Say what you will about Tom Cruise, his movies are usually pretty entertaining. Most recently, we enjoyed the latest in the Mission Impossible franchise and are actually looking forward to more.

Next up for Cruise is the sci-fi action extravaganza Oblivion. In the film Cruise plays one of the last humans on earth after an alien war devastates the planet. After rescuing a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft, he stumbles upon survivors of the war who paint a much different picture of Earth’s past. . . and its future.

The film is directed by by Tron: Legacy‘s Joseph Kosinski and also stars Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko, Melissa Leo, Zoe Bell and Andrea Riseborough. Look for it to arrive on April 19th.

Check out the new trailer after the break.

If we must have a female version of The Expendables, there’s no better female action star to topline such a film than Gina Carano. As she so capably proved in Haywaire, she kicks ass, takes names and looks great doing both.

So, knowing this, it should come as no surprise that Carano will indeed star in the upcoming Adi Shankar production, which Dutch Southern is currently writing. In fact, Shankar can’t imagine doing a female version of The Expendables without Carano.

Said the producer: “I don’t know how I’m supposed to make a movie that is supposed to be the female version of ‘The Expendables’ without Gina Carano in it. It would be like making Twix without caramel or Jamba Juice without jamba.”

Obviously, we feel Carano is an excellent choice too. Let’s hope Shankar’s other casting is as inspired. There’s a lot of 80s and 90s (and current) female action stars who are still alive and, well, kicking. We would be happy to put together a list Adi, just ask and it’s yours.

Ok, we won’t wait for you to ask. Here’s some names to consider: Linda Hamilton, Sigourney Weaver, Uma Thurman, Michele Rodriguez, Carrie Anne Moss, Zoe Bell, Lucy Lawless, Cynthia Rothrock, Michelle Yeoh.

What do you think of those names? Anyone we missed? Sound off in the comments.

Regardless of his troubles with the law, I’ve always been a fan of Wesley Snipes. Maybe because he’s pretty good and convincing in a variety of action roles or maybe its just because he was a cool guy to talk to one day and made a joke at his own expense during an encounter at a now defunct Laserdisc and DVD store that once dominated the market here in the San Fernando Valley.

Whatever the reasons, I’m glad to see he’s back to doing what he does best: making action movies. Sure, his days of headlining big budget studio films may be behind him (or just on hold for a bit . . . or 2 to 3 years) but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t stopped working. Case in point is the impending Sony Pictures Home Entertainment release of the action film Game of Death.

In the film Snipes, stars as CIA Agent Marcus Jones, a “professional hit man caught in a double-cross between his partners in the agency, a ruthless arms dealer and a powerful Wall Street broker worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Framed for a murder he didn’t commit and chased by expert assassins, Jones must clear his name before its too late.”

The film also stars some other favorites of mine including Robert Davi (Die Hard), Gary Daniels (The Expendables) and Zoë Bell (Grindhouse). Yes, the plot may seem familiar and the cast may not rise to the level of the latest Summer blockbuster, but that doesn’t stop the film from looking pretty fun. Check out the trailer after the jump and look for Game of Death on DVD and Blu-ray February 15th.

Drew Barrymore makes an impressive directorial debut with this coming of age story set in the world of Roller Derby. This is a sports movie for women, by women, starring women.  I suspect men will have little trouble enjoying it as well. Adorable Ellen Page (Juno) plays Bliss, a socially awkward teenager from Bodeen, Texas, who is thrust into the world of pageants by her mother (Marcia Gay Harden). One day while shopping in a thrift store, she sees three women skate into the store  and leave some fliers about an upcoming Roller Derby.

Intrigued, she recruits her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat of Arrested Development) to venture into Austin for the event. She is immediately captivated by the sport. She dusts off her old Barbie skates and tries out for the team. After making the team, she becomes an unlikely hero, using her small stature to weave in, out, and around her competitors. The title refers to a move the team uses when they grab her by the hand and catapult her ahead of the pack “whipping” her into position.

This movie is a blast, despite having all the sport movie clichés. Shauna Cross’s screenplay is not exactly brimming with originality. Underdog, check. Disapproving parents, check.  First love, check. Climatic final match, check.  However, the dynamic cast and the unusual sporting event breathe new life into the genre.  Ellen Page is fantastic, and captures the insecurities of her character perfectly.  A scene where she gets her heart broken takes your breath away.  I actually felt like someone had punched me in the gut.  You see her character harden a bit with steely resolve as she climbs the next rung on the ladder of life.  The mother/daughter scenes hold a lot of emotional resonance, and were very believable.