Michael Paseornek Movies

Acclaimed playwright Tyler Perry explores the hardships of marriage and the benefits of confronting problems in this drama about the stressful union between a hardworking accountant and his loving wife, a harried marriage counselor. Roger Jackson strives to support his family, a group that includes not only his Ivy League-educated wife Judith (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), but his ganja-smoking father Stanley and her Bible-thumping mother TT as well. Meanwhile, Judith doles out thoughtful advice to couples every day, yet remains completely powerless when it comes to addressing the issues surrounding her own troubled marriage. When an old college friend drops by her office, Judith faces her biggest personal challenge to date. Perry previously brought this tale to the big screen with a filmed stage version in 2008. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

An Average Joe crashes a luxurious family gathering in the Hamptons in hopes of asking for his true love's hand in marriage, and learns that even wealthy families have their fair share of quirks in this family comedy from producer Tyler Perry. Wade Walker (Craig Robinson) may not be a blue blood, but he loves Grace (Kerry Washington), and he's eager to propose. Convinced that his best bet is to make his move while Grace's entire family is present, Wade boldly invites himself to her family reunion, and does his best to make a good impression. Over the course of an eventful weekend, he learns that he may fit in better with the dysfunctional yet well-to-do clan than he ever could have anticipated. David Alan Grier, Melvin Van Peebles, and Ana Gasteyer co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In Tyler Perry's Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection, Eugene Levy plays George Needleman, the CFO of a corporation that is about to be exposed as nothing more than a Ponzi scheme that stole millions from various charities. George knew nothing about the company's crimes; he's just the convenient fall guy. It turns out that the operation was also laundering money for the mob, so he agrees to help prosecutors build a case against the other executives and testify in court in exchange for going into hiding. George packs up his much younger second wife (Denise Richards), his bitter teenage daughter (Danielle Campbell), his neglected younger son (Devan Leos), and his dementia-addled mother (Doris Roberts), and together they travel to the safe house that Brian (Tyler Perry), the case's lead prosecutor, has chosen for them. However, that safe house is really the home of Brian's tell-it-like-it-is aunt Madea (also played by Perry), who helps the family get over their personal and legal issues. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Inspired by Los Angeles Times writer Leslie Gornstein's article "A Jinx in a Box," this horror film from Ghost House Pictures and director Ole Bornedal (Nightwatch) tells the tale of a broken family that comes under attack from a malevolent supernatural entity of Jewish folklore. Shortly after her parents (Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick) divorce, a young girl purchases an ornate antique box at a yard sale. In the weeks that follow, the young girl forms an intense fixation on the box, her behavior growing increasingly bizarre as she falls into the grip of a diabolical apparition. When the girl's father discovers that the relic is in fact a holding cell for the disconnected soul of a deceased person who has been denied entry into the afterlife and needs a human host to inhabit, he fights to rid her of the evil that threatens to consume her body and soul. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

This adaptation of Ayn Rand's 1957 objectivist novel Atlas Shrugged tells the first installment in the story of a dystopian future in which a collectivist society has forced the great thinkers of the world to go on strike, leaving the functioning world without scientists, engineers, philosophers, or artists. Set against this stark backdrop, a railroad heiress named Dagny Taggart tries to bring her failing company back from the brink with the development of a new alloy to repair breaks in the lines, and hopefully calm the business' vital corporate partnership with an oil company. But with the endless bureaucracy of an evil and corrupt government fighting her at every turn, and her own inept brother battling her for control, Dagny soon finds that in order to set things right in her world, things must be set right in the world at large. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Adapted from the multi-talented playwright/filmmaker's hit stage play of the same name, Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family finds the cantankerous family matriarch using her unique brand of tough love to help her family weather some particularly rough waters. Madea's niece Shirley has received a frightening medical diagnosis, and she's having a hard time figuring out how to break the news to the rest of the family. Unfortunately she's not the only one in the midst of a crisis, either: Kimberly is suffering from anger issues that are threatening to destroy her marriage; Tammy's marital problems are being compounded by her disobedient children; and Byron is struggling to stay out of the drug trade after spending two years behind bars. Later, as a skeleton in the family closet pops into the picture, Madea and Aunt Bam show that love and laugher can help to overcome even the biggest obstacles. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Three years after settling down with the woman of his dreams, a former government assassin discovers there's a price tag on his head, and that his number could be up at any minute. Spencer Aimes (Ashton Kucher) was the man the government called on when they needed someone taken out on the sly. Fast, clean, and efficient, he always got the job done, and enjoyed the many perks that came with traveling the globe in search of his targets. But somewhere amidst all of the fast cars and exotic women, Spencer fell in love with Jen Kornfeldt (Katherine Heigl), a carefree computer expert on the mend from a relationship gone sour. Flash forward three years, when Spencer and Jen are happily married and living the domestic dream. On the heels of Spencer's 30th birthday, he and his happy wife discover that their life of bliss could come to a violent end at any second -- someone has put a multi-million-dollar contract on Spencer's life, and the hired killers who have been tracking him could be anyone from the checkout girl to the neighborhood curmudgeon. Time is running out for Spencer, and as the race to uncover his assassin intensifies, so too does his paranoia. With his in-laws making life miserable and the threat of death lurking around every corner, Spencer struggles to maintain appearances while staying out of the crosshairs, and keeping Jen safe from harm. Catherine O'Hara, Tom Selleck, and Martin Mull co-star in an action-packed comedy thriller from director Rob Luketic (Legally Blonde, The Ugly Truth). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

This sequel to Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married reunites the cast from that earlier movie, again playing a group of eight friends who take an annual week-long vacation with each other. As they reconnect, Sheila (Jill Scott) discovers that her ex-husband, Mike, is planning to wreck her new marriage. Their troubles lead to the others facing some uncomfortable truths about their own relationships. The film co-stars Janet Jackson, Malik Yoba, Michael Jai White, and Louis Gossett Jr. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

A psychopathic miner terrorizes the town of Harmony in this retelling of one of the most underrated slasher films of the early '80s with My Bloody Valentine 3-D. 10-years ago, the lone survivor of an accident deep in the mines awoke from a coma and slashed his way through the town in a bloody, vengeance-fueled rampage. Though shot and apparently killed, the memories of Harry Warden still haunt both the town and Tom Hanniger (Jensen Ackles), the heir to the mine and one of the last people to see Harry before his disappearance. Just as Tom heads back to his hometown after a long time away, so do the killings ramp up again. While he mends his torn relationship with his ex-girlfriend Sarah (Jaime King) and her husband Axl (Kerr Smith), citizens are knocked off one by one in spectacularly gruesome fashion (all presented in 3-D). Has Harry come from beyond the grave or is there a new killer donning the suit and mask? Scream franchise editor Patrick Lussier helms from a script by Zane Smith and Jason X scribe Todd Farmer. Genre veteran Tom Atkins lends his B-movie chops to a supporting character in the Lionsgate production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

A hard-living nightclub singer discovers the importance of family with the help of a handsome Mexican immigrant in this inspirational comedy drama from writer/director Tyler Perry. When pistol-packing granny Madea (Perry) awakens to the sound of her home being ransacked by wayward teen Jennifer (Hope Olaide Wilson) and her two younger brothers, she promptly marches the troubled kids over their aunt April's house. But despite being the only relative the kids can turn to, April (Taraji P. Henson) is hardly a role model; a self-destructive songbird with a serious drinking problem, she spends her nights at the club and relies on her married boyfriend, Raymond, to pay the bills. Suddenly, into April's life wanders Sandino (Adam Rodriguez), a hard-luck immigrant in search of some honest work. Before long, Sandino has moved into April's basement room, and formed a solid connection with the kids. The closer April and Sandino grow, the more April begins to recognize the importance of faith and family. When the time comes to say goodbye to her old ways and start a new life, the wounded chanteuse realizes that she may have finally found the true love that's always eluded her. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The indestructible hopped-up hitman Chev Chelios, played to the hilt once again by Jason Statham, returns in Crank High Voltage, picking up where the first film left off -- except this time, Chelios is chasing a Chinese gangster who hijacked his heart and substituted it with a mechanical one that needs to be jolted with an electric charge to stay pumping. Back for the fun is Chev's girlfriend Eve (my Smart) and his physician Doc Miles (Dwight Yoakam), who, as luck has it, turns out to be an ex-heart surgeon. As Chelios delves deeper into the mystery surrounding his stolen heart, he discovers that the answers to his questions lie within the chest of a 100-year old head of the Triad gang, Poon Dong (David Carradine. The maverick directing/writing team of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor returns to inject more caffeinated craziness into Lionsgate's burgeoning action series, with Efren Ramirez, Bai Ling, Clifton Collins Jr., and Corey Haim rounding out the supporting cast. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

A resurrected cop does battle with a villain whose quest for immortality threatens an entire metropolis in Sin City creator Frank Miller's adaptation of Will Eisner's acclaimed graphic novel. When a rookie cop is brutally killed and mysteriously brought back to life, he assumes the guise of The Spirit (Gabriel Macht) -- a masked crime fighter who prowls the shadows of Central City on a supernatural mission to keep the urban landscape safe. Upon discovering that his arch nemesis, The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson), is determined to live forever even if it means wiping out the entire population of Central City, The Spirit must race to stop the diabolical villain from achieving his cold-blooded plan. But even with his unique powers, the brave masked crusader will face a series of deadly challenges as a bevy of treacherous beauties including deceptively sweet girl next door Ellen Dolan (Sarah Paulson), spitfire secretary Silken Floss (Scarlett Johansson), wraithlike siren Lorelei (Jaime King), seductive policewoman Morgenstern (Stana Katic), and French black widow Plaster of Paris (Paz Vega) set out to seduce or consume him at every turn; even The Spirit's one true love, a volatile jewel thief named Sand Saref (Eva Mendes), could ultimately destroy our hero before he accomplishes his mission of saving Central City. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi