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Phil and Claire Foster (Steve Carell and Tina Fey) are a mostly ordinary couple from New Jersey. He’s a tax advisor, she’s a real estate agent, together they have two kids, their lives are pretty full just trying to keep the house afloat. In an effort to spice up their relationship the two head into New York on a date together, instead, a case of mistaken identity makes for one evening they’ll never forget. By the end of the night the Fosters are wanted by the police, the District Attorney (William Fichtner), and mobster Joe Miletto (Ray Liotta). How to clear their name and get back to their kids looms large; and, just who exactly is Holbrooke Grant (Mark Wahlberg), and how did he get such perfect pecks?
While not exactly a cookie cutter romantic comedy simply out of the fact that the players involved are top notch improvisers, the overall plot line and script leaves little to the imagination. Carell and Fey do manage to get in a few solid hits; and, seeing the two riff with each other comedically does provide for a few laugh out loud moments, especially during the out takes in the end credits. Shallow and stereotypical character development does prompt a few eye rolls, but otherwise there’s not a lot to rant or rave about this one, it’s just kind of “there.” Maybe a matinee for those just pining for a romantic comedy, more fitting as a rental. Date Night is rated PG-13.

Threatened by the uprising of man, a provoked Zeus (Liam Neeson) is convinced by his brother Hades (Ralph Fiennes) to challenge humans, strike fear in their hearts, and regain their respect. To that end Hades plans to release a monster of his own seed– the Kraken. But, unbeknownst to Hades there’s a demigod named Perseus (Sam Worthington) amongst the people who can save the day. Until now Perseus has been a simple fisherman, now thrust into a battle between man and gods he learns of his true fate, to destroy the Kraken and save humanity from Hades rule. But will he survive long enough to live out his fate, and just how does one stop the Kraken? Based roughly on the 1981 screenplay of the same title, this attempt at epic film making goes to show that some franchise flicks should just be left alone. As if the original script didn’t read like something from the imagination of a 10 year old this rehash seems to exacerbate and amplify that same feeling. And, despite some heavy hitters in the acting department the overall gravity of the film just seems to pull southward. Adding insult to injury the mostly passable computer graphics are ultimately fetid with the studio’s decision to print the film in 3D. Originally the film was destined to be released in 2D; but, with the recent success from titles like Alice in Wonderland and Avatar apparently Warner thought it would be a good idea to put a rush job on the picture and make it 3D, bottom line it’s unnecessary, flat out looks bad on several occasions, and if anything seems to hurt more than help. Maybe a rental later if you’re a fan of the old film and looking for a way to kill about two hours…or not. Clash of the Titans is rated PG-13.