Salt

(2010, USA, 100 min)

A CIA agent goes on the run to prove she is not a Russian spy. Ludicrous, like everything writer Kurt Wimmer (Ultraviolet, Law Abiding Citizen) puts his hands on, but not without a few brain dead charms.

Starring Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Daniel Olbrychski, August Diehl, Daniel Pearce, Hunt Block, Andre Braugher, Olek Krupa. Directed by Phillip Noyce; written by Kurt Wimmer; produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Sunil Perkash; original music by James Newton Howard; cinematography by Robert Elswit; film editing by Stuart Baird, John Gilroy; casting by Avy Kaufman; production design by Scott Chambliss; art direction by Teresa Carriker-Thayer; set decoration by Leslie E. Rollins; costume design by Sarah Edwards.

Piranha

(1978, USA, 94 min)

Flesh-eating piranhas are accidentally released into a river near a summer resort. Satirical Jaws ripoff that doesn’t hold up very well despite a witty script by John Sayles and some clever cinematic in-jokes.

Starring Bradford Dillman, Heather Menzies, Kevin McCarthy, Keenan Wynn, Dick Miller, Barbara Steele, Belinda Balaski, Melody Thomas Scott, Bruce Gordon, Barry Brown, Paul Bartel. Directed by Joe Dante; written by John Sayles; produced by Jon Davison; original music by Pino Donaggio; cinematography by Jamie Anderson; film editing by Joe Dante, Mark Goldblatt; casting by Susan Arnold; art direction by Bill Mellin, Kerry Mellin; set decoration by Jeff Ayers.

Legion

(2010, USA, 100 min)

A group of strangers in a New Mexico diner attempt to avert a Biblical apocalypse with the help of archangel Michael. Unintentionally amusing – sometimes entertainingly so – action/horror flick based on the Night of the Living Dead formula.

Starring Paul Bettany, Lucas Black, Tyrese Gibson, Adrianne Palicki, Willa Holland, Kate Walsh, Kevin Durand, Charles S. Dutton, Dennis Quaid, Jon Tenney, Jeanette Miller. Directed by Scott Charles Stewart; written by Peter Schink, Scott Charles Stewart; produced by David Lancaster, Michel Litvak; original music by John Frizzell; cinematography by John Lindley; film editing by Steven Kemper; casting by Rick Montgomery; production design by Jeff Higinbotham; set decoration by Gabrielle Petrissans; costume design by Wendy Patridge.

Splice

(2009, Vincenzo Natali)

Two genetic scientists create an animal/human hybrid that threatens humanity. First two acts are strong, as they smartly echo David Cronenberg’s early work, but things go somewhat awry in the final third when it succumbs to genre conventions.

Starring Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, Delphine Chanéac, Brandon McGibbon, Simona Maicanescu, David Hewlett, Abigail Chu. Directed by Vincenzo Natali; written by Vincenzo Natali, Antoinette Terry Bryant, Doug Talyor; original music by Cyrille Aufort; cinematography by Tetsuo Nagata; film editing by Michele Conroy; casting by John Buchan, Constance Demontoy, Jason Knight; production design by Todd Cherniawsky; art direction by John de Cartier; costume design by Alex Kavanagh.

The Vicious Kind

(2009, USA, 92 min) *

A bitter thirtysomething becomes infatuated with his younger brother’s new girlfriend. Auspicious debut for Neil LaBute protege Krieger, who here gets a terrific lead performance from Scott. Fans of LaBute’s early work should definitely check this out.

Starring Adam Scott, Brittany Snow, Alex Frost, J.K. Simmons, Vittorio Brahm, Bill Buell, Alysia Reiner, Kate Krieger. Directed by Lee Toland Krieger; written by Lee Toland Krieger; produced by Tim Harms, Lee Toland Krieger, Lindsay Lanzillotta; original music by Jeff Cardoni; cinematography by Bradley Stonesifer; film editing by Gino Roy; casting by Rebecca Gushin; production design by Gary Cooley; art direction by Nadya Gurevich; costume design by Lindy McMichael.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

(2010, USA, 112 min)

A twentysomething slacker has to defeat the seven exes of his dreamgirl in order to win her love. Visually frenetic ode to geek pop culture that suffers because the boyish lead is never believable as the heartbreaking character he plays. Still, certain audiences will probably enjoy this.

Starring Michael Cera, Allison Pill, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Mark Webber, Johnny Simmons, Ellen Wong, Kieran Culkin, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman. Directed by Edgar Wright; written by Michael Bacall, Edgar Wright; produced by Eric Gitter, Nira Park, Marc Platt, Edgar Wright; original music by Nigel Godrich; cinematography by Bill Pope; film editing by Jonathan Amos, Paul Machliss; casting by Robin D. Cook, Jennifer Euston, Allison Jones; production design by Marcus Rowland; art direction by Nigel Churcher; set decoration by Odetta Stoddard; costume design by Laura Jean Shannon.