The so-called mumblecore movement is an interesting approach to filmmaking, because a director never really knows what kind of movie he’s going to end up with until it’s completely finished; which is probably why the Duplass brothers’ latest film is so different from what most people expected. Though it certainly had the right ingredients for a great comedy, “Jeff, Who Lives at Home” is instead a surprisingly heartfelt and meditative dramedy about the importance of family and finding one’s place in the world. It may not be as funny as advertised, but thanks to some naturalistic performances by sitcom stars Jason Segel and Ed Helms (both of whom prove perfectly adept at drama), the film still works, albeit on a whole different level. Mark and Jay Duplass have always been more interested in getting good performances out of their actors than the story, and that’s never been more evident than it is here, because without their core cast, “Jeff, Who Lives at Home” would be an absolute bore.

Blu-ray Highlight: Believe it or not, Paramount’s Blu-ray release has no bonus material whatsoever. I’m not sure how that happened, but it’s a disappointment nonetheless.

I’ve never really understood the appeal of the David Wain-directed cult classic “Wet Hot American Summer,” so it’s no surprise that I didn’t like his latest comedy, because it feels like a more grown-up version of that film. Of course, just because the characters are more mature doesn’t mean that the humor isn’t still juvenile, and unless you’re a fan of Wain’s previous work, you probably won’t find much to laugh at here. Most of the supporting cast is wasted playing broad stereotypes that are weird just for the sake of being weird, while the script falls back on the same hippie clichés that we’ve seen many times before. Justin Theroux is one of the few actors who doesn’t completely embarrass himself as the alpha hippie who takes a liking to Jennifer Aniston’s closeted free spirit, and Paul Rudd has a few moments of improv genius, but it’s not enough. Though the film shows some promise early on, “Wanderlust” stalls out almost as soon as Rudd and Aniston’s characters arrive at the commune, and once Wain backs himself into that corner, it’s a lost cause.

Blu-ray Highlight: The making-of featurette “God Afton!” does a pretty good job of balancing the generic EPK-style material (like a breakdown of all the major characters and actors) with more detailed bits on things like Joe Lo Truglio’s prosthetic penis, turning Justin Theroux into a master guitarist, and the many stunts involved in the film.

Jason and Brandon Trost’s intentionally campy homage to classic underdog sports movies like “Rocky” and “The Karate Kid” (as well as other films ranging from “The Warriors” to John Carpenter’s 80s oeuvre) is one of the strangest movies you’ll ever see. Although I regret missing the chance to see the film with an audience when it premiered at SXSW last year, it still would have been a waste of time, because it’s not nearly as awesome as the first 20 minutes would lead you to believe. “The FP” gets off to a great start, mainly due to the actors’ commitment to playing the absurd premise totally straight, but the Trost brothers are unable to sustain the joke for the length of an entire movie. Lee Valmassy has a lot of fun letting loose as the gleefully farcical villain (a mohawked, golden-grilled gangster who only wears jumpsuits), and Art Hsu turns in a scene-stealing performance as the hero’s duck-loving sidekick, but while fans of bad movies might appreciate what “The FP” has to offer, it’s not exactly the ready-made cult classic that it’s so desperately trying to be.

Blu-ray Highlight: Although the commentary by the Brothers Trost covers a lot of the same material, the three-part featurette “Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished” provides an interview-driven look at making the film (from expanding the original short, to the challenges of working on such a limited budget), as well as additional sections devoted to sister Sarah Trost’s costume design and George Holdcroft’s musical score.

A fairly clichéd dramedy with all the markings of an indie film, Brian Crano’s directorial debut nonetheless manages to carve out an identity of its own thanks to a great script and cast. Crano was very lucky to get the actors that he did, because it’s hard to imagine “A Bag of Hammers” working quite as well without them. Jake Sandvig and Jason Ritter form a funny comedic duo, and Rebecca Hall makes the most of a role that requires her to wear a silly hat and perform an even sillier dance, but the real standout is Carrie Preston of “True Blood” fame, who delivers an incredibly heartbreaking performance. Although the constantly shifting tone between quirky comedy and grim family drama could have easily proven disastrous, Crano handles it remarkably well, especially after the movie enters some pretty dark territory midway through the story and never looks back. It’s just a shame that he felt obligated to end the movie on such a happy note, because “A Bag of Hammers” would have been even better had he stuck with the more realistic finale that’s teased right before it.

Blu-ray Highlight: There’s only one extra on the disc – a behind-the-scenes featurette where the cast and crew discuss the origins of the film, casting the various roles, and the deliberate decision to make the sexuality of its two lead characters ambiguous.

Springtime is finally here, and as the weather starts to get a little better, so does your choice of movies. Though March wasn’t always known as a month where you could score big at the box office, Zack Snyder’s “300” changed all that, and since then, the studios have been more open to releasing some of their higher profile films in an attempt to cash in on the pre-summer excitement. If it’s big-budget epics you’re after, or just a great comedy anchored by some big names, then you’ll want to continue reading.

Who: Robert De Niro, Paul Dano, Olivia Thirlby and Julianne Moore
What: While working in a Boston homeless shelter, Nick Flynn re-encounters his estranged father, a con man and self-proclaimed poet.
When: March 2nd
Why: This is the kind of film that you’d normally expect to see during awards season, which is what makes Focus Features’ decision to release it in March so refreshing. Of course, it could just mean that the movie simply isn’t good enough to be Oscar bait, but with actors like Robert De Niro and Paul Dano involved, it seems pretty unlikely. Based on playwright Nick Flynn’s memoir, “Another Bullshit Night in Suck City” (a great book title, but hardly one that rolls off the tongue when buying a ticket at the movie theater), “Being Flynn” might just be the film that finally gets De Niro’s acting career back on track. If nothing else, it’s great to see Paul Weitz directing some much headier material following the dreadful “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant” and “Little Fockers.”

Who: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Dominic West and Mark Strong
What: After a Civil War veteran is inexplicably transported to Mars, he becomes mixed up in a conflict amongst the habitants of the planet.
When: March 9th
Why: I had never even heard of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ series of pulp fantasy novels when a “John Carter” movie was first rumored a few years ago as a possible directing project for Jon Favreau, but after seeing the initial trailer, I was sold. It’s been awhile since a sci-fi epic has come along that actually looks the part, and a lot of that credit goes to Andrew Stanton, who, although he’s best known for directing Pixar hits like “Finding Nemo” and “Wall-E,” is following in the footsteps of colleague Brad Bird with his live-action debut. While it will be interesting to see what Stanton can do outside the realm of animation, however, the film’s success will ultimately depend on whether Taylor Kitsch can prove to be the action star that Hollywood is betting on him to become.

Who: Adam Scott, Jennifer Westfeldt, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph
What: Two best friends decide to have a child together while keeping their relationship platonic to avoid the toll kids can take on romantic relationships.
When: March 9th
Why: I’ve been looking forward to seeing “Friends with Kids” ever since it premiered at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival to pretty high acclaim. Although the setup may sound a bit sitcomy, it’s an interesting twist on the conventional rom-com genre that feels appropriate in this very unconventional day and age. Plus, the cast is simply too good not to get excited. In addition to the talent listed above, the movie also stars Chris O’Dowd, Megan Fox and Ed Burns, and was written and directed by star Jennifer Westfeldt, aka Mrs. Jon Hamm. Each couple will undoubtedly have their respective moments to shine, but I’m really looking forward to the reunion between Hamm and Kristen Wiig, whose scenes together in “Bridesmaids” were the highlight of the movie.

Who: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Brie Larson and Dave Franco
What: A pair of underachieving cops is sent undercover to a local high school to bring down a synthetic drug ring.
When: March 16th
Why: The movie is a Holy Trinity of things that I hate – TV-to-film adaptations, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum – and yet early buzz for the action comedy has it tipped to be the first breakout hit of the year. The trailer suggests otherwise, but if directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (whose only previous experience behind the camera was on the animated film “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”) can keep Hill on a tight leash and get the best out of Tatum, then who knows? The idea of sending cops undercover at a high school is even more ridiculous now than it was when the TV series aired back in the late 80s, but the fact that the script was penned by Michael Bacall (who co-wrote the awesome “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”) gives me hope that it’ll be better than expected.

Who: Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Susan Sarandon and Judy Greer
What: Dispatched from his basement room on an errand for his mother, slacker Jeff spends the day with his brother as he tracks his possibly adulterous wife.
When: March 16th
Why: Though they haven’t always had the good fortune to work with big-name talent, the Duplass brothers have yet to make a bad movie in their short but impressive directing careers. Of course, if “Cyrus” proved anything, it’s that their unconventional brand of mumblecore filmmaking functions even better with top-notch actors, so it’s great to see that the directing duo is back at it again with A-list talent like Jason Segel, Ed Helms and Susan Sarandon. The fellow sitcom stars, in particular, both exhibit a great knack for the kind of improvisational comedy that typically serves as the building blocks for all of Jay and Mark Duplass’ films, while Sarandon can pretty much do no wrong. The basic setup may sound a bit like that terrible Ron Howard dramedy, “The Dilemma,” but “Jeff Who Lives at Home” promises to be a much funnier and all-around better movie.

Who: Will Ferrell, Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna and Genesis Rodriguez
What: Scheming on a way to save their father’s ranch, the Alvarez brothers find themselves in a war with Mexico’s most feared drug lord.
When: March 16th
Why: Will Ferrell is no longer the comedy superstar that he was five years ago, but he’s been working overtime lately in an attempt to reinvigorate his career. Guest spots on “The Office” and “Eastbound & Down” are one thing, but starring in a Spanish-language comedy that’s equal parts spaghetti western and telenovela is a pretty daring career move even for someone as seemingly fearless as Ferrell. Though the involvement of Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna lends the project a certain degree of authenticity (if you’re going to make a Spanish-language movie, then you might as well get the best actors from that region), it’s hard to tell if the film will be as gut-wrenchingly funny as it looks or just a disappointing gimmick that would have worked better as an “SNL” skit.

Who: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth and Woody Harrelson
What: Set in a future where kids are forced to fight to the death on live television, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister’s place.
When: March 23rd
Why: A lot of people have been quick to bill “The Hunger Games” as the next “Twilight,” and while it’s easy to see why – not only is it based on a series of young adult novels, but it also features a very similar love triangle at its core – just about everyone involved with the movie has argued against such comparisons. But whether or not you actually agree with their comments, it would be silly to think that Lionsgate won’t be using the “Twilight” films as the measure of success for the first (and likely not last) installment. Though Gary Ross is certainly an odd choice to direct such a film, based on the various images and trailers released so far, he seems to have totally nailed the look and tone of Suzanne Collins’ dystopian world, and in the end, that’s all fans can really ask for.

Who: Iko Uwais, Ananda George, Ray Sahetapy and Doni Alamsyah
What: A SWAT team becomes trapped in an apartment building run by a ruthless mobster and his army of killers and thugs.
When: March 23rd
Why: With the exception of “The Avengers,” “The Dark Knight Rises” and “Django Unchained,” Gareth Evans’ much-buzzed about Indonesian action film is probably my most anticipated movie of 2012. That’s not bad company to share, especially for a film that nobody knew anything about six months ago. Since its TIFF premiere, “The Raid” has been making the rounds on the festival circuit as the hype machine continues to roll on, and it’s gotten to the point where I’ll almost likely be disappointed if it isn’t the greatest action movie ever made. All joking aside, this film looks absolutely badass – a no-holds-barred beat-‘em-up that isn’t so much concerned with story than cramming as much bone-breaking, testosterone-pumping action into every frame as it possibly can.

Who: Sam Worthington, Rosamund Pike, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes
What: Perseus embarks on a quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, who has been captured by his traitorous son, Ares, and his brother, Hades.
When: March 30th
Why: Although the last movie felt somewhat restricted by its attempts at staying true to the story from the 1981 original, “Wrath of the Titans” has the freedom to do pretty much whatever it wants. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the story will be any better, but as you can probably tell from the trailer, that’s the least of director Jonathan Liebesman’s concerns. The biggest draw of these films is watching Perseus (still played by Sam Worthington, but now rocking a Kenny Powers-inspired mullet) face off against one mythological creature after the next like some kind of video game. It’s also encouraging to see that the gods will be playing a bigger part as well, because what’s the point of casting Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes if you don’t make the most of their talents?

Who: Lily Collins, Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane and Sean Bean
What: An evil queen steals control of a kingdom and an exiled princess enlists the help of seven diminutive rebels to win back her birthright.
When: March 30th
Why: In the ongoing saga of the battling Snow White movies, Tarsem Singh’s “Mirror Mirror” seems to be at a complete disadvantage before either film even opens. While Rupert Sanders’ upcoming “Snow White and the Huntsman” actually looks like it might be a cool twist on the classic Grimm fairy tale, Singh’s lighthearted take on the material might be a little too silly for its own good. Replete with goofy humor, Bollywood dance numbers and the director’s trademark oversaturated visuals, “Mirror Mirror” is about as different from the other Snow White movie as you could get. But while Julia Roberts certainly appears to be having a blast playing the Evil Queen, the whole thing just looks far too ridiculous to take seriously, let alone enjoy. This has disaster written all over it.