Movies This Weekend! 12/19/08

It’s about to get really crowded in theatres… well, at least in terms of product.  If you’re closer to a smaller location, you might want to go check out that movie before it leaves the theatre because that’s bound to happen a lot sooner now that we’ve got more movies.  Three this week (in wide release), then a few more on Christmas day… which doesn’t leave much room for older movies.  Let’s take a look at what’s going to be offered on Friday.  I think it’s a pretty strong slate actually.  It’ll definitely make things interesting for the Christmas holiday in terms of what people choose to go see.

The Tale of Desperaux, Directed by Sam Fell, Rated G

In the kingdom of Dor, there used to be magic in the air, laughter, and anything you could possibly want.  However, a terrible accident left the king broken-hearted, and the kingdom became despondent.  Hope in the world was lost, and everything became grey.  Then Desperaux Tilling was born.  A small mouse, he cannot stand to be confined in his world, and is banished when he refuses to follow the rules expected of a mouse.  He refuses to be weak, despite being wheezy and having oversized ears.  He soon meets up with Roscuro, a fellow outcast; a rat who refuses to live in the underground like his kind.  Together, they embark on a noble quest to change the way their world is.

Yes Man, Directed by Peyton Reed, Rated PG-13

Carl Allen was never one to say yes to anything.  He lived a sheltered life, avoiding anything that could possibly be bad.  However, when he signs up for a self-help program that is solely based around saying “yes” to everything, he finds that his life can be changed in amazing and crazy ways.  However, he also discovers that it’s not always good to open your life to endless possibilities.

Seven Pounds, Directed by Gabriele Muccino, Rated PG-13

Will Smith is reunited with the directors and producers of The Pursuit of Happyness in this emotional drama.  Ben Thomas is an IRS agent with a secret, and must embark on a journey of redemption.  On his way, he will seek to forever change the lives of seven strangers, a task he must complete in order to obtain redemption.

Joe’s Weekend Outlook

As I mentioned before, these are very strong films.  We’ve got a good children’s movie coming out in Desperaux, a serious drama in Seven Pounds, and a comedy in Yes Man.  Basically, if there’s something you want to see or take someone to, you’ve got options this weekend.  However, with how close it is to Christmas, and all those gift cards yet to be distributed, I think that we’ll be disappointed at the Box.  I’m going to go with Seven Pounds in the number one spot, only because its hard to bet against Will Smith recently.  Desperaux will follow that in my rankings, and Yes Man will finish in third of the wide releases.

What do you plan on seeing this weekend?  Or will you just wait for Christmas?

Images for this post were provided by Movie Poster dot Com.

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Weekend Wrap Up: The Box Office Stood Still… Almost

Well, the holiday shopping season is now in full swing… and it did reflect somewhat at the Box Office.  Keanu Reeves’ The Day the Earth Stood Still did manage to grab the top spot, but following right behind it was Four Christmases, which remained strong.  Hard to believe that movie has made $87.8 Million Dollars!!!  Here’s how the rest of the box office looked (after the jump): Read more

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‘New Moon’ Gets a Director: Fans Probably Won’t Care

I’ve just read from a couple places (Variety and The Brock and Roll Blog), that Chris Weitz has been tapped to direct New Moon.  For those of you who haven’t caught onto the Twilight bandwagon, New Moon is the second in a series of books written by Stephanie Meyer.  The basic plotline is that there are vampires among us, and the main character, Bella, falls in love with one of them, Edward. Read more

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Movies This Weekend! 12/12/08

We’re getting closer to the holidays, and yes, the holiday movies are starting to come in.  One movie that’s supposed to be huge, a kids movie, and another holiday movie.  Yep, that’s right…. another holiday movie.  I’m actually pretty happy about that because it’s what people are looking for around this time of year.  It may be corny, but christmas and holiday movies tend to do well around the holiday they are about!  Let’s take a closer look at what’s in store for moviegoers this weekend:

Delgo, Directed by Jason Maurer, Rated PG

The land of Jhamora is inhabited by two peoples who are extremely prejudiced against each other.  There are the Nohrin, winged masters of the skies, and the Lockni, who live on the land, and have harnessed it’s powers.  Delgo is a reckless Lockni teenager who develops a forbidden friendship with Kyla, the Nohrin Princess.  When their people find out about their friendship, hostilities rise.  In this time of trouble, the old exiled empress takes the opportunity to reclaim her lost throne.  Delgo is imprisoned falsely, but to escape, he must put aside his differences and join forces with his enemy, travelling through the land of Perran.

Nothing Like the Holidays, Directed by Rick Najera, Rated PG-13

The Rodriguez family is coming home to Chicago to celebrate the holidays, and the return of their youngest brothers from combat overseas.  Each one in the family has their own issues to deal with.  Returning home, Jesse finds his feelings for an old flame rekindled, while his sister has been trying to acheive her goal of becoming an actress for years with nothing to show for it.  To top things off, the oldest Rodriguez son has brought home an executive wife, much to the dismay of his mother.  When their mother reveals that she will be divorcing their father, the three siblings begin to think about their past a reconsider their futures.  Suddenly, when one of them is faced with a real life crisis, the entire family pulls together, and discover that they are much stronger than they ever realized.

The Day the Earth Stood Still, Directed by Scott Derrickson, Rated PG-13

A remake of a 1951 sci-fi classic.  Keanu Reeves plays an alien who comes to Earth, trying to convince them that they need to save their world.  An unstoppable robot is dispatched to Earth, and only one phrase stands in it’s way “Klatuu Barad Nikto”.  Fans of the old film will be glad to see that this made it into the movie, but you’ll have to listen carefully to hear it!

Joe’s Weekend Outlook

I think that there are three strong films coming out this weekend.  Four Christmases should be dethroned as the number one movie this week, especially with a second holiday movie in Nothing Like the Holidays.  The advantage that Four Christmases has is that its a comedy and is easier to watch (comedies are generally easier to watch, in my opinion), than Nothing Like the Holidays should be.  We’ve also got a potential blockbuster in The Day the Earth Stood Still.  A lot of sci-fi fans should be heading out to see if this compares at all to the original.  I’m actually pretty interested in that movie, so I’m going to try to check it out, but I’ve got plenty of catching up to do as well.

I’m also really far behind on the Christmas shopping… will you make it to the movies this weekend?

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Weekend Wrap Up: The Holidays Take their Toll

As I said in when I previewed the movies this past weekend, I didn’t really think that the films being released were appropriate for the time of the year.  Well, the box office really showed that, with Four Christmases taking home the top spot again.  In fact, the films that were released did so poorly, only two of them cracked the top 10!  Let’s see how the box office rounded out: Read more

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Movies This Weekend! 12/4/08

After a pretty big box office last weekend, will this week be able to match or even top it?  If I had to give my opinion (and I’m going to), I don’t think so.  We do have a few films that could make some noise, but I think that last week’s offerings were better.  Let’s take a look at what we have to look forward to this weekend!

Cadillac Records, Directed by Darnell Martin, Rated R

A film that explores the rise of Chess Records and the artists that rose to fame with it.  Leonard Chess, a young Polish emigrant hires a talented blues duo.  Fascinated by the sounds they produce, and wanting to get in on the lucrative recording industry, Chess arranges a recording session for Muddy Waters, one of the two he hired.  Waters’ initial recordings make their way up the R+B chart, and he becomes a success.

Chess tries to treat all his artists like family, buying them a Cadillac when they record their first hit.  However, conflicts of interests between all his artists begin to cause issues with his increasingly talented prodigies.  Soon, all of his artists are displaying their troubles, and trying to stay united while more and more scandals become revealed to them.  As Rock n Roll begins to rise, Chess’s artists try to move on as they are taken over by other popular artists.  However, each of them has lost a small fortune trying to live the high life, yet their spirit remains strong.  Chess eventually moves on and gets out of the record industry, but the blues live on.

I can’t even write this synopsis with any justice to the film without revealing too much! Sorry!

Nobel Son, Directed by Randall Miller, Rated R

A tale of familial dysfunction, betrayal, lust, and all that other good stuff.  Barkley Michaelson is trying to finish his PhD thesis when his father wins the Nobel prize.  However, his father’s past begins to catch up with him when Barkley is kidnapped on the even of the Nobel being accepted.  His father refuses to pay the ransom to free his son.  Soon, however, he will learn that payback is quite the b*tch.

Punisher: War Zone, Directed by Lexi Alexander, Rated R

Frank Castile continues to wage his war on the world of organized crime, setting his target on mob boss Billy Russoti.  After Russoti is left disfigured by Castile, he begins his plan for revenge as a new man, Jigsaw.  With Russoti’s men hot on his trail, and the FBI not able to bring in Jigsaw, Castile must stand up for himself to the army that is after him, to ensure that good will prevail.

Joe’s Weekend Outlook

I’m kinda surprised that with this being the holiday season, that studios would decide to release 3, count em, 3, rated R movies.  Do they not understand the atmosphere of the holiday season?  I may be wrong, but I really think that a movie like Four Christmases was perfect for the time.  Do people really want a couple of heart-wrenching tragedies or an action thriller about someone who is trying to fight an army of darkness?  I don’t think so.  That being said, because they’re new films, they’ll at least crack the top 10… but don’t be surprised to find those theatres less full than those for Bolt and Four Christmases.

What do you think… do you agree with me?

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Weekend Wrap Up: We’re in the Holiday Mood

This past weekend had the potential for quite a few of the movies to come out on top, and it seems like people are really starting to get into the holiday mood. Four Christmases wrapped up the top spot, with a bow on top, taking in 31.1 Million on the weekend to bring its total gross up to 46.1 million.  Lets see how the rest of the box office shaped up: Read more

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Joe’s Review: Bolt (in 3-D)

For those of you who haven’t had a chance to check out Bolt yet, I highly recommend you do.  If you have the chance to see it in Disney Digital 3-D, go out there and check it out for sure.  Bolt has to be one of the better movies that I’ve seen this holiday season.  While the numbers have not favored the film at the box office (its sitting at 66.9 M as I write this) those do not do the film justice.  This might have something to do with the bias towards Pixar films when it comes to CG movies, but don’t let that deter you.

Bolt is the story of a dog who actually thinks he is a superhero.  He believes that his goal in life is to defend his person, Penny (Miley Cyrus), and will do anything for her.  To help him believe this, the producers of the show have immersed Bolt in this lifestyle, making him believe he actually has super powers and is a hero.  Penny truly loves Bolt, and wants only the best for him.  However, the show is suffering from falling ratings, and to try to draw people, they add a cliffhanger into their latest episode.  Unfortunately for Bolt, he really believes that Penny is still in danger, and breaks out in order to try to rescue her.

During his search, Bolt ends up in a packing box and is shipped across the country unknowingly.  On his journey  back to rescue Penny, he befriends a few other creatures: Mittens, a declawed and abandoned housecat living in New York, and Rhino, a hamster who wants nothing more than to help his hero, Bolt, on his journey.  Throughout their adventure, Bolt discovers the truth behind who he really is, and faces many obstacles in getting back to his person, Penny.

To find out more, check out the movie!  I’d like to comment on the 3-D part, because I saw it.  It’s pretty traditional in that you need to use glasses in order to see the 3-D, but it was done very well.  There are objects flying out at you, and it really does immerse you in the action quite a bit.  What was even better is that there were trailers in 3-D, which were excellent.  I know that watching a movie in 3-D costs more, but if it’s available, as I said before, you should definitely check it out.  It really gives a new perspective on how you can watch movies, and makes you see what theatres can still offer that you can’t get at home.  The experience is worth the extra cost.

Bolt is a great family movie, and I enjoyed the characters of Bolt and Rhino tremendously.  John Travolta does an excellent job, and Miley wasn’t even that annoying (even though I can’t stand her voice).  Disney did an incredible job on animation, they might actually be catching up to Pixar!  The only thing this movie could have used was a short beforehand, but I’m not going to complain.  I haven’t genuinely laughed this hard during a movie for a while.. and it was one that the girl and I actually enjoyed together!

Rating:

- This is not a film to miss.  See it in 3-D!

If this stirring review doesn’t inspire you… maybe this clip will!

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