Since we last talked movies, I’ve gone to the theater to see
Buck (a documentary showing at the local art film theater; excellent); Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2(sad to see the franchise end; this was
an excellent ending, though); and Cowboys & Aliens (an interesting take on
alien movies, well done, good if you like lots of explosions, and the special
effects were excellent).
Rentals includedStolen(stars Jon Hamm of HBO’s Mad Men; haunting);
Independence Day (from my collection; love the scene when Will Smith shoots
down the alien craft and drags the alien into Area 51); Crazy Heart(not sure
why it won so many awards, I don’t find drunks entertaining); Alien Trespass
(fun, if you remember this is all campy cheesiness); Cleaner(with Samuel
Jackson, kind of an interesting mystery but it’s also fairly predictable); I
tried to watch From Paris With Love, but turned it off after about 15 minutes;In the Electric Mist (stars Tommy Lee Jones, kind of intriguing and kind of
boring, all at the same time); and I started to watch Ondine, with Colin
Farrell, but the Netflix Streaming version ended at 17 minutes. Sigh.
I have plans to see Captain America in the near future. I
decided that Larry Crowne and Crazy Stupid Lovewere perfect rentals, so I’ll
see those one of these days.
What’s in store for August, you ask? Well, in two words: Not
much. (Why am I saying that so often these days?!)
August 5 brings Rise of the Planet of the Apes, starring
James Franco, Andy Serkis and Brian Cox. I have no desire to see this prequel.
The classic 1968 film starring Charlton Heston is the only Planet of the Apes
movie I need to see. (The four sequels in the early 1970s weren’t great, though
I’ll take them over the prequel any day.) The prequel is rated PG-13.
The Change-Up, rated R, stars Jason Bateman and Ryan
Reynolds as two friends envious of the other’s life. A body switch proves what?
And in limited release, The Whistleblower, rated R, stars Rachel Weisz as a
police officer serving as a U.N. peacekeeper in Bosnia.
August 12 finds 30 Minutes or Less opening at your local
theater. Not yet rated, the film stars Jessie Eisenberg as the kidnapped pizza
delivery guy forced to rob a bank. The film will have wide appeal, I’m sure.
More my speed is The Help, starring Emma Stone, Viola Davis
and Octavia Spencer, which opens August 10 and is rated PG-13. Good and bad
buzz on this one; the book was a bestseller, so we’ll see how the big screen
version does. Final Destination 5 is rated R, of course, and is in 3D. And the
title of Glee: The 3D Concert Movie says it all.
August 19 brings One Day, rated PG-13, to the big screen.
Starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess, the movie shows the two meeting on the
same day for two decades. Reminds me of the Broadway play and movie Same Time,
Next Year (the 1978 movie starred Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn).
Also opening this weekend: Fright Night, rated R, finds a
vampire (Colin Farrell) living next door to teen Anton Yelchin who goes to a
magician (David Tennant) for help in this remake of a 1985 cult classic; Conan the Barbarian, rated R and in 3D,
stars Jason Momoa as the barbarian in this new interpretation of the original
Robert E. Howard stories; Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D (rated PG) stars
Jessica Alba, Jeremy Pivin and Joel McHale in a reboot of the popular family franchise;
Griff the Invisible, rated PG-13 and in limited release, stars Ryan Kwanten as
an office worker moonlighting as a superhero, and also in limited release, the
R-rated Amigo, the latest from director/writer John Sayles, takes a look at the
Philippine-American War.
Opening August 26, Our Idiot Brother stars Paul Rudd,
Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer in an R-rated comedy about
stoner Ned and his affect on the lives of his three sisters. My only question
is, why, Paul, why?
Also opening this weekend: Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,
rated R and starring Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce, takes a horrifying twist as a
young girl (Bailee Madison) discovers creatures in her father’s new home;
Colombiana, rated PG-13, stars Zoe Saldana as an assassin after the mobster who
killed her parents; and in limited release, Higher Ground, rated R, examines a
woman’s struggle with her faith in an adaptation of the book This Dark World.
I might see The Whistleblower, The Help, Fright Night and
Conan the Barbarian. Then again, they all might wait for my to-rent list. I see
a lot of rentals in my future.
In September, look for The Debt (this one looks very good),
Warrior, Drive, Moneyball (the buzz is high on Brad Pitt’s performance), KillerElite, Dolphin Tale (my niece has personally met the dolphin at the center of
this feel-good movie), 50/50and Dream House. Wow, looks like things might be
picking up!
What’s on your must-see list? See ya at the movies!
