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Kate Reddy (Sarah Jessica Parker) is a middle aged investing guru and mother of two, trying to balance her work and home life; all the while, her men, husband Richard (Greg Kinnear), and business partner Jack (Pierce Brosnan), vie for her time with their own priorities. As business heats up and kids fall ill stress adds up quickly, will she make it through, or will she crack, and what will her boss Clark (Kelsey Grammer) have to say of her actions? Standard romantic comedy rules apply to this one with text book situations, setups, and punch lines. And, with narration from Parker throughout the film, you can’t help but feel like you’re watching a cousin to Sex and the City. So, no points for originality, and there’s nothing to scream about in the acting department either. The whole thing just kind of sits there, ho hum. It’s cute-ish, but more of a rental for the ladies this winter when you’re home sick with the flu. I Don’t Know How She Does It is rated PG-13.

Brothers separated in their youth, Brendan and Tommy (Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy), find themselves in their own tough spots; Brendan needing to raise money to pay his mortgage and keep his family a float, Tommy with a chip on his shoulder looking to bury his past and battle demons. With the announcement of an ultimate cage fighting mixed martial arts competition both brothers see a possible solution to their problems. In response, Tommy reconnects with his estranged father and trainer (Nick Nolte), Brendan hooks up with his former trainer Frank (Frank Campana) and the
race is on. Both brothers with grit in their teeth and fire in their bellies, the stage is set for what could be a brutal showdown, that is until the much feared Koba (Kurt Angle) enters the competition. Who will actually win this battle and will broken family ties be repaired, and what of Tommy’s military past still haunts him? In what could be a typical
underdog story of brother against brother, I’ll just come right out and say it, Co-writer and Director Gavin O’Connor does a fantastic job maintaining suspense and capturing the spirit of MMA action right to the bitter end; meanwhile, a compelling story about family and an imperfect world is woven artfully in the midst of all the brutality. Unexpectedly
great, all parties bring their A game to the film. Well choreographed, shot, and edited. I’m smelling an Oscar here somewhere. Yes it’s violent, but yes it’s good. Warrior is rated PG-13.

When a mysterious new deadly virus with unknown origins begins to spread around the globe the world’s greatest minds are set into action. As the virus spreads, fear, panic, and chaos begins to set in. This is the story of humanity’s stand against the virus, told from multiple perspectives, the average joe’s, the CDC, the bio-tech community, the fanatic’s, the government’s, etc.. Who will survive, who will die, and where exactly did the virus actually come from are the big questions. Meanwhile, a myriad of other questions are methodically examined bit by bit slowly revealing how
an actual contagion might be addressed. An all star cast leads this modern thriller including parts from, Gweneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Lawrence Fishburne, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, and Marion Cotillard. Quality performances ring throughout making the overall ensemble strong. Told in a peekaboo and almost haphazard editing style we’re slowly given pieces to the puzzle which certainly helps to create a sense of mystery, suspense, and disorientation to what might otherwise be a relatively boring story. Although, none of the storylines go deep enough to really get meaty which is unfortunate because there’s plenty to explore about humanity in this regard. Overall I can’t say I was truly riveted, but it was interesting. Maybe a matinee or a rental. Contagion is rated PG-13.