A petty thief is gunned down in an alley and a Congressman’s assistant falls in front of a subway – two seemingly unrelated deaths. But not to wisecracking, brash newspaper reporter Cal McAffrey who spies a conspiracy waiting to be uncovered. With a turbulent past connected to the Congressman and the aid of ambitious young rookie writer Della Frye, Cal begins uprooting clues that lead him to a corporate cover-up full of insiders, informants, and assassins. But as he draws closer to the truth, the relentless journalist must decide if it’s worth risking his life and selling his soul to get the ultimate story.

You couldn’t ask for a better cast for this thriller: Affleck is spot-on, Crowe finally gets to flex his acting muscle without mugging (in a role that was considered for Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Tom Hanks), McAdams finally gets to act period, and Mirren is every reporter’s worst nightmare boss. The original 2003 BBC miniseries was fantastic television (once you could understand everyone’s accents) and if they don’t mess it up, this could be stellar, especially once you add in director Kevin Mcdonald (The Last King of Scotland). Our only question: why the April release? This could be a perfect adult option for the sequel-friendly days of summer.

Rated PG-13 for some violence, language including sexual references, and brief drug content.

Director: Kevin Macdonald
Stars: Russell Crowe, Rachel McAdams, Ben Affleck
Studio: Universal Pictures
Release Date: 17 April 2009 (USA)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

A pair of corporate spies (Owen and Roberts) who share a steamy past hook up to pull off the ultimate con job on their respective bosses — but can they learn to truly love and trust one another?

Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton) is back to write, direct, and confuse with another crime/suspense story, but this time there’s some lovemaking to be had. I’m all phew for many reasons: Tom Wilkinson’s has reunited with Gilroy for another supporting role; Paul Giamatti replaced Billy Bob Thornton as one of the warring CEOs; we finally get to see what Ocean’s 11 could have been like if Tess were allowed to be more than wallpaper; Clive Owen takes a break from dark/stressful thrillers to deliver some mystery and cheer. But what this project could really use? A title change.

Rated PG-13 for language and some sexual content.

Director: Tony Gilroy
Stars: Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Tom Wilkinson
Studio: Universal Pictures
Release Date: 20 March 2009 (USA)
Genre: Crime | Thriller

Industrious single mother Rose Lorkowski (Adams) starts an unusual business in order to send her son to a private school; alongside her unreliable sister (Blunt), the two women enter the world of biohazard removal and crime scene clean-ups.

The Sundance set wasn’t particularly wowed by director Christine Jeffs’s follow-up to Sylvia, though I think this is one of the more resonant films that screened at the 2008 festival. Jeffs is unafraid to explore the vagueness of certain family dynamics, and to rely on visuals in the places where too-much-exposition typically is used. There is, of course, much backstory to be discovered in the relationship between Adams and Blunt, and yes, Alan Arkin again inhabits the role of quirky old man … but are these bad things? Of course not. Think of Adams in Junebug form, and Blunt all Gothic and smeared eyeliner; get psyched for a solid supporting performance from Clifton Collins Jr., too.

Rated R for language, disturbing images, some sexuality and drug use.

Director: Christine Jeffs
Stars: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin
Studio: Overture Films
Release Date: 27 March 2009 (USA)
Genre: Comedy | Crime

A loose remake of 12 Angry Men (1957), set in a Russian school. 12 jurors are struggling to decide the fate of a Chechen teenager who allegedly killed his Russian stepfather. Stepfather took teenager to live with him to Moscow, during Chechnya war, in which teenager lost his parents. The jurors: a racist taxi-driver, a suspicious doctor, a vacillating TV producer, a Holocaust survivor, a flamboyant musician, a cemetery manager, and others represent the fragmented society of modern day Russia.A stray bird (a touch of New Age cinema) is flying above the jurors’ heads, alluding to tolerance.

Remember last year’s Oscars, when writer-director Nikita Mikhalkov’s thriller vied for the Foreign Language trophy against the unbeatable Counterfeiters? Hopefully word-of-mouth will keep 12 in theaters for a while, because neither the press nor the studio is paying the film much attention during the busy awards season. However! Russian film is still in the spotlight thanks to Admiral, and Mikhalkov’s developing a sequel to his Oscar-winning Burnt by the Sun. See you next year, Nikita?

Rated PG-13 for violent images, disturbing content, thematic material, brief sexual and drug references, and smoking.

Director: Nikita Mikhalkov
Stars: Sergei Makovetsky, Sergey Garmash, Apti Magamaev
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
Release Date: 4 March 2009 (USA)
Genre: Crime | Drama | Thriller | War

When Madea’s (Perry) trouble-making antics land her behind bars, among the cast of characters she meets is Candy (Pulliam), a prostitute whose life is off-track and in need of the type of tough love that only Madea can provide.At long last, Madea returns to the big screen in TYLER PERRY’S MADEA GOES TO JAIL. This time America’s favorite irreverent, pistol-packin’ grandmomma is raising hell behind bars and lobbying for her freedom!

After a high-speed freeway chase puts Madea (TYLER PERRY) in front of the judge, her reprieve is short-lived as anger management issues get the best of her and land her in jail. A gleeful Joe (TYLER PERRY) couldn’t be happier at Madea’s misfortune. But Madea’s eccentric family members the Browns (DAVID and TAMALA MANN) rally behind her, lending their special “country” brand of support.

Meanwhile, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Hardaway (DEREK LUKE) is on the fast track to career success. But Hardaway lands a case too personal to handle – defending young prostitute and former drug addict Candace Washington (KEISHA KNIGHT PULLIAM) – and asks his fiancée and fellow ADA Linda Holmes (ION OVERMAN) to fill in on his behalf. When Candace ends up in jail, Madea befriends the young woman, protecting her in a “motherly” way as only Madea can.

Though you can buy the stage version of this story on DVD at your grocery store, something tells me Tyler Perry is going to experience his biggest success here, since he’s back in hysteria-comedy mode (and in drags), with a fully grown Rudy Huxtable playing a streetwalker in the clink.

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, drug content, some violence and sexual situations.

Director: Tyler Perry
Stars: Tyler Perry, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Derek Luke
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: 20 February 2009 (USA)