Weekend Movie Guide

"The Help" - Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard
Based on the bestseller of the same name, "The Help" is the story of a young journalist (Stone) who chronicles the lives of the black housekeepers who work within her socialite community in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi. With a built-in fan base, "The Help" will get an extra boost from Stone who is rapidly becoming a go-to movie star. This is not your typical summer film but then again, August is often the hodge-podge month of the season and I think it's fair to expect a solid opening considering the good press it's currently getting.

Value: $7 This is going to be a big player for girl's night out-type gatherings but I think it has much more gender-crossover potential than, say, "Sex and the City." I'm pretty interested in checking it out myself.

"30 Minutes or Less" - Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz Ansari, Danny McBride, Nick Swardson
A lazy pizza delivery man (Eisenberg) is forced to don a bomb and rob a bank by a pair of dumb crooks (McBride, Swardson). To carry out the heist, he enlists the help of his best friend (Ansari) who tells a lot of jokes in the process. Yet another R-rated comedy, "30 Minutes" seems to have a better pedigree than "The Change-Up" but the reviews have been less than stellar. From a personal standpoint, I'm torn. I love Aziz Ansari. For my money, he is probably the best comedian going right now and even though he usually plays the exact same character, I love that character. He is a definite draw for me here. On the other hand, Eisenberg is an enigma. He's an excellent actor but I find him disconnected and unengaging in anything other than "Zombieland" ("The Social Network" is a totally different animal). I just don't really look forward to his films. Plus, I don't understand the appeal of Swardson whatsoever.

Value: $5 I'm riding the fence here. Might be worth a matinee price if you're in a really good mood, might be better served as a rental. For that matter, it might not be worth seeing at all.

"Final Destination 5" - Nicholas D'Agosto, Emma Bell, Arlen Escarpeta
I hoped that when the makers of these films titled the previous entry "THE Final Destination" that we were mercifully seeing the end of these films. Alas, much like the subject matter it revolves around, the "Final Destination" series continues to cheat death. I don't do horror films so my opinion really doesn't matter here. But if it did, I'd plead with America to please, please, PLEASE stop seeing these movies.

Value: $2 If you're a fan of this series, God help you. Kidding. Seriously, if you're a fan of these films I can't imagine that you wouldn't enjoy this one as well. I, however, will continue to pretend that these movies do not exist.

"Glee: The 3D Concert Movie" - Cory Montieth, Dianna Agron, Lea Michele
A concert documentary in the vein of "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" and the "Miley Cyrus" movie from a couple of years ago. I watched the first year of "Glee" and I dig some of the music (I'm a fan of cover songs in general) but around the beginning of the second season, I realized that the writing is terrible, the plot virtually starts over every single episode, and many of the characters are thoroughly unlikable. At the same time, you have to respect the incredible popularity and influence the show (and now the movie) have had over the last couple of years.

Value: $2 Much like "Final Destination 5", if you're into this series and/or you're under the age of 15, you're probably going to enjoy this movie. If not...I mean...there's got to be some preseason football on TV, right?

"Senna" - Aryton Senna (limited)
This is a documentary about Formula 1 driver Aryton Senna, a Brazilian who took the racing world by storm before his untimely death at the wheel of his car. Already a huge hit in the UK, "Senna" will look to capitalize the numerous heralds it earned over the course of its festival circuit run.

Value: $4 I would hazard a guess that this is definitely worth your time as a rental or Netflix Instant viewing.