What would you do if everything was taken away in one brutal act of violence? That’s the question posed in "Law Abiding Citizen," a movie starring Gerard Butler as Clyde Shelton, an upstanding family man whose wife and daughter are brutally murdered during a home invasion.
When the killers are caught, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), a hotshot young Philadelphia prosecutor, is assigned to the case. Over his objections, Nick is forced by his boss to offer one of the suspects a light sentence in exchange for testifying against his accomplice.

Fast forward ten years. The man who …read more

“Couples Retreat” hits theaters this Friday, Oct. 9, 2009, and it features both a great cast and a cool storyline. It seems like a can’t-miss movie, but then, you never know until you see it.
It’s a romantic comedy that follows four Midwestern couples who go on a retreat to a tropical island resort. One of the couples is there to work on their marriage; but the other three just wanna have fun, which means jet skiing, relaxing, and swimming. Much to their chagrin, participation in the therapy part of the retreat is NOT optional, which results in some laughs …read more

The release date for “Shutter Island” has been pushed back from Oct. 2, 2009 to Feb. 19, 2010. I guess they’re not going to make that Halloween release date, but that’s ok. We’ll look forward to it next year.
The film teams frequent collaborators director Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, who along with Mark Ruffalo plays a U.S. marshal. The partners are summoned to a remote island off the coast of Massachusetts to investigate the disappearance of a murderess from the island’s fortress-like mental hospital. Cripes, there’s something creepy about mental hospitals, in general, but especially those like this one …read more

Remember when movie trailers used to be free? Remember when we saw them in theaters before other movies that we paid for? Whatever happened to those days? And is this the new trend? 
Free tickets are being distributed online for special IMAX showings of a 16-minute trailer for Fox’s upcoming 3D sci-fi flick "Avatar."
Ok, admittedly, this is more than just any old trailer. It’s an extended trailer with an intro by director James Cameron.
Still, I’m sure it’s someone’s way of trying to build buzz for a movie that’s not getting a lot of great pre-press. But who …read more

Movie: G-Force * Trailer * Nic Cage and Tracy Morgan * Official Site
In Theaters: July 24, 2009

Runtime: 89 minutes
Directed by: Hoyt Yeatman; Produced by: Jerry Bruckheimer

MPAA Rating: PG for some mild action and rude humor
Gecko Rating:

With producer Jerry Bruckheimer on the job, I expected “G-Force” to be a high-action flick, even though the main characters are computer-generated guinea pigs. When I interviewed Michael Papajohn, who plays an FBI techie in the movie, he said as much: “It’s a Bruckheimer film, so trust me, there will be action.”
Still, “G-Force” struck me as two movies in one. The first half was …read more

Is it just me, or is there a rash of people-in-peril movies lately? See my preview of "A Perfect Getaway" earlier this week. I can’t say I’m that crazy about them, but someone must be watching them, because they keep making them! Maybe we like seeing people survive against all odds.
"Surviving Crooked Lake" revolves around four teenage girls on a Canadian canoe-and-camping trip with a slightly older male guide (ok, my first thought is – their parents let them go on this trip?!!!). The guide’s younger sister, Steph (who’s afraid of the water), is one of the campers. When …read more

I’m such a sucker for Disney movies with cute talking animals. I hope "G-Force" is as cute as it looks. From producer Jerry Bruckheimer, it’s a 3-D comedy adventure about a covert government program that trains animals for espionage work.
Armed with the latest high-tech spy gear, these highly trained guinea pigs discover that the fate of the world is in their paws! Sam Rockwell, Tracy Morgan, Penelope Cruz, and Nicolas Cage provide voices. The movie also stars Bill Nighy, Will Arnett, and Steve Buscemi, and hits theaters July 25, 2009.
Watch the trailer here, and check out the official …read more

I’ve heard people say that the timing of “Confessions of a Shopaholic” isn’t great, what with all of our personal and national economics woes. But as Val Kilmer said in “Tombstone,” I beg to diffah.
“Confessions” is the perfect movie right now, because a lot of us … ahem, not me, of course … are shopaholics, but this movie shows that you can overcome it and learn to curb your spending. At least, that’s what I’m hoping.
Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” says the movie is perfect for our current times.
“It’s a tale of redemption,” he says. “It’s a …read more

Movie: Confessions of a Shopaholic * Trailer * Official Site * BuyIt
In Theaters: Feb. 13, 2009; On DVD & Blu-ray: June 23, 2009

Runtime: 112 minutes
Directed by: P. J. Hogan

MPAA Rating: PG for some mild language and thematic elements
Gecko Rating:

I’m a huge fan of all the Sophie Kinsella books, and "Confessions of a Shopaholic" is based on her book by the same name. It’s about a woman named Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher – pronounced "I-la")) who LOVES to shop.
There are more books in the series, including "Shopaholic Ties the Knot," "Shopaholic & Sister," "Shopaholic Takes Manhattan," and "Shopaholic & …read more

Director Sam Raimi brings the terror with "Drag Me to Hell," a horror flick about a girl’s quest to break an evil curse.
Alison Lohman plays Christine Brown, an L.A. loan officer with a very nice boyfriend, Professor Clay Dalton (Justin Long). Life couldn’t be better, which is a dead giveaway that something horrible is about to happen.

When Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) comes to the bank looking for an extension on her home loan (ripped from the headlines!), Christine denies the request, which is a really bad thing to do. The woman ends up placing a curse on Christine, turning …read more