Game Change

Roach recounts another modern political tale and Moore manages the impossible by not turning Palin into a caricature, almost as difficult an effort as those of the other characters to turn her into a politician.  Harrelson’s advisor manages to remain central focus amidst recognizable Harris and Palin, and supportive Paulson.

We Bought a Zoo

Crowe adopts animals in another half-deep character piece.  Johannson’s team of californicating indie stars bond predictably with good will zookeeping in a film with easily anticipated emotional cues and obstacles more obviously surmountable than the bear’s cage.  Still, cute family film, complete with ‘you had me at why not’ monologue.

Rampart

Moverman moves noble military men to corrupt L.A. characters in this overly unstructured character piece.  Harrelson’s performance is fine, but development of his character became unfollowably deep.  Supporting celebs bit performances and odd family structure add little, and distract from interesting moral conundrums.  Foster’s reunion is amusing but not amazing.

Wanderlust

Aniston gets dragged on this Apatow-esque roadtrip into a stereo-typical hippy commune and onto an over-the-top husband to be.  Extreme commune portrayal builds a few funny jokes but undermines efforts to make commentary on everyday life.  Rudd plays Rudd as usual, but ad libs away potential sexiest scene in film.

Wrath of the Titans

The deities re-team and un-intelligently design an even worse creation.  This clash evokes wrath of fans while failing to create sufficiently epic journey into Hades or into characters.  Even Zeus and Hades can’t maintain pleasant animosity they had in Clash and Schindler’s List.  But at least it had a titan.

Lockout

Besson’s metal rendition of Carpenter’s escape lacks quirkiness of the original, technology of a good sci-fi, and plausibility of a decent movie.  Pearce’s tough guy is great, but Grace is far from it.  The badness of the prisoners is too senseless and inconsistent and the conspiracy theory feels tacked on.