By Erica Balanc

CADILLAC RECORDS [R]
I thought we were done with biopics of musicians from the past, but apparently not. Now we’re profiling the record label Chess Records, with Adrien Brody playing the founder, Leonard Chess,  Beyonce Knowles playing performer Etta James, and Mos Def playing Chuck Berry. In the trailer there is a group of unfamilar-looking mop-top british boys thanking Muddy Waters for his song that inspired their name. I cringed when they clarified and said, “Rolling Stones.” I am really not sure whether Cadillac Records will end up being any better or worse than other recent films in the genre. I can say that I haven’t been the biggest fan of Best Actor Oscar-winner Adrien Brody’s role choices post-his claim to fame, The Pianist. I can say, however, that these films usually lead to good soundtracks.
PUNISHER: WAR ZONE [R]
I never saw The Punisher but I’m under the impression that the title character/Frank Castle didn’t die at the end. The actor that played him (Thomas Jane), however, is replaced by Ray Stevenson  in The Punisher: War Zone. That’s never really a good thing –similar to when they do it on television series like we aren’t supposed to notice the difference. The Punisher: War Zone follows The Punisher as he takes on the villain “Jigsaw” (no, this sequel is not a hybrid of The Punisher and Saw). Nothing in the trailer convinced me that this film could be considered more than just a late sequel with a different actor playing the lead role and a less impressive cast. It is also under new direction (Lexi Alexander), which depending on your opinion of the first film’s direction, could be considered either good or bad. It is up to hard-core fans of the Marvel comic to decide.
NOBEL SON [R]
Nobel Son is the story of a chemistry student (played by Shawn Hatosy), who kidnaps the son (played by Bryan Greenberg) of a Nobel-Prize winning scientist (played by Alan Rickman). It’s in interesting enough plot, as the catch is that the father has become cocky and selfish since his win. His son is being held ransom for his prize money, which means the father’s character will be tested. However, this film falls into the category of “comedy/drama,” which seems awkward, because nothing in the trailer was particularly funny, and you can’t be expected to take the kid-napping seriously. One can still expect Rickman to deliver a great performance, and supporting actors Bill Pullman and Danny DeVito should work in the film’s favor.