New Releases February 10th Movies

Yep, it's a sequel. Brendan Fraser must have opted out of this film so they gave the fatherly role to Dwayne Johnson who plays the kid's stepfather. Josh Hutcherson gets to play the role of the kid who receives a distress signal from an island (a mysterious island) where apparently an island shouldn't exist.

They are joined by Luis Guzman, a far from ideal helicopter pilot, and Vanessa Hudgens in search of this Mysterious Island.

Once upon this island they come across the island's only inhabitant, Michael Caine, which brings up the question on why eccentric old men in movies are played only by Britans. Aside from a quirky old man the group of adventurers discover a wide array of adventurous creatures and treasures.

It sounds kind of lame and the poster looks kind of lame but once you watch the trailer there is the feeling that it may not be entirely horrendous. If you have to take the children to a movie, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island isn't a bad choice - probably better than Big Miracle.

Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington star in this CIA thriller about a man who operates a safe house in Cape Town suddenly coming face to face with one of the most wanted men in the world.

Denzel Washington plays Tobin Frost, an ex-CIA agent who has been in hiding for the past decade eagerly selling top US secrets to anyone interested in purchasing them. When he shows up at the safe house, it's up to Matt Weston (Ryan Reynold) to ensure his safety. Of course, that becomes a problem when the safe house is attacked and both have to go on the run.

Who are they running from? Why do they want Tobin Frost? And who can they trust?

Safe House looks to be an awesome thriller in the similar-styling of Tony Scott. Of course that similarity could be its downfall as well as it looks like many of hte previous CIA/police agent type roles and films that Denzel Washington has done in the past decade. Will the audiences embrace or chalk it up as the "same old, same old"?

A few decades ago a movie called Star Wars came out. I'm not sure if you heard about it but apparently it did okay and spawned two sequels, three prequels, and countless spin offs, toys and books. Well, the re-release is happening and it's happening now. 3D movies are plentiful and while no one really cares to see The Descendants in 3D more often than not movies are coming out with that option.

One of the aspects of the 3D fad that I enjoy is the re-release process. Disney is making a killing having released The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast in 3D and a handful of old films are expected to hit the theaters this year to see if they can bring in a few extra dollars. I'm happy if a movie I liked comes back into theaters for a limited run and 3D is helping to do just that.

Admittedly, I'm not a Star Wars fan. I get the reasons why it is so big but I just couldn't get into it.

But here it is, the re-release of the Star Wars films starting with The Phantom Menace the story behind Darth Vader going to the dark side and Obi Wan Kenobi. I'm not going to see it but if fans can get over Jar Jar Binks I think this one might have a solid weekend at the box office.

At first look you would think The Vow was based on a Nicolas Sparks novel if only because the trailer goes out of the way to say that the two leads Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum were in movies that Nicolas Sparks wrote.

But it's not. Although it sure sounds like one. The story is about a newlywed couple who are madly in love with one another until the woman is in a severe car accident putting her in a coma. When she awakens she has lost her memory having no idea who the man she is married to really is. Channing Tatum now must make Rachel McAdams fall in love with him once again.

The Vow which is opening days before Valentine's Day should do well with the ladies and it's the default date movie for the holiday. Is it any good? The critics don't seem to think so.

Of all the films that are hitting theaters, In Darkness is probably going to be the hardest to find. This foreign film centers around a sewer worker in Nazi-occupied Poland who comes across a group of Jews trying to escape the ghetto. He hides them for a price but battles his own conscience in taking money for his good deed.

This Polish film is nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film.

Set in Los Angeles in 1999, a cop in the Rampart Division, which is notorious for corruption (over 70 cops were implicated in various forms of misconduct), does everything a dirty cop should but when he's seen on camera beating a suspect the downward spiral of his career and personal life truly begins. It's as if all 70 officers were combined into one for this gritty, nasty action-drama set in the infamous anti-gang unit of the LAPD. But can Woody Harrelson's character redeem himself from the pains of the past?

If Return has anything it has a group of familiar faces and names you never heard of. But Return offers the story of a woman, played by Linda Cardellini returning from war who tries to adjust to everyday life. Of course the petty problems of everyday life don't quite compare to life in a war zone and people, including her husband, just don't understand what she's been through. The struggle of returning is the conflict in the film Return.