The Killers

Katherine Heigl and director Robert Luketic reunite in the supposed romantic, dramatic comedy/moonlighting action thriller, aptly titled, Killers. If that description is any indication of how muddled the identity of this movie is, it's not a coincidence. The pairing of these two stars would suggest that the producers of the film were going for a Rom-Com, but the trailers give a different impression (The one trailer with shirtless Ashton Kutcher, is probably one of the top marketing tools that they devised to lure in their intended demographic).

A lot of negative things have been said about the chemistry between Heigl and Kutcher in the movie, but something about it to me seemed right in the early scenes of the movie shot in Nice, France. Heigl's character, Jen Kornfeldt's, awkwardness combined with her stunning beauty and the charm of Kutcher's character, Spencer Aimes, was a welcome enough beginning to the film for this guy. But, very unrealistically three years have passed and Jen and Spencer are very happily married and set up in the suburbs with a gorgeous home and fantastic jobs. Sooner than later though the bubble of bliss surrounding the newlywed couple starts to burst, in the form of Rob Riggle (Who many saw as Officer Franklin, in the Hangover, from last summer) whose character a co-worker of Spencer going rogue and suddenly attempting to murder him to attain the $10 million bounty on his head. A not too thrilling car chase scene follows this development and I, like most, started to lose a good amount of interest. There really are too many far-fetched twists and turns and implausible happenings that have this movie on a fast track to becoming forgotten as quickly as Amanda Bynes' announcement to retire (But if you've seen some of the pics she's posted on Twitter, I'm likely to be mistaken).

I didn't have the opportunity yet to see, The Ugly Truth, but the box office success of that film is most obviously the reason that director and star were paired together again for another release this summer. Unfortunately, this product isn't going to reach the numbers that were set by Luketic's 2009 film, and even sadder still the opinion of this one will most likely be less favorable then it's predecessor.

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time

The biggest complaint I encountered when reading a few reviews about Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, was that it lacked any substance below the surface. I can certainly echo these feelings because they're spot on. I thought Bruckheimer and Co. did a superb job of creating a video game adapted movie that could appeal to not only the gamers who played it, but to those who were just familiar with the game. Trailers boasting a buffed up Jake Gyllenhall throwing himself from building to building all while wielding an array of different knives and swords, was an especially coy marketing device to lure in the 17-25 year old female demographic, who most likely had never even played a Sony PlayStation before. Throw in stunningly beautiful British actress Gemma Arterton, fresh off a successful, Clash of the Titans, release and you have what looks like on paper a pretty tasty recipe for a summer blockbuster.

But the masses are pretty spot on with their assessment of this movie it just scrapes the surface. Basically across the board, whether it's the acting by the two stars or what they're saying, there was just a lot of unrealized potential tied into this movie.

Ben Kingsley is a very solid addition to the cast, bringing top notch acting while playing the role of pivotal character, Nizam. Alfred Molina, adds some very needed comic relief as, Sheik Amar.

All in all, Prince of Persia lacks that certain "it" factor that made recent summer blockbuster's like Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Star Trek successful, but it's definitely not as awful as G.I Joe: Rise of the Cobra. Don't rush to the theaters to see it, but down the road when it's available on demand or on Netflix maybe check it, just maybe though.

The Runaways

The Runaways is a visually well done, thought provoking biopic starring Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart. The movie evoked feelings of, Almost Famous, for me mostly because of it being a bio-pic pertaining to music culture. But, unfortunately Almost Famous, was much better than the latter. Not to say that, The Runaway's, wasn't entertaining or a cinematic accomplishment, but it just lacked numerous elements that made, Almost Famous, an Academy Award winner.

It was actually really entertaining to see Stewart in a different role than her Twilight character. In this movie she plays Joan Jett, a girl kissing, cocaine snorting, oversexed teenager who very convincingly leads the all girl band, The Runaway's. Stewart receives a lot of negative attention due to her Twilight connection, but I'm sure her detractors are watering at the mouths with her hairstyle and general wardrobe throughout the film. I had no problem with how she looked in the movie and would go as far as to say that the look suited her quite well. All those ancillary effects aside, Stewart really brings it acting-wise in this film. It's a risky choice considering the movie is essentially sandwiched between two "Twilight release summer's", and she isn't playing her traditional damsel in distress doe-eyed vampire lover archetype, but Stewart really goes all in with this effort. Her performance is without a doubt one of the most important things to take from this movie.

Floria Sigismondi, the film's director, does a very solid job with a predictable rock movie. She shoots a lot of scenes with dark lighting to add to the effect of some of the darker scenes and create an environment where the viewer can become immersed in, which I really liked. But, borrowing a line from Karina Longworth, of the Village Voice, "The movie is at its best when working through the contradictions of teen sex-for-sale, when it's both turn-on and creep-out", I felt she did the best at capturing this idea, whether it was the way she shot the photo-op with Dakota Fanning's character or the lesbian kiss scene.

Get Him to the Greek

Get Him to The Greek, in my opinon solidifies Jonah Hill's entrance into the A-list of male comedic actors. His performance as, Aaron Green, was ridiculously funny and certainly memorable. I found myself laughing loud enough at his antics in the movie to draw some attention from a few rows in front of me.

Except for a spoof music video that some moviegoers might take offense to, the first twenty minutes of the movie are a great build up and re-introduce the audience with the multi-faceted, fillandering character that is, Aldous Snow, played by Russell Brand. Brand's arrogant, degenerate character is so compelling that you almost believe he exists outside of the movie. Combine this charcter with, Jonah Hill's, a surprisingly outstanding performance from Diddy, and a wildly entertaining plot that tears across London, NYC, Las Vegas, and LA and you've got what I believe is the funniest comedy of the summer so far (Although the trailer for the Other Guys makes me think that'll wind up taking the cake).

Although some of the more memorable lines of the movie are revealed during the trailers, there are still several gems that should crack up any audience. The writers deserve a lot of credit for how funny this film was, creative contemporary pop culture humor is what Hill thrives at. The scene at the Today Show was without a doubt one of the funniest, planned out scenes in the film.

Supporting performances from Elisabeth Moss, Rose Byrne, and Aziz Ansiri also add some top notch humor to an already well stocked laugher movie.

Iron Man 2

Considering the fact that I've been highly anticipating this movie, even before the credits rolled on its predecessor, it had very big shoes to fill (Shaquille O'Neal sized ones really) But, knowing how difficult it is to follow up on successful movie with a sequel, especially in the film adapted comic book genre, I sort of expected to be disappointed in some way or other by Iron Man 2. After watching the first ten minutes though and getting a small glimpse of what was to come, I immediately realized that there was no way that this movie couldn't/shouldn't be better than the first. Essentially everything from the first movie is back, plus new additions like Mickey Rourke, Don Cheadle, Samuel Jackson, and Scarlet Johansson.

I could really go on and on about what I liked from this movie, but I'd rather keep it sweet and short. Iron Man 2 is better than the first, the on screen chemistry between Downey Jr. and Paltrow is there, the writing is more on point, it has incredible special effects and explosions, and its once again the definitive summer blockbuster so early in the season. So, by all means see it.. (Over Robin Hood and Shrek Forever After in the coming weeks)

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

With a tagline like, "The only criminal that he can't catch is himself", I pretty seriously question the creativity and marketing capabilities of the team behind this movie. Not only does this line have very little to do with what transpires in the film, but I can think of several that would've been better, but I wont get into them now.

Anyways, I saw the movie after a "Nicolas Cage fan" friend of mine suggested I see it after ripping his appearance in "Kick Ass". It didn't take very long for me to understand why my friend enjoyed Cage's performance in it. He plays a hot shot, crooked police officer with enough swagger to make rapper T.I. uncomfortable, but his role and subsequent performance isn't what was wrong with this movie. If I had to say something was wrong with it, it would be it's lack of "fluidity", by that, I felt like the movie didn't progress from scene to scene convincingly enough. Also, when scenes ended and certain information was inferred to the audience, this bordered on the side of confusing too closely for me. I would've liked to have some more screen time for Eva Mendes as well, not because she's beautiful, but because she excels at roles like this one.

The Losers

I went into seeing this movie with little expectations, I'd seen the trailer a couple times, but it didn't stick out to me like it'd be anything special. There weren't any actors in it that I cared for that much, except for maybe Zoe Saldana.

I want to be short and sweet about this because I don't feel the movie deserves my over analysis, but, The Losers, was entertaining. It was pretty good, not memorable or anything like that, but it did have it's moments. I can see Saldana becoming more of a go to "sexual icon" actress after watching her in films like this one, although I wasn't really believing the chemistry between her and co-star, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, she looked fantastic in every scene she was in. The rest of the cast was pretty well chosen for this movie in my opinion, with Chris Evans, Columbus Short, and Jason Patric really impressing with their performances.

IMDB reports that the estimated budget for the movie was $25 million, which seemed like a pretty solid budget to me. Granted it says that they filmed in Puerto Rico(for Bolivia, and maybe Dubai and Mumbai), the explosions, weaponry, and other toys seemed real. But, with that relatively small of a budget and the movie being released to almost 3,000 theaters its pretty disappointing that it only reached about $9 million it's opening weekend. I don't know anywhere near all of the details necessary to break this down, but I think with the movie being adapted from a comic book (Having a substantial already established fan base) and the general lull at the box office last weekend, The Losers, should have made at least $15-20 million. That's just my opinion though.