Seen on: October 11, 2008

The players: Director: Gary Fleder, Writer: Charles Leavitt, Cast: Dennis Quaid, Rob Brown, Nelsan Ellis, Kris Wolff, Darrin DeWitt Henson

Facts of interest: Based on the book by Robert C. Gallagher.

The plot: The film tells the story of Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy.

Our thoughts: As far as inspirational sports movies go, Gary Fleder’s “The Express” hits all the right notes. Based on a true story, it centers on an extraordinary athlete who proved his passion for the game and gave his people a reason to stand up and cheer during a tough time in the history of the United States. Yes, the film mostly plays it by the book, but in this case, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)

Seen on: October 11, 2008

The players: Director: Gil Kenan, Writer: Caroline Thompson, Cast: Bill Murray, Toby Jones, Saoirse Ronan, Tim Robbins, Martin Landau, Harry Treadaway

Facts of interest: Based on the book by Jeanne Duprau.

The plot: Two youngsters (Ronan and Treadaway) must save an entire underground city before the lights go out and darkness thrusts everyone into panic.

Our thoughts: While Gil Kenan’s “City of Ember” fails to qualify as an extraordinary family adventure, the film boasts enough energy and excitement to captivate younger audiences from start to finish. You can hate me for saying this, but this kind of films turns out to be more constructive than your average animated flick in which talking animals keep doing the same stuff over and over again.

Gary Fleder's "The Express" tells the story of Ernie Davis (Rob Brown), the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy in 1961. Dennis Quaid co-stars as Ernie's coach. Let's quickly look at what other online critics have to say about the feature ( I will post my review later today):

• Cinematical's Jett Kernion: "'The Express' follows the usual conventions of sports films, which can be satisfying and even comforting if you like the genre."

• Mack Rawden at Cinema Blend: "It’s just a series of brouhahas, tied together by the fact they all involved Ernie Davis."

• LatinoReview's George Roush: "It's a nice drama, but its formula is just like every other inspirational sports movie."

Just Jared got a hold of some new images from the set of Guy Ritchie’s new take on “Sherlock Holmes,” which is currently shooting in London.  

Robert Downey Jr., who you can see in the photograph above, plays the lead, while Jude Law is on board as Watson. Rachel McAdams stars as Holmes’ love interest; Mark Strong is the villain.

As you may have heard already, the film is expected to portray the titular character as more modern and adventurous. Head over here to catch some more set pictures.

John Erick Dowdle's "Quarantine" hit theaters this weekend, and while I didn't exactly adore this horror flick, I have to admit it didn't turn out just as bad as I thought it would. The film is a remake of acclaimed Spanish movie "[Rec]," which still hasn't made it over here. Let's see what people say about the new version:

• Cinematical's William Goss: "After a numbing amount of scare-free studio offerings, a jolt or two is all it takes to please a genre fan, and there are defintely some fun jolts to be found scattered throughout the flick -- even if they are second-hand."

• Cinema Blend's Mack Rawden: "The camerawork is shaky. The glitz is non-existent. And the final product is remarkably average. This is what the horror genre has become."

Besides keeping the world safe as James Bond in "Quantum of Solace" this November, Daniel Craig is also set to play a Jew who joins the Russian resistance to battle the Nazis in Edward Zwick's "Defiance." The latest full trailer for the war drama just popped up on the Web, and you can check it out below. Looks darn good!

Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell and George MacKay co-star. Zwick also directed "The Last Samurai" and "Blood Diamond." "Defiance" opens Dec. 12, 2008.

Here's a new clip from Oliver Stone's upcoming "W.," which chronicles the life and career of George W. Bush. The footage comes with a quick introduction by Stone. In the scene, W. (Josh Brolin) is chatting with Karl Rove (Toby Jones). "W." opens next week.

Clip comes up right after the jump.

Seen on: October 10, 2008

The players: Director: John Erick Dowdle, Writers: John Erick Dowdle, Drew Dowdle, Cast: Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernandez, Columbus Short, Johnathon Schaech, Steve Harris

Facts of interest: Based on the Spanish original flick "[Rec]."

The plot: An infamous anti-American documentary filmmaker is visited by three ghosts who show him why there's no room for too much liberalism in the United States.

Our thoughts: Hollywood’s latest remake of a foreign film is “Quarantine,” based on Jaume Balagueró’s acclaimed Spanish flick “[Rec].” I haven’t seen the original yet and can’t comment on how similar the two movies are, but looking solely at the new version, I have to admit I’m decently surprised by the result.

Last year, Ridley Scott gave us the excellent "American Gangster." Now, he returns to the big screen with "Body of Lies," a thriller starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Russell Crowe. In the film, DiCaprio play a CIA operative who forms uneasy alliances to uncover a major terrorist leader. Let's see what the Web's critics say:

• Katey Rich at Cinema Blend: "As a globe-hopping, us vs. them thriller, 'Body of Lies' isn't half bad, sprinkling in well-shot action and some moments of genuine suspense."

• Cinematical's James Rocchi: "'Body of Lies' provides few surprises, nor does it make the kind of bold statements or offer the kind of big-picture view that might raise the audience out of merely sitting in the dark to take in the spectacle."