'Percy Jackson' Sequel Cranks Up Modern-Day Mythological Adventure

If you're still waiting for the next Harry Potter phenomenon to launch on the big screen, your patience will be tested a bit longer. Back in early 2010, Chris Columbus (ironically the director of the first two Potter films) helmed Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief - the first installment of the Rick Riordan series of the same name that mashed Greek mythology with a contemporary setting. While Percy Jackson wasn't exactly a blockbuster ($88 million domestic), there's still a crowd out for a sequel.

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is the second installment lined up in the franchise as demigod Percy (Logan Lerman) believes himself to be a one-adventure wonder after procuring Zeus' missing lightning bolt. But as fate would have it, Percy and his get caught up in chasing after the fabled Golden Fleece somewhere in the Sea of Monsters or the Bermuda Triangle as it's known to mortals.  

BLU-RAY TUESDAY: Danny Boyle's 'Trance' Leads Quiet Week For Blu-Ray New Releases

With no major studio releases set to street this Tuesday, audiences however can choose between a few new titles that only received limited exposure beyond the Toronto International Film Festival and a handful of independent markets.

Director Danny Boyle is prominently known for his use of vivid color palettes featured in 2008 Best Picture winner, Slumdog Millionaire and 2010 Best Picture nominee, 127 Hours. His latest psychological caper, Trance is equally stylized while audiences delve deep into the mind of an art auctioneer (James McAvoy), whose memories are the key to locating a misplaced piece of art. 

Bullock, McCarthy Mix Havoc with Hysterics in Buddy Cop Comedy 'The Heat'

Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy are both cops, but complete opposites in "The Heat."

Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy are no strangers to generating breakout comedic success stories over the summer months. Back in 2009, Bullock flexed her comedic wit as a stuffy exec who forces Ryan Reynolds into marrying her to avoid deportation in the romantic comedy, The Proposal. Likewise, audiences recall McCarthy from her notably raunchy, over-the-top performance in Bridesmaids.

Paul Feig, who helmed Bridesmaids back in 2011 is back in the directorial saddle for The Heat. In The Heat, Bullock and McCarthy clash as a by-the-books FBI agent and a local detective each assigned by their respective bureaus to bring down a mysterious drug lord in the heart of Boston. Taking few risks from the buddy cop formula that flashes rehash in bright lights, the success of The Heat solely hinges on the chemistry between the two lead actresses.

'Zoo' Partially Embraces a Heartfelt Wild Side

Some people say they live in a zoo, but very few can literally back that claim up.

Buying any piece of real estate typically wears a person down for quite some time, dealing with the endless red tape and practically selling your name and your life away in order to committing to stay there for however many years down the line. Normally, it isn’t something that done on a whim, especially when it’s for something more than you bargained for. That is, unless you’re a single father of two who decides to start anew and buy a zoo in the country. Matt Damon happens to be that single father of two in We Bought a Zoo. 

We Bought a Zoo is based on a true story, helmed by acclaimed director Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous), of a family from England, who bought a dilapidated zoo and subsequently reopened the facility to the public. Crowe’s adaptation Americanizes the story, transplanting the narrative across the ocean to the bright California countryside.

Third 'Chipmunk' Adventure Misses the Boat Yet Again

More singing. More mayhem. And this time not even an island can handle the chipmunks.

How both Alvin and the Chipmunks movies managed to churn out over 200 million dollars each time in exchange for cheesy and excruciating entertainment is downright mindboggling. But of course if two movies soar past that milestone, a third film is assured whether audiences like it or not. That brings us up to date with the latest Alvin adventure given the fitting portmanteau subtitle of Chip-Wrecked. 

If 2009’s Squeakquel wasn’t bad enough, the creative minds behind this franchise decided to combine the words chipmunk and shipwrecked to give said title. This second sequel is unlike the previous two films, leaving the music industry behind for open waters aboard a cruise ship. Dave Seville (Jason Lee), the Chipmunks and the Chipettes are on vacation, but after some seafaring hi-jinx, they find themselves overboard and washed up on a deserted island. Not only do they have to contend without the luxuries of their pop sensation lifestyle, but they also have former producer, Ian (David Cross), on their tail still seeking revenge.

Babysitting Takes a Wild Ride in 'Sitter'

What started out as an ordinary night quickly became another adventure in babysitting.

I’m almost glad I was never expected to babysit. Kids are more than little handfuls when around their parents, but even greater terrors when grown-ups are nowhere to be seen. Of course, not all kids are like that, but just one little terror is more than enough. In his husky swan song, Jonah Hill deals with not double, but triple the trouble in David Gordon Green’s The Sitter. 

In his typical twenty-something slacker persona, Hill’s character, Noah, is coerced into babysitting his neighbor’s trio of “darling” for what should be a quiet evening. Expectedly, that is not the case when Noah’s girlfriend calls wanting him to pick up some drugs and come to a party and he accepts. With the three kids in tow, what started as a quiet night turns into chaos in New York City.

Retro-Futuristic 'In Time' Clocks Forward to Immortality

Will (Justin Timberlake) and Sylvia (Amanda Seyfried) steal from the rich and give to the poor.

The future is never as brighter as it today. Technology might create a simpler lifestyle and immortality may be closer in reach than before, but fate will deal that dystrophic future seen countless times before. Director Andrew Niccol (Gattaca), examines the near future from In Time where the rich live forever and the poor die young. 

Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) lives in that particular future where wealth segments society. People physically age until twenty-five and are branded with a time clock on the arm. The rich squander decades and centuries in casinos and other luxuries; the poor struggle to their final seconds in the ghetto before timing out. Time is everything. It can be earned, gifted or stolen. Whether it be a simple cup of coffee, a wager on the betting table or the monthly mortgage payment, everything has a mortal price worth a particular amount of time.