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The International
When Interpol agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) begins to investigate the actions of a major banking institution, a stagnant can of worms is exposed. Murder, mayhem, global terror, all financed by the bank. With the help of Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts), Louis attempts to bring the bank down, but at what cost? High tension and action keep this adventure film fun. Not a lot of new territory covered here but perhaps worthy of a matinee if you need a testosterone fix. The International is rated R.

Confessions of a Shopaholic
Aspiring magazine writer Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) dreams of writing for the top fashion magazine Alette. Through a series of unfortunate events Rebecca ends up writing for a financial magazine instead. But everything is not yet lost as her hunky boss Luke (Hugh Dancy) helps guide her to success as a financial writer for the woman trying to avoid consumer debt. The catch, Rebecca is a hypocrite, will she be exposed, how will she pay off her debt, and will she ever win the heart of Luke? Not exactly a fresh script, one part Sex and the City, one part Hanna Montana, and one part mid 80’s John Hughes film, the end result; a corny romantic comedy with no nutritional value. Confessions of a Shopaholic is rated PG.

Friday the 13th
The hockey mask clad horror icon Jason Voorhees (Derek Mears) is back– almost 30 years since the first film’s release. And, this installment brings us a much needed re-boot of the franchise. More Gore, more booze, more nudity, and sometimes clever dialogue makes for a textbook horror flick. This time however the production value of the film seems reputable. Fans of the genre will probably enjoy this one, the rest on the other hand….well…need I say more? Friday the 13th is rated R.

Coraline
Teri Hatcher and Dakota Fanning add their voices to this 3D animated feature about a precocious and frustrated young girl, Coraline, who discovers a tunnel to a parallel world where everything seems perfect; but all is not what it seems as the truth comes out and Coraline is trapped. Can Coraline escape from the clutches of the parallel world, and, can she free the trapped souls she’s stuck with? Great characters and excellent stop motion animation and effects ring similar to The Nightmare Before Christmas. Unfortunately, the musical numbers in this feature aren’t entirely as memorable.  Definitely worth a matinee for the whole family. Coraline is rated PG.

He’s Just Not That Into You
Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Scarlet Johansson, Jennifer Connelly, Justin Long, Drew Barrymore and many more all appear in this romantic comedy based loosely on the ideologies of the popular book of the same name designed to help women understand how men think. Sometimes a little clunky and cliche in narrative but still full of laughs and redeemable performances from all involved. Overall a reasonable date movie, maybe a matinee. He’s Just Not That Into You is rated PG-13.

Push
Nick Grant (Chris Evans), a telekinetic 20 something living in Hong Kong is approached by Cassie Holmes(Dakota Fanning), a 12 year old fortune teller trying to free her mother from a secret government group known as “Division.” The two embark on the mission but plans change when Nick’s ex-girlfriend Kira (Camila Belle) enters the scene with her own special power, mind control.  At risk of being caught by Division and sought by a Chinese Mob the group must use their powers to outwit, outsmart, and outlive their enemies. Conceptually cool, but poorly executed and sometimes low production quality detracts from the film. Pretty sizeable plot holes don’t lend to the films’ appeal much either. Sci Fi buffs might enjoy this as a rental at a later date. Push is rated PG-13.
 
Pink Panther 2
Insp. Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin) is back to his bumbling ways, this time joined by his sidekick Ponton (Jean Reno) and members of an international crime fighting task force in an effort to stop the dreaded thief “The Tornado.” But, can insp. Clouseau protect the Pink Panther diamond and recover the rest of the priceless stolen artifacts the Tornado has pilfered? Physical Comedy which may work for the younger audiences reigns supreme in this eye-gougingly bad continuation of an already worn out franchise. I want my 90 minutes back. The Pink Panther 2 is rated PG.