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Here's a look at the new films I saw over Thanksgiving weekend. With a crowded slate through the end of the year, there's plenty of films to take in for people of all ages.

Faster

Starring: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, and Oliver Jackson-Cohen

Synopsis: This is not a complicated film. While The Rock (I refuse to call him Dwayne Johnson) spent the past few years making family films and children's comedies, he's back to his action roots here. I can almost picture the pitch — "Hey, Rock, in this movie you get to drive a car, look tough, shoot people, and there's only 25 lines of dialogue. I'll say it again, only 25 lines of dialogue." OK, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but not much. The Rock mostly looks tough, grunts, drives in a ridiculous fashion no matter what the situation (his character name is Driver), and seeks revenge for his slain brother. Thornton — whose career seems to have fallen off a cliff — plays a drug-addicted, crooked cop seeking to get The Rock for reason which aren't hard to guess but remain part of the "plot twist" at the end. Jackson-Cohen plays a hired assassin who has issues. His role is the most curious, least interesting, and least germane to the plot. This movie is basically for those that want to watch high speed chases, shootouts, and fights. There isn't really a moral to the story — though there is an interesting sequence about forgiveness in there that offers a little redemption to the whole thing — it's just a straight action film. If you're looking for brainless violence, this is the holiday treat for you.

Rating: R for strong violence, some drug use and language.

Verdict: Two stars out of four.

Love & Other Drugs

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Hank Azaria, Oliver Platt, and Josh Gad

Synopsis: Director Edward Zwick makes an interesting mesh of genres with "Love & Other Drugs." The film is a romantic comedy, an adult comedy, a drama, and a scathing indictment of the health care industry — all at various points during its running time. That's too much to try and cram into a two-hour film, especially when it doesn't go together. There are moments that are crude but funny, moments that are somewhat sweet and funny, and moments that are dramatic. But you can't help but get a little whiplash from the rapid changes. The part that works the least is the indictment of the health care industry. In the film, Gyllenhaal plays Jamie Randall, a top salesman for pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, and Azaria plays a doctor who benefited financially and socially from the kickbacks offered by drug reps. At one point, both sit and commiserate about a broken health care system, which rings completely false since both have been profiting immensely from that broken system. Good argument, important argument, really bad context to offer it. What makes it worse is that message feels like a tack on to a different film. Though there were things I really didn't like about this movie, the interaction between Gyllenhaal and Hathaway makes it work. The two have good on-screen chemistry and they are strong enough actors to make the material work. If you invest in that relationship, despite it's flaws, you'll enjoy "Love & Other Drugs."

Rating: R for strong sexual content, nudity, pervasive language, and some drug material.

Verdict: Two stars out of four.

The Next Three Days

Starring: Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, and Olivia Wilde

Synopsis: Writer Paul Haggis has given us some incredible films over the last decade, including "Million Dollar Baby," "Crash," and the last two James Bond films. Director Paul Haggis has been hit or miss. "Crash" was good, but you couldn't help but wonder if it could have been stronger. That sounds odd considering it won Best Picture, but that is definitely a case of a film winning Best Picture because of an indictment of the films it competed against rather than its own merits. Haggis' follow-up, "In the Valley of Elah," was a confused mess. "The Next Three Days" is better, but it's not great. One can't help but wonder if it might have turned out differently in the hands of a different director. Still, it is a serviceable thriller with strong lead performances — particularly from Crowe — and some interesting cameos. Neeson, who is featured in all the trailers and practically gets third top billing from everyone, is in one scene. His scene is one of the better ones in the film, but still. Crowe carries this film and has to go through a lot to pull his plan off. The trailers — which give away the basic plot — don't capture the spirit and intensity of this film. It is interesting to see Crowe, who plays a literature professor in Pittsburgh, lose hope and work to plot a way to break his wife out of prison. The film tries to maintain a little mystery surrounding whether or not his wife, played by Banks, was guilty or a victim of unfortunate circumstances. At the end it gives away the truth, or at least I think that's what he tried to do, but by then you don't really care anymore. Some of the setup in the middle of the film drags, but the final act is quite compelling — probably in part because, for me, I wasn't sure if I wanted the plan to succeed or fail. It's that kind of film — the kind where every character lives in a shade of grey. It's not an instant classic or even a great film, but it is enjoyable in its own way.

Rating: PG-13 for violence, drug material, language, some sexuality and thematic elements.

Verdict: Three stars out of four.