In Theaters, Week ending 1/30

Blood and Chocolate

directed by Katja von Garnier

How much do you really need from a werewolf movie, other than pretty faces, cool special effects and a little bit of gore? Blood and Chocolate has all this and more, with an interspecies love story and the director of the award-winning miniseries “Iron Jawed Angels” running the show. Based on the hit teen fantasy novel by Annette Curtis Klause, at the very least this flick will find an audience with the adolescent crowd.

Starring Agnes Bruckner, Hugh Dancy and Olivier Martinez.

Catch and Release

directed by Susannah Grant

You’d expect more from the Erin Brokovich scribe than a couple named Gray and Grady; but perhaps killing off one half of the cutesy-named pair was a statement by writer-director Grant. In the wake of her fiancé’s death, Gray (Jennifer Garner) is faced with several surprising secrets from the man’s past. Overall, we’re not big fans of “coping-with-grief” romantic comedies, but the presence of Kevin Smith and Timothy Olyphant might be enough to sway us.

Also starring Juliette Lewis.

Epic Movie

directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer

Okay, seriously: Hasn’t the genre spoof comedy been played out? We’re not saying that epic movies deserve any less ridicule than rom-coms or horror flicks, but in the years since Scary Movie, we’ve gotten so sick of the genre spoof that we’re reconsidering our love of Mel Brooks, simply for his part in popularizing the formula. But you may not agree with us—in which case, get your fill of sophomoric send-ups of Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean and Chronicles of Narnia, among others in this latest addition to the series.

Starring Kal Penn, Jennifer Coolidge and Fred Willard.

Seraphim Falls

directed by David Von Ancken

Pierce Brosnan seems to be settling nicely into middle age as his pretty-boy days come to a close. His most recent effort, Seraphim Falls, casts him as a rugged Civil War veteran pursued by a former Confederate colonel (Liam Neeson) who is dead-set on revenge. This feature-film debut from director Von Ancken boasts a formidable star presence, including Angelica Huston, and looks to be the perfect film for movie buffs in search of a gritty, gory and well-acted western some lazy Sunday afternoon.

Also starring Angie Harmon.

Smokin’ Aces

directed by Joe Carnahan

In his first feature since the surprise hit Narc, Joe Carnahan dives head first into a world of sex, violence, money and slick production values. Smokin’ Aces brings together a motley crew of assassins (played by an assortment of Hollywood has-beens and quasi-indie faves) in an attempt to keep Vegas magician Buddy “Aces” Israel from testifying against the mob. Aces is a mishmash of Domino, Ocean’s 11 and Snatch, and will no doubt capitalize on the continuing popularity of snappy-looking gangster comedies, with or without the support of the critics.

Starring: Jeremy Piven, Ryan Reynolds, Ray Liotta, Jason Bateman and Ben Affleck.