New Movies for the Valentines Day Wknd

Written by Sean McBride

Wednesday, 13 February 2008

Cupid scores a bullseye this week, with a nice romantic drama just in time for Valentines Day, and a bunch of other films thrown in to the mix, just in case you're not in a lovey dovey mood. "Definately, Maybe" finds Ryan Reynolds playing a dad who's getting divorced. Abigail Breslin plays his daughter, and she wants to know the story about how mom and dad first met. Dad tells her the story about three past girlfriends, leaving his daughter (and the audience) to guess which woman would eventually become mom.  Since we don't know which of the three girlfriends will win, the film never falls into predictable romance conventions. Subsequently, the story is fresh, the acting is solid, and "Definately, Maybe" turns out to be a film you can really fall in love with. Based on the mini-novels by Tony D. Terlizzi, "The Spiderwick Chronicles" is the story of a family that moves into a creepy old country house, only to find that their property is infested, not with average vermin, but with trolls, hobgoblins, fairies and the like. "The Spiderwick Chronicles" works well-enough as a CGI adventure aimed at the kiddies, but grownups will probably be indifferent to this otherwise average story that features some pretty cool monster effects, but not much else. Also out, "Jumper," a sci fi action flick about a kid who finds that he has the ability to teleport, and then finds himself stuck in a war between those who can teleport, and those who have sworn to destroy them. And finally, "Step Up to the Streets" is a franchise sequel in which two photogenic young dancers find themselves attracted to each other, despite the fact that they come from different sides of the track. You've seen this story a million times before, but at least there will be some great street dancing. An interesting mix on home DVD. "Gone Baby Gone" and the documentary "In the Shadow of the Moon" are the best of the bunch, but if you need a good Valentines Day pick, I thoroughly enjoyed "No Reservations." And that's what's new in theaters this week, I'm Sean McBride the movie guy for Newscenter 25.

Last Updated ( Thursday, 14 February 2008 )