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It's getting a little grim out there as we embrace the "dead" period between the award-nominated film season and the summer blockbuster season. But here's a look at some new releases.

The Bounty Hunter
Starring: Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston
Quick Take: This "romantic comedy" is light on romance and laughs. Butler remains an enigma. He keeps getting cast in films but, lately, each one has been worse or more appalling than the next. He has some natural charisma, but it's hard to tell if he has talent. Aniston, meanwhile, seems to mostly phone it in here. The pair have some chemistry, but there's not much to like or wonder about with the story. The film is, however, marginally better than Butler's last rom-com, the disastrous "Ugly Truth." There are a few mildly amusing moments, but those are out-weighed by the mildly annoying and uncomfortable moments. There isn't really much to like here.
Rating: PG-13 for sexual content including suggestive comments, language and some violence.
Verdict: One star out of four.

Repo Men
Starring: Jude Law, Forest Whitaker and Liev Schriber
Quick Take: This is as violent a movie as I have come across in some time. It's got the gore level to be a slasher film, but it aims to be some sort of political statement. What the intended message is never really becomes clear. This film pictures a dystopian future that should put the fear into all of us, but it doesn't really explain much about how we got there, why we are there, or what could be done to change it. It's more like the loose plot construction serves as a device to connect random acts of violence and degradation. The film's third act is particularly distasteful and becomes more so given the "twist" at the end. There's not much to like here either.
Rating: R for for strong bloody violence, grisly images, language and some sexuality/nudity.
Verdict: One out of four.

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