'Smurfs' Sequel Slightly Improves Over Previous Hybrid Adventure

Smurfette (Katy Perry) warms up to her evil captors Vexy (Christina Ricci) and Hackus (J.B. Smoove).

Brace yourself for the return of even more blue beings back on the big screen for a sequel that manages to outperform its predecessor. But don't get too excited if you were expecting the sequel to James Cameron's Avatar. It's not, just another round of Smurf adventures in The Smurfs 2.

Two years have passed since the Smurfs last thwarted their arch-nemesis Gargamel (Hank Azaria) in the heart of Times Square, but that brief setback hasn't stopped the bumbling villain from concocting yet another dim-witted plot to take over the world. This time around, his Naughties, evil gray Smurfs, kidnap his reformed creation Smurfette (voiced by Katy Perry) from Smurf Village, forcing her to reveal the ingredients of a powerful Smurf formula.

Third 'MIB' Outing Ends Series on Weakest Note

After a decade-long hiatus, the MIB franchise goes in a brand new direction - back in time.

Men in Black 3 was simply doomed from the start, desperately attempting to reacquaint moviegoers (or more-so subject moviegoers) to what was already an outdated and lifeless franchise. Times have certainly changed since the late 90s as has the quality of cinematic competition. Will Smith just doesn’t have the star power that he had a decade ago with his trio of revolving summer blockbusters: Independence Day, Men in Black, and Wild Wild West.  

And Tommy Lee Jones is no better off, straying from his slew of Oscar-bait performances for the sole purpose of revisiting campy nostalgia. Back as MIB Agents J and K, Smith and Jones once again don their signature black suits and Ray-Bans ready to take down intergalactic criminal, Boris the Animal (Jermaine Clement) hell bent on altering the space time continuum. So far, the plot doesn’t sound too bad, a bit derivative, but surely not dreadful. After all, Back to the Future and Austin Powers are deep in the time-travel genre and look how it enhanced those franchises.

Tech-Savvy 'Arthur Christmas' Isn't Your Parent's Christmas Movie

The entire Claus family bring joy to the children of the world, particularly young Arthur. 

It just doesn’t feel like Christmas unless there’s a Christmas movie hitting the theater. Luckily this year, we’ve already had our holiday treat in A Very Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas. But wait! Aardman, the studio that brought us Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit are joining in on the fun with a modern take on the whole Santa operation in Arthur Christmas. 

Operation: Christmas has gone beyond the typical Santa, sleigh and reindeer. Instead, with the innovations of eldest son Steve, the plan is now part "Mission: Impossible" mixed with North Pole quite similar to NASA’s mission control. But when the foolproof plan misses a child in England, Santa’s younger and clumsy son, Arthur, takes it upon himself to deliver the forgotten present halfway across the globe.