Author:   Justin Souther

The Story: Secret agent Johnny English bumbles his way through a new case as he attempts to stop an evil cabal from killing the Chinese head of state. The Lowdown: A movie no American was asking for lives and dies on how much you can stomach Rowan Atkinson’s usual shtick.

The Story: A housewife decides to coach basketball at a down-on-its-luck Catholic college. The Lowdown: Perfectly good central performances by Carla Gugino and Marley Shelton are wasted in this by-the-book uplifting sports flick.

The Story: A teen moves from Boston to rural Georgia and finds that the town has outlawed dancing. The Lowdown: A faithful remake of Footloose that’s a natural extension of director Craig Brewer’s previous films, but lacks anything that makes it truly special.

The Story: Three birdwatchers head out to attempt a “big year,” where each attempts to see more different species of birds than the others. The Lowdown: Harmless in the dullest sense of the word, and a comedy only in the loosest sense.

The Story: A down-on-his-luck dad and his estranged son try to turn a junked sparring robot into a robot-boxing champion. The Lowdown: Sure, the premise is nothing new, but the film still works because of a likable cast, perfect pacing and a willingness to be a cheesy, uplifting sports flick.

The Story: Four cops and a day laborer make a pact to become better fathers. The Lowdown The best looking of Sherwood Baptist Church’s feature films is nevertheless a bloated, boring mess of a movie.

The Story: After reading a magazine article, a woman decides she’s slept with too many men, and decides to track down her exes to see if one of them might be “the one.” The Lowdown: A nice cast can’t stop this tired attempt at romcom from simply falling apart.

The Story: A hunky teen finds out he’s the son of two CIA agents, and must escape some evil secret agents out to kill him and his would-be girlfriend. The Lowdown: A showcase for the supposed talents of Taylor Lautner that’s too dumb and bloodless for any action fan and too violent for his fanbase.

The Story: An underdog tale of a Major League Baseball team trying to subvert the system through statistics, and the repercussions of their attempt. The Lowdown: An interesting idea for a biopic by way of character study, although never as engaging or dramatically alive as it should be.

The Story: A stuntman who moonlights as a criminal wheelman gets involved in a heist -- which ultimately goes wrong -- in order to keep his neighbor and her son safe. The Lowdown: An endlessly stylish action flick that’s more arthouse fare than Hollywood entertainment, yet remains an infinitely fascinating -- and singular -- piece…

The Story: Documents the rise and eventual tribulations of hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest. The Lowdown: Works better as a hip-hop primer than when it attempts to show the complexities of the group's relationships, where the film falls apart due to lack of depth.