Read my full review here, but to summarize, it’s a CG-animated movie featuring super-smart animal spies who go head to head with an electronics hot-shot planning to take over the world using home appliances. But things don’t go well, and the FBI department is shut down, landing the animals in various places, including homes and a pet shop.

One thing it has going for it is a superb voice and live-action cast, including Sam Rockwell, Tracy Morgan, Penelope Cruz, Nicolas Cage, Zach Galifianakis, Will Arnett, Jon Favreau, Steve Buscemi, and Bill Nighy.

It’s rated PG for some mild action and rude humor; directed by Hoyt Yeatman and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.

The film is now available in several versions, including single-disc widescreen, three-disc DVD/Blu-ray combo, and two-disc DVD and digital copy.

Image: Amazon.com

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So goes the plot of “Kick-Ass,” the high-octane movie from director Matthew Vaughn. But even though Kick-Ass (Dave’s new superhero name) has no powers, he inspires a subculture of copy cats, is hunted by assorted violent and unpleasant characters, and meets up with a pair of crazed vigilantes, including an 11-year-old sword-wielding dynamo, Hit Girl (Chloë Moretz) and her father, Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage).

“Kick-Ass” hits theaters April 16, 2010, and looks like it could be either really lame or really funny, sort of along the lines of “Napoleon Dynamite” (if I may be so bold as to draw that comparison). Here’s the teaser trailer…

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But I hope non-“Twilight” fans will get out to see “The Blind Side.” It’s a thoughtful, inspiring movie based on the real-life book by Michael Lewis titled “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game.”

It’s about a homeless, oversized, uneducated teenager named Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) who’s taken in by a wealthy woman named Leigh Anne Touhy (Sandra Bullock) and her family. As it turns out, Michael has a talent for football and ends up doing well in the sport – thanks to Leigh Anne’s guidance and inspiration.

It’s directed by John Lee Hancock and also stars Tim McGraw and Kathy Bates. “The Blind Side” is rated PG-13 for one scene involving brief violence, drug and sexual references. Watch the trailer and see what you think.

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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 got away with murder is found dead and Clyde Shelton admits that he killed him. He also issues a warning to Nick: Fix the flawed justice system or key players in the trial will die.  And that’s exactly what starts happening, with the jailed Shelton orchestrating a string of assassinations that can be neither predicted nor prevented. Philadelphia is gripped with fear as Shelton’s high-profile targets are slain one after another and the authorities are powerless to halt the murders.

It’s a different sort of role for Gerard Butler, whose been in a few romantic comedies lately – including “The Ugly Truth” and the upcoming “The Bounty” — and of course, he’ll always be known as King Leonidas in “300.” It’ll be interesting to see him as more of a diabolical killer. “Law Abiding Citizen” hits theaters Oct. 16, 2009, and it’s rated R for strong bloody brutal violence and torture, a scene of rape, and pervasive language. Check out the trailer:

Image: Overture Films

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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 and drama.

It’s directed by Peter Billingsley, who in addition to playing Ralphie in “A Christmas Story,” has also executive produced “The Break-Up,” “Iron Man,” “Wild West Comedy Show,” and “Four Christmases” (he’s Vince Vaughn’s best friend!).

“Couples Retreat” is rated PG-13 for sexual content and language, and also stars Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Malin Akerman, Kristen Davis, Kristen Bell, Faizon Love, Kali Hawk and Jean Reno. Take a look at the trailer and see what you think…

Image: © Universal Pictures

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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 which house the criminally insane.

The rest of the cast seems like a can’t-miss, as well: Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson and Max Von Sydow also star in this Paramount film. Watch the trailer, and see if it doesn’t creep you out. 

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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 knows…

Anyway, free tickets will be distributed online starting Monday, Aug. 17, and the trailer will hit 101 IMAX venues in the U.S. and Canada starting Aug. 21. Visit the official "Avatar" site for theater info and other tidbits.

And if you’d just as soon see the trailer for free … well, the more conventional 2D and 3D "Avatar" trailers will also hit theaters on Aug. 21.

The movie arrives in theaters Dec. 18, 2009. Directed by James Cameron, it stars Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez, and Zoe Saldana.

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

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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 all about the cute rodents with spy gear. We get to see some character development and watch the pigs infiltrate an “enemy camp” (a hot-shot electronics guy’s digs). The second half, however, picked up the pace and was more of the intense action I expected from Bruckheimer. Car chases and such.

Though I enjoyed “G-Force,” I wouldn’t say it was spectacular, and my 12-year-old daughter was bored silly. I think it’s good for kids in the 6 to 9 age range, especially those who like cute animal movies with a twist.

The story centers on a team of super-smart animal spies, including guinea pigs Darwin (voiced by Sam Rockwell), Blaster (Tracy Morgan), and Juarez (Penelope Cruz); a techie mole named Speckles (Nicolas Cage); and a surveillance fly named Mooch. The unit is trained by Ben (Zach Galifianakis, whom I fell in nerd-love with in “The Hangover”), who runs a small department of the FBI using animals as spies. Ben uses special language-decoding equipment to communicate with the animals. His supervisor is Kip Killian, played by Will Arnett.

The story begins with the team infiltrating the launch show of an electronic appliance hot-shot named Saber (Bill Nighy) who’s using home appliances to take over the world. Yes, take over the world.

But when things don’t go well, the department is shut down and the animals find themselves scattered to and fro – some landing in homes as pets and some trying to escape from a pet shop, where they meet another fatter guinea pig named Hurley (Jon Favreau), Bucky the hamster (Steve Buscemi), and a trio of voice-synchronized mice.

“G-Force” doesn’t deviate too much from the traditional messages of Disney films: family is important, ordinary creatures are special, you can find love and family in the least expected places, etc. Unfortunately, there’s nothing too remarkable about all of this.

For me, the highlight is dissecting the amazing CG animation that really brings all of these animals to life. I suppose it would have been even more amazing if we’d seen the 3D version, although given the choice, we (my kids and I) prefer a traditional film over 3D because it usually detracts from the story rather than adds to it. A lot of people we know feel the same way. Someone needs to tell Disney and Pixar that before they blow a bunch of money making everything 3D.

As mentioned, the second half of the film picks up with a bit more action, including a high-octane car chase, but with the filmmakers and cast involved, I was hoping for something more memorable. In summary, this is a cute movie, but you probably won’t remember it two days later.

Image: Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc., and Jerry Bruckheimer, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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"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 disaster strikes, the girls are faced with a grueling trip back to civilization – hauling a body along with them.

Directed by Sascha Drews, "Surviving Crooked Lake" stars Alysha Aubin, Candice Mausner, Morgan McCunn, Stephannie Richardson, and Guy Yarkoni. It hits theaters in limited release on July 24, 2009. Check out the trailer:

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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 theme song for the movie, by Flo Rida:

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