This weekend, it’s all about Avatar. James Cameron’s mega-expansive sci-fi behemoth is looking to make a big splash (and is very much worth it, but more on that later), and very few movies are challenging the self-named King of the World. Still, there’s a bit of something for everyone, especially if, like me, you can never go wrong with a Hugh Grant romantic comedy. Let’s take a look at the new releases… [breakdown of new releases after the jump]
1. “Avatar” - By now, you’ve seen the trailers, the TV ads, the posters, the non-stop interviews with the cast and crew. Avatar is being sold as a big deal, an important step in the evolution of filmmaking…and it’s very well-deserved praise. We just caught this last night in IMAX 3-D (expect a full review from one of us in the next week; Luke is currently putting the finishing touches on his The Lovely Bones review), and it’s a hell of a good time. A big, smart, and surprisingly emotionally engaging ride, and a trip to a whole new world like only the movies could deliver. The story follows Jake Sully (Terminator Salvation’s Sam Worthington, in an excellent performance and one that should officially make him a star), a paraplegic ex-marine who gets sent to the distant moon of Pandora. Using a breakthrough in science, he is able to able to interact with the locals, a race of 10-ft-tall, cat-like, blue beings called the Na’vi, through the Avatar program (headed by Sigourney Weaver, star of Cameron’s Aliens), all done by transferring his consciousness into the body of a genetically engineered Na’vi. From there, the film launches headfirst into the world of these “alien” beings, as Jake has a great change of heart and steps up to defend Pandora from the natural-resource-obsessed human military. As we’ll talk about later, the film’s not perfect; I think its biggest hurdle is that we’ve seen this story before—it’s essentially Pocahontas, albeit with probably the best special effects ever put on screen. But though you could foresee pretty much every story beat, the experience itself is fascinating and enormously entertaining. This is an amazing world created here, and the characters that roam Pandora’s wide-spanning forests and floating mountains, particularly Worthington and his love interest, Zoe Saldana’s Na’vi warrior, Neytiri, are well-written and all sympathetic (a nice relief from what could have easily been a hollow, very pretty spectacle). If you can, be sure to catch this in theaters—it will be fine on DVD, but this is the kind of experience that demands the biggest screen possible. 
2. “Did You Hear About the Morgans?” - I’m pretty positive this will be a weak film. I’m also positive that I’ll watch it…and, knowing me, probably more than once as it makes its rounds on HBO and TNT. The thing is, I think Hugh Grant is the absolute best romantic comedy lead out there. He brings just the right amount of self-deprecating charm and wit every time, and he raises what should often be disposable films (ie, Two Weeks Notice, Music & Lyrics, Mickey Blue Eyes) into something that I just keep watching. Same goes here: the concept—about a bickering high-class New York couple forced to go into the Witness Protection Program in Wyoming (ah, the countryside—what horror!) after witnessing a murder—sounds pretty lame, and yet the trailer still made me laugh. I think Parker’s a likable actress as well, even though I couldn’t stand the Sex and the City film, and the two of them together (after their first pairing ages ago in the murder drama, Extreme Measures) might be enough to make this a breezy, if forgettable, good time (the great Sam Elliot, here playing (you guessed it) a cowboy helps too). Reviews are pretty awful, so I think this is probably best saved for DVD or cable. Still, by now, you’d know if you want to see this or not, and I’m sure there are far worse date flicks out there. This is from writer/director Marc Lawrence who also made Two Weeks Notice, Miss Congeniality, and Music & Lyrics—minus Miss Congeniality’s awful sequel, all of those films are ones that I’ve enjoyed and kept re-watching over the years. This will probably join that club—a probable mix of goofy humor, bad plotting, and very charismatic actors.And, on a final note, while I love Grant and always glad to see him working, here’s hoping he’ll take on a meaty role in a drama some time soon—he’s just as talented as his more respected British peers (and hilarious in person), so I’d love for him to remind us of that once again.
3. “The Young Victoria” - Like this week's Crazy Heart, this has been getting plenty of buzz for star Emily Blunt's lead performance. She’s going to be huge one day (if she’s not already)—she’s talented, beautiful, and, so far, has shown excellent taste in films, taking quality supporting parts (ie, Dan in Real Life, The Young Buck Howard, The Jane Austen Book Club) as opposed to leading roles in bland star vehicles. And, come on, even Meryl Streep admitted she’s one of the best young actresses, particularly after Blunt stole The Devil Wears Prada from its more known stars, Streep and Anne Hathaway. This looks like her first big leading role, and the subject—about Queen Victoria’ rise to the British throne—is ripe for awards attention, not to mention some good historical drama. I like period pieces such as this, and, like Shakespeare in Love and many others, it features a who’s-who of top-notch British talent in supporting roles (including Jim Broadbent, Miranda Richardson, and my personal favorite, A Knight's Tale's Paul Bettany!). Could be worthwhile—the topic is interesting, the script is from the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Gosford Park (one of the best films I’ve ever seen), and I’m sure Blunt will rise to the occasion to deliver a superb central performance, with hopefully a well-deserved first Oscar nomination as a result.
4. “Crazy Heart” - I'm not too familiar with this film, other than all the awards attention it’s been getting for star Jeff Bridges. He already has Golden Globes and Screen Actor’s guild nominations for this part—that of an aging country musician out to rediscover his humanity—and the film sounds like one of those quiet, powerful dramas than sneak in around Oscar season and steal the thunder from more obvious candidates. It co-stars one of my favorite actresses, Maggie Gyllenhaal (Stranger than Fiction, Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight), and Bridges has consistently been one of our finest and more respected performers. Seriously, the guy is so consistently good, I often take it for granted—he casually puts in solid work in popular films like Iron Man and Tron (with its sequel out next year!), and yet knocks it out of the park in smaller, more thoughtful roles like Seabiscuit and K-PAX (not to mention his iconic turn as The Dude in The Big Lebowski, a role he semi-reprised in the fun surfing-penguin cartoon, Surf’s Up). I hope this gets him the awards love he deserves, and the film itself could be quite good as well, at least judging by the outstanding reviews.And that’s it for this weekend. Minus the questionable Did You Hear about the Morgans? (which I think will still be entertaining, despite its contrived plot), there are some excellent choices out there this weekend. Avatar is an easy recommendation, and I’m really itching to see The Young Victoria as well.
How about you guys? Are you planning to see any of these new movies?
We’ll be back with reviews of The Lovely Bones and Avatar very soon. And, for next week, I’m putting together a list of my favorite Disney hand-drawn-animated cartoons, and Luke and I will post lists of our Top 10 Films of the Decade before the New Year.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Clips courtesy of Trailer Addict.
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