New Movie Friday: Megamind! Due Date! 127 Hours!

Finally! Some movies I actually want to see are in theaters this weekend! After a dry spell populated by horror movies and Halloween fare, we’re starting to get some fun comedies, great family movies, and thoughtful dramas. Here’s the rundown on what’s new in theaters today:

Megamind. With a voice cast that includes Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Jonah Hill and Ben Stiller, this CG-animated family movie (in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D) is fun on multiple levels. The story follows the most brilliant super-villain (Megamind, voiced by Ferrell) the world’s ever known! Unfortunately, he’s also a colossal failure, thanks to the caped superhero known as Metro Man (Pitt).

But when Megamind actually defeats Metro Man, the fate of Metro City is threatened when a new villain arrives and chaos runs rampant. Can the world’s biggest “mind” actually be the one to save the day? Since it’s a DreamWorks production, there’s no doubt that all will end well. Directed by Tom McGrath (who also directed ‘Madagascar’ 1 & 2); 96 min.; rated PG for action and some language; Twitter; Facebook.

More after the jump…

Due Date. Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis in a movie together? Sold! RDJ plays Peter Highman, who needs to be in L.A. in five days for the birth of his first born. He’s about to fly home from Atlanta when his luggage and wallet are stolen, and he’s put on the “no-fly” list.

Desperate to get home, Peter is forced to accept the offer of Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis) to hitch a ride cross-country. It’ll be the most terrifying and agonizing journey of his life. Directed by Todd Phillips (producer and director of ‘The Hangover’); 100 min.; rated R for language, drug use and sexual content; Twitter; Facebook.

127 Hours. How fun! Moviegoers are fainting and having seizures watching James Franco cut his own arm off! Maybe I’ll hide my eyes during parts of this movie. Franco stars in the real-life story about hiker Aron Ralston, who gets trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah. And yes, he resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.

If nothing else, this movie shows that you probably CAN do the unthinkable if you’re in a tight spot – so to speak — with no other way out. Directed by Danny Boyle (‘Slumdog Millionaire’); 94 min.; rated R for language and some disturbing violent content/bloody images; Twitter; Facebook.

For Colored Girls. I know Tyler Perry sort of rules the universe when it comes to starring, directing, writing and producing his own stuff. But is it just me, or are most of his movies actually the same movie with, well, the same actors? And his movies are always SO dramatic! This one’s getting some good press, so maybe it’ll be different and new. Plus, it’s based on Ntozake Shange’s Obie Award-winning play, so there’s that.

The cast includes Kimberly Elise, Janet Jackson, Loretta Devine, Thandie Newton, Anika Noni Rose, and Kerry Washington, among others. Each woman portrays a character represented in a collection of 20 poems, revealing different issues that impact women, especially women of color. Directed by Tyler Perry; 134 min.; rated R for some disturbing violence, including a rape, sexual content and language; Twitter; Facebook.

Also in Limited Release:

Four Lions (limited)

• Fair Game (limited)
• The Runaways (Riverside Saginaw Film Festival)
• Made in Dagenham (Savannah International Film Festival)
• All Good Things (Video On Demand)
• When We Leave (Starz Denver Film Festival)
• Red Hill
• Bloodrayne: The Third Reich (American Film Market)
• Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer
• The River Why (Savannah International Film Festival)
• Beneath the Dark (limited)
• A Marine Story
• 4192: The Crowning of the Hit King (limited)
• Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story
• Making the Boys
• NY Export: Opus Jazz (New York City, New York)
• Earthwork (Naples International Film Festival)
• Krishna Leelai
• What Really Frightens You (Suffern, New York)
• Opelo za Bobija Fisera (Orlando Film Festival)
• Horrid (Salty Horror Film Festival)

Image: Dreamworks