The Runaways

Nearly every cliché from every episode of VH1's Behind the Music is present in The Runaways, a film about the sudden rise and drug-related downfall of the all-girl rock group of the same name.  There's no offscreen narrator asking things like "But all was not as it seemed...or was it?" in a deep, ominous voice, but there might as well be.  Luckily, The Runaways compensates for its predictable storyline in other ways.  The cast is first-rate (especially Michael Shannon in a show-offy performance as the group's tyrannical manager) and director Floria Sigismondi imbues the film the same stylishness that she gave to her famed music video for Marilyn Manson's "The Beautiful People."  It may be thoroughly predictable, but at least it's never boring.

extra features:
--Commentary with Joan Jett, Kristen Stewart, and Dakota Fanning
--Plugged In: Making the Film

Ratings:  IMDb - 6.9/10    Metacritic - 65    Rotten Tomatoes - 65%



The Losers

Like The A-Team, The Losers is about a group of elite soldiers who are double-crossed and left to fend for themselves.  Also like The A-Team, The Losers was a box-office disappointment.  Of the two movies, The Losers is probably slightly better.  The movie is essentially comprised of four or five extended action scenes that have been strung together, and the action is, for the most part, well-choreographed and occasionally very funny.  Alas, it's the bits between the action scenes that are the problem.

extra features:
--Zoe and the Losers
--Band of Buddies: OPS Training
--The Losers: Action-Style Storytelling
--A First Look at Batman: Under the Red Hood
--Deleted scene

Ratings:  IMDb - 6.5/10    Metacritic - 44    Rotten Tomatoes - 47%



Cop Out

"I mean, it's called Cop Out, not Schindler's Cop Out," director Kevin Smith noted on his Twitter feed shortly after his movie was bombarded with negative reviews.  Sadly, that joke is far funnier than anything in the movie, which plays like an uninspired entry in the Lethal Weapon series had the actors in those movies been instructed to constantly ad-lib gratuitous pop culture references.  Skip the movie and subscribe to Smith's Twitter feed instead.
 
extra features:
-- Deleted Scenes
-- Maximum Comedy Mode with Kevin Smith and Seann William Scott (Blu-ray exclusive)
-- Wisdom from the S*** Bandit (Blu-ray exclusive)
-- Digital Copy (Blu-ray exclusive)
-- Focus Points (Blu-ray exclusive)

Ratings:  IMDb - 5.8/10    Metacritic - 31    Rotten Tomatoes - 19%