"Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" by Ben Stiller

Rarely does a sequel surpass its predecessor, but Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is one of those rare gems. It’s hilarious and heartfelt, often at the same time. The characters come to life courtesy of DreamWorks’ crisp CGI, resembling portraiture more than computer animation. In addition, Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer, and Jada Pinkett Smith give their characters an idiosyncratic individuality that separates Madagascar 2 from standard one-dimensional family fare. These animals live, breathe, and rouse some serious laughs that resound way beyond the jungle.
Expert voice acting distinguishes the Madagascar franchise from others of similar ilk. In this go-around, new characters have been added to the fold, voiced by none other than the late Bernie Mac, Alec Baldwin, and Sherri Shepard. The chief four feral friends—Alex the Lion (Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Rock), Melman the Giraffe (Schwimmer), and Gloria the Hippo (Smith)—crash land themselves in Africa after a botched attempt

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"The Haunting of Molly Hartley" by Haley Bennett

The Haunting of Molly Hartley’s namesake, played by Haley Bennett, is the new girl at her prep school, but that’s the least of her problems in the film. She’s as white as ghost, hears incoherent voices whispering at her, has strange panic attacks, and she gets disgusting bloody noses. Molly’s torment could potentially be terrifying, but it is presented as overly-stylized and somewhat derivative. The film’s concept definitely merits some interest. However, its execution often doesn’t deliver on the prime idea’s promises.

Molly has just moved to a new town, having departed Boston with her father due to a recent tragedy that occurred. Molly’s mother attempted to kill her, stabbing her in the chest with a pair of household scissors. So, Molly, a 4.0 student, starts off at her new prep school with a hefty amount of emotional baggage. Things begin going awry once Molly gets settled, with said panic attacks and visions of her mother coming to kill her penetrating her consciousness. Bennett

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"Evolver" by John Legend

In the two years since he released his chart-topping, platinum-selling sophomore album, Once Again, John Legend has gone on to perform at some of the biggest events on the tube. He’s played the Super Bowl, NBA and MBL All-Star games, and he even graced the stage at this year’s Wrestlemania. In addition to the slew of commercials and television one-offs, it’s safe to say that you’ve heard the voice of John Legend a time or two in the last couple of years. Media exposure aside, Legend is back with his newest drop, Evolver and doing what he does best; playing music that you can dim the lights to.

The upbeat and light funk of “Greenlight” (which features Andre 3000) and the political ramblings heard on “If You’re Out There” might be a slight departure from Legend’s norm, but it’s one that is well-received and welcome as well. The neo-soul ballad “This Time,” the jazzy and suave “I Love, You Love” and his reggae-laden duet with Estelle promise to grow into timeless classics over the

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"High School Musical 3: Senior Year" by Zac Efron

Ah, high school! Those years are often touted as the best of one’s life. But chances are, most of you aren’t looking back at your high school career as a series of idyllic moments that caused you to spontaneously burst into song.

Disney, however, perpetrates that myth with its escapist, sugar-coated, candy-colored romp High School Musical 3: Senior Year, the first of the films in the franchise to enjoy a theatrical bow. HSM 3 is Grease for Facebookers, featuring a musically talented, impossibly good looking and mega-famous cast of wholesome teens. HSM 3 follows familiar friends Troy (Zac Efron), Gabriella (
Vanessa Hudgens), and Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) through the tumultuous final weeks of high school, where the college countdown clock ticks like a timebomb. As Gabriella repeatedly states, “I wish this would all slow down a little.” Time continues to screech by despite Gabriella’s wishes, but that doesn’t stop the film from making the most of the final moments of pre-collegiate

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"Max Payne" by Mark Wahlberg

“I don’t believe in Heaven. I believe in pain. I believe in fear. I believe in death,” bellows Mark Wahlberg’s Max Payne with a faded rumble in his voice. That’s quite a narration to begin a film with. Hollywood needs to make more movies like Max Payne. It’s quite possibly one of the best video game adaptations ever committed to celluloid. It’s also one of the most bullet-riddled and fun action movies to come down the pipe in a long time. Shell casings fly across director John Moore’s noir vision of New York City, and he successfully brings Max to the big screen, allowing the character to maintain his rough identity from the video game.

In fact, the revenge narrative draws more from The Crow than anywhere else. There are various religious undertones culled from both Christianity and Norse mythology that make this a terse, modern film noir. The titular character is in a real rut as the movie begins rolling. He’s been tracking the killer of his wife and child for years now with zero

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