Saw 3D - D

Rated R for sequences of grisly bloody violence and torture, and language, 91 minutes

Hopefully this will be the final "Saw"

As the old saying goes, there is one way to come in the world and a million ways to die. As if that's not enough, the "Saw" horror franchise has made millions of dollars on that saying alone, coming up with new and inventive ways to torture and murder people. We fully realize the point of the films by now: Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) is a serial killer who exacts his own unique brand of revenge on all the bad people of the world, creating a game of traps that they must escape or die.

This supposedly final "Saw" installment, the 7th, is brought to you in glorious 3D and more gruesome traps than ever. Fans of this franchise will enjoy all the blood and violence as it brings back cast members from past installments; even with all these gimmicks, it's still an excessively violent, badly executed and unsurprising horror flick that exists solely to revolve around all the gory traps that highlight of the film. It's a mixed bag: there are absolutely no surprises but they're admittedly entertaining in a guilty pleasure sort of way.

"Saw 3D" brings back Dr. Lawrence Gordon (Cary Elwes) from the first "Saw" film who survived Jigsaw's (Bell) brutal game but lost a leg in the process. This new film explains what happened to Gordon since the first film but also continues a new plot involving a fake Jigsaw survivor, Dr. Bobby Dagen (Sean Patrick Flannery) who has become wealthy by telling his fictional story of how he survived Jigsaw and gone on to a better life. He is captured by Jigsaw and must truly survive another deadly game of torture and violence. Meanwhile, Jigsaw's wife Jill (Betsy Russell) is hunted down by Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor), who has become Jigsaw's new assistant.

"Saw 3D" is one of the weaker installments in the franchise, held together only by the traps, which have a life of their own by now. The plot is recycled, the violence unsurprising, the acting terrible as usual. The plot angle to bring back Gordon to the film is so baffling and contrived that it may have "Saw" fans scratching their heads in disbelief. The film is directed by Kevin Greutert, who helmed "Saw 6" and he does little to advance the story except elaborately film the traps set up to kill folks this time out, which involve everything from steel traps to chain saws to an old El Camino.

The "Saw" films, much like Freddy, Jason and Michael, will no doubt live on in some way, shape or form. Even if this is the final installment of this series, expect Jigsaw to be back in some reincarnated fashion. It's been an altogether disappointingly mediocre, bloody ride, and the 3D here, much like other films, doesn't help to actually make it a better film. This series has definitely run its course, but "Saw" fans should turn out, at least the first week, to see what it's all about. Let's hope for the last time. Yea right.

Stone - C

Rated R for strong sexuality and violence, and pervasive language, 105 minutes

"Stone" is an unconvincing, flat drama

You'd think a film with two well-respected actors such as Robert DeNiro and Edward Norton would be more energetic and believable, but their new movie, "Stone," a drama and sexual triangle involving a prisoner, his parole officer and the prisoner's wife, is bland, implausible, downbeat and just hard to buy into. Sure, there are moments of acting brilliance with a couple of hefty interchanges between DeNiro and Norton, but the rest of it is a forgettable tale of redemption and grace.

Parole officer Jack Mabry (Robert De Niro) has only a few weeks left before retirement and wishes to finish out the cases he's been assigned. One of his cases is Gerald "Stone" Creeson (Edward Norton), a convicted arsonist up for parole. Jack is initially reluctant to indulge Stone in the coarse banter he wishes to pursue and feels little sympathy for the prisoner's pleads for an early release. Seeing little hope in convincing Jack himself, Stone arranges for his wife Lucetta (Milla Jovovich) to seduce the officer, but motives and intentions steadily blur amidst the passions and buried secrets of the corrupted players in this deadly game of deception.

"Stone" is a stark, overly earnest yet well-acted drama about forgiveness and faith that is in need of a better script. DeNiro and Norton do their best to overcome the heavy-handed, contrived script (Angus MacLachan of "Junebug") and direction (John Curran of "The Painted Veil") that audiences will have trouble relating to. It's baffling why DeNiro's character, so close to retirement, would screw things up royally for himself and those around him. And miscast action star Jovovich ("Resident Evil") throws the film off considerably, she is simply not in the league of the rest of the cast. Watch for Frances Conroy ("Six Feet Under") in the movie's most believable and sympathetic role, as the put-upon wife of DeNiro's character.

Norton overracts but is still worth watching, and he and a low-key DeNiro have a few decent scenes together that pepper the earnest, slow-moving film. "Stone's" messages of redemption and faith are worthy, but the film is otherwise forgettable and a disappointment considering the talent.

Howl - B

Not rated, 90 minutes

"Howl": An offbeat, intriguing look at an unconventional artist

If you know anything about the late, noted beatnik poet and author Allen Ginsberg, you know that his work was anything but conventional and often pushed boundaries. "Howl" is the film about Ginsberg's 1955 provocative poetry work of the same name and the obscenity trial that it resulted in. Well-acted but fragmented, it's an unconventional but fascinating tale of a very unorthodox but gifted artist.

It's San Francisco in 1957, and an American masterpiece is put on trial. The film recounts this dark moment using three interwoven threads: the tumultuous life events that led a young Allen Ginsberg (James Franco) to find his true voice as an artist, society's reaction (the obscenity trial), and mind-expanding animation that echoes the startling originality of the poem itself. All three coalesce in a genre-bending hybrid that brilliantly captures a pivotal moment-the birth of a counterculture.

"Howl" is a mixture of several different elements: it's a nonlinear, unsentimental examination of Ginsberg's poem itself underscored with intermittent animation that helps bring it to life, a look at the obscenity trial that the controversial poem prompted, and a few brief biographical sketches of Ginsberg's life that inspired him to write "Howl." Some of it's fascinating, particularly of Ginsberg's background, but the brief film is uneven and redunant when it tries to blend the elements together.

Franco's star-making performance as Ginsberg is the highlight of the film, and his reading of the poem is both striking and original. The film's directors, Oscar-winning documentary filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman ("The Times of Harvey Milk" and "Common Threads: Stories of the Quilt") add some offbeat animation to help bring the poem life. It's a mixed bag, some of it works and some of it doesn't and becomes a little annoying by film's end. Also, it's a little redunant since Franco reads the poem twice, over the animation and then again later in front of an audience as Ginsberg.

Still, some of Ginsberg's background and experiences were fascinating, particularly his experiences with mental illness and his childhood. The last piece, the obsenity trial, is interesting but uninvolving. Jon Hamm ("Mad Men") and David Strathairn ("Temple Gradin") are the lawyers arguing the case, Bob Balaban the trial judge, while Jeff Daniels, Mary Louise-Parker and Treat Williams all cameo as witnesses who either help or hurt the case.

"Howl" is far from expansive but intriguing nonetheless, even if you know the outcome of the obscenity case. Stay over until the epilogue and you'll see real-life archival footage and photographs of Ginsberg.

Paranormal Activity 2 - C+

Rated R for some language and brief violent material, 91 minutes

"Paranormal Activity 2" - been there, done that

The low-budget horror-thriller "Paranormal Activity" became a phenomenon in 2009 after an internet campaign helped propel it to wide theatrical release and huge box-office returns. A few good scares and an original premise made the first one a huge hit, and unsurprisingly, it's inspired a uninspired sequel. There are a handful of decent jumps in the unsurprising, predictable "PA2," which is all it really has going for it, since the novelty and the chilling plot are well-known by now.

The film starts 3 months before the hauntings of Micah (Micah Sloat) and Katie (Katie Featherston). Katie's sister Kristi and her husband Daniel Rey move into a new home near Micah and Katie, and during this time Kristi's family begins to have suspicious feelings they are not alone in this house. Over time, creepier things begin happening over following nights. Strange things happen to their one-year old son Hunter along with their dog. The family realizes this isn't just a haunted house, but something far more sinister.

The demon thriller "Paranormal Activity 2" is an above-average, modestly chilling but unoriginal horror film that channels the first film, not to mention ripping off many, many other horror films, including "The Exorcist," "Rosemary's Baby" and even "The Amityville Horror." Sort of a prequel with events that happen concurrently with the first, there's not much to go on except the few scares it provides and the faux-documentary jumpy camera feel that grows tiresome after awhile.

There are absolutely no surprises with "PA2," and the supposedly shocking ending isn't that big of a shock. No spoilers here, but if you saw the first one, this one ends the same exact way and leaves it open, for yes, even more sequels. It does give a minimal amount of backstory to Katie and Kristi's upbringing, but it's all still a little fuzzy as to why all this is happening. Native North Texan actress Featherson's role is considerably smaller here, but she does play a pivotal role in the climax.

I enjoyed the first "Paranormal Activity" and while this one really isn't terrible, the formula is all the same, and a bigger budget ($3 million versus $15,000) gives the film a less personal, less tighter feel than the first one, which was directed by Oren Peli (who produces here to let Tod Williams direct). Horror-film enthusiasts should turn out the first weekend to make it a decent hit, but it's not as good as the first one.

Hereafter - C-

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements including disturbing disaster and accident images, and for brief strong language, 129 minutes

Dour, slow "Hereafter" fails to make a strong connection

"Hereafter" is a unique film with a unique premise. A painfully dour, slow film dealing with the afterlife, it's certainly a change of pace for director Clint Eastwood and Matt Damon, who generally make more message-driven and/or action films. But the slow, uneven pacing is one of the central problems for the disappointing "Hereafter," a film that lacks a strong emotional core. Though it's thoughtfully acted, for a film about making a connection, it fails to deliver a connection with its audience.

"Hereafter" is a drama that tells three parallel stories about people who are haunted by death in different ways. George (Damon) is a blue-collar San Francisco native who has a special connection to the afterlife. A once-successful psychic, he's given up trying to connect with the afterlife to connect with the real world. On the other side of the world, Marie (French actress Cecile de France), a French journalist, has a near-death experience as survives a tsunami. And when Marcus (Frankie/George McLaren), a London schoolboy, loses his twin brother, he desperately needs answers. Each on a path in search of the truth, their lives will intersect, forever changed by what they believe about the hereafter.

"Hereafter" is a murky, unsatisfying and very cumbersome film that lacks insight into the afterlife or the characters in the film that are trying to make sense of it. It's one of Eastwood's most sensitive films to date but also one of his most disappointing. There's an underlying sense of poignancy to the story, but it never really grabs your attention; it opens with the stunning tsunami flood scene, but after that it's a pretty emotionless affair.

But the failure of "Hereafter" isn't necessarily all Eastwood's fault, but it's still a big disappointment for the handsomely-filmed A-list production. The overly-ambitious, nebulous subject matter isn't developed near enough by "The Queen's" writer Peter Morgan, and it brings up a few questions that it never really pursues, and most of the characters, particularly Damon's, are thinly written (George's backstory is very vague, which would've helped explain his reluctance to provide psyhic readings).

The most memorable storyline belongs to newcomer twin actors George and Frankie McLaren, who give natural, unforced performances in their acting debut. Their story most resonantes with those struggling with loss and mortality, and they have the "Hereafter's" most poignant scene in the last act. However, the romantic angle between Damon and the lovely De France is out of place, and the unsatisfying climax, which brings all three stories together, is a bit of a stretch.

As with many of Eastwood's productions, the lush production elements highlight the film, from the handsome photography to the detailed sets to the overly-soothing score provided by Eastwood himself (the latter is soothing to the point of sleep-inducing given the slow-as-molasses pacing to the film). Still, "Hereafter" is the season's first big disappointment: not only does it not provide any genuine insight into the afterlife, it's simply a bore.

Nowhere Boy - B+

Rated R for language and a scene of sexuality, 98 minutes

"Nowhere Boy" is affecting story of John Lennon's youth

Every famous person had to get a start somewhere, and the sublimely engrossing, engaging "Nowhere Boy" tells the story of a teenage John Lennon. Some of its mid-section lags, but the factual film is superbly acted, directed and written, and it tells some interesting stories of Lennon's youth and how he got his start with the music that eventually evolved into the global phenomenon known as The Beatles.

The young John Lennon (Aaron Johnson) is being raised by his stern Aunt Mimi (Kristen Scott-Thomas) and Uncle George (David Threlfall), in spite of the fact that his free-spirited mother Julia (Anne-Marie Duff) lives close by. Family turmoil caused John to live with and be cared for by Mimi, which provides some challenges when John gets into trouble at school. As John becomes closer to his mother, Julia encourages him to take up music and he eventually learns how to play the guitar. He forms a group of his own, The Quarryman, and he meets a young Paul McCartney (Thomas Brodie Gangster), and history is born, though John has to deal with Mimi and Julia, who become his strongest influences.

"Nowhere Boy" is a superb, entertaining and often moving mini-biographical tale of the young Lennon, and will be best remembered for a trio of excellent performances from the leads. What's more, the movie, based on a biography from Lennon's half-sister Julia Baird, is remarkably accurate, making minimal changes to the story and less cinematic liberties than most movies in this genre do (think of the recent, enjoyable "Secretariat" which was good but made substantial changes to the facts). The movie is slower and lags in its mid-section, but once the young Lennon gets going with the guitar and his music, it will keep your interest.

Newcomer British actor Aaron Johnson (also seen in this year's "Kick-Ass") gives a poignant but low-key performance as the teenage Lennon, and shades him with the right amount of inflection that doesn't become a cariacture or just an imiation. Even better is the two actresses who play Lennon's aunt and mother, respectively, and show a study of different personality and parenting types. Scott-Thomas ("The English Patient") and British stage actress Duff (who's also married to actor James McAvoy) give Oscar-worthy performances as the two sisters who both love John and show it differently. The trio's shattering extended scene where John discovers the truth about his parents is the film's highlight.

"Nowhere Boy" is an auspicious big-screen directorial debut for Sam Taylor-Wood, who sublime skills should open more doors (as a sidenote she and Johnson are engaged and already have a child together). Both Duff and Scott-Thomas should gain more accolades for their parts, and they leave as much as an indellible image as Lennon and the Beatles did. Stay for the end and you'll see some poignant photographs of the real people, and you'll enjoy the soundtrack, filled with some actual Quarryman/Lennon tunes.

Pure Country 2: The Gift: C-

Rated PG for some language and thematic material, 90 minutes

Music is best part of hokey "Pure Country 2: The Gift"

When I first saw the trailer for "Pure Country 2: The Gift" I thought it was a straight-to-DVD release and was a little surprised to find it was getting a limited release in theaters. The second-rate, hokey and cliched rags-to-riches story is a sequel to the 1992 film "Pure Country" that had George Strait in his only big-screen role, and much like that film, is only memorable for the music.

Bobbie (Katrina Elam, in her big screen debut) is born in Kentucky, but her mother dies in childbirth and she is raised by Aunt Ella (Jackie Welch). She is blessed with the gift of song by some angels (including Michael McKean and Cheech Marin) and she heads to Nashville as soon as she can to become a big-time country singer. She quickly rises to fame and love but with the help of a big country music star (George Strait), she realizes there's more to life than being rich and famous.

The cheap, slight but entertaining "Pure Country 2: The Gift" will likely have a longer life on DVD, which is really where it belongs. The rags-to-riches story was done better in "Coal Miners Daughter," as that film had much more charm, wit and Loretta Lynn. It also had a much better script and direction, which is what this film is in need of. Christopher Cain, brother of "Superman" Dean Cain (watch for him here briefly as a music video director) can't quite pull of the contrived, silly story, but he tries, infusing the film with too many simplistic messages about life, love and trying hard.

Elam is pretty and talented, but she's too inexperienced to carry a movie her first time out. Strait has just a few minutes of screen time in what is really an extended cameo essentially playing himself. There are a handful of amusing scenes (an Asian country band is fun) but down the stretch, "Pure Country 2" is simply too slight, badly acted and way, way too predictable. The movie itself is a bit baffling: the first "Pure Country" nearly 20 years wasn't exactly a classic and Strait is admittedly no actor himself.

The pop-country tunes are the most memorable thing, and you'll leave "Pure Country" with a few of your toes tapping, but you won't remember anything else about this otherwise forgettable, calculated tale of music and stardom.