Featuring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Madison Pettis, The Game Plan feels both grimly modern and charmingly retro. The plot, with Johnson's all-star pro football quarterback discovering he's the father of an 8-year-old girl (Pettis), feels like it was deliberately calculated in some horrible, airless conference room at Disney where a group of development execs were locked in and denied lattes and e-mail until they came up with the perfect movie for separated dads to take their 'tween daughters to during court-mandated custodial weekends. At the same time, The Game Plan has the gentle, breezy execution of prior Disney family films like The Parent Trap and Freaky Friday, where the children are plucky, the parents are clueless-yet-kindhearted and the plot's schemes and complications all culminate in a cleansing, healing hug at the happy ending. Walking out of The Game Plan, I snuck a peek at my watch -- not because I was curious about the hour, but because The Game Plan was so numbingly, charming similar to Disney family films from years gone by I thought I might have fallen through a wormhole back to the Carter administration.

The timeless-but-not-quite-tired nature of the pitch can explain a lot of that feeling; strip away the more modern details, and you could have made The Game Plan in the '50s or '70s with Hayley Mills or the young Jodie Foster as Peyton. Johnson is Joe "The King" Kingman, ace QB for the Boston Rebels. Joe's bravado and self-regard would be unbearable, but for the fact that he can deliver: During the fourth down with the clock running in the game they have to win to make it to the playoffs, Joe tells his teammates "Everyone get on The King's back and I will lead you to the promised land." And they do, and he does. Joe lives in one of those stylized ice-kingdom high-tech apartments, makes money for himself and his agent (Kyra Sedgwick) and enjoys the good life, despite a nagging feeling of ennui and never having won a championship. At which point the plucky, perky Peyton (Pettis) shows up: She's his daughter, a reminder of a long-past, long-over marriage in Joe's youth. Apparently Joe's ex-wife Sarah is off to Africa for a month, and she's leaving Peyton with Joe. Joe is not necessarily prepared for this, and the film hurls itself into wringing laughs from all of the flailing and fumbling that adjustment entails. Peyton figures Joe out immediately: "You sure got a lot of pictures of yourself in here. ..." Joe has no clue about how to be a father figure, let alone an actual father; he barely has a sense of how to be a grown-up.

The directing debut of Helen Hunt gets a passing grade, barely -- the story she's telling is as old as the hills, but Then She Found Me is still executed with style. Sometimes charming, occasionally funny, it never draws attention to itself as the work of a director with training wheels on. The film follows the journey of April Epner (Helen Hunt) a 39 year-old woman who is inexplicably marrying a man named Ben (Matthew Broderick) who is so inconsiderate and self-absorbed that no woman could find him to be primo marriage material. Just as they begin to realize their mistake, April gets the shock of a lifetime: her birth mother shows up and informs her that her real father was Steve McQueen. I kind of liked that premise and hoped the movie would go with it, but it turns out to be just a gag. April's mother, played well by Bette Midler, has a couple of screws loose. More to the point, she has a couple of screws loose when it's convenient, and provides sage and sound advice at other times.

Colin Firth co-stars as April's love interest, an emotionally volatile man with a kid who happens to be in the same school where April teaches, which leads to the kind of scene where the teacher is red-faced by having the kid notice that she is having a 'sleep over' with the father. Firth's character, Frank, tries hard to start up a relationship with April and aggressively pushes her onto his kids, but naturally he isn't very understanding of the fact that she's still seeing her almost-husband on the side, here and there. Usually, a romantic comedy of this type would set up the love triangle but make it more or less clear from the start who is going to win out and who isn't, so Then She Found Me deserves some credit for going a more complicated route and portraying all of these characters as seriously flawed. Frank, for instance, is prone to yelling and storming around in an absolute rage, which is never a good sign. Ben is worse, having nothing whatsoever going on in his life.

Late one night, a family stops at a gas station as they return from a recital; another man drives his son home from a baseball game. A young boy steps too near the road; a father swerves his SUV to avoid oncoming traffic.

And hits the boy. And keeps going.

Reservation Road, the new film from Hotel Rwanda director Terry George, doesn't deal in the clashing of mighty armies or the conflict between nations; it looks at a smaller slice of the world. At the same time, the themes here -- guilt, sorrow, anger, forgiveness -- are explored with power and passion thanks to two extraordinary lead performances. Joaquin Phoenix plays Ethan, a college professor dealing with the sudden death of his son and how that's affecting his wife (Jennifer Connelly) and daughter (Ellie Fanning). He can't go on. He has to go on. Mark Ruffalo plays Dwight, a lawyer who's just drifting through his life -- his job, his shabby apartment, the ruins of his marriage -- and trying to be a good dad to his son (Eddie Alderson). When Dwight strikes and kills Ethan's son, he keeps going -- a single moment of weakness that comes to devour him. He didn't do anything deliberately. But that's no excuse. It was an accident. But it killed someone.

Chalk up another stunning achievement for Joe Wright, who must now be recognized as an auteur with few equals of his age and experience in world cinema. With Atonement, an exacting and relentlessly faithful adaptation of Ian McEwan's 2002 novel about the seismic repercussions of a betrayal in a WWII-era English family, Wright has shaped and refined that uniquely blended style -- at once as calculating as Kubrick and yet receptive and attentive to intimacy and raw feeling -- that made his debut film, 2005's Pride & Prejudice, such an unexpected and welcome surprise. Much like Anthony Minghella, his more senior contemporary who has a bold acting cameo in this film, Wright is an artist who staunchly refuses to run away from the artificiality of cinema. Instead, he co-opts and embraces it. He does so in big ways, such as in a splurgy and acrobatic tracking shot that occurs halfway through Atonement and takes about six minutes to complete, and in smaller, throwaway moments, such as an aggressively painted three-shot on a boat, with Keira Knightley posed exactly in the center.

The year is 1935 and Knightley is Cecilia, a chain-smoking waif who, despite the advantages of her upper class existence, seems on the verge of expiring through sheer boredom. Her only noticeable activity is her flirtation with Robbie (James McAvoy) who is, he tells us, "not a toff." In other words, his situation is closer to that of Elizabeth Bennett in Pride & Prejudice -- he knows how to move in high society, but has not yet found a means to anchor himself to it. When we first see Cecilia and Robbie together, it's through the spying eyes of Cecilia's little sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan), a young teen whose natural tendency is toward fantasy and make-believe -- a passion that's only partly diverted into useful pursuits, like writing. As the movie opens, we see Briony finishing one of her childish plays and recruiting the household members to put it on. Later, she watches from afar as Cecilia and Robbie flirt by an outdoor fountain -- he accidentally breaks a vase, and she sinks into the water to fetch a piece of it, before stepping out again in a mostly transparent dress.

Prior to watching Rush Hour 3, I sat real low in my seat and took a look around the theater. This particular screening had a section roped off for critics, and everyone around us were, for lack of a better description, your average urban moviegoer. Essentially, the target audience for a film like this. My row, the one in front and one in back, consisted of white, middle-aged (or older) film critics; some of whom spoke about their tickets to an upcoming opera. And that's when it dawned on me -- these people are going to hate Rush Hour 3. Say what you want about film critics, but a 60 year-old guy in a sports jacket with tickets to the opera is not going to dig Chris Tucker making bootie jokes while trying not to direct traffic. The rest of the audience, however, devoured the Tucker/Chan shtick as if it were the best all-you-can-eat buffet in town. Sadly, I wasn't as hungry.

It took six years and millions of dollars to convince Chris Tucker to return to his most lucrative role, and fans of the actor will be happy to see him back doing what he does best: shouting ... loudly. The story is exactly the kind you'd expect from a third installment; Jeff Nathanson (Rush Hour 2) returns with a script that felt as if it were ripped out of a Food Network recipe book: 1) Take the African-American male and the Asian male, then combine using a mixture of ethnic jokes, wild stunts and predictable villains. 2) Microwave on high for 90 minutes. 3) Plate your dish, and garnish with something pretty so that the audience is convinced what they're watching is something fresh and original, instead of old, stale and repetitive. 4) Serve your meal with a smile, and cross those fingers -- $25 million is a lot of money for a piece of meat that's been sitting in the freezer for six years. Enjoy!

Wayyy back in seventh grade, there was about a two-week period where a group of kids were calling me Gay-vis, instead of Davis. There's an unspoken rule amongst teenage males that states you must call your fellow peers by their last name only. And, since I was always an easy target for gay jokes (not because I was gay, mind you, but because I was weaker than a wet tissue), the boys had a grand time at my expense. I grew up in Staten Island; a borough of New York City full of tough Italian-Americans who used the word 'gay' to describe anything or anyone that wasn't worth their time.

Watching I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry was like taking a trip back 17 years -- back to a time when you couldn't step foot inside a school cafeteria without hearing someone blurt out another unoriginal gay joke. And that's exactly what this latest Adam Sandler comedy is -- a long, 140-minute version of those stereotypical gay jokes that were popular during my youth in the early '90s. Problem is, it's 2007. But if blatant, in-your-face homophobia tickles your funny bone, and you're the type that feels Sandler can do no wrong, then Chuck and Larry should definitely get you off -- but not in a, ya know, gay kind of way.

With six months of 2007 solidly behind us, it's time to talk about the successes and failures of the first half of this year. Rotten Tomatoes has released their mid-year report, outlining the Top 25 fresh-tomato reviews, and the Bottom 10 worst-reviewed films, which might not even be worthy of an old and very rotten tomato. To figure out the list, the site gathered all of this year's movies with at least 50 reviews, and came up with a "weighted calculation" that figures in the Tomatometer and number of reviews -- a scheme that lets some of the indie picks shine amongst the blockbusters. Using their fancy calculations, Pixar's ratty movie Ratatouille came out as the big victor.

A lot of these films you could probably place without looking at the official list. Of course, the goodies include Zodiac, Knocked Up and Live Free or Die Hard, while the craptacular collection houses movies like Because I Said So, Code Name: The Cleaner and Premonition. What does this all tell us? Well, four of the Top 10 are funny -- and they range from the dork stoner getting the hot girl to killer tadpoles, so yes, critics do have a sense of humor. That being said, what are the chances that comedies will get some cred at next year's Oscars? I'd say almost zilch, but I have to admit that as much as I enjoy Knocked Up and think it belongs in its spot, I wouldn't consider it a big cinematic achievement.

That aside, kudos to Sarah Polley, whose freshman directorial feature Away from Her got the top 2 spot, and is one of only two dramas in the top 5. Unfortunately, that also says something about what moviegoers are going to see these days. While we all love our action and comedy, it's almost as if dramas are becoming an indie genre -- unless they're packed with thrilling aspects or other popcorn-marketable fare. Thoughts?

For those of you currently in the middle of writing your wedding vows, might I suggest including the following: "I vow to never to force you to watch License to Wed against your will ... even if it does look sweeter than a piece of apple pie." Harmless squabbles between two people in love are hard enough to watch when you're one of those people. Well, imagine spending 90 minutes right smack in the middle of someone else's argument -- one that's so trivial and meaningless, the thought of knocking yourself out quickly becomes the best idea you've had in years. And half-way through License to Wed, I imagine everyone involved felt the same way; after a somewhat humorous start and one decent set piece, the film becomes duller than a two-hour PowerPoint presentation on how to pick the right wedding hall. Chock-full of more "seen it" and "done it" moments than the latest Scary Movie entry, do yourself a favor and say "I don't" to License to Wed when it comes time to walk down the aisle at your local cineplex later this weekend.

It's a shame, really, because License to Wed sports a cast capable of way more laughs than this. Making his big-screen debut in a starring role, John Krasinski (The Office) plays Ben Murphy; the type of character Ben Stiller channels in his sleep -- the dim-witted "voice of reason" who can't seem to do or say the right thing no matter what the situation. After a "here's how they got together" montage, Ben proposes to his girlfriend, Sadie (Mandy Moore), and the two are on their way to planning a fantastic wedding. Only problem is Sadie wants to exchange vows in her hometown church under the guidance of Reverend Frank (Robin Williams); the eccentric spiritual leader who baptized her. And with the only available slot three weeks away, Reverend Frank insists the couple attend a rigorous marriage prep course that takes invasion of ones privacy to a level that's not only awkward, but also a tad creepy. Do they have what it takes to keep it cool and stay together long enough to get hitched? Trust me, you won't care.

I don't know about you, but the arrival of a new Coen Brothers movie is a really big deal to me. (Yes, even after Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers, both of which I enjoy more than most people seem to.) Their latest is a return to the old-school film noir form a la Blood Simple or The Man Who Wasn't There. Miramax won't be releasing No Country for Old Men until November 21, but we've got a handful of very enthusiastic reactions from that big French film festival.

Our pals over at Rotten Tomatoes say: "not only does No Country deliver another excellent Coen Brothers film, it also delves thematically deeper than your average crime thriller with its sprawling saga of a drug deal gone wrong, a bag of cash, a hunter on the run (Josh Brolin), and the philosophizing psychopath on his trail (Javier Bardem)." The Tomato gang also mentions that the flick "created an audible buzz in the Debussy theater lobby as members of the press spilled out of the aisles after tonight's press screening." Cool! (Also in the cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson and the adorable Kelly Macdonald.)

Our own James Rocchi shares his thoughts: "A brilliant example of how plot devices as simple as murder and money can be used to explore larger sweeping themes of mortality, morality and more -- while still delivering rousing, intelligent pure entertainment." Over at Variety, Todd McCarthy was in agreement: "Cormac McCarthy's bracing and brilliant novel is gold for the Coen brothers, who have handled it respectfully but not slavishly, using its built-in cinematic values while cutting for brevity and infusing it with their own touch. Result is one of the their very best films, a bloody classic of its type destined for acclaim and potentially robust B.O. returns upon release later in the year." Argh, who wants to wait until November?? Then again, only a fool would release a Coen film in the middle of the summer.

A quirky, character-driven throwback to all those lovable, yet meandering '70s flicks, The Wendell Baker Story arrives at a time when people are itching for a large, big-budgeted special effects spectacular. This film is not that. However, it does reunite brothers Luke and Owen Wilson for the first time since they shared the same big screen in Wes Anderson's 2001 pic The Royal Tenenbaums. To make it even more of a family affair, the eldest Wilson brother Andrew helps the younger Luke direct, while the result ends up falling somewhere between Bottle Rocket and Rancho Deluxe; a neatly-wrapped Texas meal that comes with enough mouth-watering sides to keep your belly full as your mind begins to wonder.

Wendell Baker (Luke Wilson) is a low-maintenance conman whose friendly, good-natured optimism hinders more than it helps him; so much so that all he ends up doing is conning himself. Knee-deep in his latest scam (which involves driving to the border to sell fake Texas drivers licenses to illegal immigrants), Wendell figures he has it all worked out. Not to mention there's a little lady (Eva Mendes) waiting for him back at home, if he remembers to pick her up from work on time. He's such a free-spirited, "everything will turn out just fine" moron that even when the feds bust him, he shakes off a lengthily prison sentence as if he accidentally forgot to pick up a bottle of water on the way to the gym. But that's Wendell. The way he sees it, life is too short to feel pain. But when his sweet-as-pie girlfriend Doreen decides to ditch Wendell because he's too busy mending rifts between the blacks and the skinheads while in prison, the old "you don't know what you got until it's gone" theme hits him harder than a bull at a rodeo.

Should a movie review include references to gossip or buzz surrounding the celebrities or filmmakers involved with that movie? That's the issue that the Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) is pondering this week on the AWFJ blog. For example, a number of Georgia Rule reviews have included sly mentions of co-star Lindsay Lohan's personal life, or reminders about the rumors about her behavior on the set of that film. AWFJ isn't only considering salacious gossip, though, but also discussing whether references to the late actress/director Adrienne Shelly's life (and death) are appropriate when reviewing Waitress.

The film critics and journalists responding on the AWFJ site have a variety of opinions that are well worth reading. Some reviewers note that Waitress may be receiving "softball" reviews because critics have been influenced by their feelings about Shelly's tragic death. The AWFJ members are more divided on whether it's appropriate to mention gossip about Lohan -- some feel that comparisons can be drawn between the actress and the character she plays. I'd argue that even though we are surely affected by rumors or news about a cast or crew member, and that it is impossible to be unbiased, we should at least try to be as fair as we can. Rehashing celebrity gossip seems to decrease the perception of fairness in the eyes of readers -- sometimes it even seems like a cheap shot.

So what do you think? Does it bother you to read celebrity gossip, news or buzz in a movie review, or does that add welcome spice and entertainment to the piece? AWFJ doesn't have space for comments on their blog, but Cinematical does ... so feel free to share your thoughts about this issue here.

Since Spider-Man 3 is premiering in Tokyo, like, right now, the reviews are starting to pour in. These aren't reviews from the premiere, but like here in the states, there are audiences who get to check it out prior to the main event. (Come tomorrow, I expect there to be a slew of reviews up around the net.) AICN has two of the first reviews up and, as expected, they're more than glowing. Seeing as both reviews include major plot spoilers (so much so that AICN had to delete a sentence from one review that told us exactly how the movie ends), I'll share with you some of the spoiler-free quotes. Check this out: "This is the most emotional, and epic entry in the series, and like its predecessors, it never loses sight that action is a bonus to the character drama, and not the main attraction, it really is amazing."

Here's another fantabulous quote (keep in mind this review was translated off a Chinese website): "Spider-Man 3 must be the best visual action blockbuster ever and outdo all its predecessors. It is really rare to see a better sequel these days, right?" As far as whether or not the third film sets up a fourth installment, the first reviewer felt Spidey 3 was more of a finale than a middle chapter. They write: "Raimi has proven himself a spider god thrice over now, and really I want this film to be the last one. It ends every major plot line and doesn't leave much open, albeit it doesn't really zip things shut either, but really this is a great ending." Apart from those quotes, that's all I can really show you -- before you head on over there, please be aware that both of these reviews provide tons of spoilerish plot details (though if you've seen all the trailers, pics and footage, then you pretty much know what's going to happen). Spider-Man 3 opens here on May 4.

"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book" -- Groucho Marx

The only good thing to come out of the cancellation of the television show Freaks and Geeks was the emergence of some pure comedic talents; writer-director Jake Kasdan being one of them. With The TV Set, Kasdan dives back into the seedy cesspool that is network television in order to provide us with a first-hand look at what goes on behind the scenes of one little show trying desperately to land a spot in the primetime line-up. From the lonely writer whose only goal is to transform his original vision into a new hit show, to the network executive who judges the quality of a product based solely on the opinion of her 15 year-old kid, The TV Set is at its best when its characters are at their worst. If you thought the folks on your favorite reality show were pathetic, wait until you meet those who fought to put it on the air.

In the vein of films like Network and Broadcast News, The TV Set revolves around the trials and tribulations of writer Mike Klein (David Duchovny). After selling his pilot script for a show called The Wexler Chronicles, Mike sets out on a journey to not only produce a successful pilot, but also sell his unique and personal vision to the same folks who think the new reality show Slut Wars is the greatest thing to happen to television since its inception. Though it's not based on any one particular experience, it's quite obvious that this film is very personal for Kasdan. These are people he's dealt with; these soulless, emotionless network devils are probably the same ones who canceled Freaks and Geeks because, let's face it -- the audience at home would take hot and sexy over awkward and ugly any day of the week. At least, that's what the people running the show like to think.

While it presents some fantastic ideas and includes enough larger-than-life elements to entertain any kid on a rainy afternoon, The Last Mimzy ultimately leaves your mind feeling like your stomach does twenty minutes after scarfing down a giant helping of Chinese food -- empty, confused and a tad bit guilty. Based on Lewis Padgett's short story, Mimsy were the Borogoves, The Last Mimzy marks Bob Shaye's (New Line's founder, co-CEO and co-chairman) triumphant return to the director's chair after 17 long years. But, unlike the campy Book of Love, Mimzy provided Shaye with more complex material and universal themes that, if pulled off properly, would leave the audience hanging onto the edge of their seats, rooting for two ordinary kids faced with an extraordinary task: to save the world. Sadly, the only thing I was hanging onto was a small piece of the armrest I shared with the little kid who fell asleep next to me.

Noah (Chris O'Neil) and Emma (Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) aren't superheroes or crime-fighting vigilantes; they're your average brother and sister out looking for a little fun as the family -- complete with mom and dad (as played by Joely Richardson and Timothy Hutton) -- arrives at their isolated summer home with a generous portion of rest and relaxation on the agenda. When a clunky black box washes up on shore, the two are immediately intrigued by the mysterious symbols etched into its side. What is this? Where did it come from? And why are there black rocks, a sea shell and a stuffed bunny rabbit inside? It doesn't take long for the kids to figure out that the contents of this box, while unusual, provide those in its possession with strange physical and mental powers. So, naturally, they do what any young kid would do upon discovering a priceless artifact -- hide it from mom and dad.

A theme is starting to crop up amongst the 9a.m. press screenings -- one that can certainly be unwrapped by simply scanning the audience and watching them yawn, while waiting to see who will start snoring first. Sure, the fest has started to catch up to the press; folks are sleep deprived, barely hanging on to the couple hours they're getting here and there, and trying desperately to inject into their brains the necessary caffeine to get them through at least one more film (thanks Dunkin Donuts!)

But, there's also a problem with the content: On Sunday morning, In Memory of Myself bored most into confusion, our friend David Hudson over at GreenCine Daily informed us that yesterday's 9a.m. flick, When A Man Falls in the Forest, happened to tumble onto the wrong side of good -- and, today, The Other (or El otro) kept the theme alive with its non-existent score, little dialogue and aimless wondering. I missed yesterday's 9a.m. screening when my hotel botched the wake-up call; if this theme continues, I just might give those at the front desk an extra something to screw up again.