Hellooo abs! Pulling together all the muscle-bound actors not already in the new “Expendables” movie, director Steven Soderbergh and Channing Tatum (the later working from his own life experience) pay tribute to men in uniform, who then strip those uniforms off. Mike (Tatum) is a roofer by day, stripper by night, taking ne’er-do-well drifter Adam (Alex Pettyfer) under his wing, showing him the ropes of the dance club and, upon a twist of fate

Even Honest Abe would tell you; there are a lot […]

If you were a Scottish princess, wouldn’t using a spell to turn your mother the queen into a bear be considered an act of insurrection? It’s hard to imagine that in real life Merida—the red-headstrong princess in Disney Pixar’s Brave—would avoid the tower for very long. In fact, consorting with a witch would be pretty risky, burning at the stake and all. Not to mention Scottish royalty has a particularly discouraging tradition of lea-

So, We Bought a Zoo is based on a true story about a single parent who brought his family back together again by buying a zoo--stop laughing. Did I mention it’s directed by Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire), stars Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson, and features an impressive musical score by Sigur Rós frontman Jónsi Birgisson? But then again, that storyline…hm, keep it up, you’ll need laughter to get through this schmaltzy dreck.

Zack Snyder’s shortcomings as a director come through loud and […]

“Paul” is another alien movie that feels like ET just phoned it in from home. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz) play Graeme and Clive, two British comic book geeks who decide to go on a tour of America’s famous alien tourist spots (think area 51). They come face to face with the real thing when they meet Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen), a little green alien who escaped from a government lab and now must trust Graeme and Clive with getting him to a safe spot for a space ship pick-up.

Could “Hall Pass” be the nail in the coffin for […]

Director Jaume Collet-Serra dials up the paranoia and suspense while the action, which includes some fights, explosions and a terrific car chase, thrills. Of course the way this all ends is very important and while it’s familiar, the ending still makes sense enough not to botch what came before it. And this is Neeson’s movie. The big, gruff action hero knocks it out of the park. Ganz also proves a definite scene stealer and Kruger and Frank Langella, playing Martin’s shady boss, offer fine support. Unknown is nothing groundbreaking but it's effective and thrilling, and at this point in the year who could ask for anything more?

Company Men has a nice cast and John Wells is the very talented creator of one of television’s best dramas (ER), but you have to wonder, why would anyone want to watch this dismal film about the economic crisis? Ben Affleck plays Bobby Walker, a sales associate laid off by ship-building company GTX. For Bobby--used to conveying a sense of class with his Porsche and golf-club membership--to come to the realization that he is now just another person in a sea of displaced people isn't easy.

There is never a doubt about how the fights will turn out in “The Fighter,” except the ones that play out within the family of Mickey Ward. Dickey Eklund (Christian Bale) at one time was called "Pride of Lowell, Massachusetts” because he managed to knock down Sugar-Ray Leonard (though some would say Sugar-Ray tripped).