Movie: From Paris With Love

John Travolta likes playing over the top sociopaths.
Waaaaaay too much.

Movie: Assassination Games

Jean Claude Van Damme returns for his most cerebral role yet: an assassin teaming up with another to take down a drug cartel. The reasons are deep and moving, insofar as a hard hearted loner can have deep and moving reasons. JCVD has abandoned his drug-fueled violent dance extravaganzas and moved on to gritty dramas - and by gritty I mean akin to a breakfast of asphalt. If you liked Se7en or Girl with the Dragon Tattoo you'll want to see this; if not, don't.

Movie: Blitz

Plot. Yes, there is one. A serial killer is murdering cops, and Jason Statham ends up in the middle of stopping him.

The aforementioned key: Jason Statham. Playing his standard big-bucks role of a chaotic good character kicking any ass getting in his way toward doling out street justice via a job that conveniently places him there.

Movie: Sliding Doors

One tiny event, something as simple as who moves out of whose way while going down stairs, can make all the difference. With Sliding Doors we get to see both timelines. This romantic comedy gives us twice the lack of romance and twice the lack of comedy for the same set of mundane characters dealing with the same basic set of uninteresting mistakes.

One of Pixar's rules of story writing amounts to: it's ok to set up the plot with a coincidence, but not to resolve it with one. This movie elaborates on that: especially to wedge in a happy ending where there isn't one.

Gwenneth Paltrow does a fine job with what role she's given. It paid her bills.