This week's new movie releases - Jan. 23, 2009

Here's a brief look at what's on the movie menu this Friday: Iain Softley's "Inkheart" and Patrick Tatopoulos' "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" open wide, while "Frost/Nixon," "Revolutionary Road" and "The Wrestler" are set to expand.

INKHEART

Synopsis: Mo Folchart possesses a secret ability to bring characters from books to life when he reads them aloud. But when Mo accidentally brings a power-hungry villain from a rare children's fable to life, the villain kidnaps Mo's daughter and demands Mo bring other evil fictional characters to life. In an attempt to rescue his daughter, Mo assembles a disparate group of friends --both real and magic--and embarks on a journey to save her and set things right.

First thoughts: "Inkheart" is based on the book by German author Cornelia Funke, and the film has been doing quite well in Germany ever since its release a couple of weeks ago. Judging by the trailer, the film doesn't look that impressive, although I'm sure it will entertain the younger audiences. We'll see whether the film is as messy as it seems.

**

UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS

Synopsis: Explores the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires known as Death Dealers and their onetime slaves, the Lycans.

First thoughts: I'm not really excited about this one either, primarily because I was majorly disappointed by "Underworld: Evolution." But who knows, maybe the film carries a solid enough dose of decent action to keep me entertained throughout. That's what I'm hoping for, at least.