Now that things have calmed down and it seems that the Mutant Registration Act is back out of everyone’s mind, it looks like things will return to normal for a while. But if that were the case, there wouldn’t be any need for a movie. It seems that William Stryker (Brian Cox), will do something about the mutant “problem” if there’s anything that he can do about it.

It turns out that his son, Jason attended the school run by Professor X many years ago, but Stryker and his wife were hoping that he would be cured of his problems, and that’s just not how the school works. It also seems that Stryker was somehow involved in the creation of the mutant we know as Wolverine, but we’re not going to learn the details of that one, at least not right now.

For now, Stryker seems intent on eradicating the mutants from the face of the earth, and he’s going to use his own son to do it. His son, you see, is one of the more powerful mutants that there is, and his brain secretes a liquid that can be used to control a mutant, and Stryker has used it to glean information on the operation of Cerebro, the machine that Professor X uses to locate mutants around the world. Stryker has also determined that, with certain modifications to Cerebro, and by using his son’s power, he can convince Professor X to make use of this new Cerebro to kill the mutants. That wouldn’t be good.

In the meantime, Mystique has used her powers of transformation to determine where Magneto is being held, and she’s seduced a security guard into getting drunk and passing out. Once he does, she pumps his body full of liquid iron, and when he goes to work the next day at the plastic prison being used to hold Magneto, it seems that the plastic prison will hold him no more. It’s actually quite amazing what a couple ounces of liquid iron can do if you have someone who can control metal so well.

Stryker uses the knowledge he has gleaned from Magneto to stage a raid on the school, and in so doing, he effectively shuts the X-Men off from one another. Wolverine takes off with some of the students, and Storm and Jean Grey are in the jet, while everyone else is mostly missing in action. Just as Wolverine is about to get hauled off to jail, Storm and Jean Grey show up and they head to Alkali Lake and the hidden base that Stryker has been using, but on the way they are attacked by two planes who want to know what this fancy plane is doing. They almost escape but a missile brings the plane down.

As they are about to crash, Magneto catches the plane in the air and “saves” them, and the joined force raids the base, just in time to save the mutants from Professor X, who is under the spell of Stryker’s son. Unfortunately, it seems that Cyclops is also under the spell of the brain-controlling liquid, and his fight with Jean causes the dam to break, and she ends up sacrificing herself to save everyone else, setting the stage for the Phoenix in the next movie.

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action/violence, some sexuality and brief language.

Luckily, he has a caring partner in Frank (Sam Rockwell), who helps him remember to take his medicine when he needs to do so, and manages to set up plenty of short cons, where Roy can just walk in and help clean up the mess so that they can rake in some easy, if small, money. Frank just wants to get Roy to make a big hit.

One day when Roy knocks his medicine down the sink, Frank sets up a meeting with a new doctor, because it seems that the one who was providing the (illegal) prescription can’t be reached all of a sudden. That doctor helps by reluctantly giving Roy a new medicine, but at least the new medicine seems to do the job. In order to give him the medicine, however, the new doctor makes Roy sit down for a session, and during that interview, it comes out that Roy wonders what happened to the child that he thinks he may have had from a former lover.

By the next week’s meeting with the doctor, Roy is so convinced that he needs to find out, he has the doctor agree to call his ex to find out what happened, and sure enough, it seems that there was a child – a girl – and while the girl wants to meet her father, Roy’s ex doesn’t want anything to do with him.

The middle part of the movie gets weighed down a bit while Roy tries to be a dad, but there are some funny moments as he tries to do the right thing and fails miserably, and then as he teaches his daughter how to run a con, but since he wants to be responsible, he makes her give the money back to the mark. In the end, since he wants to be set up for the future, he agrees with Frank that they need to run a long con for a big score, which suits Frank just fine, so they set up a big target and get ready for a big payday.

Naturally, it doesn’t work out just like you’d expect, but the twist probably isn’t exactly what you would see coming either. The ending is worth the wait if you can make it that far, it just takes a little while to get there.

In fact, the ending is probably one of the better ones I’ve seen, right up there with The Usual Suspects as far as complexity of how things come together to make things work. If the rest of the story didn’t bog down quite so much in the middle it would have been a lot better. Nonetheless, it’s still quite good.

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, violence, some sexual content and language.

What made the first movie work was that it was completely unexpected and it was just a fun ride. The second time through is never as much fun, though admittedly the original is nearly as good on subsequent viewings.

It’s difficult to put your finger on exactly what goes wrong in this one, as nothing really deviates from the formula of the first movie, but something just doesn’t fit the same mold. As Elle realizes that she needs to save Buster’s mom from the animal testing facility and she can’t do it at her big law firm, she walks out (well, she gets fired), and that’s okay. You would expect nothing less.

That she takes off to Washington and no one likes her as she arrives is not surprising, or that she decorates her desk and then initiates something as bizarre as the snap cup doesn’t surprise.

When Sally Field welcomes Elle and expects great things or you see Regina King positioned as the bad guy, you aren’t surprised. It’s just standard fare.

The only decent performance in the movie is Bob Newhart as Sid, the doorman at the hotel. That he figures prominently in helping Elle get things done should come as no surprise, nor should it be a shock that things are not quite as they seem.

It’s just that everything fits too neatly into place and though there are hurdles it’s not ever expected that she won’t overcome them. In order for the underdog to be an underdog, you have to believe that they won’t win, and that moment never comes in this movie. As such, it’s just not as enjoyable this time around.

Rated PG-13 for adult content, but you probably won’t have any problem keeping the kids away from this one. There isn’t much they’ll want to see.

Anna (Lindsay Lohan) is a bit of a slacker who just wants her mom to leave her alone – especially since her mom is getting married, and this boyfriend isn’t Anna’s dad.

Other than that one flaw, he’s not a bad guy. Anna’s mom Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) probably just needs to loosen up a little – but that doesn’t mean she’s ready to do so, unless she’s forced into it.

One night at a Chinese restaurant, a meddling woman slips them a secret fortune cookie that, when read, allows them to see things from the other’s point of view – literally. The next morning they wake up in each other’s body and they have to go through the day before the wedding not sure if they’ll ever be able to switch back.

Anna has to go to Tess’ office and Tess has to go back to high school – all while they’re trying to figure out how this happened, how to switch back, how to get ready for the wedding and how Anna is going to make it to the Battle of the Bands that night when the rehearsal dinner has to happen. The acting is actually good all around and the laughs flow freely, with an enjoyable end to the day that brings it all back together again.

Rated PG for some language, but there’s a whole lot worse on prime-time. A very enjoyable movie for the whole family.

In this third go-round, Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) are, as you may imagine by the title, getting married. As you may also surmise, simply because you’ve been paying attention previously, things probably aren’t going to go quite as expected along the way, and you’d be right, even if you hadn’t seen a single preview of the actual movie.

Sure, the gang’s all back – though not quite as you remember. Stifler (Seann William Scott in the role he was born to play) is, well, stiff, and it’s not in the way you’d expect. It’s like he’s grown tired of the role, and instead of being the relaxed, easy-going stiff-man, he’s over-the-top and just not enjoyable.

Band geek Michelle is back too, and her libido is in overdrive but her role in the movie is somewhat limited (though she really has some choice bits). The same can actually be said for Jim and perpetual lush Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) as well.

In the end, nothing new can be said – Jim gets in trouble, his pals save him, Stifler does something gross along the way (in new and previously unimaginable ways), Jim’s dad (Eugene Levy who thankfully returns) comes through for everyone (even the bride to be) and in the end, it’s just good to be alive. Enjoyable, but you don’t want too much at once.

Rated R for sexual content, language and crude humor. The humor hits a new level here, and crude doesn’t being to describe it. It’s crude alright. Really crude. Keep the kids away from this one. Heck, make sure they’re not even in the house if you can do so, but they’ll be chomping at the bit if they’re old enough.

The thug-like character played by Penn is matched by Bacon’s police persona, and wouldn’t you know it? They knew each other as kids. As it turns out, Tim Robbins rounds at the trio as one of the friends who was abducted and abused one fine day while they were in the middle of some mischief making.

Penn’s character, Jimmy Markum, finds that his daughter is missing, and then that she is dead. Meanwhile, Bacon’s detective, Sean Devine claims the job of trying to figure out who did it – or at least find a reasonable suspect – before Markum uses his contacts to bring someone to justice.

Much of the film focuses on the loss of Penn’s eldest daughter and the process of figuring out just who killed her. One lead after another turns up empty, and exposes not only some pretty good acting all around, but a good story and an equally good directorial job (turned in by none other than Clint Eastwood – my he does a fine job behind the camera).

Time after time a promising avenue of investigation for either Devine or Markum seems to be the way that will lead to the ultimate answer, but then the other finds out about it, and it turns up empty. At the end it seems that the answer is at hand, and indeed justice is actually meted out, but it’s not exactly the ending that you’d expect, nor is it what should have been done either.

Almost strangely, there isn’t really a stand-out moment in this film. It won’t make you jump up and remember a particular moment. It’s just a fine effort all around. Not quite dark, but definitely gritty. Then again, the world we live in isn’t exactly spotless. I enjoyed the film. I don’t think I’d save it for watching later, as once you know the end there isn’t a ton of suspense to it – but certainly worth watching once.

Rated R for language and violence, and there is plenty of both here. It’s definitely not a movie for everyone, but if you can overcome the atmosphere, there’s a lot to like here.