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Based loosely on true events, this is the tale of Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon), a vice president of a major company in the agricultural business who voluntarily leaks information to the FBI on a giant price fixing scheme. The only problem is, unbeknownst to agents Shepard (Scott Bakula) and Herndon (Joel McHale) Mark also happens to be a pathological liar. As the truth comes out, bigger and bigger lies are told, perhaps undermining the entire investigation and turning the spotlight in a completely different direction. Baffling to the viewer how such events could possibly ever happen, we are once again reminded sometimes truth is stranger than fiction; and, in this case the truth is also the making for an interesting story and screenplay with an inner dialogue that provides a fun and creative insight to a number of characters. Solid acting from all actors makes this quirky film even more enjoyable. Worth a matinee, the Informant is rated R.

In his own time 19th century poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) was dismissed by the public as a poor artist and a talentless hack. Fortunately for Keats, Charles Armitage Brown (Paul Schneider) and a host of other artists took notice of his talents and provided him with support. Enter Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish), a young self made fashion designer with a romantic interest in Keats who ends up in a tug-o-war of sorts with Brown for Keats attention. Unfortunately, as history tells us fate has a different plan altogether. Based on the the life and secret romance of one of history’s great romantic poets, this intelligent film entertains as much as it informs. A solid drama script and superb acting are the big selling points and fans of British cinema will not be disappointed. By this I mean the glitz and glamour of Hollywood romance type films is absent in this film, instead we’re left with what feels like a very real romance, unapologetic, painful, yet refreshing. If high caliber drama is your thing, this film is worth seeing. Bright Star is rated PG.

Jennifer Check (Megan Fox), cheerleader, and the most popular girl in at a small town High school seems like the typical pretty girl who knows how to work the system. Jennifer’s friend Needy Lesnicky (Amanda Seyfried) is the opposite, homely, polite, and often overlooked. After a bizarre encounter with a sinister indie band at a local bar, Needy begins to suspect a change in Jennifer but can’t quite place it. Eventually it becomes apparent Jennifer is possessed by a demon capable of supernatural powers preying on the living, raising the literal question, “who will survive High School?” Written with all the wit and cynicism that audiences have come to adore from Diablo Cody, this black humored slasher film makes a fair attempt to entertain. Sadly, the attempts to be scary often fall flat and the attempts at humor don’t exactly bust a gut as much as one would hope. In many cases the exposition also feels forced and just feels cheap. Higher production value makes this film feel a little more important, but mainly feels just kind of…meh…Maybe a matinee, Jennifer’s Body is rated R.