Gary Thompson: An armed Angelina Jolie adds plenty of spice and money to 'Salt'

IF YOU WANT an Angelina Jolie movie to make a pile of money, you have to put a gun in her hand. Better yet, a gun in each hand.

This is the lesson exhibited by "Salt," an over-the-top action yarn featuring Jolie as a CIA agent with slo-mo ninja acrobatic skills and the ability to anticipate and counteract the most diabolical double-cross, if you don't count her agent's decision to book her in "The Tourist."

Also up: "Money Never Sleeps," Oliver Stone's lackluster follow-up to "Wall Street" featuring a watered-down Gordon Gekko, and Shia LaBeouf as the corruptible apprentice. The movie hadn't much to say about the Wall Street meltdown, but the DVD includes a five-part documentary about the crisis.

The best of this week's lot is the teen comedy "Easy A." Emma Stone is very likable in the lead as a high-school girl who pretends to be promiscuous to help unpopular boys. The movie is a terrifying endorsement of permissive parenting, but it's a star-making turn by Stone. Extras include a tutorial on some of the movie's stylized dialogue.