Opening This Week (2 – 8 May, 2011)

Well, Fast Five proved again that brand names, even if the premise is a bit tired, are still the cash cows in Hollywood. The fifth installment of the adrenaline and slow-motion-booty-walk-fueled series raked in an impressive $83.6 million dollars over the weekend, an April record. It left its competition in the dust. The closest competitor, Rio, was oh….just $70 or so million behind that. A couple of factors might have contributed to its huge box office. 1) The word on the street was this was the best in the series so far (which is not saying that much). 2) The miserable offerings at the box office so far this year made this movie look good by comparison and all those people hiding from the movies this year finally showed up. But, with the summer movie season officially starting this weekend, its victory lap may be short lived.

Thor

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Synopsis from IMDB: The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: Thor is probably the comic-book-character-turned-movie that I know the least about, which probably sullied my excitement for this movie until I started reading the early reviews (55 reviews in now and it is at 95% on RT). Kenneth Branagh directs, which does and doesn’t make sense to me at the same time. Thor seems to have Shakespearean undertones, which is right up his alley, but at the same time Branagh didn’t seem like a logical choice for a blockbuster action flick. I’m excited to see what he does with it, especially since a lot of the reviews have garnered him some high praise.

 Something Borrowed

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Kate Hudson, John Krasinski, Ginnifer Goodwin, Caleb Egglesfield

Director: Luke Greenfield

Synopsis from IMDB: Friendships are tested and secrets come to the surface when terminally single Rachel falls for Dex, her best friend Darcy’s fiancé.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: Looks like nothing new or innovative. I really feel bad for John Krasinski, who I want to see break away from romantic comedies and do something a little bit more risky and interesting. Until then, he will forever be known as “Jim”.

The Beaver

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Anton Yelchin, Jennifer Lawrence

Director: Jodie Foster

Synopsis from IMDB: A troubled husband and executive adopts a beaver hand-puppet as his sole means of communicating.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: While Mel Gibson may be one of the most hated people on the planet, he still is a superb actor and I think this type of role would be exactly what he needs to get back into the good graces of the public. It is receiving mixed reviews right now (57% on RT), but hardly any of them are negative about Gibson’s performance. I notice that the studio moved its release date back, to allow it to get buried amongst the early summer releases, as opposed to getting more of a spotlight in the March timeframe. I don’t necessarily think that this will be a good movie, but I think it has a lot of potential as an interesting character study.

Limited Releases

Hobo With a Shotgun

Rated: Unrated

Starring: Rutger Hauer, Molly Dunsworth, Brian Downey, Gregory Smith

Director: Jason Eisener

Synopsis from IMDB: A homeless vigilante blows away crooked cops, pedophile Santas, and other scumbags with his trusty pump-action shotgun.

Trailer (caution: strong language, excessive violence) :

Chris’ Take: I took one look at the poster and said:

Hmmm...seems legit.

The film was released at the Sundance Film Festival to strong reviews (currently 88% on RT), banking on the success of the re-emergence of Grindhouse throwbacks. If you don’t take this film seriously, it  could be a bloody awesome and disturbing ride.

Last Night

Rated: R

Starring: Keira Knightley, Eva Mendes, Sam Worthington

Director: Massy Tadjedin

Synopsis from IMDB: The story follows a married couple, apart for a night while the husband takes a business trip with a colleague to whom he’s attracted. While he’s resisting temptation, his wife encounters her past love.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: Last Night has a very similar look and feel to Closer.

It may also be that I keep getting Natalie Portman and Keira Knightley confused.

With a 63% on RT, it is probably a safe bet for an intriguing drama. At the same time 63% also probably means that it only scratches the surface of the issues presented, rather than fully fleshing them out. I would wait for Netflix for this one.

Passion Play

Rated: R

Starring: Megan Fox, Bill Murray, Mickey Rourke

Director: Mitch Glazer

Synopsis from IMDB: An angel under the thumb of a ruthless gangster is saved by a trumpet player down on his luck.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: Ummmmm…what? Megan Fox is the last person I would expect to play an angel, but I guess they got her while she was desperate to find another movie to do. It is kind of cool to see Bill Murray play a ruthless role, rather than the sardonic hero, but something about this film is a bit off. It looks original, I will give it that and it could be interesting, but there aren’t any early reviews hinting one way or the other. You are probably taking your chances with this one, but it  could pay off.

New from the Rumor Mill: Ghostbusters 3 Script Circulating, Brad Pitt In Talks for John Lennon Biopic

Latest on Ghostbusters 3

Ghostbusters 3 rumors were flying around the internet last year, and much like the Emperor’s new clothes, it seemed like a lot of work was being done for the project to remain in the same place: grounded. Now, it seems things have taken just one more step towards production, with a finished script that is making the rounds and Ivan Reitman claiming that it is “really good”. I don’t know how much we can trust that statement.

He did direct this, which indicates he might be going senile.

But, when talking with Coming Soon he added this:

“All the original characters have parts, as well as a whole bunch of new characters. It’s got a really good story, this one, maybe the best of the whole series. I hope we get to do it.”

Even with as optimistic as Reitman sounds, it is still up in the air as to whether or not this project will even get the green light. I am on the fence about this sequel, especially so long after the last one. If it does come out, I’ll see it for nostalgia’s sake, but I don’t expect another brilliant comedy like the original.

Brad Pitt Will Possibly be Cast in John Lennon Biopic

Brad Pitt is currently working with Yoko Ono on producing a biopic on the life of John Lennon, which he is also in talks to star in. Here is what an unnamed source had to say about Pitt playing Lennon:

“Brad already has a writer working on the script. And Yoko has given the project her blessing so long as it’s true to John’s life. Brad wants to do all the singing himself and plans to take voice lessons. If he can’t pull it off they’ll use John’s own voice. Brad has also been immersing himself in videos and books so he can get Lennon’s mannerisms down pat.”

The last reaction to Brad Pitt's singing abilities.

Brad Pitt is a great actor, and I admire his ambition, but I just can’t see him playing John Lennon. Not because I don’t think he can get his mannerisms down, but without some serious make up and weight loss, I will not be able to look at him and think, “Hey, it’s John Lennon!” I have been hoping for a biopic that will encompass his whole life, as opposed to just the early years, so hopefully they will be able to pull this off effectively.

Ghostbusters 3 Script Rumors

Late last year Columbia Pictures greenlighted “Ghostbusters 3″ (now most likely “Ghostbusters 3D”). Since then rumors have been flying about who will star in it and who will return to reprise their roles etc. As of now, all four original Ghostbusters are returning as well as Sigourney Weaver to play Dana. Rick Moranis is also reportedly coming out of retirement (and a country music career with a cd entitled “Agoraphobic Cowboy”) to play Lewis, the health-concious nerdy accountant. Thumbs up so far, right?

The script is still in its second draft, but rumors from Cinematical.com say that the plot is going to revolve around Dana’s son, who might be Dr. Peter Venkman‘s (Bill Murray), trying to carry the torch as a new Ghostbuster. To me, this sounds like a particularly bad idea based on the recent attempts to pass the torch in other sputtering and un-necessary franchises (really Wall Street?). I am a huge fan of Bill Murray and the Ghostbusters movies and due to several re-makes and lame sequels, this is another franchise I would like to have left untainted.

What are your thoughts on this re-make? Yay or nay? Will 3D work in their favor?