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Here's a look at the new movies I saw last week!

American Reunion

Starring: Jason Biggs, Chris Klein, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Seann William Scott, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Alyson Hannigan, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, John Cho, Jennifer Coolidge, and Eugene Levy

Synopsis: In 1999, a modest teen sex comedy called “American Pie” established itself in a surprising way. It cost about $11 million to make and took in more than $100 million at the Box Office, creating an unexpected franchise. What appealed to people most about “American Pie” was the way that it modernized a traditional teen comedy genre, updating it to connect to a new generation. Theater sequels followed in 2001 and 2003, continuing the journey, then a quartet of direct-to-video releases beat the remaining life out of the franchise. Which is what makes “American Reunion” interesting. It reunites all the characters and actors from the first film and attempts to capture the familiar formula while updating the story to mirror where these characters — and by extension a generation of moviegoers — is in 2012. There is something very familiar about the characters, formula, and events of “American Reunion.” That’s both what works best for the film and its biggest problem. The comedy feels safe and familiar, but it’s sad to see that these characters haven’t progressed much in 13 years. I’ve always been fascinated by these films because I am the same age as the characters. I remember seeing the first film during the first week of my first year in college. Seeing the character archetypes, it wasn’t hard to think of friends and acquaintances in high school and college that matched those archetypes. In 1999, seeing Stifler in someone that lived in your dorm was funny. In 2012, seeing that same character, now in his prime adult years, acting the same way is just sad. And that’s the problem for “American Reunion.” It takes the same characters, creates the same situations, and hopes to generate the same laughs. That works for a teen movie, but when it’s centered on 30-somethings who are in a state of arrested development, it causes more discomfort than laughter. The actors do their best to carry it through. But much like seeing their characters, it’s interesting to see this group of performers. When the first film bowed, it seemed many of them were on their way to bright careers. But, much like the characters they portray in the films, most ended up stuck in a rut — in their case type cast. As always, the highlight of the film is Eugene Levy, who along with Jennifer Coolidge (Stifler’s Mom), had most of the funniest scenes in the film. Jason Biggs does a decent job of being the focal character of the film, and the rest of the cast settle easily back into their roles as well. There are some humorous moments and sequences. There are some parts that work well, and in some ways “American Reunion” is an entertaining film. But overall it feels a bit dated, a bit trapped in the past, and a bit sad to see these characters stuck in the same cycles 13 years later.

Rating: R for crude and sexual content throughout, nudity, language, brief drug use and teen drinking. Enter with caution.

Verdict: Two stars out of four.

Mirror Mirror

Starring: Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, Armie Hammer, and Nathan Lane

Synopsis: It's a big year for Snow White fans. On the small screen, there's "Once Upon a Time," and in theaters there are two versions of the story, the first being "Mirror Mirror." Interestingly, both versions have distinctly different styles. This summer audiences will be treated to an action-adventure version with "Snow White and the Huntsman," but "Mirror Mirror" tackles the tale from a different angle. The film takes a whimsical approach, turning the story into a romantic comedy of sorts. Roberts, as the evil queen, is the central figure, and really the best thing about the film. Hammer does a nice job in the role of the prince, but Collins is merely passable as Snow White. And that's a problem. Snow White should be the central character of the piece, but having her pushed to the back by the performance of the queen creates a bit of an imbalance. The film is mildly amusing and cute at times, but that lasts just a while. Then the whole exhibition becomes tedious. There is little doubt about how it is going to turn out — as the Snow White story is pretty famous — and there isn't enough of a fun wrinkle to really make this work well. I read one review that suggested that, without Roberts, the film would have nothing. While that's not totally true, it is easy to see that this entire project was built around her. When you build a film around a secondary, villain character doomed to see her plans fail, that creates a narrative problem. Hence the imbalance with "Mirror Mirror." It was an interesting attempt, but ends up being nothing special.

Rating: PG for some fantasy action and mild rude humor.

Verdict: Two stars out of four.

Upcoming Releases:

Friday, April 13 — "Cabin in the Woods," "Lockout," "The Three Stooges"

Friday, April 20 — "The Lucky One," "Chimpanzee," "Think Like A Man," "Arctic 3D"

Friday, April 27 — "The Five Year Engagement," "The Raven," "The Pirates! A Band of Misfits," "Safe"