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Paranoia
Who: Liam Hemsworth, Gary Oldman, Amber Heard, Harrison Ford, Lucas Till, Embeth Davidtz, Julian McMahon, Josh Holloway, Richard Dreyfuss
What: Hemsworth plays a working-class kid with a knack for tech who's looking to get his foot in the door. What at first seems like the opportunity of a lifetime becomes an ethical quagmire when his new billionaire boss (Oldman) sends him to work for a rival (Ford) to steal corporate secrets...or else.
When: December 17th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: Oldman and Ford as rivals would sell the movie alone for me. They remind me of Ben Kingsley and Morgan Freeman facing off in Lucky Number Slevin. Unfortunately, Hemsworth as lead makes me pause - he just doesn't seem to have the heft to hold a scene with these guys. The critics seem to agree, since they all dumped on the movie. But, the cast, including Amber Heard, is enough to get me to give it a look.

The Smurfs 2
Who: Neil Patrick Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Jayma Mays, Sofia Vergara, Hank Azaria, Katy Perry, Jonathan Winters, Christina Ricci, George Lopez, Anton Yelchin, John Oliver
What: The family-friendly sequel to the movie based on the 1980s animated series, this one features animated characters set amongst live action. Gargamel kidnaps Smurfette in order to obtain a spell from her that will harness the power of smurfs.
When: December 3rd - DVD and online on-demand
Why: This is embarrassing to admit, but I actually remember the day, in third grade, when one of the girls told the class all about The Smurfs during show and tell. And I watched the original TV series. I did not watch the first movie and there's very low chance I'll catch this sequel. But unlike some return movies from that era (The A-Team etc), this isn't really a movie out to get now-adults thinking about their childhood favorites, this is for their kids. And if your kids liked the first Smurfs, they'll probably like this one too.

Some Girl(s)
Who: Adam Brody, Kristen Bell, Jennifer Morrison, Emily Watson, Zoe Kazan
What: A romantic comedy based on Neil LaBute's play. Brody plays a writer, about to get married, who decides to go visit his ex-girlfriends in some sort of quest for closure.
When: December 10th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: Although it's hard to gauge the motivations of Brody's character from the trailer, the premise of the movie has potential for some interesting character study. I think the selection of actresses to play his exes is unusual. On paper, Kristen Bell would be the main draw for me, but just from brief moments in the trailer it looks like Jennifer Morrison may be the one who holds the movie.

Touchy Feely
Who: Rosemarie DeWitt, Ellen Page, Scoot McNairy, Allison Janney, Josh Pais, Ron Livingston
What: A quirky comedy about a massage therapist (DeWitt) who suddenly finds that she can't bring herself to touch other people, including the guy (McNairy) who wants to be with her. Page plays her niece who is attracted to the same guy. At the same time, her awkward brother (Pais), whose dental practice had been struggling, finds sudden success.
When: December 10th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: Quirky is good, I like quirky. I also like DeWitt a lot, especially in Your Sister's Sister.

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