• Alexander Payne’s seriocomic The Descendants, an adaptation of the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings, stars George Clooney as Matt King, a middle-age Hawaiian who runs a trust responsible for millions of dollars worth of untouched real estate that has been passed down to him and various cousins. He is preparing to sell the area, and make millions for everyone in the trust, when his wife suffers severe head trauma during a boat race. As he attempts to get her affairs in order, he learns that she had been having an affair. With his two daughters in tow, along with his oldest daughter’s doofus boyfriend, Matt sets off to confront the man who made him a cuckold. Beau Bridges, Judy Greer, and Robert Forster co-star. The Descendants screened at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
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• Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of Brian Selznick’s award-winning novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret stars Asa Butterfield, as an orphan boy who lives in a Parisian train station. Sent to live with his drunken uncle after his father’s death in a fire, Hugo learned how to wind the massive clocks that run throughout the station. When the uncle disappears one day, Hugo decides to maintain the clocks on his own, hoping nobody will catch on to him squatting in the station.His natural aptitude for engineering leads him to steal gears, tools, and other items from a toy-shop owner who maintains a storefront in the station. Hugo needs these purloined pieces in order to rebuild a mechanical man that was left in the father’s care at the museum — the restoration was a project father and son did together.When Georges (Ben Kingsley), the old man who runs the toy stand, catches on to the thievery, he threatens to turn Hugo over to the station’s lone police officer (Sacha Baron Cohen, who makes every effort to send any parentless child in the station to the orphanage. But Hugo’s run-in with Georges leads to a friendship with the elderly gentleman’s granddaughter, Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz),…
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• Long before meeting Shrek, Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) — just named a hero for saving a woman from a charging bull — is run out of town on suspicion of bank robbery, even though the real villain is Puss’ friend, Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis). Though there is still animosity between them, Puss and Humpty reunite to steal a goose that lays golden eggs. Joining them for the adventure of nine lifetimes is notorious cat burglar, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek).
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• Take a trip to the North Pole and discover exactly how Santa Claus makes Christmas magic happen every year in this imaginative comedy for the entire family. Produced by Aardman Features in association with Sony Pictures Animation, this fun-filled holiday film introduces viewers to Santa’s mischievous son Arthur, who races to complete an important mission in time to ensure that this year’s Christmas celebrations will go off without a hitch. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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• Jack Sadelstein (Adam Sandler) is on top of his game, and has every reason to be thankful: he has a beautiful wife (Katie Holmes), great kids, a gorgeous house in L.A., and a successful job as an advertising executive. Even still, Jack always dreads the coming of Thanksgiving because for him, the holiday only means one thing: a visit from his needy, annoying, passive-aggressive, neurotic, identical twin sister, Jill (also played by Sandler). ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi
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• The eagerly anticipated sequel to the Oscar-winning hit Happy Feet Two finds tap-dancing penguin Mumble (voice of Elijah Wood) and his pals using their smooth moves to save the penguin nation. Mumble and Gloria (voice of Pink) have started a family of their own, and their young son, Erik, is just finding his footing among his fellow emperor penguins when a dire new threat thrusts their future into jeopardy. Just when it begins to look as if all hope is lost, the penguin nation bands together to dance the darkness away. Writer/director George Miller and star Robin Williams both return in this sequel also featuring the voices of Hank Azaria, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Sofía Vergara. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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• The workers at a posh Central Park condominium plot to steal back their pensions from the thieving Wall Street billionaire who’s about to get away with the ultimate white-collar crime in this heist comedy starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy. Financial giant Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) has just been placed under house arrest in his luxury New York City penthouse for cleaning out his investors to the tune of two billion dollars. Meanwhile, on the complete opposite end of the financial spectrum, Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) earns a modest living as the manager of The Tower — the luxurious building where Shaw resides. Upon learning that the building staffers who entrusted Shaw with their retirement funds are about to lose their life savings, and that the thief will likely get off scot-free, Josh convinces a small group of Tower employees and a downtrodden former resident that Shaw has stashed a million-dollar safety net somewhere in his opulent penthouse, and that it’s theirs for the taking if they can just slip past security. With dim-witted concierge Charlie (Casey Affleck), under-educated electrical engineer Enrique (Michael Peña), safecracking maid Odessa (Gabourey Sidibe) and downtrodden former resident Mr. Fitzhugh (Matthew Broderick) to back him, Josh…
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• When an evil oil man discovers black gold beneath Muppet Theater, Kermit recruits a Muppet super-fan and his two best friends to help gather up the gang for a telethon that will save the venue from being razed and replaced with a giant oil pump. Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) never met an oil field he couldn’t suck dry. So when Tex discovers a bountiful reservoir right underneath Muppet Theater, he begins drawing up plans to claim the land and start drilling. Little does Tex realize that devoted Muppets fan Walter is currently in Los Angeles with his best friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams), and that he’s not about to let one man’s greed spoil a good thing for everyone. With Kermit by their side, Walter, Gary, and Mary hatch a plan to put on a big telethon that will help them raise the ten million dollars needed to keep Muppet Theater standing. But rounding up the gang won’t be easy, because these days Miss Piggy’s got a posh job at Vogue Paris; Fozzie has landed a gig at a Reno casino; Gonzo has become the owner of a successful plumbing company; and Animal is dealing with anger management…
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• At last, Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) are getting married. When Jacob (Taylor Lautner) finds out that Bella wants to spend her honeymoon as a human, he is horrified — for Edward’s passion could accidentally kill her. Bella does indeed survive her honeymoon, but a new complication arises when she discovers that she’s pregnant — and the child is growing at an alarming rate. The pregnancy sets the wolves against Bella and Edward, but Jacob vows to protect his friend.
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• A brave young stonemason assembles a fierce band of warriors to prevent an evil king from acquiring the artifact that will permit him to rule the world in this epic mythological fantasy from visionary filmmaker Tarsem Singh. King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) is a brutal tyrant on a bloody mission to seek out the mythical Bow of Epirus. Should he succeed, even the gods of Olympus will be forced to bow before him. In his efforts to locate the invincible and elusive weapon, Hyperion leads his Heraklion army on a brutal rampage across Greece, razing every town in their path, and killing with impunity. When the Hyperions lay waste to his village and cut down his mother in cold blood, vengeful stonemason Theseus (Henry Cavill) emerges from the rubble determined to make the king pay for his crimes. Later, the Sybelline Oracle, Phaedra (Freida Pinto), experiences a vision of Theseus’ future that convinces her he will play a pivotal role in defeating King Hyperion. Armed with that supernatural knowledge, she agrees to help Theseus assemble a small army capable of defeating the tyrannical king and preventing him from enslaving the entire human race. Stephen Dorff, Kellan Lutz, and John Hurt co-star. ~…
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Original: Movies.com Top 10 Box Office

• Hustle & Flow director Craig Brewer takes the helm for this remake of the popular 1984 musical romance about a big-city teen who moves to a town that has outlawed dancing. Uprooted from Boston and reluctantly transplanted to the small Bible Belt town of Bomont, Ren MacCormack (Kenny Wormald) finds himself in a repressed community still reeling from a devastating loss. Shortly before he arrived in Bomont, five local teens perished in a tragic car accident following a local dance. As a result, the upstanding Reverend Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid) and the local councilmen passed a strict ordinance outlawing both dancing and excessively loud music. Convinced that the new law is hopelessly misguided, rebellious Ren puts on his dancing shoes and wins the heart of Reverend Moore’s distraught daughter, Ariel (Julianne Hough), while showing his fellow classmates that it’s perfectly normal to blow off a little steam with some loud music and good friends. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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• Long before meeting Shrek, Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) — just named a hero for saving a woman from a charging bull — is run out of town on suspicion of bank robbery, even though the real villain is Puss’ friend, Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis). Though there is still animosity between them, Puss and Humpty reunite to steal a goose that lays golden eggs. Joining them for the adventure of nine lifetimes is notorious cat burglar, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek).
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• Christmas gets green as pot-smoking pals Harold and Kumar reunite for a hilariously hazy holiday adventure set six years after the events of the previous film. It’s been a long time since Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) escaped from Guantanamo Bay, and these days they’re just not as tight as they used to be. But as they each prepare to celebrate Christmas Eve with their new best buds, Kumar receives a very special delivery that should have gone to Harold. Always the dutiful friend, Kumar does his best to see that the package reaches its intended destination by the time sleigh bells start ringing. Unfortunately, while making the delivery Kumar causes Harold’s family Christmas tree to go up in flames. Thankfully for Harold, the in-laws are away for the evening, giving him just enough time to track down a replacement and avoid the wrath of his wife’s temperamental father. With the clock counting down to Christmas and the family returning home soon, Harold and Kumar race though New York City on a mad dash to find the perfect substitute tree. Neil Patrick Harris returns for more raunchy fun in a sequel also featuring Danneel Harris, David Krumholtz, and Eddie…
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• Jack Sadelstein (Adam Sandler) is on top of his game, and has every reason to be thankful: he has a beautiful wife (Katie Holmes), great kids, a gorgeous house in L.A., and a successful job as an advertising executive. Even still, Jack always dreads the coming of Thanksgiving because for him, the holiday only means one thing: a visit from his needy, annoying, passive-aggressive, neurotic, identical twin sister, Jill (also played by Sandler). ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi
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• The workers at a posh Central Park condominium plot to steal back their pensions from the thieving Wall Street billionaire who’s about to get away with the ultimate white-collar crime in this heist comedy starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy. Financial giant Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) has just been placed under house arrest in his luxury New York City penthouse for cleaning out his investors to the tune of two billion dollars. Meanwhile, on the complete opposite end of the financial spectrum, Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) earns a modest living as the manager of The Tower — the luxurious building where Shaw resides. Upon learning that the building staffers who entrusted Shaw with their retirement funds are about to lose their life savings, and that the thief will likely get off scot-free, Josh convinces a small group of Tower employees and a downtrodden former resident that Shaw has stashed a million-dollar safety net somewhere in his opulent penthouse, and that it’s theirs for the taking if they can just slip past security. With dim-witted concierge Charlie (Casey Affleck), under-educated electrical engineer Enrique (Michael Peña), safecracking maid Odessa (Gabourey Sidibe) and downtrodden former resident Mr. Fitzhugh (Matthew Broderick) to back him, Josh…
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• A brave young stonemason assembles a fierce band of warriors to prevent an evil king from acquiring the artifact that will permit him to rule the world in this epic mythological fantasy from visionary filmmaker Tarsem Singh. King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) is a brutal tyrant on a bloody mission to seek out the mythical Bow of Epirus. Should he succeed, even the gods of Olympus will be forced to bow before him. In his efforts to locate the invincible and elusive weapon, Hyperion leads his Heraklion army on a brutal rampage across Greece, razing every town in their path, and killing with impunity. When the Hyperions lay waste to his village and cut down his mother in cold blood, vengeful stonemason Theseus (Henry Cavill) emerges from the rubble determined to make the king pay for his crimes. Later, the Sybelline Oracle, Phaedra (Freida Pinto), experiences a vision of Theseus’ future that convinces her he will play a pivotal role in defeating King Hyperion. Armed with that supernatural knowledge, she agrees to help Theseus assemble a small army capable of defeating the tyrannical king and preventing him from enslaving the entire human race. Stephen Dorff, Kellan Lutz, and John Hurt co-star. ~…
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• The Paranormal Activity franchise continues with this third outing from Paramount Pictures. Oren Peli and Jason Blum return to produce the highly secretive feature, with Catfish’s directing duo of Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman taking on the helming duties. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
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• The eagerly anticipated sequel to the Oscar-winning hit Happy Feet Two finds tap-dancing penguin Mumble (voice of Elijah Wood) and his pals using their smooth moves to save the penguin nation. Mumble and Gloria (voice of Pink) have started a family of their own, and their young son, Erik, is just finding his footing among his fellow emperor penguins when a dire new threat thrusts their future into jeopardy. Just when it begins to look as if all hope is lost, the penguin nation bands together to dance the darkness away. Writer/director George Miller and star Robin Williams both return in this sequel also featuring the voices of Hank Azaria, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Sofía Vergara. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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• At last, Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) are getting married. When Jacob (Taylor Lautner) finds out that Bella wants to spend her honeymoon as a human, he is horrified — for Edward’s passion could accidentally kill her. Bella does indeed survive her honeymoon, but a new complication arises when she discovers that she’s pregnant — and the child is growing at an alarming rate. The pregnancy sets the wolves against Bella and Edward, but Jacob vows to protect his friend.
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• Acclaimed actor Leonardo DiCaprio stars in Academy Award-winning director Clint Eastwood’s richly detailed biopic exploring the life and career of controversial FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. For nearly 50 years, Hoover (DiCaprio) fought crime as one of the most powerful law enforcers in America. During Hoover’s extended stint as Director of the FBI, however, his penchant for bending the law in the name of seeking justice and using the secrets of high profile leaders to gain personal leverage won him just as many supporters as detractors. Little did many other than his loyal colleague Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer) and faithful secretary Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts) know, however, that Hoover himself was a man with many secrets to hide. Josh Lucas, Judi Dench, and Stephen Root co-star in film written by Oscar-winning Milk scribe Dustin Lance Black. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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Original: Movies.com Top 10 Box Office

• Acclaimed actor Leonardo DiCaprio stars in Academy Award-winning director Clint Eastwood’s richly detailed biopic exploring the life and career of controversial FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. For nearly 50 years, Hoover (DiCaprio) fought crime as one of the most powerful law enforcers in America. During Hoover’s extended stint as Director of the FBI, however, his penchant for bending the law in the name of seeking justice and using the secrets of high profile leaders to gain personal leverage won him just as many supporters as detractors. Little did many other than his loyal colleague Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer) and faithful secretary Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts) know, however, that Hoover himself was a man with many secrets to hide. Josh Lucas, Judi Dench, and Stephen Root co-star in film written by Oscar-winning Milk scribe Dustin Lance Black. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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• The Paranormal Activity franchise continues with this third outing from Paramount Pictures. Oren Peli and Jason Blum return to produce the highly secretive feature, with Catfish’s directing duo of Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman taking on the helming duties. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
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• The workers at a posh Central Park condominium plot to steal back their pensions from the thieving Wall Street billionaire who’s about to get away with the ultimate white-collar crime in this heist comedy starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy. Financial giant Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) has just been placed under house arrest in his luxury New York City penthouse for cleaning out his investors to the tune of two billion dollars. Meanwhile, on the complete opposite end of the financial spectrum, Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) earns a modest living as the manager of The Tower – the luxurious building where Shaw resides. Upon learning that the tower staffers who entrusted Shaw with their retirement funds are about to lose their life earnings, and that the thief will likely get off scot-free, Josh convinces a small group of Tower employees and a downtrodden former resident that Shaw has stashed a million dollar safety net somewhere in his opulent penthouse, and that it’s theirs for the taking if they can just slip past security. With dim-witted concierge Charlie (Casey Affleck), under-educated electrical engineer Enrique (Michael Peña), safecracking maid Odessa (Gabourey Sidibe) and downtrodden former resident Mr. Fitzhugh (Matthew Broderick) to back him,…
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• Christmas gets green as pot-smoking pals Harold and Kumar reunite for a hilariously hazy holiday adventure set six years after the events of the previous film. It’s been a long time since Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) escaped from Guantanamo Bay, and these days they’re just not as tight as they used to be. But as they each prepare to celebrate Christmas Eve with their new best buds, Kumar receives a very special delivery that should have gone to Harold. Always the dutiful friend, Kumar does his best to see that the package reaches its intended destination by the time sleigh bells start ringing. Unfortunately, while making the delivery Kumar causes Harold’s family Christmas tree to go up in flames. Thankfully for Harold, the in-laws are away for the evening, giving him just enough time to track down a replacement and avoid the wrath of his wife’s temperamental father. With the clock counting down to Christmas and the family returning home soon, Harold and Kumar race though New York City on a mad dash to find the perfect substitute tree. Neil Patrick Harris returns for more raunchy fun in a sequel also featuring Danneel Harris, David Krumholtz, and Eddie…
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• Long before meeting Shrek, Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) — just named a hero for saving a woman from a charging bull — is run out of town on suspicion of bank robbery, even though the real villain is Puss’ friend, Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis). Though there is still animosity between them, Puss and Humpty reunite to steal a goose that lays golden eggs. Joining them for the adventure of nine lifetimes is notorious cat burglar, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek).
  #
• Hustle & Flow director Craig Brewer takes the helm for this remake of the popular 1984 musical romance about a big-city teen who moves to a town that has outlawed dancing. Uprooted from Boston and reluctantly transplanted to the small Bible Belt town of Bomont, Ren MacCormack (Kenny Wormald) finds himself in a repressed community still reeling from a devastating loss. Shortly before he arrived in Bomont, five local teens perished in a tragic car accident following a local dance. As a result, the upstanding Reverend Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid) and the local councilmen passed a strict ordinance outlawing both dancing and excessively loud music. Convinced that the new law is hopelessly misguided, rebellious Ren puts on his dancing shoes and wins the heart of Reverend Moore’s distraught daughter, Ariel (Julianne Hough), while showing his fellow classmates that it’s perfectly normal to blow off a little steam with some loud music and good friends. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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• Jack Sadelstein (Adam Sandler) is on top of his game, and has every reason to be thankful: he has a beautiful wife (Katie Holmes), great kids, a gorgeous house in L.A., and a successful job as an advertising executive. Even still, Jack always dreads the coming of Thanksgiving because for him, the holiday only means one thing: a visit from his needy, annoying, passive-aggressive, neurotic, identical twin sister, Jill (also played by Sandler). ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi
  #
• A brave young stonemason assembles a fierce band of warriors to prevent an evil king from acquiring the artifact that will permit him to rule the world in this epic mythological fantasy from visionary filmmaker Tarsem Singh. King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) is a brutal tyrant on a bloody mission to seek out the mythical Bow of Epirus. Should he succeed, even the gods of Olympus will be forced to bow before him. In his efforts to locate the invincible and elusive weapon, Hyperion leads his Heraklion army on a brutal rampage across Greece, razing every town in their path, and killing with impunity. When the Hyperions lay waste to his village and cut down his mother in cold blood, vengeful stonemason Theseus (Henry Cavill) emerges from the rubble determined to make the king pay for his crimes. Later, the Sybelline Oracle, Phaedra (Freida Pinto), experiences a vision of Theseus’ future that convinces her he will play a pivotal role in defeating King Hyperion. Armed with that supernatural knowledge, she agrees to help Theseus assemble a small army capable of defeating the tyrannical king and preventing him from enslaving the entire human race. Stephen Dorff, Kellan Lutz, and John Hurt co-star. ~…
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• When scientists unlock the secret to immortality, time becomes the new currency and one desperate man comes under attack from a mysterious group known only as the “Time Keepers.” In the not-too-distant future, scientists have discovered a way to turn off the aging gene. As the threat of overpopulation looms over society, money becomes a thing of the past. Now, assets are measured in time; those with the most time also possess the most power. Meanwhile, the lower classes are forced to barter with the new elite if they want to live forever. Suddenly a young commoner stumbles across a treasure chest of time. With the “Time Keepers” in hot pursuit, however, he may never get a chance to use it. Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, and Olivia Wilde star in this sci-fi thriller from writer/director Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, Lord of War). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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Original: Movies.com Top 10 Box Office

• Bennett Miller’s adaptation of Michael Lewis’ non-fiction best seller Moneyball stars Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, a one-time phenom who flamed out in the big leagues and now works as the GM for the Oakland Athletics, a franchise that’s about to lose their three best players to free agency. Because the team isn’t in a financial position to spend as much as perennial favorites like the Yankees and the Red Sox, Beane realizes he needs to radically change how he evaluates what players can bring to the squad. After he meets Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), an Ivy League economics major working as an executive assistant for scouting on another team, Beane realizes he’s found the man who understands how to subvert the system of assessing players that’s been in place for nearly a century. However, as the duo begin to acquire players that seem too old, injured, or inept to play major-league baseball, they face stiff resistance from both the A’s longtime scouts and the team’s manager Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who outright refuses to allow Beane’s more-nontraditional acquisitions to play. Moneyball screened at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
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• When scientists unlock the secret to immortality, time becomes the new currency and one desperate man comes under attack from a mysterious group known only as the “Time Keepers.” In the not-too-distant future, scientists have discovered a way to turn off the aging gene. As the threat of overpopulation looms over society, money becomes a thing of the past. Now, assets are measured in time; those with the most time also possess the most power. Meanwhile, the lower classes are forced to barter with the new elite if they want to live forever. Suddenly a young commoner stumbles across a treasure chest of time. With the “Time Keepers” in hot pursuit, however, he may never get a chance to use it. Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, and Olivia Wilde star in this sci-fi thriller from writer/director Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, Lord of War). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas star Johnny Depp returns to the wild world of Hunter S. Thompson in writer/director Bruce Robinson’s adaptation of the Gonzo journalist’s “lost” autobiographical novel of the same name. Dejected over life in New York City and at bitter odds with the Eisenhower-era conventions of the 1950s, nomadic journalist Paul Kemp (Depp) flees to Puerto Rico, where he quickly lands a job as a reporter for a San Juan newspaper. Drawing inspiration from author Ernest Hemingway’s popular theory about “The Lost Generation,” the newly liberated journalist develops a taste for rum as he becomes slowly entangled in the lives of American beauty Chenault (Amber Heard) and her shady husband, Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart), a wealthy real-estate developer. Later, as Sanderson’s underhanded business dealings begin to emerge, Kemp’s principles come into focus, and his writing style begins to mature in ways he never dreamed possible. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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• The Paranormal Activity franchise continues with this third outing from Paramount Pictures. Oren Peli and Jason Blum return to produce the highly secretive feature, with Catfish’s directing duo of Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman taking on the helming duties. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
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• Hustle & Flow director Craig Brewer takes the helm for this remake of the popular 1984 musical romance about a big-city teen who moves to a town that has outlawed dancing. Uprooted from Boston and reluctantly transplanted to the small Bible Belt town of Bomont, Ren MacCormack (Kenny Wormald) finds himself in a repressed community still reeling from a devastating loss. Shortly before he arrived in Bomont, five local teens perished in a tragic car accident following a local dance. As a result, the upstanding Reverend Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid) and the local councilmen passed a strict ordinance outlawing both dancing and excessively loud music. Convinced that the new law is hopelessly misguided, rebellious Ren puts on his dancing shoes and wins the heart of Reverend Moore’s distraught daughter, Ariel (Julianne Hough), while showing his fellow classmates that it’s perfectly normal to blow off a little steam with some loud music and good friends. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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• Christmas gets green as pot-smoking pals Harold and Kumar reunite for a hilariously hazy holiday adventure set six years after the events of the previous film. It’s been a long time since Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) escaped from Guantanamo Bay, and these days they’re just not as tight as they used to be. But as they each prepare to celebrate Christmas Eve with their new best buds, Kumar receives a very special delivery that should have gone to Harold. Always the dutiful friend, Kumar does his best to see that the package reaches its intended destination by the time sleigh bells start ringing. Unfortunately, while making the delivery Kumar causes Harold’s family Christmas tree to go up in flames. Thankfully for Harold, the in-laws are away for the evening, giving him just enough time to track down a replacement and avoid the wrath of his wife’s temperamental father. With the clock counting down to Christmas and the family returning home soon, Harold and Kumar race though New York City on a mad dash to find the perfect substitute tree. Neil Patrick Harris returns for more raunchy fun in a sequel also featuring Danneel Harris, David Krumholtz, and Eddie…
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• George Clooney goes behind the camera for the fourth time to direct The Ides of March, an adaptation of Beau Willimon’s play Farragut North. The movie stars Ryan Gosling as Stephen Meyers, an idealistic deputy campaign manager for Governor Mike Morris (Clooney), who is in a major political battle in Ohio that could be the key to winning the Democratic presidential nomination. When the opposing candidate’s campaign manager (Paul Giamatti) offers Stephen a job on his staff, Stephen neglects to inform his boss (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Just as that omission is revealed, Stephen uncovers a dirty personal secret that could sink Morris’ political career. The Ides of March screened at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
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• The workers at a posh Central Park condominium plot to steal back their pensions from the thieving Wall Street billionaire who’s about to get away with the ultimate white-collar crime in this heist comedy starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy. Financial giant Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) has just been placed under house arrest in his luxury New York City penthouse for cleaning out his investors to the tune of two billion dollars. Meanwhile, on the complete opposite end of the financial spectrum, Josh Kovacs (Ben Stiller) earns a modest living as the manager of The Tower – the luxurious building where Shaw resides. Upon learning that the tower staffers who entrusted Shaw with their retirement funds are about to lose their life earnings, and that the thief will likely get off scot-free, Josh convinces a small group of Tower employees and a downtrodden former resident that Shaw has stashed a million dollar safety net somewhere in his opulent penthouse, and that it’s theirs for the taking if they can just slip past security. With dim-witted concierge Charlie (Casey Affleck), under-educated electrical engineer Enrique (Michael Peña), safecracking maid Odessa (Gabourey Sidibe) and downtrodden former resident Mr. Fitzhugh (Matthew Broderick) to back him,…
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• Long before he met Shrek, Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas), having just been named a hero for saving a woman from a charging bull, is run out of town on suspicion of bank robbery, even though the true villain is Puss’ friend, Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis). Though there is still animosity between them, Puss and Humpty reunite to steal a goose that lays golden eggs. Joining them for the adventure of nine lifetimes is notorious cat burglar, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek).
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• A retired pugilist transitions to the business side of the ropes after human boxers are replaced by robotic ones in director Shawn Levy’s feature-length adaptation of the Twilight Zone episode “Steel.” Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) was a true contender when the sport of boxing was changed forever. Now, instead of humans duking it out for the masses, huge, powerful steel robots trade blows in the ring. As a result, former gladiator Charlie has been forced into the role of two-bit promoter, piecing together cut-rate fighting bots from scrap metal as he makes the rounds on the underground boxing circuit. Just when it seems that Charlie has sunken to the nadir of his career, his estranged 11 year old son, Max (Dakota Goyo), offers him the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at a comeback by constructing and training a true champion. Now the stakes are higher than ever before, and Charlie is about to get a second chance at leaving an indelible mark on the sport he once dedicated his life to. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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Original: Movies.com Top 10 Box Office