Happy (late) Thanksgiving, everyone! This is one of my favorite holidays—just some good times with family, insanely-stuffing meals, and some hearty, warm spirit to hold us over until Christmas (or, er, Hannukah and Russian New Year for me). And, on the entertainment side, Thanksgiving weekends are usually pretty good times for new movies, and, for the most part (minus one glaring, awful-looking exception), this year is no different. We have five new releases, and The Fantastic Mr. Fox opening wide. Let’s break down the new movies… [breakdown after the jump]
1. “Old Dogs” - Man, does this look terrible; even from the trailer, it looks lazy, uninspired, and the lowest of low-brow. How this thing managed to get top-drawer talent like John Travolta, Robin Williams (one of the funniest men alive, to boot), Seth Green, Matt Dillon, Justin Long, and Kelly Preston is beyond me. Sadly, I have a feeling it will still make money this weekend. Perhaps the actors will make people think this will be something decent, and the plot—about two old bachelors who suddenly have to babysit the kids one of them never knew he had—sounds like it could be a cute film about families. I really doubt it, though, and I hate that Disney (which, when they’re firing on all creative cylinders, produces the best family entertainment) proudly put their name on top of this. I’m staying far away—I like the people involved way too much, and hopefully they’ll all bounce back with something that’s original and actually witty and funny (I’ll give a quick shout out to Seth Green, though, one of my long-time favorites—the only laugh in the trailer belongs to him). I know it’s wrong to judge something before seeing it, but I just can’t see this turning out to be something worthwhile. Reviews are vicious across the board…and, frankly, I’m not too surprised. Don’t see this—I guarantee there are better, smarter, and funnier choices out there, in both new movies and ones that have been out for a while that you just haven't caught yet.
2. “Ninja Assasin” - This comes to us from director James McTeigue, and producers The Wachowikis, the same team behind V for Vendetta, one of the rare action films that get better the more you watch them. I’m not sure where I stand on this one, though; the reviews range from weak to mediocre (and some good, to be fair), and I can’t say the plot—about a rogue ninja who vows to bring down a secret society of assassins—has me rushing to the theater. Still, I like the talent involved, and the action looks slick and actually quite fun. Also, it might be a great showcase for Korean pop sensation Rain in the title role (who you might remember from the Wachowkis’ underrated Speed Racer) and Naomie Harris, so great in 28 Days Later and as Tia Dalma in the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels. How often do we get a big movie with an Asian lead, right? It’s a welcome change of pace, and I applaud the Wachowskis for paving the road for more casting like this. I doubt this will be a great film, but, ever since the disappointing Matrix sequels, I think the Wachowikis redeemed themselves and had their hand in quality works, ably mixing smarts and entertainment--hopefully this will follow suit.
3. “Me and Orson Welles” - Of all the new releases this week, I think this looks best. Tracking a young actor’s (Zac Efron) experience working with the legendary Orson Welles (he of Citizen Cane and Touch of Evil fame) and his world-famous Mercury Theatre, this promises both good drama and an always personal-favorite of mine—period romance. This comes to us from prolific director Richard Linklater (School of Rock, the lovely Before Sunrise and Sunset, Waking Life)—I love that we can never predict what he'll do next, and, while I’m not always a fan of his films (the trippy—but ultimately kind of frustrating—A Scanner Darkly comes to mind), he tackles every different genre with energy and intelligent writing. Plus, Efron is really a superstar-in-waiting; I actually watched 17 Again (yep, not ashamed to admit…well, not too much so), and while the movie had problems, there were a few scenes where Efron proved he could tackle more challenging material. He definitely has chops, and him choosing an independent, non-tween-fanbase project like this (as well as stepping out of the planned Footloose remake) shows he’s serious about his future career (and kudos to him on that front!). The reviews are pretty strong as well, with plenty of kind notices for co-star Claire Danes and, especially, Christian McCkay in the unenviable position of bringing to life that larger-than-life figure of Orson Welles. I adore stories about life in the theatre, the electricity on stage and the magic of creating something alive for the audience, so this looks right up my alley—great talent, an interesting angle on a Hollywood legend, and I like the sparks we see in the trailer (see it below) between Efron’s naïve actor and Claire Danes’ theater manager. It’s playing in limited release for now in Los Angeles and New York, but it should expand in the coming weeks as we move though December.
4. “The Road” - Cormac McCarthy’s original book (on which this move is based) is a Pulitzer-prize winner, and, judging by the people I talked to, just an overall adored piece of work. I bought the book a while ago, and flipping through it, there’s a real power in the language, and in the barren, global-catastrophe-stricken world that McCarthy describes. I think this movie adaptation, which is getting mixed to great reviews, looks like it's very much worth seeing. The book is on my must-read pile, and though I wasn’t as enthusiastic as most people about the previous McCarthy adaptation, the Oscar-winning No Country for Old Men, I think this father-and-son story of survival (in what can best be described as a sprawling, living hell-on-Earth) looks to be an intelligent and quite compelling experience. Starring one of my favorite actors, Viggo Mortenson (who’s been on absolute roll following Aragorn (!)--if you have the chance, check out his Oscar-nominated, killer turn as a Russian in Eastern Promises), as well as small roles for Guy Pierce (from the amazing Memento), Robert Duvall, and Charlize Theron. Mortenson has shown some quality, classy taste in his choices over the years, so this is high on my must-see list—perhaps it won’t be “entertaining” in the 2012, end-of-the-world way, or stack up to the much-respected source material, but this looks like the type of film that we should definitely see somewhere down the line.
5. “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee” - Don’t know too much about this one, save that it’s based on the writer/director’s novel of the same name, but I am very intrigued by this top-notch cast. The amazing Robin Wright (to me, she'll always be Princess Butercup in The Princess Bride) stars as the tile character, and she’s backed up by Keanu Reeves (love him in drama roles), Alan Arkin, Julianne Moore, Winona Ryder, and Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively as the younger version of Wright’s Pippa Lee (ah, Serena van der Woodsen, how big a crush I used to have on you…). The story seems to revolve around Pippa Lee, an emotionally damaged trophy wife who slowly reevaluates her existence, particularly though an affair with her druggie next door neighbor (Reeves). Could be an interesting watch—the reviews are certainly good (if not great), and the talent in front of the camera is strong enough to overcome a potentially slim-sounding storyline. It’s in limited release right now, playing in a few theaters in both New York and Los Angeles—looks like a solid choice for those looking for a mature adult drama, even if this doesn’t exactly strike me as something that must be caught in theaters.And that’s all we have for this Thanksgiving weekend. What do you guys think looks interesting or worth catching?
I’m going to try to catch Me and Orson Welles in these next few weeks, especially before the onslaught of great-looking Oscar hopefuls like Nine, The Lovely Bones, and Avatar.
Hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving, and see you next weekend!
P.S. For a fun bonus (and, really, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without this) here’s a great clip from one of the best Friends episodes ever, with Brad Pitt coming over for Thanksgiving dinner...and meeting his great nemesis, Rachel Green…and complex carbohydrates!
P.P.S. Catch the whole classic Friends episode (free and legally, until November 29) here!
Image courtesy of Warner Home Video and Paramount Home Video.
Clips courtesy of Trailer Addict.
No comments:
Post a Comment