Wanted

Angelina Jolie is one hot mama. She exudes a sexy confidence virtually unmatched by any actress working today. She, simply put, has swagger.

And all that swagger is on full, fleshy display in Wanted, one wacked-out train ride of an action movie.

It is the pure definition of mindless, the laws of physics non-existent in this fantasy realm of bloody violence.

The film centers on Wesley Gibson (Scottish actor James McAvoy using a very fine American accent), an account manager wiling away his miserable life in an dead-end job, living in an apartment that rumbles because of the train rushes along just above, and stuck in a relationship with a girlfriend who's sleeping with his best friend.

He doesn't care about anything, and that fact alone is what concerns him.

Into his life walks Fox (played by Jolie), telling him that his father was in a secret organization of assassins and that he's about to be killed by the same guy who murdered his dad.

So begins Gibson's journey from wimp to assassin, a brutal one filled with beat downs and bloody hands while learning how to shoot a target on a curve.

Morgan Freeman is Sloane, the leader of what's called The Fraternity, an ancient organization that get messages in looms on who to kill, the idea being the person they kill today could mean saving thousands of lives later.

Okay, doesn't make much sense considering that this crew of assassins missed out on Stalin, Hitler and Idi Amin. Stuff it. Logic doesn't exist here, at least not in the world that director Timur Bekmambetov.

Instead, Bekmambetov is interested more in octane-fueled action filled with ridiculous stunts, like the one with the car flipping over a bunch of police cars and then landing on the side of a bus as it turns over and then driving off. Yeah, that happens in real life.

Again (repeat like a mantra), logic doesn't exist here.

Taking elements of The Matrix and other action movies, Bekmambetov has created a cool action flick that entertains with a little bit of good acting thrown in.

McAvoy gives his Gibson enough of that regular guy shtick to make us root for him every step of the way. His character does the things that all of smucks who want more out of life wish we could do.

And Jolie, as Fox, sizzles every time she's on the screen, making all of us guys real jealous of Brad Pitt. Lucky bastard.

The Incredible Hulk

Ang Lee's The Hulk was a brilliant, messy failure, an ambitious flop of monumental proportions. Instead of the full-fledged superhero flick many had hoped for, Lee's film was more focused on damaged father-son relationships and suppressed emotional drama that flared up in grass-colored skin and ever-bulging muscles. And the last half-hour was nothing more than a therapy session masquerading as a climactic fight scene ending in a mass bubble of angst being blown away by missiles (yes, that's what literally happened).

The idea of rebooting such a critical and commercial disaster seems an impossible task, close to crazy in fact. But Louis Leterrier, the director of The Transporter 2 and Unleashed, has succeeded where Ang Lee five years ago failed.

Armed with a great cast that's led by Edward Norton as the tortured soul Dr. Bruce Banner, Leterrier ditches the psychoanalysis and cuts to the action. And boy does this movie have action.

We don't have to wait almost an hour before Banner starts bursting out of his clothes and gets all green on us. It happens within the first 40 minutes of the movie.

The origin story is told in the opening credits. The movie opens with Banner as a fugitive working at a bottling company in Brazil and trying to come up with a cure. Hot after him is General Thaddeus Ross, who considers Banner's body the property of the U.S. government. Soon, he's found out, and the chase begins, from Brazil back to the United States.

Emil Blonsky, played by Tim Roth, is an aging soldier who gets a glimpse of The Hulk and wants some of that power. Eventually, he bulks out and becomes the menacing, even more frightening The Abominator.

Leterrier knows that audiences want to see Hulk smash, and Hulk does indeed smash a lot. This is a darker Hulk, much scarier in his power. The action is swift, and Leterrier keeps a nice, rollicking pace.

Elements of the old television show, the one with Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno, sneak in. We hear the haunting "Lonely Man" theme, and when Banner changes into the Hulk, his eyes go green. And Ferrigno himself makes a memorable cameo.

What the television show got right and what the movie includes is Banner's overwhelming angst over this dark side of himself, this rage that makes him rip his clothes. Norton plays that well. We feel for Banner and his unending struggle to keep himself under control.

Liv Tyler does a good job as Betty Ross, Banner's girlfriend, though here she mostly acts with her incredibly expressive eyes, all flush with emotion.

William Hurt brings heft to his role as General Ross, and Roth is great as Blonsky.

And plus, this movie is a lot of fun, with sprinkles of humor here and there, something mostly missing in Ang Lee's version.

Reports have surfaced that Norton is none too happy about this version of the movie. He had lobbied for a longer, more dialogue-intensive version, but the studios nixed it. And this time, I have to agree with the studios. The movie is lean, it's action-oriented, it's what people want to see.

And unlike Ang Lee's Hulk, this Hulk rocks.

Sex and The City

Yes, I saw Sex and The City, and I'm man enough to admit I actually wanted to see it, to be immersed in all that estrogen. It is not unfamiliar to me, a guy who grew up in a family of women, whose nickname was Man because he was the only testosterone in the house.

So, with my friend, Tracie, along for the ride, I indulged in a movie filled to the brim with girl talk about relationships, sex and fashion.

For those who don't know, the movie is based on the HBO series of the same name, where for six seasons, we followed the lives of four fabulous women and their search for love. At the center of the drama was Carrie Bradshaw, played to perfection by Sarah Jessica Parker, the writer. We also have Miranda, the workaholic attorney, Charlotte, the ever-optimistic cheerleader of the group, and Samantha, the sexually ravenous diva and drama queen.

Together, they were fierce, always ready to love and dish dirt about it over lunch at a New York restaurant.

The movie picks up about three years after the show ended. The women are all ensconced in various relationships, particularly Carrie and her Mr. Big (played by Chris Noth, of Law & Order fame). Samantha is with her boy-toy actor in California, Miranda is with her hubby and their child, and Charlotte is enjoying bliss with her husband and adopted daughter.

All seems well in the world, even more so after Mr. Big nonchalantly pops the big question and Carrie goes out in search of the perfect wedding dress.

Without spoiling the fun, not all goes exactly as planned. Hearts are broken and vows betrayed, and the movie goes down a quite unexpected dark path.

Michael Patrick Smith, the director, has a difficult job in keeping up with four women without letting the movie drag. He does this ably, and he is only helped by a great cast.

What worked in the show works in the movie, a flavorful dish of colorful (literally, in some cases) sex talk, biting wit and hard-earned tears.

But more important than that is the fact that women are at the center of the action, not mere centerpieces. These are grown women dealing with grown-up issues in ways both mature and childish, blossoming and wilting in the ebb and flow of what we like to call life.

And in this movie, we see these women coming into their own, finding their own way, taking responsibility for their mistakes and moving on, in exceptional heels, of course.

So, yeah, I saw it and I liked it. I'm man enough to admit it, though it does help to have a beautiful woman to see it with.