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Here's a look at the new movies that I saw this week.

Lawless
Starring: Shia LeBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Mia Wasikowska, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman, and Dane DeHaan
Synopsis: Sometimes movies fail despite seeming to be the perfect mix of performers, story, and setting. Even though all the elements are there, sometimes they just don’t come together in a compelling way. Such is the case with “Lawless.” The film boasts an impressive cast, a great setting, and what seems like it should be a compelling story. Should be, however; is all that the film ever offers. What seemed like an ideal set up ends up a wasted opportunity. The film seems to meander for two hours, then wind its way into a ridiculous ending that helps clarify why the film was unceremoniously dumped in theaters on Labor Day weekend. The film is loosely based on a true story from the novel “The Wettest County in the World” by Matt Bondurant. Bondurant is the grandson of the three brothers featured in the film, and the film follows a fictionalized version of their exploits. The Bondurant brothers are bootleggers in Franklin County, Virginia. It is the height of prohibition, and there is a lot of money to be made in providing moonshine to the residents and speakeasy clubs that dominate the landscape. I had high hopes for “Lawless.” The subject matter can be done well — as previous films and the HBO series “Boardwalk Empire” show. It has a strong cast, and the early trailers looked promising. But something happened between the concept, script, and finished product that just missed the target. Director John Hillcoat and writer Nick Cave previously collaborated on “The Proposition,” a weird western that I felt similarly disconnected from. The elements are all there for “Lawless,” but it just doesn’t come together in a cohesive way. Part of the problem is the lack of character development. The opening monologue and the first sequences offer the potential for a fascinating exploration, but the film never moves past that. You don’t feel connected to any of the characters, thus it’s hard to connect with the story as it moves forward. Most of the time you’re waiting for a big revelation, or for the characters to swing into action, but it just never materializes. This is particular true for Hardy’s Forrest. Hardy is a great actor, and he brings a sort of slow burn to the role that works well. But it’s a slow burn that never gets unleashed That leaves it to LeBeouf to do most of the heavy lifting, but his character isn’t likeable and is under developed. He seems mostly like an adolescent playing at being a big boy, which isn’t endearing. The plot basically seems to serve the purpose of loosely connecting the violent sequences. There are long slow periods, but when the violence does come it is sudden and overly graphic. That leads to a sense of disconnect, especially since the film does so little to create buy-in with the characters. There is a sense in these films where you are meant to root for the anti-hero, but when there is no connection formed you end up with a  film that asks you to care about bad people acting violently on worse people. Such is the case with “Lawless,” where the only truly likeable character — DeHaan’s Cricket — is marginalized and made to suffer as part of a perverse game played by thugs. There is little noble or inspiring about that, and the film isn’t compelling enough to over come all that. Add to that the oddly happy and tranquil ending, which feels out of place with what came before it. There is a lack of consistency of purpose with this film that helps make it a miss. “Lawless” had potential and a lot of key elements, but it never comes together in a compelling way. It is just a long, violent opus to disreputable men.
Rating: R for strong bloody violence, language and some sexuality/nudity. Enter with caution.
Verdict: One star out of four.

The Possession
Starring: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick, Matisyahu, Grant Show, and Natasha Calis
Synopsis: The week's No. 1 film at the Box Office was "The Possession." There isn't a lot that separates this film from the nearly dozens of other possession/exorcism films released in recent years, but that hardly matters. These films are formulaic, cheap and easy to produce, and have been very profitable. No matter how little variation is used in the making of them, people still flock to the theater to see it. In that way, these kind of PG-13, low budget horror films are one of the most reliable performers at the Box Office. "The Possession" is no exception. Everything about the plot and characters is vanilla; even the title is vanilla. But it is executed well, hits all the right numbers in this type of film, and generated enough to dominate the scant Labor Day Box Office numbers. Morgan and Sedgwick do well in adding a little familiarity to this film. The possession story leans toward the traditional Jewish notion of demons and demon possession. Again, this isn't new, but it holds up well. Matisyahu, the musician, does a fine job as the spiritual guide through the demon possession and Calis, who stars as the girl possessed by the evil spirit, does a nice job in all those sequences. This film isn't particularly scary, and it's overly predictable, but somehow that works in its favor. It is mildly entertaining and delivers exactly what you'd expect. It's not going to set the world on fire, but it does it's job. Sadly, in the world of 2012 films, that's sort of high praise.
Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic material involving violence and disturbing sequences.
Verdict: Two stars out of four.

Upcoming Releases:
Friday, Sept. 7 — "The Words," "The Cold Light of Day"
Friday, Sept. 14 — "Resident Evil: Retribution," "Finding Nemo 3D," "The Master," "Stolen"
Friday, Sept. 21 — "Dredd 3D," "Trouble With The Curve," "End of Watch," "The House at the End of the Street"
Friday, Sept. 28 — "Won't Back Down," "Looper," "Hotel Transylvania"