New movies this week: Max, Ted 2

Max (Action, PG, Starring Robbie Amell, Lauren Graham, Thomas Haden Church, Jay Hernandez, Luke Kleintank) - Max, a precision-trained military dog, serves on the frontlines in Afghanistan alongside his handler, U.S. Marine Kyle Wincott. When things go terribly wrong on maneuvers, Kyle is mortally wounded and Max, traumatized by the loss of his best friend, is unable to remain in service. Shipped stateside, the only human he seems willing to connect with is Kyle's teenage brother, Justin, who has issues of his own and isn't interested in taking care of his brother's troubled dog. But Max may be Justin's only chance to discover what really happened to his brother that day on the front, and with the help of a tough-talking young teen, Carmen, who has a way with dogs, Justin begins to appreciate his canine companion. Justin's growing trust in Max helps the four-legged veteran revert back to his heroic self, and as the pair race against time to unravel the mystery, they find more excitement - and danger - than they bargained for. But they each might also find an unlikely new best friend in each other.

Ted 2 (Comedy, R, Starring Mark Wahlberg, Seth MacFarlane, Jessica Barth) - In the years since we last saw John and Ted, they're both still living the dream in Boston. Although John is now a bachelor, Ted has settled down with Tami-Lynn, the trashy woman of his dreams. As marital problems begin to affect the newlyweds, Ted and Tami-Lynn decide to have a baby in order to save their marriage. Their hopes are crushed when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts declares Ted to be not a person, but property, and therefore ineligible to adopt. He is fired from his job at the grocery store and summarily informed that his marriage has been annulled. Angry and dejected, Ted channels his frustration and asks his best pal to help him sue the state and win him the rights that he deserves. They enlist a young, medical-marijuana aficionada named Samantha L. Jackson as their lawyer and head to court. But when Ted loses his case, the three must venture on a road trip to New York in a last-ditch effort to persuade legendary civil rights attorney Patrick Meighan to take on their appeal. If they win, they will prove that Ted is not just a beerswilling, pot-infused stuffed teddy bear, but actually a person who deserves the same freedoms as any other beer-swilling, pot-infused American.