Paranoia

Microwave popcorn, when it refuses to cooperate, just gets burned and inedible. That’s pretty much what’s going on with Paranoia. It’s got a simple formula—akin to shoving a bag in a magic cooking box for five minutes—but it just never pops. It’s a techno-espionage thriller that is light on all three counts. It’s trying to cash on Wall Street’s losing streak (for the record, only Arbitrage got this remotely right at the movies) and it involves a young buck corporate type (Liam Hemsworth) given an offer he can’t refuse by his boss (Gary Oldman): Spy on the competition or else. The competition is Harrison Ford, and let’s just say the head-to-head between Oldman and Ford ain’t exactly Air Force One here. However, their scenes together are still the only thing worth a damn in Paranoia, a movie you should skip in favor of just about anything else.