Movie 43 (2013)

	Movie 43 (2013)  Comedy An ensemble comedy intertwining different tales. Directors:  Elizabeth Banks | Steven Brill | Steve Carr | Rusty Cundieff |James Duffy | Griffin Dunne | Peter Farrelly | Patrik Forsberg | James Gunn| Bob Odenkirk | Brett Ratner | Jonathan van Tulleken Stars:  Emma Stone, Stephen Merchant, Richard Gere, Liev Schreiber

THE BUZZ: This is like the director's version of New Year's Eve, I guess. Sounds great in theory, and a potentially wasted opportunity to think beyond the big screen in terms of how to distribute such a project. In other words: a YouTube event? Huge traffic with lots of Likes and all the things that matter in the digital age. As a traditional release? Even I might wait to stream it.

Parker (2013)

	Parker (2013)  118 min   -   Crime | Thriller A thief with a unique code of professional ethics is double-crossed by his crew and left for dead. Assuming a new disguise and forming an unlikely alliance with a woman on the inside, he looks to hijack the score of the crew's latest heist. Director:  Taylor Hackford Stars:  Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Chiklis, Nick Nolte

THE BUZZ: Are you...losing...interest...in....Statham, too? This time, there's Jennifer Lopez by his side and a Robin Hood theme running through the narrative, sorta. I'm amazed this is not a CBS Films release.

Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters (2013)

	Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters (2013)  Action | Fantasy | Horror In this dark spin on the fairy tale, siblings Hansel and Gretel are a formidable team of bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world. Director:  Tommy Wirkola Stars:  Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton, Peter Stormare, Famke Janssen

THE BUZZ: For a minute there, we wondered if this one would ever get off the ground; to put it in perspective, development on writer-director Tommy Wirkola's follow up to Dead Snow has been in effect since David Fincher was circling Black Hole as his post-Benjamin Button option. Fast forward through all the actresses who've come and gone as Gretel (Diane Kruger, Eva Green, Noomi Rapace) and now we're just nervous that the movie's horror-comedy angle might prevent it from being a crossover hit.

LUV (2012)

	LUV (2012)  Drama 11-year-old Woody has to decide whether to follow in his hero's steps or become his own man as he spends the day with his recently paroled uncle, whose attempt to right his life hits an unexpected snag. Director:  Sheldon Candis Stars:  Common, Michael Rainey Jr., Dennis Haysbert, Danny Glover

THE BUZZ: Common is more of a brand than an actor or rapper these days, but we have heard good things about his co-star, Michael Rainey Jr., in his debut role. Rainey Jr. will next appear as the younger version of Forest Whitaker's title character in The Butler.

Broken City (2013)

	Broken City (2013)  109 min   -   Crime | Drama | Thriller An ex-cop trailing the wife of New York City's mayor finds himself immersed in a larger scandal. Director:  Allen Hughes Stars:  Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Kyle Chandler

THE BUZZ: From Menace II Society through The Book of Eli, Allen and Albert Hughes always worked in tandem as directors and producers, but Allen has gone solo for this presumably hard-boiled genre film written by Brian Tucker, who has no produced screenplays to his credit but has two projects in development -- a remake of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Basic Instinct soundalike called The Arrangement. Looking at Mark Wahlberg's upcoming movies, this one almost gets lost in the shuffle; for Russell Crowe, it's a pivotal role between a potential Oscar nomination for Les Misérables and his take on the character Jor-El in the Superman reboot Man of Steel.

The Last Stand (2013)

	The Last Stand (2013)  107 min   -   Action | Crime | Thriller The leader of a drug cartel busts out of a courthouse and speeds to the Mexican border, where the only thing in his path is a sheriff and his inexperienced staff. Director:  Jee-woon Kim Stars:  Arnold Schwarzenegger, Eduardo Noriega, Forest Whitaker, John Patrick Amedori

THE BUZZ: This thriller, which has earned comparisons to High Noon, was almost made with Liam Neeson back when Taken made him to the go-to man for action-movie pitches. If the screenplay is as good as its Black List-status, and if I Saw the Devil director Kim Jee-Woon finds a balance between characterization and style, Sheriff Ray Owens might become another iconic Arnold Schwarzenegger hero.

Mama (2013)

	Mama (2013)  100 min   -   Horror Annabel and Lucas are faced with the challenge of raising his young nieces that were left alone in the forest for 5 years.... but how alone were they? Director:  Andres Muschietti Stars:  Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier,Isabelle Nélisse

THE BUZZ: Looks like Guillermo del Toro is in proud-papa mode as he mentors filmmaker Andres Muschietti, who here adapts his short into what could be one of the most effective spins on the admittedly tired haunted-kid horror story. And we totally love Jessica Chastain's Dragon Tattoo makeover.