17 Again *1/2

Cast: Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon, Matthew Perry, Sterling Knight, Michelle Trachtenberg, Hunter Parrish, Melora Hardin
Director: Burr Steers
Running Length: 1:42
MPAA Classification: PG-13

In 1989, Mike O’Donnell (Efron) is the star of the basketball team. He is one game from getting a big scholarship. Before the game, he finds out his girlfriend is pregnant. Determined to make the right decision, he skips the game and declares that his future is spending the rest of his life with her and raising their child. In 2007, Mike (Perry) is sick of his life, and Scarlett (Mann) is divorcing him. His kids don’t like him either. One day, a mysterious janitor at the school offers him a chance to do it all over again. He eagerly accepts, and the next day wakes up in a 17 year old body.

“17 Again” is nothing new. In fact, it has been done better many times before. This is clearly a starring vehicle for Efron, who is moderately charming and successful in the role. The story could have been written better, but seems dumbed down for the younger audience that would come to see Efron on film. I really cannot recommend this film.

Fired Up! *1/2

Cast: Nicholas D'Agosto, Eric Christian Olsen, Sarah Roemer, Molly Sims, David Walton, Philip Baker Hall, John Michael Higgins
Director: Will Gluck
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Shawn (D’Agosto) and Nick (Olsen) are stars of the high school football team. They also have a way with the ladies. They decide to skip football camp to attend cheerleading camp. They figure that there will be very few guys besides them and they can work their way through the girls. Carly (Roemer), the captain of the squad knows that they are up to no good, but can do nothing to stop them. One thing she doesn’t plan on is Shawn falling for her.

“Fired up!” is not a particularly good movie. Most of the funniest parts are shown in the previews. Some of the acting is pretty painful to watch. The leads, playing high schoolers, are even pretty far from their high school days. This movie would actually have benefited from an R rating, but to attract a bigger audience, it is tamed down to a PG-13. I cannot recommend this one.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno *1/2

Cast: Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Jason Mewes, Katie Morgan, Traci Lords, Brandon Routh, Justin Long
Director: Kevin Smith
Running Length: 1:41
MPAA Classification: R

Platonic best friends, Zack (Rogen) and Miri (Banks) live together and are in a financial crisis that threatens to put them on the street. They cannot afford to pay the rent. Zack comes up with the idea to make a porno to make some money. Sure, they will have to cross a line in their friendship, but it will help them get back on their feet again. After all, it is just sex. They enlist the help of some friends, and set up at the local coffee shop where they work. Of course, things never go as smoothly as planned.

I had somewhat high expectations for “Zack and Miri”, and was let down. That it is no where as funny as I had hoped was the biggest problem. Rogen, who has had a string of successful comedies over the past few years is finally working outside the Judd Apatow group, and he is a bit flat. Perhaps it is the material that they provide that makes him work. The story is predictable and disappointing. Director Kevin Smith has been struggling with his last few films, and “Zack and Miri” will not help his resume. If you need to see this, wait for DVD.

Aeon Flux *1/2

Cast: Charlize Theron, Marton Csokas, Jonny Lee Miller, Sophie Okonedo, Frances McDormand, Pete Poslethwaite, Amelia Warner
Director: Karyn Kusama
Running Length: 1:35
MPAA Classification: PG-13

400 years from now, 99% of the world's population has been wiped out by a virus. Those remaining are living in a walled city and led by the Goodchild regime. Five million people survived the plague in 2001, and five million still live in 2415. The Goodchild regime is a totalitarian government, and the Monicans are focused on removing him from power by any means necessary. The most dangerous Monican, Aeon Flux (Theron) accepts a specific mission from the Handler (McDormand) to kill Trevor Goodchild (Csokas). With the help of her sidekick, Sithandra (Okonedo), she ventures into his fortress. When the time comes to pull the trigger, something happens that will change their world forever.

"Aeon Flux" is the film version of some short cartoons aired on MTV in the 1990's, and is a mixed bag, sometimes working and sometimes not -- mostly not. There are a lot of nods to the cartoon, and they seem kind of silly when not in cartoon form. Theron is wrong for the role, and never really feels right to this fan of the cartoon. The story is moderately interesting, but poorly executed for the most part. "Aeon Flux" was a disappointment for me, and I can't help but think that with a different cast and crew, a better job could have been done.