Movies playing at Aiken Regal theater this weekend

The Grey New!

Liam Neeson pumps up the volume on his reputation as a middle-age neck-snapper with “The Grey,” in which he doesn’t take on a pack of bad guys but a pack of really, really bad wolves. It makes for an occasionally suspenseful, if credibility-stretching thriller with a strong, emotional performance from Neeson at its core. Neeson is John Ottway, a loner type working at a remote Alaskan oil-drilling station as the man whose duty it is to keep predators away from the camp. On a flight to Anchorage with a bunch of his rowdy colleagues, the plane goes down in dramatic fashion in the middle of an icy nowhere. The survivors soon realize that not only do they have to deal with the hostile elements but a veritable gang of malevolently intelligent and aggressive wolves, whose goal is to take them out one by one.

3 stars out of 5 — Cary Darling, McClatchy-Tribune

Rated R for violence and disturbing content including bloody images and pervasive strong language. 1 hour, 57 minutes.

Man on a Ledge New!

“Man on a Ledge” is a heist picture, a thriller and a not-that-thrilling one at that. But the folks who made it have enough of a sense of humor to get how silly it is and run with that on occasion. Sam Worthington (“Avatar”) has the title role, a guy who broke out of prison just days before, an ex-cop standing on that ledge, proclaiming his innocence and demanding that the most unstable, hard-drinking negotiator on the NYPD (Elizabeth Banks) clock in to talk him down. We realize, long before the cops, that this is no mere suicide. Nick Cassidy, standing on that ledge, is drawing attention and coordinating a heist as he does it. The villain is played with venomous relish by Ed Harris, a robber-baron developer ⁄ jewelry mogul ripped straight from today’s zeitgeist. Worthington’s playing a guy who isn’t that convincing as an actor. It’s hard to take any of it too seriously, and Danish director Asger Leth, son of Danish director Jorgen Leth, doesn’t. There’ isn’t much pace to his “ticking clock” thriller.

21⁄2 stars out of 4 — Roger Moore, McClatchy-Tribune

Rated PG-13 for violence and brief strong language. 1 hour, 40 minutes.

One for the Money New!

A newly divorced, recently laid-off woman lands a job with a shady bail-bond business and gets swept up in a world of murder and deception. With Katherine Heigl, Jason O’Mara and Daniel Sunjata. Written by Liz Brixius. Directed by Julie Ann Robinson. — McClatchy-Tribune

Not released in advance for critics.

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual references and language, some drug material and partial nudity. 1 hour, 46 minutes.

Red Tails

This World War II historical drama tells the story of the black fighter pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen. With Nate Parker, David Oyelowo, Ne-Yo and Terrence Howard. Written by John Ridley and Aaron McGruder. Directed by Anthony Hemingway.

2 stars out of 4 — Colin Covert, McClatchy-Tribune

Rated PG-13 for some sequences of war violence. 2 hours, 5 minutes.

Underworld Awakening 3D

After 12 years in captivity, the vampire warrior Selene escapes and enters a new world in which humans are waging war on her kind and werewolves. With Kate Beckinsale, Stephen Rea, Michael Ealy and Theo James. Written by Len Wiseman, John Hlavin, J. Michael Straczynski and Allison Burnett. Directed by Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein. In 3-D. — McClatchy-Tribune

Not released in advance for critics.

Rated R for strong violence and gore, and for some language. 1 hour, 28 minutes.

Beauty and the Beast 3D

A 3-D version of the classic animated tale about a princess taken captive by a monster who may be more than meets the eye. With the voices of Paige O’Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White and Jerry Orbach. Written by Linda Woolverton. Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise.

4 starts out of 4 — Roger Moore, McClatchy-Tribune

Rated G. 1 hour, 24 minutes.

Contraband

A former international smuggler is forced to re-enter the criminal underground to settle his brother-in-law’s debt and protect his own family. With Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster and Giovanni Ribisi. Written by Aaron Guzikowski. Directed by Baltasar Kormakur.

3 stars out of 4 — Roger Moore, McClatchy-Tribune

Rated R for violence, pervasive language and brief drug use. 1 hour, 50 minutes.

Joyful Joyful Noise

The two leading ladies of a small-town Georgia choir butt heads while trying to win a national singing competition. With Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, Keke Palmer and Courtney B. Vance. Written and directed by Todd Graff.

2 stars out of 4 — Roger Moore, McClatchy-Tribune

Rated PG-13 for some language including a sexual reference. 1 hour, 55 minutes.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

After finding a mysterious key that belonged to his father, who died in the Sept. 11 attacks, a young boy goes on a journey across the five boroughs of New York City. With Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Horn and James Gandolfini. Written by Eric Roth. Directed by Stephen Daldry.

3 stars out of 4 — Roger Moore, McClatchy-Tribune

Rated PG-13 for emotional thematic material, some disturbing images and language. 2 hours, 9 minutes.

War Horse

Steven Spielberg brings all his formidable skills to bear on this adaptation of the Michael Morpurgo novel about the bond between a young man (Jeremy Irvine) and his horse during World War I. Think “Saving Private Ryan,” only with less gore and with a horse instead of Matt Damon. Pack some Kleenex. Lots of them.

3 stars out of 4 — Roger Moore, McClatchy-Tribune

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of war violence. 2 hours, 26 minutes.