Weekend Movie Trailers and Reviews: 3D Sharks and Moon Horror

Labor Day weekend isn't always known for the highest-quality new releases as far as the theaters go. But that doesn't mean there's nothing good to see this weekend...of course, there's some crap as well, but it might be fun crap. In any case, one good new release out of three ain't bad. And that one is...

"The Debt" - Rated R, 104 mins.

Helen Mirren and Tom Wilkinson star in this political thriller, as do Jessica Chastain and Sam Worthington as younger versions of the two. The story takes place between two eras: one following WWII as the pair hunts down a Nazi war criminal, and the other in the present day as they deal with the fallout of an error that they made in the past.

Rotten Tomatoes has "The Debt" at a respectable 76% among critics with a 70% positive audience reaction. Though the time shifts can throw things off at points, the movie is on the whole very enjoyable, and of course well-acted by the excellent cast.

See it if: You want to see more of Helen Mirren being a badass, but don't want to sit through "Red."

"Shark Night 3D" - Rated PG-13, 85 mins.

In looking up the info for this movie, I had had a moment of shock: "Shark Night 3D" is rated PG-13? We're talking about a movie with a premise that a group of teenagers get brutally mauled by killer sharks, how can that much violence get away with anything but an R?

Maybe that's an indication of the movie's problems: while "Piranha 3D" relished in its ridiculousness and went overboard with both nudity and violence, "Shark Night 3D" seems to be a watered-down (pun intended, I guess) version of the aquatic horror flick.

Rotten Tomatoes currently has "Shark Night 3D" at only 33%, but after only limited reviews...the movie was not screened for critics before opening. The audience reaction has been fairly positive at 75%.

See it if: Come on, you know why you want to see this one. Jumping sharks biting off the torsos of jet skiiers.

"Apollo 18" - Rated PG-13, 86 mins.

Here's the premise: while Apollo 17 was officially the last moon mission, there was one more sent out that never came back. Why? Moon monsters, that's why. Thus, "Apollo 18" provides a sci-fi horror thriller in one of the scariest places to be trapped with monsters around: space.

Sounds pretty good, right? Scary, conspiracy-ful, like "Paranormal Activity" in space. But here's a red flag: the movie was not screened for critics before release. Uh oh.

Sure enough, Rotten Tomatoes has "Apollo 18" at just 38% currently, but only with limited reviews. Critics are so far saying that the movie is lacking in actual scariness or suspense, and drags on instead. The audience reaction has been very positive so far at 80%.

See it if: You want to know the TRUTH, man!