Thursday, May 10, 2007

This week's movie openings.

 

1. Georgia Rule (2,523 theaters): Forget Spider-Man 3, Pirates of the Carribean at Worlds End or Shrek 3, this is the movie of the summer. Watch out records, this movie is going to break all of you!

Okay, maybe not. Kind of a weird cast, an Oscar winner, an Oscar nominee, and Lindsay Lohan. I don't know if this movie is a step down for Huffman and Fonda or a step up for Lohan.

The studio should thank the fact that Lohan is such a party animal. If she actually turned up for work on time and did her job, then there would be absolutely no buzz about the movie.

The story appears to be that of an out-of -control teen (Lohan) who is sent by her mother (Huffman) to live with her grandmother (Fonda) in the hopes that she will get straightened out.

There is so much estrogen in that last paragraph that I feel all girlish just writing it. I like a chick flick as much as the next straight man, but this one is a little too much. Thank god the wife has no interest in it either.

Not that if you want to see it, you're a bad person. Just not my cup of tea.

 

2. 28 Weeks Later (2,303 Theaters): I have yet to see 28 Days Later (which I should rectify either tonight or tomorrow), but I'm not exactly sure about this one. First off, Danny Boyle is gone. Second, Cillian Murphy is not back. Third, every preview I see is a little light on the zombies, which would have made up for the other two.

The movie picks up, naturally, 28 weeks after the viral outbreak that turned most of London into zombies in the last movie. The infection is supposed to be gone, so the U.S. is repopulating London with survivors of the outbreak. Unfortunately, the virus isn't as gone as everybody thinks it is, and zombies start reappearing. The U.S. forces respond the way you think they would to the virus' return--they bomb the hell out of London.

I do like the "survivors returning to the scene of the outbreak" plot point. I'm not such a fan of the "U.S. responds to difficulty by bombing the heck out it", no matter how true it is. Hopefully, that is a last ditch effort by the troops. Because you think that any armed forces that would do as much planning as it would take to repopulate a major city such as London would have another failsafe besides "bomb them back to the stone age."

Of all the movies this week, this is the one I would probably see. However, I'll probably be seeing alone, because Jen doesn't like zombies quite as much as I do.

 

 3. Delta Farce (1,931 Theaters): And then there's this one. The wittiest part about this movie is the poster, which is a parody of the one for Full Metal Jacket.

Bill Engvall, Larry the Cable Guy and DJ Qualls star as soldiers supposedly on their way to Iraq who mistakenly land in Mexico. Yeah, I don't know how that could happen either. Anyway, they blow up a town a little before they end up saving it. Or something like that. I really couldn't be bothered finding out what the real plot is.

You know, Dubya is always quick to label anyone who just has the hint of a criticism about the war as not supporting the troops. I wonder if he'll say the same about the people who made this movie. It portrays the U.S. Army as a bunch of incompetent fools  That seems just a little bit insulting.

But odds are, if Dubya speaks out on any movie, it'll be 28 Weeks Later. Because Larry the Cable Guy is more popular with the people who support him than zombies are.

I heard a rumor that Larry the Cable Guy is actually from Michigan or some place like that, and not a redneck at all. I don't know if that's true or not, but I like the sound of that. Feel free to spread that around if you wish.

 

 

 

4. The Ex (1,009 theaters): I don't know much about this movie. IMDB says that it's about a slacker (Zach Braff) who has to work for his in-laws when his wife (Amanda Peet) steps away from her high paying job when she gets pregnant. Apparently, one of his co-workers is an ex-flame of Peet's, hence the title. I should go see it, because it might be my life story in a couple of years.

The cast is out of this world. In addition to Braff and Peet, two actors who I like, they are joined by Jason Bateman, Charles Grodin, Mia Farrow, Donal Logue, Amy Poehler, Amy Adams, Josh Charles and Fred Armisen. A lot of my favorites in that line-up. They might not be the highest grossing or most exciting group of actors, but they all have done a lot of great work in the past.

But it is only in 1,009 theaters, so odds are that it won't be knocking off Spider-Man 3 at the top of the list. Not anything opening this week will.

So, what do I think the top 5 movies will be this week? I'm glad you asked.

 

  1. Spider-Man 3
  2. 28 Weeks Later
  3. Disturbia
  4. Georgia Rules
  5. Delta Farce

I don't think any of these have what it takes to knock Spider-Man 3 out of the top spot. And I believe Delta Farce and Georgia Rule could very well switch places. Of course, I also could be thinking the rest of America likes zombie movies as much as I do, and 28 Week Later could be lower. We'll see.    



2 comments:

  1. I really hope to god that Delta Farce doesn't break the top five.  I like to have faith in humanity.

    ReplyDelete
  2. [this is good] Disturbia very soon now :) 14 april

    ReplyDelete