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In the year 2016 former boxer and current drifter Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) is on the brink of financial failure and trying to make a living as an operator of a fighting robot. You see, in the future traditional blood sports aren’t enough and audiences want real carnage, the closest they can come is with battling robots, often spewing hydrolic fluid and electrical components upon their demise. When Charlie learns that his ex-wife has passed away and left their son Max (Dakota Goyo) in his custody panic sets in– until he realizes he can profit from the situation. But easy come and easy go, before long Charlie and Max are without money and in need of a new fighting robot, by chance Max discovers an old model sparring dummy named Atom. Assisted by pseudo girlfriend and tech wiz Bailey (Evangeline Lilly), Atom is cleaned up and reactivated. With Max’s spirit and Charlie’s fighting skills Atom may have what it takes to make it to the top of the robot fighting world, but it’s a long way to the top before Atom will be able to take on the champ, Zeus. And, what about the outstanding custody issues between Charlie and Aunt Debra (Hope Davis)? A family film that has the look and feel of Steven Speilberg written all over it, even though he’s only signed on as an Executive Producer. I’d even go so far as to say Danny Elfman’s score feels like a page right out of John Williams playbook. So, the film in many regards feels like an homage to a number of sci-fi films from the 70’s and 80’s, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, after all there were some greats right? But here’s the thing, the film also feels like a big budget holiday release, and in this case it’s being released at the wrong time, which almost condemns it to poor performance. The story isn’t exactly much of a surprise, and I almost winced a little as Goyo and the robot “dance” on a few occasions, this actually solidified my fear of the film’s “geekyness” which may be another card stacked against this one. Still, geekyness and all, from an entertainment stand point of view, I still smiled, laughed, and allowed myself to enjoy this flashy form of Rockem Sockem robots, even though it’s not necessarily top notch or original. And, fun fact, according to IMDB many of the robot boxing fights were motion-captured using professional boxers, supervised by Sugar Ray Leonard. Maybe a matinee. Real Steel is rated PG-13.

Based on a true story Moneyball is the story of the Oakland A’s manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) and the challenge he faced in 2001 when three of his top players were traded to baseball teams with much deeper pockets. To field a winning ball team on such a limited budget seemed the impossible– that is until Beane met Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a financial and statistics guru. Together Brand and Beane reshaped the Oakland A’s into a statistically winning team. But, with years of beliefs and tradition influencing coaches, trainers, and the game itself, the big question remains how will the team do? Given the fact that if you follow baseball at all, there’s a good chance you already know how the film ends, the good news is, it’s still a fun and sometimes suspenseful ride getting there. The dynamics between Pitt and Hill come across as genuine, and as a pleasant break for the often type cast “goof ball” Hill. Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Manager Art Howe is pleasant but despiseable addition as well. Will the film stand the test of time as well as other classic sports films, it’s hard to say. In the meantime, Moneyball is certainly an interesting historical watermark and look at what a financial beast the game has become. Admittedly, the film does begin to feel a bit long as things start to wrap up, but it’s not majorly offensive in its length. A solid matinee for the family. Moneyball is rated PG-13.

A screenwriter out of Hollywood named David (James Marsden) and his wife Amy (Kate Bosworth) decide to move back to her tiny hometown in the deep South. The hope is that David will get the peace and quiet he needs to finish a screenplay he’s slaving over. But, when the couple hires a crew of locals to repair their barn trouble begins to brew– the foreman on the job, Charlie (Alexander Skarsgard), is Amy’s old flame. As the strain between the locals and the couple grows David remains optimistic, but, that will have to change if he expects to make it out of town alive. A remake of the 1971 classic with plenty of homage moments to the original only this time with a ridiculously beefcakey cast. Meanwhile, the implied psychological trauma, and unspoken glances leave a large portion of this modern screenplay open to interpretation, the real question is, will you want to give the story that much thought after the fact? Let me answer that one for you, probably not. For a suspense/thriller the gore department also shows up for the party, maybe not so surprising, but something to mull over, after all, who doesn’t love a full on bear trap teasing your limbs? In short, even though you know where the story is headed, there are a few moments that will still make you jump, but the whole thing just doesn’t play out strong enough to necessitate theatre ticket costs, maybe a matinee or rental. Straw Dogs is rated R.