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.

Opening This Week (07 – 13 Feb, 2011)

The week I have been dreading since last July is here…Feb 11, 2011…the day Justin Bieber invades our cinemas and takes money from your young daughters to see him in 3D. In case you are looking to avoid the rush of screaming young girls at your local theater, I recommend viewing the limited release section at the bottom of the page. But, if you are willing to brave it, there are a couple of films that might be worth your time as well.

Cedar Rapids

Rated: R

Starring: Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, Anne Heche

Director: Miguel Arteta

Synopsis from IMDB: Tim Lippe has no idea what he’s in for when he’s sent to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to represent his company at an annual insurance convention, where he soon finds himself under the “guidance” of three convention veterans.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: I put this one first on the list to give you hope that his weekend might not  entirely be a wash. It’s nice to see Ed Helms finally getting a lead role, but I also like that they give him a strong supporting cast as well. The film is receiving pretty good early reviews and was an “Official Selection” at the Sundance Film Festival. I find it hard to believe that Helms and Reilly would let us down, so this receives my recommendation for this weekend.

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never

Rated: G

Starring: Justin Bieber, Usher Raymond, Ludacris, Jaden Smith

Director: Jon Chu

Synopsis from IMDB: Follows Justin Bieber with some footage of performances from his 2010 concert tour.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: I should probably refrain my criticism for a less professional setting. Just know, I am not a fan. It is one thing to release something like this on DVD, but in the theaters, in 3D, seems like blatant exploitation. Oh well, I guess I will never understand it. You can see my original thoughts on this project here.

Just Go With It

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Brooklyn Decker

Director: Dennis Dugan

Synopsis from IMDB: A man enlists the help of a woman and her kids to land the woman of his dreams.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: If you have never seen an Adam Sandler comedy (relative term) in the last 10 years (Spoiler Alert) he will end up with Jennifer Aniston and will begin to mature into a father figure to the kids. End of story. If I am wrong, then it will be a momentous day for Adam Sandler and I will write an apology on the blog. There are no early reviews out for this one yet, which doesn’t bode well for it either. I am really sorry to see Jennifer Aniston continuing down the path of self destruction as well, but I haven’t seen the film, so maybe I am wrong….I doubt it.

Gnomeo and Juliet

Rated: G

Starring: James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine, Ashley Jensen

Director: Kelly Asbury

Synopsis from IMDB: Garden gnomes Gnomeo (voice of McAvoy) and Juliet (voice of Blunt) have as many obstacles to overcome as their quasi namesakes when they are caught up in a feud between neighbors. But with plastic pink flamingos and lawnmower races in the mix, can this young couple find lasting happiness?

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: This idea seems to come out of left field and looks to be centered around sight gags with the gnomes rather than an actual solid script. It’s in 3D, but animated films usually have better 3D than others. It might be worth checking out if you have kids, but if not, probably not worth your time or money.

The Eagle

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland

Director: Kevin MacDonald

Synopsis from IMDB: In Roman-ruled Britain, a young Roman soldier endeavors to honor his father’s memory by finding his lost legion’s golden emblem.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: I think if the film is provided some better leads, it might be decent. I originally thought this was a film starring Donald Faison and Zach Braff from Scrubs.

Eaaagle!!!!!!

However, I soon found out that Channing Tatum could be trying to prove that he is capable of holding his own as an actor. Kevin MacDonald brings some credibility to the project, previously directing such projects as State of Play and The Last King of Scotland. I want this film to do well, since I am fan of period action pieces like this, but I am still on the fence about it.

Limited Releases

Poetry

Rated: Unrated

Starring: David Lee, Jeong-hie Yun, Kim Hi-Ra

Director: Chang-dong Lee

Synopsis from IMDB: A drama centered on a woman at the end of her life in search of new meaning.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: Looks like a thoughtful look at the twilight of someone’s life.  The film won Best Screenplay at Cannes and was an “Official Selection” at both Telluride and Toronto. The cinematography looks superb and it has received outstanding early reviews. If you can make it to a limited theater, this will probably be the best film coming out this weekend.

Carancho

Rated: Unrated

Starring: Ricardo Darin, Martina Gusman, Carlos Weber

Director: Pablo Trapero

Synopsis from IMDB: In Argentina over 8,000 people die in traffic accidents every year. Behind each of these tragedies is a flourishing industry founded on insurance payouts and legal loopholes. Sosa is a lawyer who tours the A&E Departments of the public hospitals and the police stations in search of potential clients. Luján is a young doctor recently arrived from the provinces. Their love story kicks off one night when Luján and Sosa meet in the street. She’s trying to save a man’s life; he wants him on his client portfolio.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: Even though the trailer was rather cryptic and featured what seemed like an inordinate amount of people fighting for unexplained reasons, it looks alright. I am always curious when someone throws the word “noir” into a film description.

**Trailer Time**: Indie Edition (“Cold Weather” and “Documenting the Grey Man”)

While some of you may not get to see these films in the theater, I wanted to give you a heads up about them so that you can either look for them On Demand, or look for them on Netflix in the near future. Here’s what we got for you in this special edition of Trailer Time:

Cold Weather

Cold Weather should have been included during the “Opening This Week” we did on Monday, but the film has been around for a little while, premiering at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival and then the Los Angeles Film Festival and was received well at both. It is finally getting a release in limited theaters and is currently at 60% on RottenTomatoes. It is classified as a comedic mystery involving a modern self-proclaimed Sherlock Holmes who tries to unravel the mystery of his missing ex-girlfriend.

Documenting the Grey Man

This looks like a more indie version of Paranormal Activity (if that’s possible), but instead of presenting an unknown demon, this film brings to life a local legend from Charleston, SC, the Grey Man. If you are unfamiliar with the Grey Man, you can read up on the lore here. The film premiered last night at the Homegrown Film Festival and hopes to get some further distribution, due to its success there.

Quick Take: The 10 Most Buzzed-About Sundance Films – Fandango.com

Today kicks off the annual Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah. Last year gave us such films as The Kids are All Right, Winter’s Bone, and Blue Valentine. Attached is the link for some of the films this year that are generating the most buzz. You can also visit the official Sundance Film Festival Website, also listed below. Enjoy!

The 10 Most Buzzed-About Sundance Films – Fandango.com.

http://www.sundance.org/festival/

***Trailer Time*** Ed Helms and John C. Reilly Star in “Cedar Rapids”, Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

This edition of Trailer Time features Ed Helms in a long-awaited lead role, with a strong supporting cast. The film is called Cedar Rapids and focuses on the hilarity that ensues at an insurance convention. Here is the official synopsis:

To call insurance agent Tim Lippe (Ed Helms), “naive” is a gross understatement. He’s never left his small hometown. He’s never stayed at a hotel. And he’s never experienced anything like Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Sent to represent his company at the annual insurance convention, Tim is soon distracted by three convention veterans (John C. Reilly, Anne Heche and Isiah Whitlock Jr.) who will show him the ropes and push his boundaries. For a guy who plays everything by the book, this convention will be anything but conventional.

The trailer makes it look like John C. Reilly will be doing his darndest to steal the show again. While it looks like some crazy shenanigans, it is directed by Miguel Arteta (Youth in Revolt), which means that we should see some true heart show through at some point.

The next trailer is long overdue. I have failed many of you by not mentioning this film sooner, especially with all recent debate over its MPAA rating. Finally, this film won its long battle to be reduced to a hard “R” rating, after originally being slapped with “NC-17“, due to a graphic sex scene. However, Blue Valentine, appears to be far from the realm of throwing sex in a film for sex’s sake. The film received high acclaim at both the Cannes Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival, and also garnered Golden Globe nominations for the performances of its leads, Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. Valentine is about two lovers (Gosling and Williams) and the evolution of their relationship, cutting back and forth in the timeline to accentuate the change. It comes out next week, which is why I feel bad for not mentioning it sooner, and the trailer has been out for about two months. If you haven’t seen the trailer, here it is: