Mirror Mirror

21 Jump Street

Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) are unlikely partners assigned to go undercover and infiltrate a high-school drug ring in this comedic adaptation of the '80s cop show. Fitting in proves to be a little more difficult than they imagined, and their drug mission soon takes a back burner to their quest for popularity. The film has a nice balance of chase scenes and hilarious high-school moments, and Tatum holds his own against comedic veteran Hill. DVD extras include a blooper reel, a segment with Johnny Depp, deleted scenes, and an audio commentary.

85%

The Artist

In this charming, award-winning darling, Jean Dujardin plays George Valentin, a silent film actor whose life is turned upside-down upon the arrival of talking pictures. As the world collapses around him, he finds a friend in dancer Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), whose vigor for talkies reignites his passion for filmmaking. The near-completely silent The Artist won five Oscars, including best picture, best director, and best actor. Extras include a making-of featurette, a blooper reel, and a look at the locations used in the film.

98%

One more release when you read more

The Hunger Games won the box office for the third weekend in a row, reaping $33.5 million and bringing its total gross so far to $302.8 million. The flick easily bested competition from the week's new releases; American Reunion opened to $21.5 million and Titanic 3D made $17.3 million. Wrath of the Titans and Mirror Mirror came in fourth and fifth place, earning $15 million and $11 million, respectively, in their second week in theaters.

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

The Hunger Games held tight to its top spot at the box office this weekend, raking in $61.1 million in its second week across 4,137 screens nationwide. Wrath of the Titans came in second, earning a respectable $32.4 million in its debut. The Julia Roberts-led fairy tale Mirror Mirror opened with $19 million while 21 Jump Street brought in $15 million in its third week. The Lorax trailed in fifth with $8 million.

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Mirror Mirror, the candy-colored vision of director Tarsem Singh, is the latest take on a classic fairy tale, with Lily Collins filling the shoes of Snow White and Julia Roberts as her nemesis, the wicked queen. But even with a solid cast and Singh's risk-taking aesthetic, the uneven script and undeveloped characters reduce it to a retread of an old story with a very pretty look. You know how it goes: the queen married Snow White's father, and after he dies, she sets about to get rid of anyone prettier than herself. That makes Snow White target No. 1, and when the girl is run out of the kingdom, she's forced to take shelter with a group of outlaw dwarves in the forest, becoming their caretaker of sorts. In this version, Snow White becomes their vigilante leader, while the perspective is largely from the wicked queen, who's trying to solve her financial problems by marrying rich Prince Alcott (the very dreamy Armie Hammer). While these twists are cute tweaks of the well-known tale, they don't make the story different enough, and the film drags on toward its obvious conclusion.

Singh is known for his bold, arresting aesthetic, like in films The Cell and Immortals, and he definitely has fun reimagining the setting of Snow White and her fairyland. It's clear that he's reining in the weirdness to give the film wider appeal, but some unusual elements sneak in there, like some creepy villainous puppets and a scene with the queen's downright gross beautifying routine. As polarizing as those scenes may be, the movie could have used some more weirdness, if only to give it a clearer angle. Sadly, the creativity is used up on the visuals, and the rest of the film suffers.

To find out why else I was disappointed by Mirror Mirror, just keep reading.

Two new adaptations of Snow White are hitting the big screen, and both of the lead actresses are sporting inky black tresses. (Mirror Mirror, with Lily Collins, is out this Friday; Kristen Stewart's Snow White and the Huntsman follows in May). Wella Professionals hair colorist Jennifer J. created the dark hue for both Lily Collins and Kristen Stewart. See how Jennifer modernized Snow White's hair look — twice — when you read more.