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What relief will the movies offer this weekend?
Since I had to work on storm coverage this week, I was not able to attend any screenings, so there will be no review on Friday. My aim is to help you find a way to unwind after all the storm strife, be it a new movie or a new DVD release.
IN THEATERS
Frozen River: The Neon in Dayton and the Little Art in Yellow Springs open this drama starring Melissa Leo as a woman desperate to provide for her family after husband disappears with their life savings - so she falls in with a group of smugglers. Leo has been attracting considerable Oscar buzz.
Ghost Town: Ricky Gervais dies for a seven-minute period during his colonoscopy, then awakens to realize he has gained the ability to see and communicate with ghosts, including one (Greg Kinnear) who wants to break up the marriage of his widow (Tea Leoni). This has attracted fairly strong reviews, but its likely to get overlooked at the box office this weekend.
Igor: In this animated feature, a certain laboratory assistant looks to win the Annual Evil Science Fair with his own creation. The premise sounds fun, but reviews have been unkind so far, which is disappointing.
Lakeview Terrace A police officer (Samuel L. Jackson) goes to extremes to force out the interracial couple (Kerry Washington and Patrick Wilson) who just moved in next door. The trailer made it look promising, but early word says it starts well, then drowns in standard Hollywood cliches.
My Best Friend’s Girl: Dane Cook works as a womanizer hired by guys who want their girlfriends or wives to reconsider leaving them. Things get complicated when Kate Hudson enters the mix. Whenever I see the ads for this movie, many adjectives enter my mind: Bland. Middling. Mediocre. Humdrum. Then you add Dane Cook to the mix and the adjectives get nastier. Pass.
DVDs after the jump
DVDs
An American in Paris/Gigi: Vincente Minelli’s two Best Picture Oscar-winners get a long overdue deluxe treatment on DVD. Paris hasn’t worn all that well over the years, but it still has that great ballet at the end, plus my favorite scene, the elegant “Our Love is Here to Stay.” And there’s no denying that Gershwin score. However, I will deny Gigi, one of the very few major MGM musicals I don’t like, largely because of the score by Lerner and Lowe, who, Brigadoon aside, just don’t do anything for me. Paris: B+, Gigi: C
The Busby Berkeley Collection, Vol. 2: Here comes another collection of movies featuring numbers by the visually insane but dazzling genius. Titles include Gold Diggers of 1937, Gold Diggers in Paris, Hollywood Hotel, and Varsity Show.
88 Minutes: Anyone who rents this thinking “Hey, it’s an Al Pacino cop movie, it must be good” deserves whatever they get.
The Love Guru: Anyone who rents this for any reason deserves whatever they get too. From what I understand, most people who saw this movie had a look on their face that resembled the expression Myers had when he stood next to Kanye West during his “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” rant. You know, that “Get me outta here” look?
Made of Honor: Patrick Dempsey realizes he’s in love with his bests friend, Michelle Monaghan, decides to marry someone else. Basically My Best Friend’s Wedding in reverse, the movie didn’t make much of a splash.
Speed Racer: I thought the film was a misfire when I saw it, but I think the critical community came down far too hard on it. Its technical brilliance, including some wildly inventive editing, at least makes it worth a look. Too bad the story isn’t as compelling. Full review GRADE: C
Young@Heart: This well-liked documentary about senior choirs that sing rock songs by the likes of the Clash and Coldplay played for quite awhile in theaters and I still managed to miss it. It’s moving to the top of my Netflix queue.
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