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OK, it was a sad week for my theater-going, thus there is only one film to be listed today. But, worry not, next week will pick up everything I was missing and I might put reviews in along the way this week.

30 Minutes or Less

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz Ansari, Danny McBride, Nick Swardson, and Fred Ward

Synopsis: Looks can be deceiving. That’s certainly the case with “30 Minutes or Less,” which opened on Aug. 12. The first trailer looked strong. The film also boasts a good cast — including Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari — and it comes from the team responsible for the sleeper comedy hit “Zombieland.” Unfortunately, the jokes in this film — indeed the entire construct of the film — doesn’t quite work. There are some humorous moments and elements, but on the whole “30 Minutes or Less” feels like a movie that missed the mark. That is becoming the story of movies in 2011. There are some funny people in this production. McBride and Swardson make for a good pairing, with McBride playing a character similar to those he’s played in other stories, like HBO’s “Eastbound & Down.” And Ansari and Eisenberg have some good presence together as well, both providing decent comic timing at certain points in the film. The problem here is the approach. Director Ruben Fleischer delivered an oddly compelling hit with “Zombieland.” That film blended action and comedy in a real way, creating a funny and compelling film about the end of the world. The blend of comedy and action in “30 Minutes or Less” is a bit off. The basic story is moderately amusing, but then the whole thing devolves into an oddly bungled crime scenario in the final act that just doesn’t quite work. Additionally, some of the characters — particularly Dwayne and Travis — verge on being caricatures, and grow tiresome by the time the film makes its way to the conclusion. That is a bad sign considering the film is less than 90 minutes. In some ways, this feels like a comedy short that was stretched to feature length. Eisenberg, who was nominated for an Academy Award for “The Social Network” last fall, feels a little off in the main role. Nick feels a little too dumbed down, riding the fine line between being lazy and being ill-equipped to make more of his situation. There are funny moments in the film, and the first half is fairly entertaining, but “30 Minutes or Less” can’t sustain that energy throughout the whole production. It’s a movie that had some promise but just came up short.

Rating: R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, nudity and some violence. Enter with caution.

Verdict: One star out of four.

Upcoming Releases:

Friday, Aug. 19: "Conan the Barbarian," "Fright Night," "One Day," "Spy Kids 4"

Friday, Aug. 26: "Our Idiot Brother," "Columbiana," "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark"