Friday, June 25, 2010

In Theaters: June 25

Here are some of what hits theaters this weekend.

Opening in wide release:

Director: Dennis Dugan
Stars: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider
Rated: PG-13

In this comedy, five school friends reunite after the passing of their high school basketball coach. They decide to bring their families all together for a Fourth of July holiday.




Director: James Mangold
Stars: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard
Rated: PG-13

A woman (Cameron Diaz) gets pulled into the world of a secret agent (Tom Cruise) after a fateful meeting on a flight.



Opening in limited release:

Director: Sebastian Junger
Not Rated

Director: Alain Resnais
Stars: Andre Dussollier, Sabine Azema
Rated: PG

Director: Giorgos Lanthimos
Stars: Christos Stergioglou, Michele Valley
Not Rated

I'll probably end up seeing Grown Ups at some point, but Knight and Day just looks dumb. Tom Cruise or no Tom Cruise, the trailer doesn't exactly pull me in. Not to mention I'm no Cameron Diaz fan. I saw an episode of The Ultimate Trailer Show on HDNet which highlighted Restrepo, and it definitely looks interesting.

There are some releases coming up on Wednesday, including one movie I'm sure most of you will loathe. More info will be posted next week.

What are you looking forward to seeing?

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

On on Blu-Ray and DVD Today (June 22, 2010)

Take a look at some of what is out on Blu-Ray and DVD today:

Remember Me
Rated: PG-13, 1 hr. 53 min.

She's Out of My League
Rated: R, 1 hr. 44 min.

The Last Station
Rated: R, 1 hr. 52 min.

Green Zone
Rated: R, 1 hr. 55 min.

A Star is Born: Blu-Ray
Rated: PG, 2 hrs. 56 min.

TiMER
Rated: R, 1 hr. 39 min.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightening Thief
Rated: PG, 1 hr. 48 min.

Entourage: The Complete 6th Season
Rated: TV-MA

I'm considering getting a copy of Remember Me, because, despite it starring Robert Pattinson, I actually liked it. The Last Station is an Oscar-nominee, so I'd like to see that.

What are planning on buying or seeing?

Thursday, June 17, 2010

In Theaters: June 18th

Take a look at some of what hits theaters this weekend.

Opening in wide release:

Director: Lee Unkrich
Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
Rated: G

The long-awaited and highly-anticipated third installment of Toy Story finally arrives. Woody, Buzz, and the rest of our favorite toys get dumped off at a day care center as all-grown-up Andy packs for college. Now the toys must escape from the sticky fingers of the toddlers at the day care and find their way back to Andy.




Director: Jimmy Hayward
Stars: Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Megan Fox
Rated: PG-13

In this film based on a comic book, the U.S. Military gives bounty hunter Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) a bargain: in exchange for freedom from warrants against him, he must find a terrorist (John Malkovich) who plans to unleash Hell on earth (like any good evil nemesis).




Opening in limited release:

Director: Luca Guadagnino
Stars: Tilda Swinton, Flavio Parenti
Rated: R

Director: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass
Stars: John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Marisa Tomei
Rated: R

Director: Agnes Jaoui
Stars: Jean-Pierre Bacri, Jamel Debbouze, Agnes Jaoui
Not Rated

Of course, having actually been a child when the first Toy Story came out, I'm probably more excited to see Toy Story 3 than most children today. I'll be skipping Jonah Hex, though. Megan Fox's horrible accent seems grating, and her acting seems flat. Not to mention the plot itself doesn't much appeal to me.

What are you looking forward to seeing?

Sunday, June 6, 2010

MTV Movie Awards Winners

Here is the complete winner's list for tonight's MTV Movie Awards.

BEST MOVIE
The Twilight Saga: New Moon

BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE
Kristen Stewart, The Twilight Saga: New Moon

BEST MALE PERFORMANCE
Robert Pattinson, The Twilight Saga: New Moon

BEST BREAKOUT STAR
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
Zach Galifianakis, The Hangover

BEST VILLIAN
Tom Felton, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

BEST FIGHT
Beyonce Knowles vs. Ali Larter, Obsessed

BEST KISS
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, The Twilight Saga: New Moon

BEST WTF MOMENT
Ken Jeong, The Hangover - Naked Trunk Surprise

GLOBAL SUPERSTAR
Robert Pattinson

BEST SCARED-AS-SH**T-PERFORMANCE
Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer's Body

BIGGEST BADASS STAR
Rain

MTV GENERATION AWARD
Sandra Bullock

Unsurprisingly, Twilight Saga: New Moon swept the night, winning in every category it was nominated. As much as I love the Harry Potter series, I was disappointed that Tom Felton won over Christoph Waltz. Tom Felton (AKA Draco Malfoy) would have been my second choice from these nominations. I would have preferred Emma Watson over Kristen Stewart for Best Female Performance, since Kristen doesn't really perform all that well. The "Best Fight" award was not broadcast, and inexplicably Beyonce vs. Ali Larter won (people actually saw Obsessed?). Tonight's broadcast had some funny moments (host Aziz Ansari did a fairly decent job), but it also had many moments that had me scratching my head (Russell Brand and Jonah Hill fighting over Team Jacob or Team Edward). I was more excited about the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows preview than I was about most of the awards, really, but the preview was short and left me wanting more. Then again, that's what it's meant to do. My favorite part of the night was Sandra Bullock accepting her Generation Award, because she continued being her fun, lively, amazing self.

What are your thoughts on tonights awards show and the winners?

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Out on Blu-Ray and DVD Today (June 1, 2010)

Here is a bit of what is out on Blu-Ray/DVD today:

Alice in Wonderland
Rated: PG, 1 hr. 48 min.
Available in Blu-Ray, DVD, and combo pack with digital download.

The Wolfman
Rated: R, 1 hr. 43 min.
Personally, I found the movie boring and trite, so I would suggest renting this before buying just in case. Better yet, just go find the original from 1941.

Tony Manero
1 hr. 37 min.

Der Rote Baron (The Red Baron)
Rated: PG-13, 1 hr. 46 min.

Rescue Me: The Complete Fifth Season
Rated: TV-MA

Burn Notice: Season 3

I've already bought my copy of Alice in Wonderland (the blu-ray, DVD, digital copy combo pack) and I would suggest you do the same. However, I would recommend you just rent the original The Wolfman instead of buying the new version, or at least rent it first.

Ogres, Rumpelstiltskin, and a Fun Final Chapter





Shrek Forever After

Directed By: Mike Mitchell

Starring: Mike Meyers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas

Rated: PG

1 hr. 33 min.

Everyone's favorite green ogre returns in the "final chapter" of the Shrek fairy tale. Shrek (Mike Meyers) is worn down by his hectic life with the wife Fiona (Cameron Diaz), his three ogre babies, tourists invading his swamp, and not getting a moment to himself. Fed up, he explodes at the triplets' first birthday party, and cunning Rumplestiltskin (Walt Dohrn) overhears. Rumpelstiltskin tricks Shrek into a contract where he trades a day from his early life to have a day for himself. It backfires, as magical contracts do, and Shrek is thrust into an alternate world where Rumpelstiltskin is King of Far Far Away, Fiona is the leader of a renegade war group of ogres planning a rebellion, Donkey has no clue who Shrek is, and Puss (Antonio Banderas) is a pampered fat cat. Shrek has one day to figure out how to break the contract, or he disappears...forever.

The first Shrek film is fun, and a personal favorite of mine. However, the second and third films' stories felt thrown together for the sake of having two popular sequels. Shrek Forever After brings back a lot of the fun and originality of the first, probably because it is almost a complete reworking of the first film's plot. Plenty of funny moments for the whole family occur, particularly with lazy Puss. Actually, the immature child in me cracked up every time Rumplestiltskin's pet goose appeared on the screen.

Despite being slightly ridiculous at times and a basic reworking of the first film, and despite having a neatly-tied-up ending, Shrek Forever After is a great way to wrap up the Shrek story and a wonderful family film.

Grade: A-

Thursday, May 27, 2010

In Theaters: May 27, 2010

Take a look at what is opening this weekend.

Director: Mike Newell
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley
Rated: PG-13

Based on the video game, the titular prince Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) joins up with Tamina (Gemma Arterton) to safeguard a dagger holding the Sands of Time in an effort to keep it from an evil ruler who plans to use the Sands of Time to destroy the world.

Opening in Wide Release:

Director: Michael Patrick King
Stars: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall
Rated: R

The sequel to the first Sex and the City, as well as to the television show, follows the lives of Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha. This time the film follows them from New York all the way to Abu Dhabi.

Trailer:



Opening in Limited Release:

Director: George A. Romero
Stars: Alan Van Sprang, Kenneth Walsh, Richard Fitzpatrick
Rated: R
See my review of this film here.

Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Stars: Dany Boon, Andre Dussollier, Nicolas Marie, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Yolande Moreau
Rated: R

Obviously I enjoyed Survival of the Dead, so I suggest that if it is playing in your city, go see it. I hope to see Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. As far as Sex and the City 2 goes, well, I'll probably be skipping that one.

What are you looking forward to seeing?