This week, there are five new movies opening. There are four opening everywhere and one in limited release.

Opening Nationwide on Friday, February 1st:

Movie: The Eye (PG-13)
Starring: Jessica Alba, Alessandro Nivola, Parker Posey & Rade Serbedzija
Genre: Thriller
Synopsis: A concert violinist that has spent most of her life in blindness gets a double corneal transplant to repair her sight. Her doctor and sister are there to help her with the transition and learning to see again, but she starts seeing things that nobody else can see. Can she see the future? Is she seeing into an alternate universe? Well, that’s what she wants to know.
First Thoughts: I see a potentially dismal movie, but it’s got to be better than Good Luck Chuck. Right?

Movie: Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert in Disney Digital 3D
Starring: Miley Cyrus & Jonas Brothers
Genre: Concert
Synopsis: The sold out concert tour hits the big screen for one week.
First Thoughts: The place to be for Hannah Montana fans.

Movie: Over Her Dead Body (PG-13)
Starring: Eva Longoria, Paul Rudd & Lake Bell
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Synopsis: A man devastated over the death of his fiancée on their wedding day, is pushed by his sister to see a psychic. He is very skeptical of her abilities, but he starts to fall for her and her for him. Yet, his dead wife to be has not left completely, as her ghost is haunting the psychic with the goal of keeping the two apart.
First Thoughts: Super Bowl weekend must be the week when the really crappy stuff is released, as this looks and sounds terrible. When there isn’t even a laugh to be found in the trailer that is not a good sign. It does have a great looking cast.

Movie: Strange Wilderness (R) (Read Review)
Starring: Steve Zahn, Allen Covert, Jonah Hill, Kevin Heffernan & Ashley Scott
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis: The popular host of a top wildlife TV show dies and his son takes over the show. Unfortunately, he is a bumbling, blathering, imbecile that thinks he is as talented as his father. He throws in useless bits of knowledge that don’t make sense or are completely made up and the show starts sinking in the ratings. His filming partner happens upon a map to what is supposed to be the cave of Bigfoot. He decides to take his crew on the hunt of the elusive beast in Central America and disaster after disaster befalls them.
First Thoughts: Well, Meet the Spartans did well last week, maybe this will too. This doesn’t look that good either, but at least I laughed a couple of times during the trailer. Hopefully, those aren’t the only ones to be found in the movie.

Movies in Limited Release:

• Caramel – A foreign ensemble drama about a group of five women that regularly meet at a beauty salon in Beirut. While there, their conversations are intimate and open, as they discuss men, sex and motherhood.

For New Movie Friday there are four new movies this week to choose from. They are The Eye, Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert in Disney Digital 3D, Over Her Dead Body and Strange Wilderness. What new movie will you be heading out to see this week?

Movie: Untraceable (R)
Released: January 25th, 2008
Runtime: 1 hr. 40 min.
Ticket Price: $7.50 Matinee
Refreshments: Gummy Bears
Starring: Diane Lane, Billy Burke, Colin Hanks, Joseph Cross & Mary Beth Hurt
Director: Gregory Hoblit

Rating: Worth a Rental

Synopsis: A special agent in the cybercrime division of the FBI comes across a very tech-savvy predator that is using his website to kill his victims with the help of the sites visitors. The more that come to the site, the faster his victims will die. Every time the techs at the FBI try and shut it down, it pops right back up again. It is like nothing they have ever seen, as his site seems to be untraceable. As the game of cat and mouse between the FBI and the killer goes on, it becomes personal for one of the agents, as the killer starts focusing on her. The taskforce races the clock to stop this tech mastermind from continuing to kill.

Review: Untraceable is a decent thriller from director Gregory Hoblit, who brought us the slickly done, but poorly plotted, and similarly paced Fracture. That movie, as with this one, moves along too slow. In this case, there are too many shots that are designed to ratchet up the eeriness and tension, but only leave you momentarily board and wishing they would get on with the story.

Diane Lane (Must Love Dogs, Unfaithful) is terrific, as usual. She brings substance to what should have been a much more substantive movie.

The premise of the movie is an interesting one and, unfortunately, probably isn’t far from the truth of what might really happen in that situation. But, so much more could have been done to give the moviegoer something to think about upon leaving the theater, as well as entertaining them while they were there.

Untraceable plays as a sort of commentary on the potential dangers of online life played out to the extreme, but the message seems to get lost. But, unlike when the computer says, “the only winning move is not to play” in War Games, the comments scrolling up the screen by visitors to the killer’s site don’t have much impact. They even led one fellow moviegoer to laugh, hopefully a nervous one, but a laugh none-the-less. This can’t be what was intended, although maybe it proves the movie’s point.

One thing that was good about Untraceable was the ending, as they went a different way than what you would normally expect in such a film. Would say more, but don’t want to give too much away.

Overall, Untraceable will make a good rental choice a few months from now when it hits DVD. Until then, you would probably be much better off heading out to see one of the best picture nominees that have recently re-entered your local cineplex. Kind of wishing that I went to see Rambo instead.

How about you, have you seen Untraceable? What did you think of it?

This week, there are five new movies opening. There are four opening everywhere and one in limited release.

Opening Nationwide on Friday, January 25th:

Movie: How She Move (PG-13)
Starring: Rutina Wesley, Tracey ‘Tre’ Armstrong, Brennan Gademans, Clé Bennett & Kevin Duhaney
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: A talented dancer that has been studying at an elite academy returns home after the sudden death of her sister due to drugs. She begins attending public school and a rivalry with another student bubbles up over who is the better dancer. So, she gets the local leader of an all male dance group that is preparing for a competition to let her join. Much dancing ensues.
First Thoughts: One of this year’s entries, along with the upcoming Step-Up 2: The Streets coming in February, into Stomp the Yard type territory.

Movie: Meet the Spartans (PG-13)
Starring: Diedrich Bader, Kevin Sorbo, Method Man, Ken Davitian, Jim Piddock & Carmen Electra
Genre: Comedy Spoof
Synopsis: Many of the big movies of the recent past get the spoof treatment.
First Thoughts: Another attempt at an Epic Movie type conglomeration of comedy spoofery.

Movie: Rambo (R)
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz, Paul Schulze, Matthew Marsden & Graham McTavish
Genre: Action Adventure
Synopsis: Rambo is no longer fighting and is now living a solitary life in northern Thailand. Nearby on the Thai-Burma board the war between the Burmese and the Karen rages on. A group of human rights missionaries that want to take medical supplies to the Karen, seek Rambo out to provide them safe transport up the Salween. He reluctantly agrees. A few days later a leader from their group comes to inform Rambo that the aid workers he had helped had not been heard from and the embassies had been no help in finding them. Rambo suits up once again to go in and find them.
First Thoughts: From the trailers, even a geriatric Rambo looks like he can still kick some ass. If it wasn’t for Untraceable, would most definitely being heading out to see this. Maybe will go see it over the weekend.

Movie: Untraceable (R) (Read Review)
Starring: Diane Lane, Billy Burke, Colin Hanks, Joseph Cross & Mary Beth Hurt
Genre: Action Thriller
Synopsis: A special agent in the cybercrime division of the FBI comes across a very tech-savvy predator that is using his website to kill his victims with the help of the sites visitors. The more that come to the site, the faster his victims will die. Even to the top tech working at the FBI, his site seems to be untraceable. As the game of cat and mouse between the FBI and the killer goes on, it becomes personal for one of the agents, as the killer starts taunting her. The whole team must race the clock to stop this evil mastermind from continuing to kill.
First Thoughts: This looks really good and having Diane Lane on screen is never a bad thing. Hopefully, it lives up to what its trailer promises.

Movies in Limited Release:

• U2 3D – It is a unique attempt to put the viewer inside a concert by the world’s greatest band by making them feel that they are there. It uses an innovative digital 3D process and a surround sound experience to show you the excitement of listening to U2 at a live concert. It was shot in South America during the last leg of U2’s “Vertigo” tour. They say watching this will take you on a extraordinary journey that you will never forget. Opens today, January 23rd.

For New Movie Friday there are four new movies this week to choose from. They are How She Move, Meet the Spartans, Rambo and Untraceable. What new movie will you be heading out to see this week?

Movie: 27 Dresses (PG-13)
Released: January 18th, 2008
Runtime: 1 hr. 47 min.
Ticket Price: $7.50 Matinee
Refreshments: Gummy Bears
Starring: Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Malin Akerman, Judy Greer & Edward Burns
Director: Anne Fletcher

Rating: Worth a Full Price Ticket

Synopsis: Always a bridesmaid, never a bride has never been more true than for a young woman who has been a bridesmaid 27 times. Now, she is about to stand at her younger sister’s side and watch her marry the guy she has been secretly in love with. But, while doing so, she may have actually just met the guy for her.

Review: Some will say that 27 Dresses is predictable, but really, if you are going to see a romantic comedy and you don’t expect the lead, in this case Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up, TV’s Grey’s Anatomy), to get the guy, then what did you think you were going to see. That’s what happens in romantic comedies and bizarrely enough, that’s what happens in this romantic comedy too. Sorry, hope I didn’t ruin the ending for you.

In a setup like this one, you might actually expect the girl to end up with her boss, played by Edward Burns (One Missed Call, Confidence), she has been pining after, as he finally comes to his senses and sees what he has been missing. But, they don’t go that direction. They bring another guy, a reporter, played by James Marsden (Enchanted, X-Men), to get her out of her “yes” girl rut.

While you are to believe that someone that looks as good as Heigl does, would be overlooked by anyone, she pulls the character off quite nicely. Her expressive face provides much of the humor and sorrowful moments in the movie. She is very good at showing you what her character is feeling, so you can feel it right along with her. She is also quite adept at the physical comedy the role calls for.

Marsden seems to be having a lot of fun with the role of a reporter stuck covering weddings for the life section of the paper that stumbles upon what looks to be a great story about a perpetual bridesmaid. This could be his chance to move up and start covering bigger news stories. Yet, while doing so, he may have found something else that could change his life.

In 27 Dresses there are a lot of great scenes, like Heigl and Marsden mangling the lyrics to Elton John’s “Benny and the Jets” at a roadside bar after getting stranded in a rainstorm. Or, the montage of Heigl in many of her 27 bridesmaid dresses. The writers must have had a lot of fun coming up with all the different wedding themes.

Overall, 27 Dresses is a good time at the movies and worth a full price ticket. There is plenty of funny to go around, but keep your eye out for a few sight gags and subtleties that can be easily missed. Ultimately, you will leave the theater feeling happy. Well, the 53, or so, ladies and the one other guy drug there by his girlfriend that I saw it with all seemed to.

Have you seen 27 Dresses, what did you think of it?