Compared to last weekend when five new movies hit screens, there are only two contenders to take over the box office spot this week with a third opening in limited release that has Oscar written all over it. Alex Cross features Tyler Perry moving from comedy and dramas to pure crime thriller while Paranormal Activity 4 seeks to capitalize on the franchise's past success by producing another blockbuster. Then, there's The Sessions... a film that is sure to garner Academy Award attention for its star, John Hawkes.
Paranormal Activity 4: The latest in the franchise picks up several years after the second one left off. Katie and Hunter have been missing and their whereabouts are unknown. The film sets the action in a Nevada suburb when a young family takes in a young boy who lives across the street when his mother enters the hospital. The Activity begins, and chronicling it all in the found-footage style made famous by the first film is the teenage girl at the center of our story. Rarely has video technology been so effectively used as in the latest installment. Read our Paranormal Activity 4 review to see if it scares as much as the first three.
Alex Cross: The James Patterson character made famous by Morgan Freeman goes back to the beginning in an origins story of sorts. Perry takes the title role that finds him starring opposite Edward Burns as his police partner and Matthew Fox going gonzo as the villain. The story is uneven, but shows Perry's range as he and Fox have a vicious battle of cat and mouse in director Rob Cohen's latest effort. As we state in our Alex Cross review, the film is decent and we hope for more from the franchise that hopefully will up the ante.
The Sessions: Look for this film to land all over the Oscar race, particularly lead Hawkes, but also supporting players Helen Hunt and William H. Macy. The Sessions chronicles the true story of poet Mark O'Brien and how he, despite his polio stricken body, manages to find joy in life. Check out our The Sessions review for more.
