Reel News: Week of 12/12 – Alvin and the Chipmunks, Shame, Mission: Impossible 4, Sherlock Holmes 2, Young Adult

Theatrical Releases This Week

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
Director: Mike Mitchell
Trailer

The vacationing Chipmunks and Chipettes are turning a luxury cruise liner into their personal playground, until they become “chipwrecked” on a remote island.
As the ‘Munks and Chipettes try various schemes to find their way home, they accidentally discover their new turf is not as deserted as it seems. (Synopsis by the Official Site)

They just don’t stop making these do they? Jason Lee must have some bills to pay.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Director: Guy Ritchie
Trailer

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large-Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris)-and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence, as construed by Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan), points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder-a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by Professor Moriarty. The cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead of Holmes as he spins a web of death and destruction-all part of a greater plan that, if he succeeds, will change the course of history. (Synopsis by Warner Brothers)

Trading in the original’s mystery plot for an action-adventure, Guy Ritchie and Robert Downey Jr. are up to their old tricks. A solid contender for best bet of the week against “Mission Impossible.”

Shame
Director: Steve McQueen (III)
Trailer

Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a New Yorker who shuns intimacy with women but feeds his desires with a compulsive addiction to sex.
When his wayward younger sister (Carey Mulligan) moves into his apartment stirring memories of their shared painful past, Brandon’s insular life spirals out of control. (Synopsis by the Official Site)

Check out my review on The Dagger later this week.

Young Adult
Director: Jason Reitman
Trailer

Charlize Theron plays Mavis Gary, a writer of teen literature who returns to her small hometown to relive her glory days and attempt to reclaim her happily married high school sweetheart (Patrick Wilson).
When returning home proves more difficult than she thought, Mavis forms an unusual bond with a former classmate (Patton Oswalt) who hasn’t quite gotten over high school, either. (Synopsis by Paramont)

The latest offering from screenwriter Diablo Cody (“Juno”) is getting mixed reviews. While not a great film, the protagonist is portrayed in enough harsh reality to make it worth a viewing.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Director: Brad Bird
Trailer

This is not just another mission. The IMF is shut down when it’s implicated in a global terrorist bombing plot.
Ghost Protocol is initiated and Ethan Hunt and his rogue new team must go undercover to clear their organization’s name. No help, no contact, off the grid. You have never seen a mission grittier and more intense than this. (Synopsis by Paramont)

Rave reviews. This is the must watch this week. And also this. Let’s hear it for doing your own stunts.

DVD Releases This Week

Kung Fu Panda 2
Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Jennifer Yuh
Trailer

In Kung Fu Panda 2, Po is now living his dream as The Dragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peace alongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, The Furious Five. But Po’s new life of awesomeness is threatened by the emergence of a formidable villain, who plans to use a secret, unstoppable weapon to conquer China and destroy kung fu. Po must look to his past and uncover the secrets of his mysterious origins; only then will he be able to unlock the strength he needs to succeed. (Synopsis by Dreamworks)

A fun action movie that doesn’t live up to the originality of the first. That said, it’s still worth a rental.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Trailer

A single act of both compassion and arrogance leads to a war unlike any other — and to the Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The Oscar-winning visual effects team that brought to life the worlds of Avatar and Lord of the Rings is breaking new ground, creating a CGI ape that delivers a dramatic performance of unprecedented emotion and intelligence, and epic battles on which rest the upended destinies of man and primate. (Synopsis by the Official Site)

Not a great movie, but neither were the originals. The societal and political undertones of the originals are replaced with a limp attempt at decrying animal testing. Not a great film and probably worth skipping unless you are a fan of the series. Or monkeys.