The average geophysics college professor can save the world -- or at least that's what Director Jon Amiel would have you believe with his latest flick, The Core. Dr. Joshua Keys (Aaron Echkart) is the only person who has realized that the Earth's core has stopped rotating. Along with French comrade and weapons expert extraordinaire Sergei Leveque (Tcheky Kary), Keys has to break the news that the world is going to end to a roomful of the country's most powerful men. The only solution is a trip to the Earth's core, to get it started up again. The star-studded cast along for the ride includes Stanley Tucci and Hilary Swank, whose performance as the cocky lone female on the exhibition might not garner her another Oscar nod, however. -- Alyssa Litman
In Head of State, Chris Rock satirizes the current state of the government with jabs at both sides of the political spectrum. Along with co-star Bernie Mac, Rock opts not to differentiate black and white, but rather have both sides point and laugh together at the sorrier aspects of politics. Rock stars as Mays Gilliam, a Washington Alderman who is selected to run for President so that he can lose and allow the Democrats four years to regroup. Much to the chagrin of the Dems, however, Gilliam and running mate/brother Mitch (Bernie Mac) put up a fight. Rock and co-writer Ali LeRoi attempt to appeal to far too many audiences in his film, leading to a few slow spots, but aside from those, Head of State is a refreshing comedy that jokes about much more than the film's poster ("The Only Thing White Is The House") would have you believe. -- John Carroll
Amanda Bynes plays Daphne, who decides to leave her freethinking mother to go find her royal deadbeat dad. Once in England, Daphne learns how to be a conservative stereotype to earn the love of her father, Lord Henry Dashwood. Will her father like her? Will she foil the evil fianc‚e? Will she dance to popular music that shocks, yet charms, the British? This movie could have fallen flat, but the chemistry between Colin Firth and Amanda Bynes saves it. Their awkward attempts at father-daughter bonding lead to some heartwarming scenes. Still, one finds a lot that's unrealistic and cheesy. It'll be fun to take your little sister to What A Girl Wants. Or you can go alone and wonder why God hated you enough to put you through adolescence instead of making you royalty. -- Aparnaa Seshadri
