The Nanny Diaries was originally scheduled to open this weekend, but instead MGM decided to move the movie to September to better position it for the Golden Globes. What’s left to open this weekend? A bunch of movies aimed at guys and one really awful chick flick.
Fracture: As Tal wrote back in February: Hopkins and Gosling? ‘Nuff said. Anthony Hopkins is accused of murdering his wife and Ryan Gosling is the hotshot District Attorney sent to put him away. Gosling’s character discovers that the case isn’t as open-and-shut as he’d thought, and then things start to get interesting. Ryan Gosling’s career is on fire right now, and you can’t go wrong with Hopkins’ chilling stare. SEE IT.
Hot Fuzz: Did you ever notice how when an English person says something funny, it’s even funnier? Hot Fuzz would be funny set in any country, but add British humor to the mix and it looks downright hilarious. A big city cop is reassigned to Podunk, UK, and he must lead the small town cops. There is something fishy about this town, though, and City Slicker cop sets out to investigate. As the trailer says, this one is “brought to you by the guys who watched every action movie ever made.” RENT IT.
In the Land of Women: The official site for this film is myspace.com/itlow, and that’s just stupid. Really. First off, not every film is meant to be promoted on MySpace. Secondly, itlow? (I get that it’s an acronym, but itlow is still lame-o.) That was the best they could come up with? Anyhoo, In the Land of Women stars Seth Cohen, oops, I mean Adam Brody, as a dumped guy who somehow meets Meg Ryan and starts dating her young daughter, played by Kristen Stewart of Panic Room. With a title like that, the film is obviously aiming at women. As a woman, I say yuck–and I love a good chick flick. SKIP IT.
Vacancy: I’ll admit that I really don’t like horror films, so it is hard for me to be impartial here. Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale that are stranded and check into a motel for the night, and then realize that all the room’s previous occupants have died horrible deaths. It seems like these two bonafide movie stars have wandered into a movie that should be starring Chad Michael Murray and Sarah Michelle Gellar. SKIP IT.
Which actors will win an Oscar in the next ten years? That was the question posed by Oscarwatch, and Don Cheadle was on the top of nearly everyone’s list. Sooner or later, the man will win an Oscar, it’s just a question of when. This year alone, Cheadle is starring in Reign Over Me, Ocean’s Thirteen, and Talk to Me. In Talk to Me, Cheadle plays an ex-convict who becomes a controversial DJ in 1960′s Washington D.C.
Could Talk to Me be the movie that lands Cheadle his overdue Oscar? Possibly. Cheadle is portraying a real person, which the Academy always loves. He’s been nominated before (for Hotel Rwanda) and the Academy will often award Oscars to actors who were overlooked in the past. On the other hand, Cheadle’s character, Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene, is an ex-convict who peppers his dialogue with enough colorful language to get Don Imus fired several times.
Only time will tell what awards season has in store, but either way Talk to Me is a definite SEE IT. It’s a biopic (good) that will make you think (even better), and it has a great soundtrack (sign me up), and some really funny lines in the trailer (just take my $11 now). The trailer does a good job of highlighting the supporting cast–and telling you where you’ve seen them before.
Disturbia: I am generally not a fan of thrillers or horror movies, but this one looks interesting. Shia LeBeouf is under house arrest, so he spies on his neighbors from his bedroom window. When he becomes convinced that he is watching a murderer, he and his friends take the investigation into their own hands. It’s a teenage Rear Window. RENT IT.
Perfect Strangers: Halle Berry and Bruce Willis are playing cat-and-mouse in this predictable thriller. $11 bucks says they are only in it for the easy paychecks and the movie will tank. SKIP IT.
Lonely Hearts: File this one under “why don’t more people know about this movie?” After all the movie has a great cast, and it is based on true events. Jared Leto and Salma Hayek play the “Lonely Hearts” killers, who got their name by luring their victims via the personal ads. John Travolta and James Gandolfini play the detectives who are hot on their case. The trailer looks intriguing, but the lack of a big distributor could be a bad sign. RENT IT.
Even though the new movies aren’t the best bunch we’ve seen in a while, there are still some good films in theatres. Blades of Glory is as funny as you’ve heard it is, The Namesake is a true work of art, and The Lookout has received some major kudos from our friends at Oscarwatch. SEE IT!
When I first saw the teaser for Ocean’s Thirteen, I could only think back to how disappointed I was in Ocean’s Twelve. From the teaser, it looked like Thirteen was going to be another lackluster movie from Clooney and the gang. But then, I saw the new trailer, and that good old feeling came back.
Guys, you’re forgiven for Ocean’s Twelve! Really! I’m sorry I doubted you, and I now can’t wait to see Ocean’s Thirteen!
Sheesh, what a difference a new trailer can make. Maybe the teaser just wasn’t long enough, but it didn’t show enough of the crackly dialogue, enough of the heist, enough of the comedy that I’ve come to expect from the Ocean’s franchise. Now that I know what Danny Ocean and his (yummy, delicious) gang are actually trying to pull off, I’m intrigued. Really, could I ever go wrong with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Carl Reiner, Elliott Gould, Scott Caan and Al Pacino? Maybe I just love the idea of Matt Damon playing the comedic role with his giant prosthetic nose.
Whatever the difference is, I am now counting the days until June 8. SEE IT! Ocean’s Thirteen is rated PG-13 and opens on June 8. (Official site)
After seeing him in Munich and Troy, Eric Bana has become one of my favorite actors. (Troy wasn’t exactly a cinematic masterpiece, but it’s worth a look to see Bana’s performance. And his abs.) Bana has joined the rank of actors that will motivate me to see just about any movie they make. Drew Barrymore has always been in that club, but for different reasons. Now they are working together on Curtis Hanson’s latest project, Lucky You. The director of L.A. Confidential, 8 Mile, and Wonder Boys, Hanson’s films are generally a safe bet.
In Lucky You, Bana portrays Huck, a high-stakes poker player about to enter the World Series of Poker. To quote his on-screen father, played by Robert Duvall, Huck leads his life the way he should play cards, and he plays cards the way he should lead his life.
Now really, who doesn’t love a good game of poker? Or Curtis Hanson? Or Drew Barrymore? And don’t even get me started on Eric Bana.
Lucky You comes out the same weekend as Spider-Man 3, and it will probably get lost in the shuffle. I, for one, can’t wait to SEE IT. Lucky You is rated PG-13 and opens on May 4. (Official site)
This week I’m going to start with the little guys first, because they need the love.
Peaceful Warrior is based on the book The Way of the Peaceful Warrior. Even though I’ve read the book, Peaceful Warrior isn’t easy to sum up without making it sound like hooey, so I’ll let the PR people do the talking. “In the film, Scott Mechlowicz plays Dan, a talented-yet-arrogant college gymnast with Olympic dreams and a golden future. The athlete thinks he has it all: bookcases of trophies, endless friends, fast rides and disposable relationships. But all that is about to change. One day, Dan’s world is turned upside down after a chance meeting with a mysterious stranger he comes to know as Socrates (Nick Nolte)—a man who holds the power to tap into new worlds of strength and understanding. After he suffers a debilitating injury, with the mystical help of Socrates and an elusive young woman named Joy (Amy Smart), Dan will grow to realize that strength of spirit is what leads a man to his true greatness.” I had pictured someone more peaceful than Nick Nolte (he of the scraggly mug shot) as Socrates, but he’ll do. The book was quite interesting and the trailer makes the movie look even better. RENT IT. (Official site)
Live Free Or Die (not to be confused with the next Die Hard sequel, Live Free or Die Hard) is the latest addition in the bumbling criminal genre. John “Rugged” Rudgate is a criminal legend in his own mind. When Rugged and his friends get the chance to commit a real crime, of course everything goes awry and hijinks ensue. Michael Rapaport and Zooey Deschanel co-star. The trailer is pretty funny, so I say RENT IT. (Official site)
After The Wedding was nominated for Best Foreign Film this year, with the tagline of “Champagne is poured, and secrets are spilled.” Based on the title, I was expecting a bit of a chick flick, but the trailer is all sex, lies, and intrigue. Mads Mikkelsen acts in his native language, proving he can be more than just Bond’s nemesis in Casino Royale. RENT IT. (Official site)
The Lookout was written and directed by Scott Frank, who also wrote Out of Sight. Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays an injured former athlete who gets conned into participating in a bank robbery. The Lookout could go one of two ways: forgettable heist movie or dark, twisting crime drama. Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers) and Jeff Daniels co-star. RENT IT. (Official site)
Blades of Glory: Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard of Will Ferrell’s lampoon on the world of figure skating. Jon Heder, Craig T. Nelson, Jenna Fischer, William Fichtner, Amy Poehler, and Will Arnett co-star. SEE IT, not that you need prodding. (Official site)
It is impossible to talk about Waitress without discussing its sad backstory. Waitress was written and directed by Adrienne Shelly, an independent film actress who began making her own films in 1994. Last November, Shelly was found dead in her Manhattan apartment in what was presumed to be a suicide. A few days later, a housepainter that Shelly had hired confessed to the murder. When she died, Shelly had already finished Waitress and was waiting to hear whether the movie had been accepted into the Sundance Film Festival. The Sundance committee had already selected Waitress before Shelly died, and in January the film played to capacity crowds at Sundance and shortly sold to Fox Searchlight for $5 million.
After watching the trailer, I’m not surprised that Waitress was one of Sundance’s bigger sales. Although it is undoubtedly aimed at women, Waitress is not your typical chick flick and looks far superior to most films of that genre. (We’re talking about you, Georgia Rule.) Keri Russell plays a Jenna, Southern waitress who is pregnant, unhappily married, and feeling trapped by her own life. By day, Jenna works at a diner with waitresses played by Curb Your Enthusiasm‘s Cheryl Hines and by Shelly herself, behind big black glasses. By night, she pours her heart into unique pies and writes letters to her unborn baby. Jeremy Sisto plays Jenna’s husband and the one and only Andy Griffith plays one of Jenna’s regular customers.
In short, Waitress looks to be a poignant comedy about what happens when life doesn’t turn out just as you’d hoped it would. I definitely want to SEE IT when Waitress opens in limited release on May 2. (Official Site)
The weekend box office will probably once again be dominated by 300, but there are some new entrants in the race.
Tops on my agenda is Reign Over Me, starring Adam Sandler as a man destroyed by the loss of his family on 9/11, and Don Cheadle as his former college roommate who helps him attempt to deal with the pain. Sandler blew me away in the trailer, and I daresay that he could generate some award buzz. According to IMDb, Reign Over Me was slated for a December 1 release, but Sony bumped it in favor of The Holiday, costing Sandler a potential Oscar nod. (Perhaps the studio thought Sandler’s Oscar chances would be better this year, without Forest Whitaker dominating the category.) Don Cheadle is always amazing, but I can’t wait to SEE IT for Adam Sandler’s performance. (Official Site)
Shooter is Mark Wahlberg’s first outing since his Oscar nominated performance in The Departed. Wahlberg plays a secret service agent who is framed for an assassination attempt and then (dum, dum, dum!) wants vengeance on his enemy. Shooter is directed by Antoine Fuqua, who has hasn’t had a hit since Training Day in 2001. I doubt that Shooter has as good as a script as Training Day, so I’m going to SKIP IT. (Official Site)
Pride has quite possibly the lamest movie poster that I’ve seen in quite some time. Seriously. I walk by the poster every morning on the way to the subway, and it just makes the movie look so horribly cheesy. Terrence Howard and Bernie Mac star in this story of an underdog, all-black swim team in the 1970s, though the poster made me think it was about boxers. Terrence Howard has had his pick of scripts since Crash and Hustle & Flow, but I can’t give him the benefit of the doubt on this one. SKIP IT. (Official Site)
Color Me Kubrick is the mildly intriguing story of a con man who poses as Stanley Kubrick during the filming of Eyes Wide Shut. John Malkovich plays “Mr. Kubrick” and the trailer may give away the film’s funniest moment. When starstruck fans ask who “Kubrick” has in mind for his next film, he answers “John Malkovich,” to which they all reply, “who?” If you’re a big Kubrick fan, you may want to RENT IT. (Official Site)
Also opening this weekend are TMNT, the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, and slasher sequel The Hills Have Eyes 2. SKIP IT and SKIP IT.
I’m just biased. I want Reign Over Me to reign at the box office.
The new film Georgia Rule has already gotten tons of free publicity, all at the expense of its star Lindsay Lohan. Last summer La Linds partied hardy, and called in sick with “dehydration” one too many times. The CEO of Morgan Creek, which produced Georgia Rule, sent Lilo a scathing letter saying she “acted like a spoiled child” and called her “discourteous, irresponsible, and unprofessional.” Snap! The letter was also sent to Lindsay’s eight handlers, so of course it was all over the internet within 36 hours. (Read the letter–it’s classic.)
The trailer for Georgia Rule just landed on the internet, and I must say I am underwhelmed. All that fuss for this? Really? In this run-of-the-mill chick flick, Lohan plays an out of control, hard-drinking teenager (gee, that must have been a stretch) alongside Felicity Huffman and Jane Fonda. Huffman and Fonda play Lohan’s mother and grandmother, respectively, and they all end up in the same house when Huffman’s character has run out of answers. Fonda runs her household with a million “Georgia Rules,” and by the end of the trailer I was really tired of her saying “Georgia Rule!”
Still I’m going to RENT IT because I love Felicity Huffman and I want to see what all Lilo’s controversy was about. Georgia Rule is rated R (which eliminates much of Lilo’s fan base) and opens on May 11. (Official Site)
It’s St. Patty’s Day weekend, so will people really be going to the movies? It doesn’t look good for these new releases.
I Think I Love My Wife: aka, Chris Rock has the seven-year-itch and tooth caps that have gotten out of control. Rock plays a man who has grown tired of his family life in the ‘burbs and he starts hanging out with a hoochified Kerry Washington. (That’s right, I said hoochified.) Louie C.K. (of the late Lucky Louie) wrote the script along with Rock, who also directs. I’m not sold on this, so I may RENT IT. (Official Site)
Premonition: Sandra Bullock plays a woman who thinks she’s losing her marbles. One day her husband has died; the next day he is alive. Rinse and repeat. Jen saysRENT IT, but only to see yummy Julian McMahon of Nip/Tuck. (Official Site)
Dead Silence: Donnie Wahlberg and Amber Valetta are stuck in a horror film about a ventriloquist’s doll. Yawn. SKIP IT. (Official Site)
