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KANSAS CITY, MO —

1) A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD (R)

RUSS

Yippee-ki-yay! Bruce Willis is back as super cop John McClane in the fifth movie in the “Die Hard” franchise, “A Good Day to Die Hard.” John goes to Russia to help his son, a CIA agent played by Jai Courtney, who’s up to his eyeballs in bad guys.

SHAWN

After four “Die Hard”movies Bruce Willis had smash every car, jumped through every window, fired every automatic round and delivered one memberable catch phrase. So why more? Oh because he now has a son who is of age to participate in the mindless mayhem.

RUSS

There are lots of cool explosions and endless car crashes, but in every other respect, it’s purely routine.

SHAWN

“A Good Day to Die Hard” is plotless and fun at the same time. It’s nothing more than a series of three extended action sequences with just a tiny bit of the magic that made the original a classic.

It’s the best of the old-geezer solo projects that have been released so far this year. All hail longevity and John McClane’s super human threshold for pain. And you tolerance for the familiar.
RUSS: 3 Popcorn Bags

SHAWN: 3 Popcorn Bags

2) SAFE HAVEN (PG-13)

RUSS

“Safe Haven,” the latest romantic drama adapted from a Nicholas Sparks novel, will affect your eyes. You’ll either be wiping them or rolling them. Count me in the latter category.

SHAWN

“Safe Haven” is easily Nicholas Sparks’ laziest, blandest and least fulfilling movies to date.

RUSS

Sparks is a master manipulator, but this story takes some unusual twists that even hardcore fans may find hard to accept. The cast is very likable and the movie makes good use of North Carolina’s beautiful coastal scenery, but “Safe Haven” is a movie that only the most fanatic Sparks fan could love.

SHAWN

The two leads only fall in love because the script says so. There is no real explanation nor any genuine chemistry. The entire proceeding is just blah and masked by overly sugary pop songs and an attractive cast who glide along in Nicholas Sparks’ world of wishful thinking and dumb endings.

RUSS: 2 Popcorn BagsSHAWN: 2 Popcorn Bags

3) BEAUTIFUL CREATURES (PG-13)

RUSS

Take one part “Harry Potter” and two parts “Twilight,” mix them into a Southern Gothic gumbo, and you’ve got “Beautiful Creatures,” a supernatural romance cynically calculated to appeal to tween audiences.

SHAWN

Young witches fall in love in the deep south in a movie unafraid not hide it’s desperation to attract the “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” fanatics.

RUSS

Emma Thompson and Jeremy Irons, with their exaggerated Southern drawls, seem like they stepped out of a road show production of “Annie Get Your Gun.” Only Viola Davis emerges unscathed. “Beautiful Creatures” isn’t good enough to recommend or bad enough to be a camp classic.

SHAWN

The movie is full of heavy southern accents, light plot and a cast all moving in totally different directions.

RUSS: 2 Popcorn Bags

SHAWN: 2 Popcorn Bags

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