Weekend Preview: Star-Packed Carnage, Mission: Impossible, Sherlock Holmes & More

The woeful recent box office should pick up after last weekend's three-year low, as new offerings are packed with headliners and appeal. "Carnage" is a great vehicle for Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly to strut their stuff (congrats to Foster and Winslet for their "Carnage" Golden Globe noms). Two major franchises, "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" and "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," will open huge off decent reviews. Details, trailers and reviews on these films and more are below:

"Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol," Paramount, US | Dir: Brad Bird; Cast: Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Michael Nyqvist | 90% Tomatometer | Roger Ebert: "A terrific thriller with action sequences that function as a kind of action poetry." | TOH! Review | Clips.

"Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," Warner Bros., US | Dir: Guy Ritchie; Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Rachel McAdams | 64% Tomatometer | Variety: "While director Guy Ritchie's excesses and modern concessions -- among them a lot of explosions -- remain intact, the parts of this second Sherlock Holmes are considerably more rewarding."

"Carnage," Sony Pictures Classics, FR/GER/POL | Dir: Roman Polanski; Cast: Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly | 75% Tomatometer | Village Voice: "Even as it successfully evokes the single location as a pressure cooker for heightened behavior, its take on the psychological and emotional side effects of such an airless situation never transcends the obvious." | Reviews from Venice.

"Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked," 20th C. Fox, US | Dir: Mike Mitchell; Voices: Jason Lee, David Cross, Jenny Slate, Justin Long, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney | 7% Tomatometer | AP: "Puns like these would be unforgivable coming from a human. From high-pitched rodents, they prompt calls for an exterminator."

"Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel," Anchor Bay, US | Dir: Alex Stapleton; With: Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Jack Nicholson, Ron Howard, William Shatner | 90% Tomatometer | Variety: "A delightful tribute."