
Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson and a runaway train. This looks like an awesomely preposterous bit of fun.

Aliens invade LA.

A grumpy, old and burnt-out newsman played by Harrison Ford teams with a energetic, driven and utterly adorable Rachel McAdams. I’m sure everything ties up in a completely predictable fashion but it still looks like a lot of fun. Plus, the director (Roger Michell) made the extremely underrated Changing Lanes, so you know it’s at least well made.
Mischief is afoot, and only one man is capable of cracking the case. Since Sherlock Holmes’ first appearance in 1887, he has captured the imaginations of writers, directors, and audiences alike. Reportedly based on author Arthur Conan Doyle’s old professor Dr. Joseph Bell, Holmes is able to do what the police often can’t because he has cunning powers of observation, a firm grasp on forensic medicine, and deductive reasoning unmatched by any literary detective to come before or after him. Joined by his faithful sidekick Dr. John Watson, who is often the narrator and an active participant, Holmes set new standards for crime fiction, and his reach has extended into a third century with Guy Ritchie’s latest film. But is this newest version of Holmes capable of besting what many consider to be the character’s finest cinematic appearance, helmed by the immeasurable abilities of director Bob Clark (Porky’s, Black Christmas, A Christmas Story)? Find out in this week’s Reel Rumbles with Sherlock Holmes vs. Murder by Decree.

What if someone you never met, someone you never saw, someone you never knew, was the only someone for you? That’s the question asked by Nora Ephron’s 1993 hit Sleepless in Seattle, which climbs into the Reel Rumbles ring this week to do battle with 2004’s The Notebook, a film that claims that behind every great love is a great story. Are these films promising chick flick classics, or just heavy-handed weepy tear-jerkers going for cheap shots over quality storytelling? Find out as the bell rings for The Notebook vs. Sleepless in Seattle.