Interpol agent Chun-Li (Kreuk) enters an underground fighting tournament, with her eyes set on M. Bison (McDonough), the contest’s founder and leader of a crime syndicate who may have been responsible for the death of Chun-Li’s father.

You have a few more months to tighten up your Lightning Kick and get your hair into two perfect buns before Fox either a) “ruins” another fanboy property or b) launches the first film in a potential franchise with X-Men potential. Or both? Please note: I make that comparison in terms of the number of characters with shadowy pasts the story can explore, but I don’t think this legend is going to break any box-office records (or put out two great movies, then a crappy third installment). So you’re going to have to hit the theaters and pick this up on Blu-ray if you want to see Ken or Ryu in the future, and, while Kristen Kreuk was strung up with wires in order to simulate the moves that made Chun-Li the first lady of fighting games, there seems to be plenty of gun-toting action present here that will certainly upset purists (this is, after all, brought to you by the director of Doom). Meanwhile, another member of Black Eyed Peas goes rogue in order to, like, expand the pop group’s “brand,” or something. I think this interview with screenwriter Justin Marks is revelatory.

Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and martial arts action, and some sensuality.

Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak
Stars: Kristin Kreuk, Neal McDonough, Michael Clarke Duncan
Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
Release Date: 27 February 2009 (USA)
Genre: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

In The International, Interpol Agent Louis Salinger and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman are determined to bring to justice one of the world’s most powerful banks. Uncovering illegal activities including money laundering, arms trading, and the destabilization of governments, Salinger and Whitman’s investigation takes them from Berlin to Milan to New York and to Istanbul. Finding themselves in a high-stakes chase across the globe, their relentless tenacity puts their own lives at risk as the bank will stop at nothing – even murder – to continue financing terror and war.

Has it really taken ten years for Hollywood to get the Run, Lola, Run director to make his first American, big-budget action-thriller? Embarrassing. Still, who cares, with Owen and Watts also on board, all is forgiven; plus, whoever thought to re-team Watts with Armin Mueller-Stahl is a casting genius. What we also love the most about this picture sight unseen? The fact that we finally get to see what Clive Owen would have been like as 007. Rumor has it the project was delayed for a bit to tweak it as more of an action film …

Rated R for some sequences of violence and language.

Director: Tom Tykwer
Stars: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: 13 February 2009 (USA)

In Hong Kong, a trio of young people with special abilities are pursued by a clandestine U.S. government agency who wants the gifted ones back in their fold.

I think director Paul McGuigan (Wicker Park, Lucky Number Slevin) has a thing for too-intricate storylines; during Push’s 2008 Comic-Con panel, poor Camilla Belle stumbled through a plot explanation that began to sound like playing rounds of Magic: The Gathering. Djimon Hounsou, meanwhile, could barely remember his role in the movie. Good thing Dakotah Fanning then popped out to, like, tell the crowd she finally lost all of her baby teeth. Or something.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, brief strong language, smoking and a scene of teen drinking.

Director: Paul McGuigan
Stars: Camilla Belle, Dakota Fanning, Chris Evans
Studio: Summit Entertainment
Release Date: 6 February 2009 (USA)

The film follows an ex-CIA “Preventer”, who is faced with recovering his daughter after she is kidnapped by human trafficking|sex-traffickers in Paris, France.

Bryan (Liam Neeson), a former secret agent living in the US. He is skilled in hand to hand combat, divorced; and loves his 17-year-old daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) who lives with his ex-wife and her new husband Stuart (Xander Berkeley). Kim wants to take a vacation in Europe with her friend Amanda (Katie Cassidy), and together follow U2’s European tour. Kim’s mother allows this, but Kim also needs permission from her father. Since Kim fears that Bryan will not consent, she pretends that they will only stay in Paris. Reluctantly, Bryan agrees.

In Paris a seemingly friendly young man named Peter (Nicolas Giraud) proposes to share a taxi with them to the house where Kim and her friend are staying, and so they do. However, the man works for an Albanian Mafia|Albanian criminal organization, to which he reports the address.

Director Pierre Morel’s follow up to the nouveau classique District B13 is looking stressful! And yet how awesome will it be to watch Liam Neeson throw a punch in pursuit of the baddies who made off with Maggie Grace? You have to leave it to Luc Besson and his Transporter cronies (Morel was the cinematographer for the first two Frank Martin chapters and co-screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen has had a hand in all three movies) for making a real-life scenario so freaky/engaging, though I’m hoping I won’t be spoiled as to the story’s twists and resolution before it comes out Stateside since the movie has been out in Asia and Europe for months. Though I will say Ms. Grace, who looks a bit like Jennifer Connelly here, does not do a full reveal for her legion of followers.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, sexual content, some drug references and language.

Director: Pierre Morel
Stars: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen
Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
Release Date: 30 January 2009 (USA)

After her mother’s death and her subsequent hospital stay, Anna Rydell (Browning) returns home to be with her sister (Krebbel) and her father (Strathairn), who has become engaged to Rachel (Banks), her mother’s former nurse. During her first night back, Anna is visited by her mother’s ghost, who reveals that the new woman in her father’s life is not who she pretends to be, leading to a fateful confrontation between the women of the house.

Some of The Ring’s business minds present this horror-thriller, and you can see their money-making formula present here: the Pacific Northwest setting, the weirdly limber, ink-haired ghosts, a scattering of creepy ghosts kids … and, oh yeah, Ring 2 co-star Arielle Krebbel. The obvious strengths here will be found in the performances of this ace cast, as well as the presence of “Lost” story editor Craig Rosenberg; we’ll see if relatively green co-directors Charles and Thomas Guard can bring anything new to the big screen (or if they’ll become the new Pang brothers?). The Unborn benefited from a warmed-up box office at the beginning of the year, but it’s hard to tell if audiences are satiated or ready for a second helping of horror.

Rated PG-13 for violent and disturbing images, thematic material, sexual content, language and teen drinking.

Director: Charles Guard Thomas Guard
Stars: Emily Browning, Arielle Kebbel, Elizabeth Banks,
Studio: DreamWorks SKG
Release Date: 30 January 2009 (USA)