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1949 Los Angeles, a Jewish mobster by the name of Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) was looking to stake his claim on the Wild West disregarding the pressures of the mafia in Chicago and New York. Wild eyed and raw with power Cohen seemed unstoppable, until what seemed like the last honest police chief, Chief Parker (Nick Nolte), put a plan into action– an assembly of elite but honest and tough cops to secretly take down Cohen’s operations piece by piece. Headed up by Sgt. O’Mara (Josh Brolin) and his friend Sgt. Wooters (Ryan Gosling), this gangster squad would have to work fast and dangerously to make their mark, not all would survive, and what about the dame in distress (Emma Stone)? Crossed somewhere between Dick Tracy, Bugsy, and Tombstone, Gangster Squad serves as a mish mosh of untimely art deco, zuit suit riot-esque Hollywood confusion. With throwbacks to the gangster films of days gone by, it’s a little hard to take this “historically inspired” film terribly seriously. Cheese whiz good guy rhetoric rings throughout, and the overall story reads like a predictable comic book. Still, if you’re up for a mindless popcorn chomper, this may have some legs…maybe broken at the knees, but still legs. Gangster Squad is rated R.

Based on Victor Hugo’s novel and the Broadway production, Les Miserables details the life of Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), a man imprisoned for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread who breaks parole but goes on to become a successful businessman. All the while hounded by lawman Javert (Russell Crowe), Valjean seeks to do what is right and good and ultimately ends up becoming an adoptive father of Cosette (Amanda Syfried), the daughter of Fantine (Anne Hathaway), a former employee of Valjean with a doomed fate. Meanwhile, as Cossette is coming into her own the unsuccessful June Rebellion is firing up, bad news for Cossette, her beloved Marius (Eddie Remayne) is leading the charge. Save the boy, save the girl, survive the rebellion, dodge the thieves and swindlers, and avoid the law, Valjean has his work cut out for himself, where will his fate be cut? Straightforward directing from Tom Hooper brings the Broadway favorite to the silver screen with little variation from the expected; but, this is not to say the film is one and the same as the musical production, specifically, singing technique comes to mind. Where fans of the musical are familiar with a more operatic approach, the cinematic approach brings a closer miced sound, which can sound less impressive power wise but more intricate with diction. Both styles are accepted, but could take some getting used to. After that, the voices of each of the leads will probably prove to be the biggest sticking point for many, at times both Jackman and Crowe have tight and restricted voices which robs tone potential, meanwhile, Hathaway absolutely kills it with great tone and technique. Also of note, Samantha Barks as Eponine is a polished and perfect fit. Performances from Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonhan Carter as Thenardier and Madame Thenardier are perfectly hammed up and sit just right. Overall art direction stays in keeping and visually interesting. Bottom line, while the sound of your favorite Mis tunes may take some getting used to, you could do a lot worse, worthy of a matinee and maybe even more. Les Miserables is rated PG-13.

After training for years to be a sniper in the U.S. Army and serve in Iraq, only to never be activated, a soldier is returned stateside to lead a “normal” life. The issue, he still hungers to fire his weapon and see the action he prepared for. Now accused of the murder of 5 innocent civilians, Barr (Joseph Sikora), doesn’t stand a chance against the District Attorney (Richard Jenkins), and then there’s Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise), a former military police investigator that already has a vendetta for Barr. But, as Reacher digs into the details surrounding Barr’s case the bigger picture becomes evident, a masterful framing. Now for justice to prevail and what of defense attorney Helen’s (Rosamund Pike) case? What lengths will Reacher have to go in order to stop the powers at the top? Despite the heavy lacing of machismo, Mission Impossible, Bourne-esque thrills Cruise can muster, an enjoyable watch is still contained within. Formulaic? Yep, it is, but the raw nature, and gritty timbre gives us a slightly different vantage point than the expected polished Hollywood thriller. Confident Cruise carries the role as one would expect, and smaller roles from Richard Jenkins, Werner Herzog, and Robert Duvall all fit the bill nicely. Although, leading lady Pike seems to have had her character written hastily, not her fault, but never let it be said chauvinism is dead, at least not in this film. Regardless, you’re looking for action, car chases, guns and explosions? Well you’ve come to the right place, just consider it all of the above with close to no nutritional value. Jack Reacher is rated PG-13.