From unorthodox lessons in team building to works of art, this week’s new releases showcase new ways of looking at things. Art gets animated when a popular children’s toy comes to life on the big screen.
An ordinary LEGO man is mistaken to have extraordinary abilities in The LEGO Movie. With the belief that he has the power to save their world, a group of strangers recruit him to help them stop a corrupt ruler. The PG, animated adventure features the voices of hris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman. It plays for one hour and forty-one minutes.
Architects and artists go on a mission to save historic art during World War II in The Monuments Men. Under the orders of FDR, a platoon with little to no military background attempts to go behind enemy lines to cultivate the culture that the Nazis are trying to destroy. George Clooney wrote, directs and stars in the PG-13 drama. The one hour and fifty-eight minute film is based on real events and co-stars Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett and John Goodman.
Two friends attempt to flee from their secret boarding school in Vampire Academy. With evil blood suckers looking to prey on the peaceful, a half human-half vampire does all she can to protect her mortal vampire friend, both inside and outside of school. The PG-13 sci-fi fantasy is based on Richelle Mead’s popular novels. It runs for one hour and forty-four minutes.
A children’s writer takes a stab at crime novels in A Fantastic Fear of Everything. While researching for his new book, he studies the motives of serial killers and soon becomes a nervous wreck. Simon Pegg stars in the the one hour and forty minute comedy. The limited released film is rated R for language.
With the help of his nephew and best friend, a ladies man decides he is going to try to have a committed, serious relationship in Cavemen. After having thoughts of starting a relationship with his female friend, he soon realizes the task is not as easy as it seems. The romantic comedy stars Camilla Belle, Skylar Astin and Chad Michael Murray. The limited released film plays for one hour and twenty-seven minutes.
A young man heads to Austin for the weekend to try and win back his ex-girlfriend in Love & Air Sex. When he arrives in Texas, he is met with some obstacles, a crazy competition and his friends who are trying to keep them apart. The unrated romantic comedy is playing in limited theaters for one hour and thirty-one minutes.
A British soldier at war flies to Los Angeles to identify his daughter’s body in The Outsider. After landing in LA, he discovers that the body is not hers. Believing that she’s still alive somewhere, he goes on a mission to find her. James Caan, Jason Patric, Craig Fairbrass and Shannon Elizabeth star in the unrated crime drama. The film is running in limited theaters for one hour and thirty-four minutes.
A lesson on logic takes a deadly turn in After the Dark. In the one hour and forty-seven minute film, a professor challenges his seniors to decide who among their classmates should be kept alive at the event of a nuclear apocalypse. The unrated, dramatic thriller is available in limited theaters.
To get him off their back, a group of friends try to find a mate for their buddy who always puts his foot in his mouth in Someone Marry Barry. Things don’t go exactly the way they planned when Barry meets and falls for a girl with a similar personality. The unrated romantic comedy is playing in limited theaters for one hour an twenty-seven minutes.
A company retreat leaves coworkers marooned on a deserted island in Welcome to the Jungle. When tragedy strikes the former Marine at the helm, the group must learn to survive the elements and themselves in order to stay alive. The one hour and thirty-five minute comedy stars Jean-Claude Van Damme, Adam Brody, Rob Huebel, Kristen Schaal, Megan Boone and Dennis Haysbert. The unrated film is playing in limited theaters.
A pair of identical twins live very different lives in The Pretty One. When one dies in a car accident, the quiet, more homely sibling takes on the life of her outgoing sister. She finds herself by becoming someone else and must decide whether or not to come clean. The one hour and thirty minute comedy is rated R for language and sex. It’s available in limited theaters.
A friendship turns into an obsession in Nurse 3D. In this tale of fatal attraction, a nurse befriends a new student and terrorizes her and others with her sexual and deadly ways. The one hour and twenty-three minute thriller is rated R for violence, sex, language and nudity.
Looking to escape a war, three soldiers are captured by two men and forced to search for a hidden treasure in A Field in England. During their hunt, chaos ensues as they discover that what they’re looking for my not be riches after all. The unrated, one hour and thirty minute thriller is available in limited theaters.
A man with a pivotal role in the Holocaust is the focus of The Last of the Unjust. Filmmaker Claude Lanzmann interviews Benjamin Murmelstein, the last surviving man from the Theresienstadt concentration camp who was closely connected to its executioner. The PG-13 documentary runs for three hours and thirty-eight minutes.
A Pennsylvania judge known for locking up children is put in the spotlight with Kids for Cash. The unrated documentary provides a cynical look at a man that is celebrated for keeping troubled kids at bay. It shines a light on the scandal that claims he was paid by the prisons for incarcerating youngsters for petty crimes. The limited released film runs for one hour and forty-two minutes.
Movies like this week’s Cavemen and Love & Air Sex pave the way for some more romance films hitting theaters on Valentine’s Day. Winter’s Tale, About Last Night and Endless Love are all debuting next week.
Become a fan of the Trailer Park on Facebook.