Underworld: Rise of the Lycans ***

Cast: Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Rhona Mitra, Steven Mackintosh, Kevin Grevioux
Director: Patrick Tatopoulos
Running Length: 1:32
MPAA Classification: R

Hundreds of years before the first “Underworld” movie, werewolves were slaves to the vampires, led by Viktor (Nighy). The werewolf Lucian (Sheen) is the favored slave of Viktor. They maintain a respectable relationship despite their differences. Unbeknownst to Viktor, Lucian and Viktor’s daughter Sonja (Mitra) are in love. They sneak off to be together even though relationships between vampires and warewolves is forbidden. Their relationship prompts Lucien to remove his collar and go after when she is in danger. Despite saving her, Lucien is punished like the rest of the warewolves. This plants the seeds for their uprising.

“Underworld: Rise of the Lycans” is a movie that probably does not need to be made. The story was laid out quickly in the first “Underworld” movie. That being said, “Rise of the Lycans” is surprisingly entertaining. Nighy and Sheen are doing the overacting that fans of the series have come to love. There are plenty of actions scenes. And, this time, the film is a bit of a period piece. Shakespeare this ain’t, but I do not think that fans of the series will be disappointed.

Love Actually ***

Cast: Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, Laura Linney, Martine McCutcheon, Keira Knightley, Emma Thompson, Billy Bob Thornton, Rowan Atkinson
Director: Richard Curtis

Love Actually weaves together a series of love stories like a Robert Altman film, and its individual stories work more often than not. This movie tells of many different kinds of love -- romantic, friend, and parent/child -- with some of the "loves" working out, and others having no chance. It doesn't strive to give every story a happy ending, a fact which I appreciate, and comes off as feeling true for the most part. Some of the stories seem a bit sappy for my tastes, but with this movie you get a variety, so a viewer will find one that meets their liking. This movie runs a little long, mostly due to the amount of characters present, but if you are looking for a enjoyable romantic comedy this time of year, give Love Actually a chance and you might be surprised.