Contributor: Bob Hoose

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

Bears

This Disneynature film shuffles along with a family of Alaskan grizzlies. Bear hugs all around!

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The Amazing Spider-Man 2

There is a web-slinging hero here, of course. And a big concrete jungle just waiting for him to crawl a few walls. But this game isn’t the movie tie-in you might have been expecting.

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Rio 2

That makes this a nice little suet cake that really starts to taste good once it hits its musical theater stride. It praises family, friendship and love.

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Draft Day

Cleveland Browns GM Kevin Costner has to make this year’s draft picks winners … or lose his job. How’s he going to pull that off and manage his own teetering private life too?

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LEGO The Hobbit

LEGO my Eggo, er, Hobbit: Fans of the franchise get yet another fantasy universe to explore, stack and build.

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Hot Fuzz

In this buddy-cop homage/spoof, a British supercop is sent to a sleepy town with the lowest crime rate in the country. So why, he wonders, are there so many dead bodies?

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Under the Skin

The film wants to be about what’s under the skin, but for most viewers it’ll never get beyond what’s not covering it.

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The Adventures of Tintin

The intrepid boy-reporter and his mutt pal Snowy finally bring their Belgian brand of mystery solving to the American big screen—under the watchful, swashbuckling eye of director Steven Spielberg.

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Bella

Two friends—one damaged by the past and the other afraid of the future—help each other make a pair of life-changing choices in this small art film with a big message.

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Case 39

Child services officer Renée Zellweger always strives to protect wounded kids. A 10-year-old who’s actually an ancient demon, however, might cause her to rethink the always part.

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Friends With Benefits

Another pair of pretty pals decides to see if the whole intimacy without commitment thing might work—in an R-rated comedy. Anybody wanna hazard a guess as to how this one turns out?

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Johnny English Reborn

Rowan Atkinson’s spoofy spy is back for another round of roundhouse kicks to the groin. Is this Mr. Bean in a penguin suit … or James Bond on laughing gas?

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Sabotage

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s movie career reboot attempt continues—this time in a very serious and growling cop drama. Looks like he needs some better life coach advice, though, ’cause he should have let this nasty offer on the table.

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Divergent

This dystopian sci-fi saga has earned more than a few Hunger Games comparisons. Or is it more like The Giver?

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Muppets Most Wanted

More importantly, it says some truly sweet things about true love, family and lifelong friendship. Oh, and the bad ghees get what’s coming to ’em.

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