Unlocked (opens September 1st at Tower City Cinemas)

[UNLOCKED opens in Cleveland on Friday September 1^st exclusively at Tower City Cinemas.]

Review by Bob Ignizio

In this densely plotted political thriller, CIA agent Alice Racine (Noomi Rapace) is still dealing with guilt for a terrorist attack she couldn’t stop when she gets called back by her former superior (Michael Douglas) to help stop a biological attack. The virus being used, we are told, “may just trump Ebola for the nightmare trophy.” Overseeing the operation from afar with no shortage of snark is Bob Hunter (John Malkovich).

Unbeknownst to either Alice or Bob, another faction of rogue intelligence agents have a different plan in mind. It is these morally dubious individuals who pick Alice up and bring her back to interrogate a courier who is being sent by his Imam not to launch a terror attack, but to stop one. They plan to eliminate Alice once she gets the information they need from the courier, but she realizes what’s happening and manages to escape.

The Way Way Back

Review by Bob Ignizio

A indie coming of age story that has an obvious affection for eighties teen comedies, THE WAY WAY BACK centers on Duncan (Liam James), a nondescript 14 year old whose recently divorced mom Pam (Toni Collette) is inexplicably dating major douchebag Trent (Steve Carell). We see just how much of a douchebag Trent is in the opening scene when he asks Duncan to rate himself on a scale of 1 to 10. After much prodding, Duncan grudgingly offers up a 6. Trent tells him he's at best a 3, making the chances that Trent is going to be the male role model he clearly needs pretty slim.

Trent has taken Pam and Duncan, along with his own daughter from a previous marriage Steph (Zoe Levin), to a New York seaside vacation town in the hopes that everyone will bond together as a family, albeit under his terms. Not surprisingly Duncan isn't exactly on board with this plan, although there is one bright spot: he has the lovely and slightly older Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb) for a neighbor, and she doesn't treat him like a complete loser.