Wanted ***

Cast: James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Running Length: 1:50
MPAA Classification: R

Wesley Gibson (McAvoy) is an accounts manager with no excitement in his life. He doesn’t seem to even like himself too much. Then, one day he meets Fox (Jolie), and his world is turned upside down. Fox is a member of a thousands-year old secret society of assassins. Wesley’s father was also a member, with a lot of talent when it comes to killing people. Wesley believed his dad to be dead for years, but it turns out he was just murdered by Cross (Kretschmann), and the fraternity wants Wesley’s help in delivering justice. Soon, Wesley discovers that he has special skills like his father, and is learning the ways of the fraternity. But all is not as it seems, and Wesley may be in deeper than he realizes.

“Wanted” is an interesting action film. It is reminiscent of both “The Matrix” and “Fight Club”, but resembles neither. It is full of interesting, logic-suspending fight/assassination scenes that are visually impressive to watch. McAvoy brings life to Wesley and makes him someone that the viewer can relate to. The storyline is different enough and interesting to make it an above average action film. The supporting cast gets the job done as well. Can Morgan Freeman do any wrong? Overall, “Wanted” delivers a pretty intense 110 minutes, and is not a mindless summer action movie. This is worth checking out.

Kung Fu Panda ***
Cast (voices): Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Lucy Liu, David Cross, Seth Rogen, Randall Duk Kim
Director: Mark Osborne, John Stevenson
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: PG

Po the panda (Black) wants to be a martial arts expert. Unfortunately for him, he is working for his father (Hong) making noodle soup. One day, at the nearby temple, Master Oogway (Kim) has a vision that the evil Tia Lung (McShane) will escape from prison and wreak havoc. Now Oogway must determine who will be the Dragon Warrior, and defeat Tia Lung. The five contenders are: Monkey (Chan), Tigress (Jolie), Viper (Liu), Crand (Cross), and Mantis (Rogen), all apprentices of Master Shifu (Hoffman). Somehow, all of them are overlooked and Po is chosen. Now, Po must find it within himself to save the village, as Tia Lung has just escaped.

“Kung Fu Panda” is an entertaining, action packed film. The voice talents are all well chosen, especially Jack Black as the titular panda. The humor works, and adults and children will enjoy this film. The animation, while good, is about what one has come to expect in animated films. The animation bar is high, and “Kung Fu Panda” makes it over, but does not blow it away. “Kung Fu Panda” is a good family movie, and I recommend it.

Beowulf ***Cast: Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Brendan Gleeson, Crispin Glover, Alison Lohman
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Running Length: 1:55
MPAA Classification: PG-13

In 6th century Denmark, Kin Hrothgar’s (Hopkins) kingdom is being terrorized by the monster Grendel (Glover). The king calls for someone to come and defeat Grendel. Beowulf (Winstone) answers that call, seeking glory more than gold. On his first night there, Grendel attacks and Beowulf must deal with him. But, Grendel is not the only creature waiting to terrorize the kingdom. Grendel’s mother (Jolie) and a dragon also lie in wait.

Computer animated and only loosely following the epic poem, “Beowulf” is an entertaining feast for the eyes. I think that animation was the way to go with this story, and the images are very realistic. Voice talents of Winstone, Hopkins, Jolie, Gleeson, and Penn all fit well with the characters. Purists will probably be disappointed with the changes, but for those not familiar with the story will probably have no problems. “Beowulf” is a great example of how far CGI has come, and an excellent diversion for those craving some action.

Taking Lives ***

Cast: Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke, Kiefer Sutherland, Gena Rowlands, Olivier Martinez, Tchéky Karyo, Jean-Hughes Anglade
Director: D. J. Caruso

On special assignment, Special Agent Scott (Jolie) heads to Montreal to help an old friend, who happens to be a police captain, catch a serial killer. Her arrival produces mixed feelings within the department, but she is able to immediately get results. Murder witness James Costa (Hawke) is able to provide her with a picture of the murderer, Martin Asher (Sutherland), a man thought dead for 20 years. Asher's mother has also claimed to see her son in Montreal. And then, the hunt is on. The "twist" near the end of the movie wasn't overly surprising (I had guessed it early on), but that doesn't take away from the movie's effectiveness as a thriller/murder mystery. What does detract from the movie is the tacked on "happy ending" of sorts that was probably only added to provide clusure. There was a shocking scene in these final minutes that drew gasps from the audience though. In the end, this is a good movie that could have been a lot better without the added on ending. Credible performances all around, although some of the actors do not get as much screen time as one might expect.