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2 Weeks Ago Movies October 21st, 2008

1. Incredible Hulk - PG-13 (1:53), Action, Hailing more from the pulp-melancholic spirit of CBS's 1978-1982 Hulk television series than its 2003 predecessor did, THE INCREDIBLE HULK wordlessly tells the entire gamma ray-afflicted origin story of scientist Bruce Banner's alter-ego within its first two-and-a-half minutes. This credit sequence evokes--albeit with more cinematic weight--the premise-informing quality that might be found before every episode of a cult hit series. This sequence makes at least two things clear. First off, the Edward Norton-starring THE INCREDIBLE HULK is not a sequel to or a remake of the 2003 THE HULK, but a reboot complete with an alternate plot, a new dynamic, and a different set of rules. Second, director Louis Leterrier (UNLEASHED, THE TRANSPORTER) intends to deliver an economically paced, tightly wound thriller in which drama and action scenes are not mutually exclusive.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK replaces cerebral family drama with a coping scientist who, at the start of the movie, is in hiding and training his mind-body dichotomy. So much of Banner's plight is effectively conveyed with simple 'days without incident': title cards that inevitably reset. The Hulk's previously poetic weightlessness is rejected in favor of gargantuan physicality akin to seeing huge robots face off in TRANSFORMERS, but with more flesh, muscle, and bone. The angst, of course, isn't gone from this incarnation--not if Norton's intelligently passionate Banner and his tender, forbidden relationship with Dr. Elizabeth Ross (Liv Tyler) have anything to say about it--it's simply that this Hulk always smashes before he ponders. Rounding out THE INCREDIBLE HULK's main players are William Hurt as General Ross and Tim Roth as marine Emil Blonsky, two antagonists in pursuit of the Hulk who, like Banner, are not so much evil as consumed by tragic character flaws.

2. The Strangers - R (1:26), Horror, For his film debut, director Brian Bertino has crafted a fantastically creepy horror flick based on the very simple premise of strangers who come knocking late at night. Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman) have arrived at a secluded vacation home in the woods after attending a friend's wedding. It's four in the morning, and they're both tearful and emotionally exhausted after a disagreement about their relationship. As they awkwardly try to navigate the long night together, they are distracted by the sound of a heavy knock at the door. They open it to find a dazed young woman hidden in the shadows. Assuming she is lost, James sends her away, but Kristen is disturbed by the late-night visit. When James leaves to go on a drive and pick up some cigarettes, Kristen is left alone, and we watch her move through the huge house in a painfully eerie silence, all the while knowing that she is being watched. By the time James returns, Kristen is in hysterics, and together they must face the terrifying fact that they are indeed in grave danger.

Both Tyler and Speedman give excellent, understated performances that lend the film a truly frightening edge of realism. The story's simplicity is a refreshing change from over-the-top torture films like SAW, and the violence in the film is minimal, and much of it off camera. THE STRANGERS also lacks any big-budget special effects. You won't find any CGI creatures or armies of zombies. The only monsters depicted here are the very real human kind, which is what leaves you thoroughly spooked and shaken, and ready to push a chair against your own front door.

3. Anaconda 3: Offspring - R (1:31), Action/Adventure, A ruthless mercenary, Hammett (David Hasselhoff) and his team are on the hunt for a pair of giant snakes that have escaped and are on a mega-sized feeding frenzy. They must stop the onslaught before the reptiles reach the city.

4. Linewatch - R (1:30), Action, Academy Awardr Winner Cuba Gooding, Jr. is a Border Patrol Officer in the New Mexico desert with a secret past that is about to catch up with him. When his old gang leader tracks him down and forces him to smuggle drugs across the border, he must choose between the life he swore to leave behind and saving his family at any cost.

5. Vice - R (1:38), Action, KILL BILL stars Michael Madsen and Daryl Hannah reunite for this gritty crime thriller. Along with Mykelti Williamson (FORREST GUMP), the pair plays cops who are involved in a drug bust gone wrong. After they discover a large quantity of heroin--which then goes missing--the detectives involved begin dying off, and it appears that there may be a traitor in their midst. VICE marks the directorial debut of screenwriter Raul Inglis.

6. Trailor Park Of Terror - UR (1:36), Horror, Trace Adkins, Lew Temple, Jeanette Brox, When their bus breaks down during a school trip, six high-school students are plunged into the darkest recesses of white-trash brutality. Based on the comic book series, TRAILER PARK OF TERROR is a fiendishly demented zombie film drenched with so much gore that flies will start swarming the screen

7. The Lazarus Project - PG-13 (1:40), Drama, With parole almost behind him, Ben (Paul Walker) can't believe how much he has to be thankful for: a beautiful wife, an adorable little girl and a steady paycheck. Life is good. But when he unexpectedly loses his job, Ben foolishly turns back to crime, joining his ex-con brother (Shawn Hatosy) in a robbery with deadly consequences. Suddenly facing a lethal injection, Ben must say goodbye to his family and prepare himself for the worst. But his death sentence isn't quite what it seems, as Ben regains consciousness near an eerie psychiatric ward, where he's told he's been hired as the groundskeeper. With the state of his soul in question, and the love for his wife and daughter all the more real and powerful, Ben must figure out if he's truly cheated death, or if he's become part of something far more sinister.

8. Mannsfield 12 - R (1:30), Drama, In Mannsfield State Penitentiary, The Warden has a special place for the most successful hustlers in the joint. It's Called East Wing. If you live here it's because you are an elite criminal and the warden wants you close, so that he can get his kick backs easier. In Mannsfield, corruption bleeds down from the top. 12 men reside in EAST WING. They are murderers, rapists, con men, and gangsters all. In here violence is a way of life and the only law is what you are willing to do to stay alive. THE MANNSFIELD 12 is a story based on the culmination of choices that we make that define our lives forever. In life there is always a choice, a road to go down when all other roads have been exhausted. These 12 men make that choice when The Warden attempts to make them confess to a murder they did not commit, by torturing each inmate one by one. In doing so, these 12 men come to grips with exactly who they are.