Gangster Squad (January 11)
Starring: Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone
Directed by: Ruben Fleischer
High Concept Premise: Two of the LAPD’s finest (Gosling and Josh Brolin) keep the City of Angels safe from gangsters like Mickey Cohen (Penn) and femme fatales (Stone) in ’40s and ’50s-era L.A.
Thrill Factor: We’ve enjoyed both of Fleischer’s action comedies (Zombieland and 30 Minutes or Less) so we’re curious to see how he handles a more straightforward thrill ride. It’ll also be interesting to see how much (if anything) remains of the movie theater shoot-out previewed in the film’s early teasers after Warner Bros. delayed Gangster Squad’s release in the wake of the Aurora shootings.
Click here to see the trailer

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Hey girl, are you so frustrated that Crazy, Stupid, Love. isn’t a Best Picture contender, you could rip off your own shirt? Make your voice heard about this year’s best and worst movies by voting early and often in the Movie Without Pity Awards.

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Drive
Why It’s Great: Nicolas Winding Refn’s moody crime picture allows you to ride shotgun alongside a mysterious getaway driver (Ryan Gosling, his best performance in a busy year) as he reluctantly gets caught up in a plot involving vicious gangsters (Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman), an ex-con (Oscar Isaac) and a damsel-in-distress (Carey Mulligan). We’ve had College’s “A Real Hero” in constant rotation on our iPod since September.
Favorite Scene: That stellar opening sequence depicting an ordinary night in the life The Driver.

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Noah Calhoun
From: The Notebook
Negative Qualities: Endangering innocent carnival-goers by scaling a Ferris wheel just to ask a girl out on a date. Not picking up the damn phone when it becomes clear that his daily letters to said girl aren’t getting through. Not sucking it up and getting over the girl when she marries someone else, then telling her he’ll hate her forever if she returns to her husband. Not cool man.
One Redeeming Feature: He will take care of you when you’re both old.
How Pissed Would Your Parents Be? 5. Noah’s a little intense — and his working class background would be a deal breaker for some old money clans — but he mostly means well.

Read more: Drive: Is Ryan Gosling Hollywood’s Worst Boyfriend?