It may be cold outside for much of the country, but things are heating up at the movies. Mark Wahlberg returns to action in Contraband, Disney gives Beauty and the Beast a 3D upgrade, The Divide explores survival after a nuclear attack and Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton find lots of Joyful Noise.
Contraband: Wahlberg is a family man, married to Kate Beckinsale, and he is pulled back into his old gig as a smuggler when his brother-in-law winds up on the bad side of a drug dealer. The film moves at a feverish pace and Wahlberg is terrific. Giovanni Ribisi is the main baddie and delivers in droves. Check out our Contraband review for more details.
The Divide: What happens when a group of survivors hunker down in a Manhattan apartment building basement after nuclear bombs have fallen from the skies is the gist of The Divide. Michael Biehn excels in his role as the building super, but the film doesn’t quite pull all the punches it needs to. Fans of dark movies that explore the human condition will adore the film, as we state in our The Divide review.
Joyful Noise: Parton and Latifah join forces as members of a Georgia church choir that is stacked with talent and on its way to the Joyful Noise choir competition championships… if only they could get along. The music in the film is astounding, but the plot is muddled. As discussed in our Joyful Noise review, the soundtrack is explosive with gospel songs and pop songs done with a gospel arrangement and that's the main reason to check out this film.
Beauty and the Beast 3D: Belle and the Beast are back and in three dimensions. Disney re-releases the classic 1991 animated film in 3D and it is a welcome return. After watching this film for the first time in 20 years, it is easy to see why it was the first animated feature to earn a Best Picture nomination. Be sure to read our Beauty and the Beast 3D review for more on this brilliant film.
