New In Theaters - October 28th, 2011

PUSS IN BOOTS

Starring (voices): Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis,

Billy Bob Thornton, Amy Sedaris & Guillermo del Toro

Directed by Chris Miller for distribution by DreamWorks Animation

The Plot: The famed fairy tale creature teams with Humpty Dumpty and Kitty Softpaws to steal the goose that lays the golden eggs in this spin-off of the popular “Shrek” series.

The Final Word: Antonio Banderas’ over-the-top performance in “Shrek 2” stole the show from Mike Meyer’s popular green ogre and now is getting a chance to break out on his own. The latest release from DreamWorks Animation takes audiences back to before Puss met up with Shrek and was busy plotting his latest heist. Aided by Salma Hayek’s Kitty Softpaws and Zach Galifianakis’s Humpty Dumpty,  audiences are in the same fairy tale type fun that made the “Shrek” series so popular and could lead to another franchise the studio.

IN TIME

Starring: Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Muphy, Vincent Kartheiser,

Alex Pettyfer, Johnny Galecki, Olivia Wilde & Matthew Bomer

Directed by Andrew Niccol for distribution by 20^th Century Fox

The Plot: In a futuristic society where time becomes the new currency, a man fights to stay alive while trying to exonerate himself for a murder he didn’t commit.

The Final Word: Andrew Niccol has directed three movies prior to “In Time” and he’s had a writing credit on all three; “In Time” is no different. Yet none of them have been a box office success and again “In Time” may not be any different. In the same vein as his “Gattaca,” “Time,” takes place in a futuristic society where the rules are different, but our society and its taste haven’t changed much. Despite a strong cast of young up and coming actors (led by Justin Timberlake), this may not be a surefire hit as audiences don’t tend to respond well to overly complicated storylines. Although it could still put some respectable opening week numbers before being overshadowed by a very strong slate of November films, so if this is your type of movie, see it early.

THE RUM DIARY

Starring: Johnny Depp, Aaron Eckhart, Amber Heard, Michael Rispoli,

Richard Jenkins, Giovanni Ribisi & Marshall Bell

Directed by Oliver Parker for distribution by Universal

The Plot: An American journalist takes a vacation to Puerto Rico where he’s commissioned to write an article for a corrupt USA born businessman looking to profit off the country.

The Final Word: You can literally see the words jump off the page and onto the screen in any adaptation of a work by Hunter S. Thompson. His trippy style has given way to a number of well-known works including “Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas,” which also starred Depp. Long delayed to the screen because of the actor’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise and Thompson’s untimely passing, “Diary” marks the culmination of a long and arduous production, but one Depp has been remained passionate about throughout. 


Previewed next week: Tower Heist, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas