Disturbia ***
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, David Morse, Sarah Roemer, Aaron Yoo, Carrie-Anne Moss
Director: D. J. Caruso
Running Length: 1:45
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Kale (LaBeouf) is a troubled kid wo, a year after his father’s untimely death, is in court for punching his Spanish teacher. This is not his first bit of trouble, and the judge sentences him to three months under house arrest. He must wear an ankle bracelet that will alert authorities if he is farther away than 100 feet from the signal box. His mother (Moss) cancels his online subscriptions, and all Kale has to do is stare out of his bedroom window. He watches his neighbors’ lives unfold before him. The most interesting are Ashley (Roemer), the new neighbor girl and Mr. Turner (Morse), a man whose care looks like the one reported to have been involved in a kidnapping.

Sure, “Disturbia” is just “Rear Window” for teens. But, it is also a well made, tense thriller. It falters a little at the end when it veers away from the “Rear Window” storyline, but that is to be expected. Shia LaBeouf does a good job as leading man. Get used to seeing him, he will be leading the cast of “Transformers” and also star in “Indiana Jones 4”. David Morse is at his creepy best. Mr. Turner is a sleaze from his first appearance to his last, and as quite memorable. “Disturbia” succeeds as a modernizing of a classic. It is not up to the caliber of “Rear Window”, but it does not disappoint either. I recommend it.

TMNT ***
Cast (voices): Chris Evans, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mako, Patrick Stewart
Director: Kevin Munroe
Running Length: 1:27
MPAA Classification: PG

Leonardo is in South America learning to be a better leader. Raphael and the others are still in Manhattan, but he is distant from Donatello and Michelangelo. He is spending his nights as the Nightwatcher, a superhero who is protecting the city. Soon, strange things start happening, and April O’Neil, friend of the turtles, tries to get them back together to fight this new menace.

Using the live action movies from the 90’s as a vague history, this CGI film jumps right into the story and doesn’t let up until the end. This is my first turtles movie, but I have to think that CGI treats them better than the live action movies did. There are no limits to the fight scenes and camera angles as they bound across the city. “TMNT” was surprisingly good and entertaining. Kids and action fans will not be disappointed.

Grindhouse ***1/2
Cast: Planet Terror: Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton, Bruce Willis, Michael Biehn, Naveen Andrews, Michael Parks; Death Proof: Kurt Rusell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Rose McGowan, Zoe Bell, Tracie Thoms, Kelley Robins
Directors: Robert Rodriguez (Planet Terror, trailer: Machete); Quentin Tarantino (Death Proof); Eli Roth (trailer: Thanksgiving); Edgar Wright (trailer: Don't Scream); Rob Zombie (trailer: Werewolf Women of the S.S.)
Running Length: 3:10
MPAA Classification: R

“Grindhouse” is a double feature, paying homage to exploitation films of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Those movies were poorly made, but loved by many and a bit of a guilty pleasure.

“Planet Terror”, directed by Robert Rodriguez, is an end of the world-zombie movie. Cherry (McGowan) has her leg bitten off by zombies and ends up with a machine gun prosthetic. Aided by Wray (Rodriguez), Dakota (Shelton), and a ragtag group of others, they try to get out of town and hopefully to a safe place where there are no zombies.

“Death Proof”, directed by Quentin Tarantino, is a killer movie with Kurt Russell playing stuntman Mike. He likes to pick women up at bars and take them for the ride of their lives. One day, he picks the wrong women to go after, and is in for the surprise of his life.

“Grindhouse” works because it is an homage. If these movies were marked for today’s audiences, they would be destroyed by the critics. Knowing that the directors are in on the joke makes “Grindhouse” a unique and fun experience. Both movies have their strong points and weaknesses, so I have a hard time choosing a favorite. I would just suggest seeing them together, as some theaters have begun to show them separately. This is probably not the best film from either Tarantino or Rodriguez, but I think that it is easily the most fun.

Meet the Robinsons **1/2
Cast (voices): Daniel Hansen, Jordan Fry, Wesley Singerman, Angela Bassett, Stephen J. Anderson, Harland Williams, Adam West, Nicole Sullivan, Tom Selleck
Director: Stephen J. Anderson
Running Length: 1:32
MPAA Classification: G

Lewis is an orphan who enjoys inventing things. Some of them work, but most of them do not. For a science fair, he invents a device to pull memories out of the cerebral cortex and display them on a video screen. On the day of the science fair, the “Bowler Hat Guy” show up and steals it. Soon, Wilbur Anderson appears, claiming to be from the future. He grabs Lewis and takes him 25 years into the future. There, in the future, they must try to stop “Bowler Hat Guy” from destroying the future. Along the way, Lewis discovers what having a family, specifically the Robinsons, means.

“Meet the Robinsons” is an average Disney movie, although on the upper side of average. The animation is not up to Pixar standards, but it does get the job done. The voice talents are adequate, with no major names in the main roles. This serves the movie well for adults, as there is no disconnect between voice and character. Kids will probably enjoy it thoroughly with its bright colors and nice story about family. Adults may be a little bored as the film is geared more toward the younger audience. Or maybe Disney is not up to crafting stories like Pixar can. Either way, it is an entertaining diversion until Pixar takes up the reins again on computer animated films from Disney.

Blades of Glory **1/2
Cast: Will Ferrell, Jon Heder, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Jenna Fischer, William Fichtner, Craig T. Nelson
Directors: Josh Gordon, Will Speck
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Chazz Michael Michaels (Ferrell) and Jimmy MacElroy (Heder) are professional ice skaters. They are exact opposites and bitter rivals. Chazz is the bad boy who does things on his own. Jimmy is graceful but without passion. When they tie for a gold medal, the resulting brawl ends up with them being banned for life from the men’s competition. Jimmy’s coach then gets an idea: put them together and enter them in the pairs competition. They would be able to do moves that a man and a woman together never could. They could be unstoppable. The only obstacle in their path is the team of Stranz (Arnett) and Fairchild (Poehler) Van Waldenberg, and they will do anything to remain on top of the pairs competition.

“Blades of Glory” does for figure skating what “Talladega Nights” did for NASCAR. Farrell and Heder have good comedy chemistry, and the skating scenes are the funniest parts of the movie. This is not Will Ferrell’s funniest movie, but does have enough laughs to make a viewing worthwhile, although I would recommend waiting for DVD. Fans of Will Ferrell will not be disappointed, but those expecting nonstop laughs will be.

Shooter ***
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Michael Pena, Danny Glover, Elias Koteas, Kate Mara, Rhona Mitra, Ned Beatty, Rade Serbedzija
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Running Length: 2:00
MPAA Classification: R

Bob Lee Swagger (Wahlberg) is an ex-special ops sharpshooter. Colonel Isaac Johnson (Glover) ventures into the middle of nowhere to find Swagger, and ask for his help. Apparently, someone is planning to assassinate the President soon, and they want Swagger to figure out how to stop the attack. He agrees, but then finds himself framed for the attempt. Soon, he is on the run, relying on help from Sarah (Mara), the girlfriend of his ex-Marine partner and FBI agent Nick Memphis (Pena), both of whom become targets as well.

Despite all the action, “Shooter” has quite a bit of substance, with twists and turns that are unexpected. The movie moves at a fast pace that keeps the audience on the edge of their seat. Wahlberg is solid as the ordinary guy Swagger. Danny Glover is very good in his important supporting role as well. If you are looking for a good action movie with some brains, “Shooter” is the movie for you.

The Last Mimzy ***
Cast: Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, Chris O'Neil, Timothy Hutton, Joely Richardson, Michael Clarke Duncan, Rainn Wilson, Kathryn Hahn
Director: Bob Shaye
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: PG

Ten-year old Noah (O’Neil) and his sister Emma (Wryn) discover a black box on the beach when on vacation. The box contains strange items including a stuffed rabbit named Mimzy that speaks to Emma telepathically. They hide the items, and the longer they are exposed to them, the smarter they become. Their parents do not notice, but Noah’s science teacher, Larry White (Wilson), does. Meanwhile, Mimzy is dying and only the kids can save her.

“The Last Mimzy” is an interesting and entertaining family-science fiction film. It is character driven, and does not go over the top on effects. O’Neil and Wryn, the two kids, are excellent in parts that need capable actors. I don’t know that they have been in many movies before this one, but they are solid here. The supporting cast does an adequate job, although Michael Clarke Duncan’s role seems unnecessary. I recommend this film.