Greetings film fans, it's time to see what the cinema has to offer us this weekend.

Photo: Contributed - Sony

     Men in Black III

15 years after the original Men in Black hit theatres, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones return as Agents J and K. When K's life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to 1969 in order to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him - secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind.

     My Take

It's been 10 years since Men in Black 2 came out and quite frankly I'm not really sure that there is any need for a third film in this franchise, especially since the last one was such a let down. You see, the first Men in Black was a funny, fresh and original film that was highly entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed the interplay between Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Five years later, the sequel offered nothing new or special and was just a retread of what we had already seen. Now we have a ten year gap in between and hopefully the addition of Josh Brolin will liven up the proceedings and harken back to the spirit of the original. It has a strong supporting cast that includes Emma Thompson, Alice Eve, Michael Stuhlbarg, Bill Hader and Flight of the Conchords Jemaine Clement as an alien leader with Nicole Scherzinger as his girlfriend. Barry Sonnenfeld once again directs this Sci-Fi/Comedy and this time it's in 3D (post converted of course).

I am not really super jazzed about this film but I'm still hopeful that it will be a fun blend of humour and spectacular special effects. Will it be popular enough to knock the mighty Avengers of its perch at number 1 at the box office? That remains to be seen. Good luck though.

     Think Like a Man

Based on Steve Harvey's best-selling book, Think Like a Man follows four interconnected and diverse men whose love lives are shaken up after the ladies they are pursuing buy Harvey's book and start taking his advice to heart. When the band of brothers realize they have been betrayed by one of their own, they conspire using the book's insider information to turn the tables and teach the women a lesson of their own.

     My Take

So this looks like just another standard, run-of-the-mill romantic comedy with an urban setting and featuring an all African-American cast. Sure, the cast looks attractive but the story line feels like a typical sit-com convention. That may be enough to garner the attention of some couples who want a date night flick, but I am certainly not in their target demographic. I have never seen any of Steve Harvey's stand up comedy with the Original Kings of Comedy so I can't speak to how funny this could end up being.

It's directed by Tim Story, who doesn't have the greatest track record with quality films, having made Taxi and the two Fantastic Four films. I hope anyone who plans to see it will enjoy it. Let me know.

     Chernobyl Diaries

The film follows a group of six young vacationers who, looking to go off the beaten path, hire an "extreme" tour guide. Ignoring warnings, he takes them into the city of Pripyat, the former home to the workers of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, but a deserted town since the disaster more than 25 years ago. After a brief exploration of the abandoned city, however, the group soon finds themselves stranded, only to discover that they are not alone.

     My Take

Ugh, this looks really bad. Chernobyl Diaries is brought to us from Oren Peli who made Paranormal Activity and once again we have a "found footage" style horror film meant to terrify its audience. The problem is that there is just nothing interesting or original about this formula anymore. It will surely feature blatantly choreographed jump-scares and have each pretty young person get killed one by one.

Sadly, when I saw the trailer for the film, I was reminded of another recent film like this set in Russia called The Darkest Hour, and that was one of the worst pieces of crap I've seen in a while. The fact that this wasn't screened for any critics at all should tell you all you need to know about the quality of this one.

I don't plan on ever going to Chernobyl or on seeing Chernobyl Diaries.

Six Degrees of Chuck Norris

Will Smith from Men in Black 3 was in Six Degrees of Separation (1993) with Ian McKellen, who was in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) with Christopher Lee, who was in An Eye for an Eye (1981) with Chuck  Norris.

Gabrielle Union from Think Like a Man was in Cadillac Records (2008) with Adrien Brody, who was in The Thin Red Line (1998) with George Clooney, who was in The Descendants (2011) with Robert Forster, who was in The Delta Force (1986) with Chuck Norris.

Jesse McCartney from Chernobyl Diaries was in Keith (2008) with Jennifer Grey, who was in Dirty Dancing (1987) with Patrick Swayze, who was in Roadhouse (1989) with Marshall R. Teague, who was in several episodes of Walker Texas Ranger (1993-2001) with Chuck Norris.

Chuck Norris Fun Fact:

In 1986 the U.S.S.R. attempted to clone Chuck Norris. The scientists failure was covered up and we now know their attempt as the Chernobyl disaster.