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Life & Arts

Snipers, kiddies, turtles — oh, my

Framed shooters, magical toys, story of healing and a family 
of mutants all hit silver screen this weekend

by JACOB BRISSE 
The Daily Cougar

In a given weekend, there are often too many movies coming out to see them all. While it's hard to say which ones are worth your time, here are some of the better options.

Shooter, directed by Antoine Fuqua, stars Mark Wahlberg as Bobby Lee Swagger, an ex-Marine sniper who's retreated to a simple life in the mountains with his loyal dog and pension after his last mission ended with the death of his partner and best friend. When he's contacted by a retired colonel and asked to do his country one last favor though, he can't resist. 

An assassination attempt on the president's life is expected, and the government wants Swagger to scout the places the president will be appearing and report back to them on likely scenarios. The feds plan to frame him for the attempt, but he escapes (getting support from a rookie FBI agent along the way) and goes on a hunt for all those who've wronged him. Expect lots of explosions and sex with his dead partner's widow -- if that's OK with him. 

The Last Mimzy, based on the poem "Mimzy Were the Borogoves" by Lewis Padgett, is many things. First, it's a story about two children who discover a box of mysterious toys. The more they play with these toys, the smarter (and more distant from their parents) they become. Eventually, with the aid of these toys, including a telepathic stuffed rabbit named Mimzy, the children are able to do extraordinary things, with potentially disastrous or beneficial consequences. 

Mimzy is an allegory for children and generations growing up and for the impact they will have. It's also a pro-ecology, anti-government-invasion-of-privacy message. It's also just a little bit like E.T. 

Adam Sandler takes on his most serious role yet in Reign Over Me. Charlie Fineman (Sandler) lost his wife and three daughters on 9/11, but now he's living as if they'd never existed, playing video games and riding around New York like a shaggy dog on an electric scooter, blasting classic rock from giant headphones and avoiding his in-laws. One must have a past to have a future, and Charlie doesn't have either until he runs into his old college roommate, Alan Johnson (Don Cheadle). Charlie seems unable to talk about the past, so Alan introduces him to therapist Angela Oakhurst (Liv Tyler). But what might help Alan doesn't work for Charlie, and insistent in-laws gather for a court case concerning Charlie's hospitalization. Whatever the outcome, it's clear that it will take Charlie some time to heal.

Everyone's favorite teenage mutants will celebrate their return to the silver screen. TMNT is the newest installment in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise and is wedged in between the first two movies of the original trilogy. In it, the Turtles grow apart after the defeat of their nemesis, The Shredder. Their sensei, Master Splinter, tries to keep the family together as strange things begin happening in New York City once again. 

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