Movie Reviews

Universal Studios

Review in a Hurry: Fur real? The Easter Bunny's rebellious son pursues his Hollywood dreams in Hop, an animation, live-action hybrid that travels a well-trod trail of pop-culture indulgence. Kiddies might be eggcited by the critters and candy, but for most peeps, this bunny-buddy comedy delivers a mixed basket.

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Summit Entertainment, Jonathan Wenk

Review in a Hurry: It's Groundhog Day at Ground Zero, as Jake Gyllenhaal has to keep reliving the last eight minutes of a bomb victim's life, over and over, until he's able to identify the terrorist responsible. As he did in his acclaimed debut film Moon, director Duncan Jones explores science-fiction ideas of identity and surrogate human bodies, but in adding a more suspense-driven, ticking-clock premise, he has made a thriller with much broader appeal.

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Diyah Pera/20th Century Fox

Review in a Hurry: Rodrick (Devon Bostick) does indeed rule, but not over much: As bad-boy big bro to the eponymous Wimpy Kid, he's the only fully developed character in a thrown-together sea of stock types. Bostick potentially has a bright future ahead, but the franchise doesn't...creatively, anyway.

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Warner Bros. Pictures

Review in a Hurry: In his first nonadaptation, director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) seems to be trying for the most expensive art film ever, but the story—about girls in a mental institution who detach from reality—often sidetracks in favor of cool visuals that don't necessarily make sense. His ambition is impressive, but his attention span is limited.

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Universal Studios

Review in a Hurry: With Kevin Smith apparently retiring from directing soon, there's opportunity afoot for somebody new to start making R-rated comedies full of Star Wars conversations and pot smoking. Enter, inevitably, Comic-Con faves Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, playing Comic-Con attendees who run into a foul-mouthed-yet-sweet-natured alien (voice of Seth Rogen).

Like everything they do, it's an agreeable comedy that is likely to be overinflated to masterpiece status by fanboys.

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Saeed Adyani/Lionsgate

Review in a Hurry: With great use of the Los Angeles cityscape, a strong supporting cast and a case that isn't by the numbers, The Lincoln Lawyer works best as a return to form for Matthew McConaughey.

That would be enough—seeing a movie star actually act—but Lincoln has a nifty setup and an even niftier premise. Only a few last-act surprises take the air out of this fast-moving vehicle.

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Dark Fields Productions

Review in a Hurry: Bradley Cooper gets more than a hangover after popping top-secret "smart drugs"—he also risks sickness and murder to keep expanding his mind. If you're jonesing for an addictive thriller, Limitless goes down easily and creates a contact high with zippy pacing and hypnotic visuals.

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ImageMovers Digital LLC

Review in a Hurry: Adapted from a children's book by Bloom County artist Berkeley Breathed, Mars Needs Moms is visually inventive and occasionally emotionally potent, but feels overly padded in its attempt to stretch such a short story to feature length.

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Kimberly French/Warner Bros. Entertainment

Review in a Hurry: The original fairy tale, as you know, is about the little girl who takes an unfortunate trip to grandma's house. In Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke's version, the girl (Amanda Seyfried) isn't so little, and the nefarious wolf is the mythological "it" creature du jour, a werewolf. The result, however, is still the same: unfortunate.

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Richard Cartwright /Columbia Pictures

Review in a Hurry: Part sci-fi thriller, part computer game, and part Marine recruiting video. A band of few-and-proud brothers fends off an alien invasion in this ultra-adrenalized Battle, which inspires some shock and awe with CGI effects, but misfires with stock characters and cheesoid dialogue.

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