Safe House

Machine Gun Preacher is also available on DVD this week.

Safe House

Ryan Reynolds stars as Matt Weston, a young CIA agent stationed in South Africa, in this gritty, well-written action film. Matt's been there for over a year waiting to be assigned a prisoner to "take care of" when Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) shows up. Though the circumstances of his visit are originally murky, Matt soon learns Tobin is a rogue agent, and thus begins a thrilling game in which Matt must question everything he knows to be true. Extras include several making-of featurettes.

54%

John Carter

Taylor Kitsch is John Carter, a Civil War soldier who gets transported to Mars in the big-screen version of the classic book series. Despite the fact that he's on unfamiliar territory, Carter is tasked with saving the planet and its princess, who he falls in love with. The mostly shirtless Kitsch is a commendable leading man, but the plot feels a little stale is this visually stunning feature. The DVD doesn't come with extras, but the Blu-ray/DVD combo includes deleted scenes, a blooper reel, commentary by the filmmakers, and "100 Years in the Making" and "360 Degrees of John Carter" featurettes.

52%

One more release when you read more

Family flicks proved to be lucrative once again at the box office, as The Lorax took in $70.7 million in its opening weekend. Not only is that the biggest debut from a Dr. Seuss film, but it's also the biggest opening weekend of 2012 so far. Trailing in second was Project X, which opened with $20.7 million. In third place was Act of Valor, which fell from the top spot and earned $13.7 million, followed by Safe House with $7.2 million. Tyler Perry's Good Deeds completed the top five with $7 million.

Photo courtesy of Universal

Despite the fact that Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd headlined Wanderlust, the movie didn't even place in the box office's top five in its opening weekend. The number one spot went to political action film Act of Valor, with $24.7 million. It was followed by fellow new release Tyler Perry's Good Deeds, which made $16 million. In No. 3 was Journey 2: The Mysterious Island with $13.5 million, and fourth place went to Safe House with $11.4 million. The Vow rounded out the top five with $10 million, quite a bit above new releases Wanderlust and Gone. Wanderlust only earned $6.6 million for eighth place, while Gone was in ninth with $5 million.

Photo courtesy of Relativity Media

True love didn't conquer all at the box office over the weekend: Safe House soared to first place with $24 million, edging out former champ The Vow, which earned $23.6 million. Nicolas Cage's Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance made its debut in third with $22 million, pushing Journey 2 into fourth place with $20 million. Reese Witherspoon's romantic comedy had a decent opening weekend, taking in $17.5 million to round out the top five.

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

Audiences fell for Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams this weekend, as The Vow won first place at the box office with $41.7 million. The romance just narrowly beat Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington's thriller Safe House, which earned $39.3 million. They were followed by another new release, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, with $27.6 million. The 3D rerelease of Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace came in fourth place with $23 million, and last week's box office winner Chronicle rounded out the top five with $12.3 million.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

While working for the CIA may seem like a dream job, Matt Weston's (Ryan Reynolds) current position at a Safe House is certainly no picnic. He's a new agent, stationed alone in South Africa, waiting for the chance that he will have a "house guest" (someone who is taken prisoner by the CIA.) Matt's desperately trying to get some field experience so he can be stationed in some other city where he can see a little action. After a year of boredom, his wish comes true when Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) arrives.

I was constantly on the edge of my seat throughout the film, and felt everyone in the theater being equally enraptured with what was unraveling before our eyes. Safe House has high-stakes moments cut with sardonic, nonchalant comedy that Reynolds and Washington both pull off nicely. I felt connected to everyone's struggles, but the plot kept me unsure if I wanted the good guy or the bad guy to come out on top. To find out why Safe House exceeded my expectations, just keep reading.