…and welcome to January. Unofficially, this is known as “dump month”. January is when studios typically release the films they have the least confidence in, hoping to just make a quick buck and fade the films from memory. Still, some genuinely good movies managed to come out in the doldrums of the New Year (ie, Children of Men and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, two of the best films of the decade, in my opinion; as well as more recent hits like Cloverfield and Taken). From the looks of it, this weekend’s new movies aren’t the most promising group, though I suspect they might make for passable entertainment. Let’s take a peek at the first batch of new movies for 2010… [breakdown of new releases after the jump]
1. “Leap Year” - Ah, Amy Adams…you and your adorableness might even make this worth seeing. Adams really is one of the most charming actresses working in any genre. She could do drama effortlessly (and has two Oscar nominations as a reward), but she’s also one of the most gifted comic actresses out there (Enchanted takes the cake, but her small roles in Catch Me if You Can and Talladega Nights were wonderful as well). And that brings us to Leap Year. Plot-wise, most of us know how this is going to play out: A city career girl (Amy Adams) keeps waiting for a proposal from her long-time boyfriend (Adam Scott, of Starz’ brilliant sitcom, Party Down). When the ring doesn’t come on the eve of their fourth anniversary, she decides to take drastic measures. With her boyfriend out in Dublin for a conference (ah, Ireland—how lucky that his conference takes place in one of the most picturesque, lushly green locations), she learns that, by Irish tradition, a woman could propose to her man on Leap Day, February 29th. Adams then takes off to Dublin, and through a series of comic obstacles, she ends up recruiting a scruffy, handsome Irishman (Matthew Goode, the talented and versatile actor from Watchmen, Match Point, and The Lookout) to drive her to Dublin. Might sparks fly? Albeit with this tall, sensitive ruffian instead of the squeaky-clean boyfriend from back home?Yeah, it sounds mighty predictable, and, in watching the trailer, I could already guess most of the story beats. But this film does have a few things in its favor. First off, Adams is a delight in pretty much anything she makes, and I’m hoping she could bring some personality and depth to what sounds like a pretty hokey, stereotypically-written character (and premise). As for her co-star, Matthew Goode is a genuine talent—if you guys ever have the chance, see his electrifying work in The Lookout and Woody Allen’s Match Point. He’s great in the more high-profile Watchmen too, and, so far, I like that he downplays his obvious good looks to tackle more meaty character parts (you can currently see him as Colin Firth’s lover in A Single Man). He looks to bring just the right kind of swagger from the trailer, and the guy is hilarious in interviews and panels, so I’m sure he’ll handle the comedy aspects as well. Finally, this is from director Arnand Tucker, known for sensitive indies like Shopgirl and a script by writing duo Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan (who wrote one of the best teen movies, Can’t Hardly Wait…as well as the lame Made of Honor from last year), with a final polish by Slumdog Millionaire Oscar-winner Simon Beaufoy.
With these people involved, I’m hoping that the film overcomes the familiar story to give us something sweet and likable. More so, I really hope it doesn’t end up like Elfont and Kaplan’s last scripted movie, Made of Honor, just substituting the prettier Ireland for the former movie’s Scotland, while still retaining all the clichés of a weak rom-com. All in all, The reviews are decent, but not great (even Roger Ebert said that he couldn’t resist the movie’s charms), so it could end up being a pleasant date movie a la The Proposal.
P.S. Quick moment to plug an awesome show: I mentioned this briefly already, but co-Star Adam Scott is the star of Party Down, a brilliant sitcom that’s still relatively unheard of. It just aired its first season on Starz, and it comes back for a second (and probably last season) this April. But, even if you don’t have Starz, you can catch all 10 episodes if you’re a Netflix member—the entire first season is available for streaming, and I highly recommend you check it out. From the people who gave us Veronica Mars (itself a genius show—I just obsessively plowed through all 3 seasons during Christmas Break), it’s about a group of showbiz hopefuls who make ends meet by working in a minimum-wage catering company. The characters are all well-drawn and relatable, and the writing is top-notch throughout all 10 episodes. Plus, Veronica Mars fans get a lot of bonus goodies—not only is Mars regular Ryan Hansen (the infamous Dick Casablancas) a member of the Party Down “catering team”, but a good portion of the former show’s cast appear as guest stars (including Veronica Mars herself, Kristen Bell, in the Season 1 finale). And, lastly, it’s easily one of the funniest shows on TV—its humor isn’t obvious, but more in the vein of the witty, sometimes-painfully-awkward kind we see on The Office and Ricky Gervais’ Extras, just the kind that I love. A really great show, and one I’ll make sure to blog about when it comes back in April.
2. “Daybreakers” - Vampires are a huge pop-culture property right now—with Twilight, True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries ruling the theaters and airways, it was only a matter of time before we’d get even more blood-sucker stories. And here’s what look like a potentially interesting spin on vampire lore—a welcome entry into the overdone genre. Daybreakers presents a world where the vampires won—humans are rare and hunted for their blood, and society continues to function, albeit composed almost entirely of immortals. But here’s the rub: human blood is running out, and (though this is where the trailer gets a bit muddled), the consequences of no more blood could be devastating for all vampire citizens. Somehow, Willem Defoe’s renegades come into play, and Ethan Hawke’s (always good to see on the screen—he’s a dependably good actor) conflicted vampire hero takes center stage for some world-shaking events. I’m not familiar with writer/directors The Spierig Brothers, but, from the trailer, it looks like they created a nifty visual experience, and I like that this story explores vampires in a fresh light (and, on a quick note: thank you to the filmmakers for not making them sparkle, and having no werewolves or indecisive, poorly-written female leads in sight). I’m guessing the good (but not great) reviews are more due to story problems, since even the trailer can’t effectively explain what happens when the blood runs out…besides there being a lot of action scenes, of course. Still, the take is creative, and it looks like an overall entertaining film. Not mandatory big-screen watching for me, but I do want to catch this somewhere down the line.
3. “Youth in Revolt” - Based on the much-loved “rebellious teens” book of the same name, it looks like this movie adaptation is not too shabby, taking some recognizable plot points (ie, nerdy boy wants to lose his virginity) and turning them on their head (ie, said boy invents a suave, Frenchman, mustache-twirling alter ego, Francois, to win over the girl of his dreams). Although Michael Cera could do the stuttering/awkward/funny-guy routine in his sleep (I know it’s become a bit repetitive, but he’s still an absolute genius in this type of role), I’m actually much more interested to see his take on Francois, which should allow the young actor to show some range and quiet the naysayers who think he’s one-trick pony. The rest of the film sounds equally interesting (and quite demented too)—Nick Twisp, a horny, lonely kid from a trailer park (Cera) meets a blonde bombshell (newcomer Portia Doubleday) and vows to win her over. When he can’t do it as Nick, he invents, in a Fight Club-esque manner, Francois to swoop in and finish the job. The trailer implies a lot of crazy scenes follow, and I’m curious to see how this thing comes together (especially since I hear that the novel is epically long, with a final part that’s too out-there to put on screen coherently). Great comic actors appear in this too, including Zach Galifianakis (the scene-stealer from this year’s giant hit, The Hangover), Justin Long, Ray Liotta, Fred Willard, and the great Steve Buscemi. Could be interesting—the reviews are pretty good, and I think, of all the films coming out this weekend, I’ll probably catch this one with my friends in the next few weeks.
4. “Crazy on the Outside” - With next to no publicity, this one doesn’t seem to have much of a chance. Still, it sounds intriguing—if nothing else, I’d see it for its Galaxy Quest reunion of Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver (who are obviously friends, and have a great rapport in the trailer), and for the fact that it’s Tim Allen’s directorial debut. I’ll be the first to admit that Allen makes a lot of horrible movies, but just watch how he lights up the screen in something like Galaxy Quest, a comedy that’s actually worthy of his talent. He strikes me as a cool, very smart guy, but one that unfortunately seems to prefer paycheck roles over making quality films. So, the fact that he took directorial reigns on this is a good sign—there might be a sneaky, dark comedy lurking underneath that bland poster and decent (but far from great) trailer. The story—about Allen’s just out-of-the-joint con man who tries to start a normal life—has promise. Even better, the actors Allen rounded up are superb: in addition to Weaver, we have the amazing J.K. Simmons (the perpetual scene-stealer of the Spider-Man films as editor J. Jonah Jameson), Kelsey Grammar, Modern Family’s Julie Bowen, and Ray Liotta. It’s only opening in a few cities this weekend, so there aren’t too many reviews to help us judge; however, the two available reviews aren’t swimming in praise. I don’t have high hopes for this, but I like that Allen is trying something new here, and it’d be great if this paves way for more intelligent comedies from him in the future.And that’s it for the weekend. I can’t say that it’s filled with great choices, but all of them, especially Leap Year and Daybreakers, could turn out better than expected, providing some good early-January entertainment in the process. Or, of course, you could finally catch (or re-watch…ahem, like I’ve been known to) Avatar and Sherlock Holmes, two of the best films out right now. And don’t forget about awards darling, Up in the Air, too (which I’m looking forward to catching, and might just see this weekend or next)!
What do you guys hope to catch this weekend, or in the next few weeks of January?
Clips courtesy of Trailer Addict.
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