Weekend Movie Preview: “Edge of Darkness” and “When in Rome”

By Jennifer Hudock on January 28th, 2010

With Valentine’s Day just over two weeks away, a lot of couples will be looking to hit the movies after dinner on date night. Regardless of you and your sweetie’s mutual (or not-so-mutual) tastes in flicks, you can guarantee Hollywood won’t let you down. This week Mel Gibson and Kristen Bell take over the silver screen.

Mel Gibson and conspiracy have gone hand-in-hand for at least ten years now. In “Edge of Darkness” (R), Gibson takes on the role of a police detective unraveling the layers of conspiracy leading up to his political-activist daughter’s murder. Adapted from a 1985 BBC mini-series and directed by “Casino Royale”’s Martin Campbell, “Edge of Darkness” looks action-packed, gripping and suspenseful–the perfect combination for couples who can’t agree on what they love in a film.

Nothing brings a couple closer than a good romantic comedy, and “When in Rome” promises to titillate the romantic heart and the funny bone. A New York gal gets caught up in the romantic atmosphere while attending her friend’s wedding in Rome. A magic fountain promises that if you pluck the coin of your true love from the fountain, he will come calling. Beth (Kristen Bell), doesn’t have time to mess around, so she grabs a handful of coins, bringing on a wacky parade of suitors.

Fresh off the indie-film circuit, Steve Buscemi and Sarah Silverman star in “Saint John of Las Vegas” (R), a loose adaptation of Dante’s “Inferno.” An addicted gambler leaves Las Vegas in hopes of starting over on the straight and narrow. In a new town and a new job, John finds an opportunity for promotion, but in order to seize it he must head back to Vegas and face his obsessive gambling problem.

When a young “Preacher’s Kid” (PG-13) decides she wants to get out from under her father’s thumb, she joins a traveling gospel show to be with a handsome young singer. After giving up her innocence, her handsome singer turns harsh and abusive, and she finds herself longing for home. Discouraged and frustrated with life on the road, she fears returning home unsuccessful, but more than that, facing her father’s disappointment in her.