G-Force

Rating: PG

Movie Release Date: July 24, 2009

DVD Release Date: December 15, 2009

Plot 411: An experimental team of guinea pigs must save the world from disaster and prove they are skilled FBI agents.

Review: Ben (Zach Galifianakis) is heading an experimental program for the FBI that trains common rodents to be special agents. He has put together a team consisting of three guinea pigs and a mole. Led by Darwin (Sam Rockwell), Blaster (Tracy Morgan), Juarez (Penelope Cruz) and Speckles (Nicholas Cage) go on a mission to take down a suspected international arms dealer (Bill Nighy). Avoiding capture from FBI agents who want to stop their program, the team ends up in a pet store and gets a taste of what life as a pet is like. This movie wasn't as bad as I was anticipating. There was a lot of action that made it a lot of fun. However, the dialogue was a bit forced. They kept referencing famous movies and pulling lines out left and right. I guess that was supposed to be for the adults. Unfortunately, it wasn't really put together well enough to capitalize on that. The animation was pretty good, but I found it hard to connect with it. They just didn't seem real at all.

Watch It: For one of the few action animated flicks out there.

Skip It: Because it's not really one of those memorable movies with a lot of impact.

Cop Out

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: February 26, 2010

DVD Release Date: TBD

Plot 411: Two suspended cops stumble upon a kidnapping when they try to sell a baseball card.

Review: Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan play veteran cops Jimmy and Paul, who have an interesting nine-year partnership on the force. After a drug bust goes bad, they are suspended for 30 days without pay. This throws a kink into Jimmy's plans because he needs the money to finance his daughter's (Michelle Trachtenberg) wedding. Jimmy decides to sell his prized baseball card but is robbed in the process by Dave (Seann William Scott). Tracking Dave down leads Jimmy and Paul to a Mexican drug lord, who is attempting to expand his territory, and a kidnapped woman (Ana de la Reguera). Also featured in this buddy cop comedy are Rashida Jones as Paul's wife, Adam Brody and Kevin Pollak as cops in the gang unit and Jason Lee as Jimmy's ex-wife's second husband. Willis plays the straight man to Morgan's funny man routine in this raunchy bromance. The movie probably deserves a second viewing because Morgan has some hilarious lines that get lost because you're still laughing at his last joke. He also spends a lot of time yelling, which garbles up what he's saying. Throw in Scott and the laughs keep rolling in. I'm sure there are going to be tons of outakes in the Special Features reel on the dvd. The movie took me by surprise. I thought there'd be a lot more action in it, but it was a pleasant surprise that this movie was a laughfest. It ended up being better than I thought it'd be. The plot and everything else is pretty irrelevant though. I just wanted to see more of Willis and Morgan together.

Watch It: For a surprisingly funny flick about two friends just trying to get through the day. It's their ninth anniversary after all.

Skip It: If you're offended by a bunch of swearing or are looking for more of an action thriller cop show.