In Theaters Now: Wall-E & Wanted

Wall-E

directed by Andrew Stanton

Pixar is on a roll, with all of the studio’s films to date both commercial and critical successes. Their new futuristic tale, set in outer space, may be their riskiest endeavor yet. The plot revolves around a trash-compacting robot named Wall-E who goes on an epic journey across the galaxy to discover the purpose of his existence. Oh, and did we mention that Wall-E doesn’t actually speak, but instead makes beeping and electronic sounds? Imagine Star Wars with R2-D2 as the intrepid but unlikely hero.

Wanted

directed by Timur Bekmambetov

This shoot-‘em-up action film centers around Wesley, a dweeby, aimless office drone (James McAvoy) who discovers that his long-lost, recently murdered father was actually a powerful assassin. Wesley decides to follow in his father’s footsteps and joins the same hitman-for-hire organization headed by Morgan Freeman. As anyone who watches television knows, Angelina Jolie plays Wesley’s seductive recruiter. Based on Mark Millar and J.G. Jones’ graphic novels, Wanted marks the American debut of director Bekmambetov, whose success with the vampire franchise that includes Night Watch (2004) and Day Watch (2006) has made him one of his native Russia’s most bankable directors. Though the film’s constantly pushed release date has signaled “trouble” for anyone who cares, the reviews are in and the critics are impressed, for the most part by Bekmambetov’s technical ingenuity. Will it be enough to secure the director a reputation on U.S. soil? Check back on Monday for MovieMaker.com’s “Top of the Box Office” report.