Steven Soderbergh is possibly the most hyperactive director in the business today. Just in the past five years, he’s put out an all-star broad-strokes drama about a killer disease, a spy-comedy with Matt Damon, a tiny indie starring a porn star and a five-hour biopic of Che Guevara. They vary is scope, in cast (and yes, in quality) but they are always inextricably his.

“Haywire” is no different. From the first sepia-tinged frame to the last moment of violence, the story of a woman betrayed by the Blackwater-esque company she works for is pure Soderbergh- even in its flaws.

I suspect the movie is supposed to flourish into a franchise, in the form of the character Mallory Kane (Gina Carano), who works for an unnamed independent spy agency contracted with the U.S. government. It’s a typical spy story: she goes off on a “routine” mission that quickly shows itself to be a frame job intended to either kill Kane or plant a murder on her.

The plot itself isn’t overly impressive- at just over two hours, the plot is a little undercooked and wrapped up in a tidy (and lazy) flashback scene. I found myself wishing there had been more to the story, or another twist to navigate. The end comes too quickly, leaving several threads hanging and a certain sense of dissatisfaction.

But Gina Carano makes it all worth it. As a mixed-martial arts champion (who previously appeared in competitions like “American Gladiator” and “Fatal Femmes Fighting”) seeing Carano run, jump, fight, or even just walk around a room is riveting- like seeing a wild animal do what evolution has specifically developed it to do. Combine that with a stoic, Bruce Willis-like acting style and raw sex appeal, she has all the makings of the next big action star. She’s backed up with an all-star, all-male cast (Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas and Antonio Banderas, among others) who despite their star power seem happy to simply get out of her way.

It will be intriguing to see if Mallory Kane can become a franchise; it’s always difficult to market a woman action star, but Carano’s worth her weight in gold if she can keep strangling people with her thighs. But there’s no telling. After all, who knows what Soderbergh will do next.

“Beginners” is a character-driven drama about a young man (Ewan McGregor) struggling with his own relationships whilst also dealing with his father (Christopher Plummer) finally coming out after years of marriage to his wife. Not long after his surprising announcement of being gay, the father is diagnosed with cancer and must make the most of the short time he has left. Though the film certainly has a sad undertone, there are a number of humorous and uplifting moments that prevent it from getting too depressing. Expect an exploration of relationships and how they can affect the ones we love.

Don’t be put off by some of the sullen themes and topics that are dealt with in “Beginners”. A brief synopsis of the film reveals that the film focuses on some heavy material: a man struggles to have a lasting relationship with a woman, a father who had to live a secret double life because of his homosexuality, and that father being diagnosed with cancer not long after he finally is able to come out to his friends and family. While “Beginners” can be a bit of a downer at points, it certainly is an important contemporary film that features a captivating look at some truly dynamic relationships. With a talented cast, developed characters and a unique story, this movie turns out to be an intriguing piece of work..

Though the premise of “Beginners” is unusual, the film uses that backdrop to study more common complications that can cause relationships to grow, strain, and deteriorate. When Hal (Plummer) finally tells his son Oliver (McGregor) that he’s gay and always has been, it helps to explain his absence while Oliver was growing up. After Hal is diagnosed with in-operable cancer, Oliver realizes just how precious the little time they have left together is. He uses that time to finally discover who Hal really is and to come to understand the fractured relationship between his mother and father.

Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor in Beginners

The rest of “Beginners” is spent focusing on the time right after Hal has passed away. As Oliver copes with the loss, a new girlfriend (“Inglourious Basterds’ Mélanie Laurent) causes him to reflect inward about his own relationship problems. By bouncing back and forth between scenes that take place before and after Hal’s death, “Beginners” is able to illustrate how everything ties together. Though each character is different, they each share a universal struggle with love and everything that goes with it.

With impressive performances from Plummer, McGregor and Laurent and an interesting focus on love and relationships, “Beginners” is a highly effective character-study of a drama. It’s an intriguing and overall enjoyable film as long as you’re prepared for some heavy material and an emphasis on characters over plot.

"The Men Who Stare at Goats" plays like a collection of scenes without a central thread uniting them. Perhaps worse than the film’s lack of cohesion is its smugness- the movie practically shouts at the audience, "Laugh already! This is really funny!" Unfortunately, more often that not, the movie simply doesn’t deliver.

The film tells the story of the Pentagon’s attempts during the Reagan administration to create an army of psychic soldiers. "The New Earth Army" is founded by Bill Django (Jeff Bridges, in full on "Dude" mode), an army officer who searches for alternative means to wage war after being wounded in Vietnam.

After years spent in the counter-culture scene, Django comes back with all kinds of new ways to fight America’s enemies (psychedelics are heavily involved) and with the help of the intensely zealous Brig. Gen. Dean Hopgood (Stephen Lang), gets funding for his unit of "American Jedis."

Ewan McGregor gets his meatiest role in years as Bob Wilton, the journalist looking for a story about the New Earth Army. McGregor drives the film. Unfortunately the character feels completely misconceived. Instead of focusing on Wilton’s journalistic quest for a story, the script is more concerned with his desperate search for meaning in his life. This makes Wilton become an active participant in the craziness he is encounters instead of a lens through which the audience can enter such a bizarre and zany world.

Wilton turns to Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) — a former New Earth Army member who he encounters in Iraq — to act as his source and life coach. Clooney dives into the part with relish. With his mustache, sun-baked skin, and movie star good looks, Clooney resembles an enthusiastic and crazed Clark Gable. He clearly has a ball playing off-type. Clooney’s enthusiasm and pure star power almost make the whole thing work.

By having Wilton embrace Cassady’s crazy lifestyle, the audience is left without a levelheaded perspective with which to counter Cassady’s eccentric ways (The guy thinks he can cause clouds to disappear with his mind).

Maybe a stronger director could have wrangled all of this together and turned it into something that worked. Simply put, Grant Heslov seems completely overwhelmed here on his first feature. Heslov, Clooney’s producing partner, seems to have given the actors free reign to play their characters however they wanted- whether it serves the narrative or not. The comedic beats are poorly timed and Heslov does a tremendously awkward job of integrating the more dramatic scenes throughout the film. The worst thing a comedy can do is make you question whether or not you should be laughing.

Walking out of the theater I couldn’t help but think that "The Men Who Stare at Goats" comes off as a lazy and self-congratulatory film. While it’s clear the actors are having a lot of fun, there seems to be little attempt at engaging the audience. I’m glad they all enjoyed it, because I sure didn’t.

“The Men Who Stare at Goats” is now in theaters.

Amelia Earhart took major risks. She flew solo across two oceans and died trying to be the first pilot to fly around the globe. Unfortunately “Amelia” the new film about Earhart’s life, is never able to escape the basic biopic structure. It is ironic that a film about a woman who strained against the boundaries of society never takes any chances of its own.

The safe nature that permeates the entire production is unfortunate, as the pieces are there to make a captivating film. Mira Nair, probably best known for “Monsoon Wedding” has crafted a lovely film. The shots of Amelia flying over Africa are gorgeous and all the period details feel spot-on, but the characters feel sterile and lethargic.

Richard Gere does nice work as George Putnam, Amelia’s husband and chief promoter who came up with ways finance her flying. Gere’s performance captures Putnam’s awe and love for a woman he knows he can never completely have. It is a shame that Hilary Swank is unable to match him.

Swank is perhaps the most baffling actress working today. She’s won two Oscars for electric and emotionally honest performances, and yet her range seems surprisingly limited here. While it’s nice to see Swank deliver such an uncharacteristically smiley performance, it feels hollow. Swank looks the part, but is sadly incapable of capturing the adventurous spirit that Earhart embodied.

Swank is a good physical match for the character, but she never seems to connect with Earhart as a person, and the script’s dialogue isn’t doing her any favors. She has to deliver lines like “flying lets me move in three dimensions.” While lines like that may have looked brilliant and deep on the page, they fall very flat when actually spoken on screen.

The one moment were Swank sparkles is during a nighttime flight when Earhart flies Eleanor Roosevelt (Cherry Jones) over Washington D.C. The scenes of these two women who played by their own rules are truly magical. Roosevelt’s joy when Earhart gives her the wheel is the film’s best moment of excitement and wonder.

The other supporting performances are all solid. Ewan McGregor is charismatic, if underused, as Gene Vidal, the other love of Earhart’s life. The movie tiptoes around her affair with Vidal, which limits the audience’s connection to Earhart herself. If we are not allowed to see how Vidal, or George Putnam, for that matter, stirred her passion, how are we supposed to understand her as a character?

Nair does her best work with the depiction of Earhart’s doomed last leg of her attempted flight around the world. She is able to build tension despite the fact that we already know how the story ends. Swank’s work in the final scenes is understated and powerful. Christopher Eccleston ably backs her up as her navigator, Fred Noonan.

“Amelia” simply never takes off. The film isn’t able to break out of its rigid and formulaic structure. While it does an admirable job of depicting Earhart’s accomplishments, it doesn’t show us who she was outside of the cockpit. We get to know Earhart the pilot, but not Amelia.

“Amelia” is in theaters now.