1. Aliens In The Attic (FOX, 3,106 Theaters, 86 Minutes, Rated PG-13): You know, I have a firm belief that just because something is a kids movie doesn’t mean that it has to be stupid. Pixar proves this on a yearly basis. You can entertain a kid with an intelligent plot and good story instead of relying on silliness and stupid antics. to get laughs.

I can’t really say I’ve seen many ads for this one (which is strange because it has the highest theater count for the week) but what I’ve seen it looks like it falls into the latter brand of kid movie, the stupid silly side.

The plot involves a family that must fight a group of pint-sized aliens who have invaded the attic of their summer home. Pretty simple plot there. The script must have taken a whole 30 minutes to write.

When the biggest star draw you have in the cast is Ashley Tisdale, you are in trouble. Thank gawd my daughter isn’t old enough to want to see this stuff.

2. Funny People (Universal, 3,008 Theaters, 146 Minutes, Rated R): Regular readers of these posts know that I am a fan of Judd Apatow. He has yet to put out a film that didn’t entertain me. Granted, he has only put out two films which he directed himself, 40 Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, but both won me over with their mix of ribald humor and boatloads of heart.

This one is a more serious effort from Apatow. It involves a successful comedian who faces his own mortality when he finds out he has cancer. If the trailers are to be believe, the cancer goes into remission, and he decides to make the most of the second chance he gets.

As is typical, many of the Apatow Repertory Players are in the cast. While there won’t be as much laughs as in his previous films, there should be as much heart.

3. The Collector (Freestyle Releasing, 1,325 Theaters, 88 Minutes, Rated R): Horror movies are the one genre where a good hook can mean more than a big budget. All you need is something to set you apart from the rest of the genre and you have a shot at success.

Whether it be a possessed preteen, a killer that enters your dreams, or a faux-documentary about witches, once you have a hook, you possibly can bring in audiences in.

This one has a pretty interesting hook. A man intends to burglarize the house of an affluent family. When he gets there, he finds that someone else has already broken in and is torturing the family. Now, the man who wanted to steal their belongings is the only one who could save their lives.

Of course, this premise doesn’t really lend itself to sequels. So if this hook does bring the audiences in, it should be interesting to see what they do for a follow up. 

1. The Proposal (Touchstone, 3,056 Theaters, 108 Minutes, Rated PG-13): Look at that! Sandra Bullock! In a romantic comedy!

Well, to be fair, it’s been a while since she’s done one of those. Actually, it’s been a while since she has been on the big screen at all. Her last film was 2007′s Premonition.

In this one she plays a Canadian working as an executive in the U.S.  who is threatened with deportation. The solution to her dilemma lies with an underling played by Ryan Reynolds who agrees to marry her for a promotion. During a visit to his parents, presumably, real love starts to bloom.

Interesting enough, Reynolds is Canadian and Bullock is American. I though that reversal was interesting.

And kudos to whoever was in charge of casting. Here, you have a woman paired in a romantic comedy with a man over 10 years younger. Usually, it’s the opposite.

2. Year One (Sony/Columbia, 3,022 Theaters, 100 Minutes, Rated PG-13): You might, while looking at the trailers filled with many of the Apatow Repertory Players, and ask youself, is this a legit Apatow offering or yet another clone. Don’t worry, it is. Judd Apatow is a producer on the film and in my eyes that counts.

From the mind of Harold Ramis, the writer of such classics as Animal House, Stripes, Meatballs, Ghostbusters and many more, comes this comedy about the adventures of what appear to be two cavemen and their adventures through history.

I say, “what appears” because it seems Jack Black and Michael Cera go from the stone age all the way through biblical times. I’m not a theologian or an expert on intelligent design, but there seems like there would be a long gap of time between those two eras.

On the surface, I am uncertain about this film. It seems like one joke stretched way too long. But with Ramis and Apatow involved, I might be willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

 1. Monsters vs. Aliens (Paramount/Dreamworks, 4,104 Theaters, 94 Minutes, Rated PG): Wow, talk about a wide release! You hardly ever see a film open in that many theaters. As a matter of fact, I think that if this isn’t a record, it’s pretty darn close.

Yeah, I think its pretty safe to say this film is going to dominate the box office this weekend. I mean, something would have to go majorly wrong for it not to. And that’s not just because of the theater count.

Let’s look at the voice cast. You have both Reese Witherspoon and Renee Zellweger (which it think is a some kind of violation of the space-time continuum), several members of The Apatow Repertory Players, several cast members from the Office and Arrested Development, the leads from two of FOX’s most popular shows , and, oh yeah, Steven Colbert as the President.

Add to that the massive marketing blitz for the movie, and Dreamworks track record for creating hits, and you have the making for a sure-fire hit. Maybe.

2. The Haunting in Connecticut (Lionsgate, 2,732 Theaters, 102 Minutes, Rated PG-13): Groan. Yet another “based on true events” horror film. Which means that one time there might have been a place, it could have been in Connecticut, and there might have been a rumor that it was haunted. Outside that, pretty much everything else if fabricated.

And since the film is rated PG-13 (remember what we say kids, never trust a PG-13 horror film), the scares be rather toothless to boot.

And the gross factor, based on the ads with what looks like a character vomiting chocolate milk straight up (which was on a poster, which is decided not to use for this post), should be turned up to 11. Yeah, not a fan of scares replace by gross out moments.

But that’s just me. If you can’t get in to Monsters vs. Aliens, maybe you can take the kids to this.

3. 12 Rounds (FOX, 2,331 Theaters, 108 Minutes, Rated PG-13): Or you can take them to see this one. It’s PG-13 too.

It’s the latest in the WWE’s attempt to make John Cena into the next Rock…er…Dwayne Johnson. But, this time, the odds are a little better,

The words “Die Hard 2“ and  “Speed” in the title don’t just refer to the director (Renny Harlin) and producer. This film seems tied thematically to those two films.

The plot involves Cena’s girlfriend being kidnapped by a criminal he put away year before. The bad guy will kill the girl unless Cena completes 12 devious tasks the villain has come up with.

Yeah, the story doesn’t seem all that plausible and Cena might not be the best actor. But, you know what, Commando wasn’t all that realistic and Arnold didn’t win any awards for it, but it was still a great popcorn action flick. And Cena can have a good career doing those if he pulls this one off.