Marshall, and Matthew Macfadyen as the Sheriff of Nottingham.

Image: Bauer-Griffin

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More after the jump…

Images: TM and © 2009 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Advance tickets are now available at MovieTickets.com, more than two months before its Nov. 20, 2009 release. The site lists more than 2,000 show times at select theaters, with new times being uploaded frequently.

Think you’ll buy tickets this far in advance? I’ll probably wait until a week or so before the movie opens.

Image: TM and © 2009 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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In the movie, Mr. Fox earns the hatred of three wealthy farmers when he steals their poultry to feed his family. The farmers decide to lay in wait for him at the opening of his foxhole, which only makes him more sly – you know, like a fox.

The voice cast also includes Meryl Streep, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, and Jason Schwartzman. Watch the trailer here, and check out this new poster. Mr. Fox even dresses like George Clooney. Sort of.

The movie hits theaters Nov. 25, 2009.

Image: TM and © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

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