Thu, March 04, 2010
It's Friday the 13th and we don't have a single horror movie being released, but instead there are more movies than one can see during a weekend, all appear to be lackluster.
First up is the Hitchcock thriller ripoff Disturbia, about a teen living under house arrest who becomes convinced his neighbor is a serial killer. Reportedly, the acting is great, especially from Shia LaBeouf and David Morse, but critics say the film is formulaic and predictable.
The Halle Berry and Bruce Willis movie Perfect Stranger is out as well. This looks like another thriller that gets caught up in the suspense, and constantly twists and turns until it becomes ridiculous. The film is getting terrible reviews.
The movie that we have been hearing about for a while is Pathfinder, about a young Norse warrior raised by Native Americans who wages a personal war to stop the invading Vikings. This film might seem like something worth watching. Unfortunately, it has been a disaster with test audiences, the majority of them citing poor effects, a terribly written story, and cheesy acting. Translation: Just plain bad.
With Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters, it is very simple. If you're a fan of the show, then you're going to love this movie regardless of reviews, otherwise you might just find yourself asking what the point is amid all the nonsense. This film could actually be classified as being so bad that it is good.
Other films in wide release include Slow Burn, about a district attorney who seeks the truth between a beautiful assistant D.A., a gang lord, and a mysterious stranger. Redline is about a group of drivers who find themselves caught up competing for a large cash prize in an illegal drag race. Then there's The Hoax, about Clifford Irving, whose "autobiography" of Howard Hughes was one of the greatest media scams in history. The film was released in limited release last week, but positive reviews have expanded its appeal somewhat.
In limited release we have Lonely Hearts, a film that has been around since I can remember. The film tells the story of two detectives on the hunt for killers who entrap their victims by answering personal ads. Reviews say the cast is superb, but the plot is dull and average.
Finally, Molly Shannon's Year of the Dog is also available in limited release, and tells the story of a secretary whose life changes in unexpected ways after her dog dies.
Nothing special as you can see. Since I'm busy with "Much Ado About Nothing" (You are planning to see it, right?) you're probably not going to see a review of any of these films from me until Monday.
Thanks, the show ended up a success on Friday. I'll see you Saturday.
I'm glad you rented Children of Men. It's one of the best science fiction films of the decade, hands-down.
This was the weekend that was supposed to get Grindhouse into the top 3 positions, but with all the new releases, it ended up in tenth place.
Coming in first was the Hitchcock-like film, Disturbia, which earned $23 million during its first weekend, and already made back its $20 million budget. It also knocked Blades of Glory to second spot, after two weeks at the top. The film has now earned an amazing $90 million domestically. Meet the Robinsons has been coming in one place lower than Blades of Glory, and this weekend was no different. Meet the Robinsons took third place and are now at $72 million domestically.
The new releases getting terrible reviews were the Bruce Willis and the Halle Berry thriller,_Perfect Stranger_ and the violent Pathfinder, which still managed to come in fourth and sixth place.
While Grindhouse is dying off, Are We Done Yet? only dropped two spots to fifth place and has already earned $33 million in total domestic ticket sales for the last two weeks. In addition, Wild Hogs ended up not dropping a single spot, as it took seventh place with $4.6 million, bringing its total to $152 million.
I haven't been able to fit the theater into our schedule this past week. I did manage to watch the DVD Children of Men. I really enjoyed that.
If we make it back from Phoenix in time we will see the play tomorrow. Have a great show tonight!