Now that Christmas is coming, it’s time to celebrate … New Year’s Eve? Well, you’re probably not interested in going to see the movie on Dec. 30, so you get Garry Marshall’s “Valentine’s Day” follow-up this weekend instead. Also available is the season’s only hard-R comedy, “The Sitter,” which tests Jonah Hill’s box-office power.

  Thanksgiving is all about family after all, so maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise that all three of this five-day weekend’s big releases are geared towards families and children. First comes the long-awaited return of “The Muppets” followed by Aardman Animations’ “Arthur Christmas” and Martin Scorsese (yes, that Martin Scorsese) 3D adventure, “Hugo.” Worried about […]

  The twilight shines brightest before the dawn. This week the two-part conclusion (sigh) of the “Twilight” saga begins, and as I write this, millions are already waiting eagerly for their midnight screening of “Breaking Dawn – Part 1” to commence. For everyone else, a trip to the antarctic with “Happy Feet Two” offers some […]

When Adam Sandler’s cross-dressing comedy releases in the same weekend as Clint Eastwood’s “J. Edgar,” it must be November. “Jack and Jill” will look to keep the comedian on top despite its overall ridiculousness while “Immortals” studio Relativity Media is about to find out just how far the name “300” can take you. “J. Edgar” […]

Onward into November! As the Holiday Movie Season draws near, the jingle of bells and the buzz of Oscar statuettes starts to drag us into the theaters for some cozy weekend time expending. No surprise then that we have one of the fall’s big-name action comedies in “Tower Heist” starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, […]

Halloween weekend: It must be time for another “Saw” … what? No new horror films this weekend? Weird. Well, most of you might be curling up on the couch with “Halloween” or another classic of your choosing, but there’s plenty to choose from at the theaters too. DreamWorks rolls out “Shrek” spin-off “Puss in Boots” […]

Fall gets its horror on this week as Halloween fast approaches. With “Saw” no longer in the picture, it’s the “Paranormal Activity” series’ time to shine and a big haul is once again expected for the found-footage poltergeist flick. Counter-programming comes all for one and one for all thanks to Paul W.S. Anderson’s “Matrix”-ization of the […]

  October gets diverse this weekend, but not unfamiliar. Returning to the screen in reboot form is “Footloose” and returning in prequel form is “The Thing.” For a more traditional comedy, “The Big Year” offers something for the older crowd with Owen Wilson, Steve Martin and Jack Black.

  With September in the rearview, the heavyweights of October enter the ring. First up this weekend is the robot-boxing drama (yea, it sounds weird to me too) “Real Steel” starring Hugh Jackman along with George Clooney’s political ensemble drama “The Ides of March.” If it’s a middling blockbuster against an Oscar contender — it […]

  Finally, September ends with another litany of films. The month has been feast or famine; for every “Moneyball,” “Drive,” and “Contagion,” we’ve had a “Shark Night,” “I Don’t Know How She Does It” and “Abduction.” This week looks to be no exception. “50/50” has been drawing rave reviews while “What’s Your Number?” gets lumped […]

The September onslaught continues with many more choices for all groups. Families will probably want to seek out “Dolphin Tale,” adults will probably take interest in Brad Pitt’s latest, “Moneyball,” action junkies will get their fix with “Killer Elite” and “Twilight” fans have another opportunity to see Taylor Lautner on the big screen with “Abduction.”

Fall barrels on with quite the mix of offerings this weekend. From an independently driven (no pun intended but I like it) action drama to a female-targeted guilty pleasure to the sheer power of nostalgia, there be choices. “Drive” opens in the most theaters but not by much, and it could be that Disney’s animated […]

I’m tired of getting shredded in my weekly predictions. It’s time for some films to restore a sense of order to the box office and maybe at least two of our new offerings can do just that. The Tom Hardy-led MMA film “Warrior” and Steven Soderbergh’s thriller “Contagion” have gotten great reviews early on. Of […]

Can you smell that autumn air? Neither can I. Not just given that global warming has altered our seasons, but the first weekend of September seems to be offering films that didn’t want to squeeze into the summer. Labor Day weekend might be the third worst compared to Super Bowl Weekend and the weekend after […]

August: the Statue of Liberty of movie months. “Bring your tired, your poor, your huddle movies, yearning to be released.” Summer bows out with another three movies to make for 11 in the last three weekends. This weekend it’s the femme fatale revenge film “Colombiana,” Paul Rudd in “Our Idiot Brother,” and the Guillermo del […]