Snitch - C

Rated PG-13, 107 minutes

Don't say anything, but "Snitch" is a clunky, slow action thriller

Cinema in 2011 belonged to Jessica Chastain. 2012 belonged to Channing Tatum. 2013 seems destined to be Dewayne "The Rock" Johnson's year, who appears in six movies this year. First up is "Snitch," a mildly entertaining action thriller with a great cast but a terribly slow start for a film billed as such. The story concerns a father (Johnson) whose teenage son is wrongly accused of a drug distribution crime and is looking at a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years. Desperate to rescue his son, he makes a deal with a U.S. attorney (Susan Sarandon) to work undercover as an informant to infiltrate a drug cartel to risk everything he has to get his son back. After a cumbersome, muddled first act, "Snitch" finally picks up considerable energy in a faster-paced last act. It's a mediocre effort and while the talented supporting cast, including Sarandon, "The Walking Dead's" Jon Bernthal, Benjamin Pratt, Melina Kanakaredes and Barry Pepper, are all solid, even they can't overcome the uneven, predictable script. As for The Rock, his minimal acting abilities and charm are better suited to comedy than drama, and while he can carry a film on his back, "Snitch" would've been much better with someone who can emote a little better (Mark Wahlberg, Johnson's "Pain and Gain" co-star, comes to mind); his attempts to show some sort of emotion can be a little embarrassing. On the plus side, "Snitch" does have some entertaining moments with a breathtaking car/truck chase most memorable, though it's best when the razor sharp Sarandon is on screen; on that note, the movie provides an interesting mash-up: Oscar-winning actress paired with WWE Champion, and we all know who would win that acting match, and it's not The Rock. Modestly entertaining and mostly forgettable, the mediocre "Snitch" is an inauspicious start for someone who will be so ubiquitous in films this year.

Wes's Grade: C

Dark Skies - C+

Rated PG-13, 95 minutes

Unoriginal "Dark Skies" provides a few chills, muddled story

The mildly chilling but flat new supernatural thriller "Dark Skies" (a bad title by the way) treads familiar territory, and not necessarily in a good way. Sure, there a few well-staged, creepy moments but the muddled, unoriginal script raises more questions than it answers. Young suburban couple Daniel (Josh Hamilton) and Lacey Barret (Keri Russell) witness an escalating series of disturbing events involving their two sons (Dakota Goyo and Kadan Rockett), they realize they're targeted by an unimaginably terrifying and deadly force that could break apart their family. Written and directed by Scott Stewart ("Priest," "Legion"), "Dark Skies" has a sinister, creepy tone to it but it ends up a mash-up of other things you've seen: part "X-Files," part "Paranormal Activity" with a splash (or should I say twist?) of M. Night Shyamalan for good measure. The talented Russell (currently seen in the cable TV show "The Americans"), an underrated actress, grounds the film well with stage actor Hamilton (not to be confused with the pro baseball player) and she is by far the most memorable part of the movie, bringing some real emotion (not to mention head banging) to the confusing story. The best part is the initial act, when creepy things start to happen. Then it takes a cheesier turn in the second act when they go to see "an expert," an exceedingly mellow J.K. Simmons (best known as Chief Pope from the TV show "The Closer"), who matter-of-factly lays it all out for them in "X-Files" manner but only raises more questions (mainly, why do these beings target children?). I didn't mind the Shyamalan-flavored twisty ending, but that is essentially an unmemorable extension of Shyamalan's own 2002 "Signs," back when he made good movies. "Dark Skies" has a few good qualities: the lovely Russell, some tense moments and a refreshingly light load of special effects and blood, but otherwise this a collection of a few close encounters we've already had at the box office.

Wes's Grade: C+

Safe Haven - C-

Rated PG-13, 115 minutes

All that banal "Safe Haven" is good for is eye candy

"Safe Haven" is the latest Nicholas Sparks' hokum thrust on unsuspecting moviegoers at Valentine's Day. Though more tolerable and not as syrupy as some of other film adaptations of his books, even the eye candy leads can barely overcome such a hackneyed, cookie-cutter script. When a mysterious young woman named Katie (Julianne Hough) arrives in a small North Carolina town and she holds tight to her past. Slowly she becomes one of the townspeople and has courage to start a relationship with Alex (Josh Duhamel), a widowed store owner with two young children.But her past catches up to her quickly, threatening their newfound love. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom ("Chocolat," "My Life as a Dog"), who tread similar ground with 2010's "Dear John," "Safe Haven" is an utterly pedestrian effort at best designed to tug the heartstrings. Some might be mildly surprised that some parts of this could be deemed a romantic "thriller" if you want to call it that, with the romantic angles mixed in with some heavy drama, and remarkably, it almost works if not for the utterly ridiculous twist/trick at the end that channels more "Sixth Sense" than "Love Story." (Even romance purists may roll their eyes at this one.) The acting and characters are clearly secondary to the posing of the eye candy leads; Duhamel and Hough mostly pose than do any serious acting, and in something like this, that's about all they need to do. Watch for "How I Met Your Mother's" Cobie Smulders in a small but pivotal role that's key to the twist at the end. Nicholas Sparks is the Stephen King of romance movies, and much like King's book-to-films, they periodically appear whether you want them to or not. Handsomely filmed, manipulative and calculated, "Safe Haven" is certainly worth a look if you like this sort of thing, but know you'll feel tricked by the ending.

Wes's Grade: C

Escape From Planet Earth - C

Rated PG, 95 minutes

Mildly entertaining but mediocre, ho hum "Escape from Planet Earth"

"Escape from Planet Earth" is the latest animated film for the kiddos and the Weinstein's excursion into animation. While colorful and modestly humorous, it's a decent but ho hum effort that could seemingly be done by Pixar in their sleep. On planet Baab where admired astronaut Scorch Supernova (Brendan Fraser) is a national hero to the blue alien population. Scorch is a hero thanks largely to his nerdy brother, Gary (Rob Corddry), head of mission control. When the planet wants to send Scorch on a very dangerous mission, Scorch rejects Gary's warnings not to and bounds off anyway. But when Scorch finds himself caught in a fiendish trap set by the evil Shanker (William Shatner) it's up to scrawny, risk-adverse Gary to do the real rescuing. A mediocre effort at best, "Escape from Planet Earth" has some decent messages about family, friendship and the over commercialization of any society (even on another planet). Shatner and Fraser hams things up as the main protagonist and the villain respectably, though it's not clear why such talent as Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Alba, Ricky Gervais and Sofia Vergara would want to be wasted, though Gervais does get a few good lines as the HAL-like computer who does most of the work. The Weinstein's foray into animation is evident that they too want to take over the cinematic planet of sorts, but it's also evident they have a long way to go in becoming anywhere near the quality of Disney/Pixar, whose "WALLE" still ranks as a classic. Even at 90 some odd minutes this seems too long, but it's mildly amusing enough and a small diversion for the much younger set, who'll get the most of out of this unmemorable animated effort.

Wes's Grade: C

Beautiful Creatures - C+

Rated PG-13, 124 minutes

Charming "Beautiful Creatures" treads familiar ground

The new romantic drama "Beautiful Creatures" is part love story part sci-fi tale and better than any of the "Twilight" films. That might not be saying much in terms of cinematic quality, but for a film that has aspirations to become the next big series that might be saying a little something. Well-cast with some captivating moments, "Beautiful Creatures" is a little all over the place at times but still carries some comedic fun. When newcomer Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert, director Jane Campion's daughter) arrives in the small Southern town of Gatlin she quickly captures the attention of Ethan Wate (Alden Ehrenreich), who only wants to escape what he views as a boring and dead end town. Lena and Ethan are drawn together but he is mortal and she is a witch (referred to as a caster here) who must decide between Good and Evil before her sixteenth birthday. Directed by Richard LaGravanese ("The Fisher King") and based on the young adult novel of the same name by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl that's part of "The Caster Chronicles" book series. A little slow-going at first, "Beautiful Creatures" is a mostly faithful adaptation that strives to be a character-driven piece but treads similar young forbidden in love themes that have become all-too familiar. Some of the sillier moments (and dialogue) make it essentially a Southern-gothic themed "Twilight," though newcomers Englert and especially Ehrenreich are ingratiating enough to keep you watching. And it also features a stellar A-list of character actors that keeps it from totally falling apart: the stoic Jeremy Irons as the uncle looking after Lena, the warm Viola Davis as a helpful seer and librarian (a combo of two of the book's characters), not to mention Oscar-winner Emma Thompson, wildly overacting, chomping on any scenery in sight as Lena's powerful mother, and Emmy Rossum, who seems too have fun vamping it up as Lena's evil cousin. "Beautiful Creatures" has a great story but its execution, particularly its script, are a little messy, though it features some entertaining moments along the way, and leaving it wide open for more of these if it catches on. An intriguing, if not overly revelatory take on forbidden love, "Beautiful Creatures" is worth a look for those who enjoy a mix of sci-fi, fantasy and romance.

Wes's Grade: C+

A Good Day to Die Hard - C

Rated R, 97 minutes

Though fast-paced, this is not "A Good Day to Die Hard"

Six weeks into 2013, and we've already Schwarzenegger, Stallone and now Bruce Willis. Schwarzenegger and Stallone both bombed in their outings and Willis brings many familiar explosions, guns and a charming, smart-alecky presence in the efficient but unoriginal "A Good Day to Die Hard," the fifth film in the franchise series and the first since 2007's "Live Free or Die Hard." Though Willis is more accessible and nimble than his counterparts, you've seen this before, and this entry feels recycled and thin compared to the other "Die Hard" movies. John McClane (Willis) travels to Russia to help his son, Jack (Australian newcomer Jai Courtney), who has gotten into trouble with the local authorities—but John soon finds that his son's arrest is just one small part of a wider terrorist plot that threatens the stability of the free world. This is "Die Hard" on another continent, and as directed by "Max Payne's" John Moore, it has less story and character (not to mention a very bland villain and a muddled plot) and much more video game sensibility; in other words there's plenty of big guns and explosions, which should entertain the masses who get a kick of that sort of thing. I've enjoyed the "Die Hard" films more than I probably should, particularly the first one (which turns 25 this year) and its mix of action, violence and comedy, even the most previous 2007 installment had some nice comedic charm to it, but this entry takes itself too seriously, with Willis only able to muster lines like "I'm on vacation!" repeatedly for levity (his trademark McClane phrase "yippee-kai-yay" is only uttered once). With a certain built-in franchise appeal, the mildly entertaining "A Good Day to Die Hard" should be at least a modest hit for Willis, who will fare much better than Arnold or Sly have so far in 2013. But if you've seen the other "Die Hard" films you've seen this one too, and this entry is by far the weakest and most forgettable in this series.

Wes's Grade: C

Side Effects - B-

Rated R, 106 minutes

Soderbergh's "Side Effects" an above-average psychological thriller

"Side Effects," the new psychological thriller from Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh ("Traffic"), is a serviceably entertaining, if not far-fetched look at what drugs might or might not do for our mental capacities. Emily and Martin (Rooney Mara and Channing Tatum), are a successful New York couple whose world unravels when a new drug prescribed by Emily's psychiatrist, Dr. Jonathan Banks (Jude Law) - intended to treat anxiety - has unexpected side effects. The drugs could've have caused Emily to do something shocking unreal, until Dr. Banks looks into Emily's past, including her previous therapist (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Written by frequent Soderbergh collaborator Scott Z. Burns ("Contagion"), Soderbergh's urgent, efficient style of direction in the well-acted "Side Effects" works to his advantage here, creating some images that have a way of sticking with you. The chief flaws from the film is its far-fetched script, which falls prey to some normal conventions, such as unraveling everything in flashback or having a character that no one initially believes. It stretches believability at times, though the actors, particularly Mara, have solid turns. In fact, Mara's performance reminds of a lower-key Edward Norton from "Primal Fear," though Law and Zeta-Jones hold their own (as for Tatum, he's still as bland as ever, but used to good effect here). Soderbergh, much like his central character, has a low-key but occasional heavy-hand, but "Side Effects" has some entertaining moments, enough that may warrant a second look at an above-average, provocative thriller that's more about playing closer attention to those around you than mental illness or the use of drugs to treat it.

Wes's Grade: B-