Summer Movie Preview: June

It's all about the aliens this month ...

JUNE 1

Snow White and the Huntsman - This spring's Mirror Mirror turned out to be decent, but even before I saw that, I had higher hopes for this film, which looks to take Snow White in a more adrenalized direction - and Charlize Theron makes for a formidable wicked queen.

JUNE 8

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted - I've never much been into the Madagascar series. They're emblematic of everything wrong with DreamWorks animation - emphasizing gags over characters, and a soundtrack by K-Tel designed to give parents something to bop to. Meh.

Prometheus - Oh, HELL yes. After The Dark Knight Rises, this is the summer movie I'm most looking forward to seeing. Ridley Scott can be maddeningly inconsistent, but my feeling is he's firing on all thrusters here - and whoever says this isn't an Alien prequel is a damn liar.


JUNE 15


Rock of Ages - On the one hand, I'm not much for 80s nostalgia, but on the other hand, I very much enjoyed Adam Shannkman's Hairspray. Plus Tom Cruise looks like he's having a lot of fun, and Julianne Hough is super cute. I'm in.

That's My Boy: Adam Sandler's latest attempt to pander to people who are perpetually 13 years old. And even that may be aiming too high. I'm out.

JUNE 22

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - You know, it's funny. I might be looking forward to this even more than Spielberg's Lincoln biopic due later this year.

Brave -  Pixar. I still have faith, even if they were coasting a bit with Cars 2.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World - Keira Knightley gets a chance to be funny. The trailer is a trip.



JUNE 29

GI Joe: Retaliation: I don't care if Bruce Willis is in it. Pass. I'm not much into sequels to movies not many people liked in the first place.

Magic Mike: Steven Soderbergh makes a movie about male strippers. Wow.

People Like Us: Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (the writers of Abrams' Star Trek) make their first movie that doesn't rely heavily on CGI,  A fine cast includes Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks and Olvia Wilde.

Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection: Why, yes, I would like to enter such a program - to protect me from Madea.

May Summer Movie preview

And so the summer movie season is upon us! Well, almost. There's still one more week to go before summer officially starts (movie-wise, anyway), but I wanted to get the summer preview completed before I head out to Ebertfest this coming Wednesday. That mean four days to get May, June July and August accounted for. So off I go.

MAY 4


The Avengers: Like everyone else, I've been looking forward to this movie (seems almost wrong to call it a film). But I wasn't THAT hot on it, mostly because I found the recent Marvel slate (Thor, Iron Man II, Captain America, etc.) somewhat underwhelming.
Then I read this.

It's hard to imagine that anyone with an appetite for the trademark's patented brand of fantasy, effects, mayhem and strangely dressed he-men will be disappointed; not only does this eye-popping 3D display of visual effects fireworks feature an enormously high proportion of action scenes, but director Joss Whedon has adroitly balanced the celebrity circus to give every single one of the superstar characters his or her due.

OK, I'm sold.


MAY 11


Dark Shadows: Fans have been up in arms about the comic tone of the trailer, and I've had my own misgivings about Tim Burton's work of late - I found Alice in Wonderland horribly overrated. But I have to admit, I laughed. I like the Beetlejuice-esque tone. I like any chance to look at Eva Green. I like a chance to see Chloe Grace Moretz steal scenes. I'm in.




MAY 18


Battleship: Barnacles! Hell no! I'm disappointed in a talented direcctor like Peter Berg so blatantly ripping off Michael Bay.I want to be a torpedo.


The Dictator: I admired Borat more than I found it actually funny, and Bruno, aside from a couple good sequences, was an out-and-out botch - but I have to admit, the trailer sold me.





What to Expect When You're Expecting: Anna Kendrick and Elizabeth Banks are in it. Good enough for me.


MAY 25


Chernobyl Diaries: So this is a summer release, huh? It better live up to the trailer.





MIB 3: Having Josh Brolin play the young Tommy Lee Jones is a stroke of genius. So why do I feel iffy about this one? Oh, I dunno. Could be because they started shooting without a finished script, which is never a good idea.

Reviewing the Super Bowl movie trailers

Most people who know me know I don't give a pigskin about the Super Bowl, although this year I did have kind of a tangential interest. You see, the Mara family owns the New York Giants, and I have crushes on both Kate (127 Hours) and Rooney (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). It's almost enough to make me wish I were into football.

Since I'm not, however, I shall resort merely to talking about the movie trailers that were on last night. CinemaBlend has them all on this page.

21 Jump Street

Color me unimpressed. I just don't find it that funny. Also, I have a question for the studio. Emma Stone is in your movie. Why haven't you made this evident in the trailers?

Act of Valor

Novel idea to cast active duty Navy SEALS in a movie. We all know the Seals are badasses. That does NOT necessarily mean the movie will be badass. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion it won't be, because I fear the filmmakers will assume the SEALS alone are good enough. A good story and director will help too.

The Avengers

OK, NOW I'm getting a little more excited for this thing!

Battleship

On the other hand, I still think this looks like Transformers: Wet of the Water. Yawn.

The Dictator

I thought Borat was overrated, and I thought Bruno was a mess, but I have to admit, this looks pretty funny. The bit where he shoots the other track runners made me laugh out loud.

GI Joe: Retaliation

No, I guess people don't have to like your first movie for there to be a sequel.

The Hunger Games

Now this I'm all over, even though I haven't read the books. But I'm a fan of Jennifer Lawrence!

John Carter

While I believe The Hunger Games will be the big hit of the spring, I sense this movie may be the big-budget disappointment. Something just seems off here. It looks -- ordinary. Kinda like the vibe I got from Prince of Persia. Oh, you don't remember that one either?

The Lorax

IMAX Tree-D? That's cute. Since it's by the folks who made Despicable Me. I'm hopeful.

On the whole, though, thought it was a rather unremarkable year for movie ads. Save for Avengers, none of the spots changed my opinion on a movie, for good or ill.

New Movies Jan. 27 2012

Can it be? Posts from Sir Critic three days in a row??

Well, yes, it can, because one thing I'm going to start doing again in this cyberspace is offering sharp but pithy thoughts on the new releases Friday. So that established ....

The title links go to Metacritic, which I find to be a more helpful barometer of critical opinion then Rotten Tomatoes (ducks fried green one).

A Dangerous Method: Cronenberg's latest hasn't gotten as much attention as one might guess, considering the subject matter (Jung v Freud) and the cast, but I'll check it out because Cronenberg has never bored me.

The Descendants: Goes wider after getting a bevy of Oscar nominations. See it. You must.  My review.

The Grey - No matter how good or bad it is, this will forever be known as the movie wherein Liam Neeson punches a werewolf - truly a strange turn in his late career as an action star. Reviews for this are actually pretty decent, but I'll probably still avoid it because I'm not a fan of director Joe Carnahan. I thought Narc was good but overrated, and the dreary, dull Smokin' Aces still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Man on a Ledge: At first I was kind of interested in seeing this, mainly because it had a decent trailer and Elizabeth Banks. Regrettably, the negative reviews are scaring me away. However, the lovely and witty Ms. Banks did a very amusing trailer commentary. If she could do this for the entire movie, I might actually check it out.



One for the Money: Katherine Heigl is in it. Sorry, but by now that's an automatic no.

Ah, January.

The Top 13 films of the fall/Holiday season

As the mercury begins to drop, along with the leaves on the trees, the focus in Hollywood turns away from popcorn and more toward Oscars. So I scoured the fall/holiday movie release schedule and came up with 13 titles I’m particularly looking forward to seeing. Aren’t we lucky?

In order of release, with dates subject to change:  

Contagion: The “disease that kills everyone” movie has been made a number of times, but when Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon star, and Steven Soderbergh (“Traffic”) directs, I can only be intrigued.  (Sept. 9)


Moneyball: Although I like baseball, I can’t call myself a rabid fan. And I care even less about the world of finance. This movie, starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, combines both. That sounds like it could be poison, but the story of how the Oakland As used computers to draft players sounds fascinating, even to a non sports/finance fan like me. Bennett Miller ("Capote") directs, and Aaron Sorkin ("The Social Network") and Steven Zaillian ("Schindler's List") write.  (Sept. 23)


The Ides of March: Even if George Clooney hadn’t shot his political drama at Miami University earlier this year, I would still want to see a movie with a cast that also includes Ryan Gosling, Evan Rachel Wood and Marisa Tomei. Since he did shoot at Miami, and I didn’t get to see the filming, I’m all over this one. (Oct. 7)

 J. Edgar: Clint Eastwood directs Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays the infamous FBI Chief. Good enough for me. (Nov. 9)

The Descendants: Yes, George Clooney stars in two movies I’m anxious to see this fall. In this one, he stars as a man trying to reconnect with his daughters and learns his wife was cheating on him. Alexander Payne (“Sideways”) directs for the first time in a too long while.  (Nov. 23)

Hugo: Yes, the director of such violent classics as “Taxi Driver,” “Goodfellas” and “The Departed” tries his hand at a family film, and shoots it in 3D to boot. Better yet, the very talented Chloe Moretz (“Let Me In”) stars. This could be either wonderful or a maddening misfire; any way you slice it, it has to be fascinating. (Nov. 23)

The Muppets: Here is the movie I am most looking forward to this fall. I’ve been a Muppets fan all my life, and it seems like they’re on the rebound after churning out subpar material like “Muppets from Space” and “Muppets Wizard of Oz.” That this co-stars my favorite actress, Amy Adams, only sweetens the deal. (Nov. 23)


The Artist: Here’s the arthouse film I most want to see: A modern-day silent and black and white movie about a silent film star facing the arrival of talking pictures.(Nov. 23)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: I was a great fan of the foreign trilogy starring Noomi Rapace, and now “the feel-bad movie of Christmas” is being directed by David Fincher (“The Social Network”) Yes, please. (Dec. 21)


Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol: Too many people scoff at this franchise and at Tom Cruise, but the trailer for this looks like loads of fun to me, and it’s shot partly in IMAX too, just like “The Dark Knight.” Brad Bird (“The Incredibles” - yes, he's moving from animation to live action) directs. (Dec. 21)


The Adventures of Tintin: I’ve not been a great fan of the motion-capture style of animation used in movies like “Beowulf” and the “Christmas Carol” with Jim Carrey, but when a master of visuals like Steven Spielberg is at the helm, I have to give it a chance. (Dec. 22)

We Bought a Zoo: Cameron Crowe hasn’t directed since the misguided “Elizabethtown” and hasn’t made a truly great movie since “Almost Famous.” I’d say he’s due. Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson star.(Dec. 23) 

War Horse: Spielberg double dose! Having plumbed World War II several times, the director turns his atttenton to World War I and the story of a boy and his horse who serve in the trenches. The trailer looks gorgeous. (Dec. 28)

Summer movie preview 2011

MAY 6

Jumping the Broom: A poster I saw for this movie claimed it would be "the most talked about film of the summer. Umm, no. The most talked about movie of the summer will have brooms, but it won't be this one, however appealing it may me.

Something Borrowed: Looks like a fairly appealing rom-com that could be a long overdue coming out party for Ginnifer Goodwin. Might also be good counter-programming to ...

Thor: I was a little dubious about this when I saw the trailers. I still have scary memories of Thor from that cheesy Hulk/Thor TV movie in the 80s. But with Kenneth Branagh directing, I have to take a look.

MAY 13 

Bridesmaids: At long last, a Judd Apatow comedy for the ladies. Early screenings (including one at Miami University in Oxford have built a lot of positive buzz, which says this is more than just The Hangover for chicks.

Priest: Because Legion, from the same star/director team (Paul Bettany/Scott Charles Stewart)  was just BEGGING for a do-over. Yawn. 

MAY 20

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: I've always thought this series was overrated, and by the end of the incomprehensible third movie, I and the filmmakers were out of gas. I won't be checking this one out unless the reviews are promising.

MAY 27

The Hangover Part II: Unlike most people, I don't drink. Like most people, I though The Hangover was very funny. Still, I get the nagging feeling sequelitis will kick in. Just how many times can you get these guys smashed before it turns into a movie about rehab?

Kung Fu Panda 2: The original was one of DreamWorks' best movies. I just hope this series doesn't go the way of Shrek and burn itself out.

JUNE 3

X-Men: First Class: The trailers for this look promising, and this is much more interesting than another Wolverine movie would be. I'm cautiously hopeful this franchise can get back on track.

JUNE 10

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer: This seems like one of those kid-lit movies that will do moderately well and sink without a trace. Or will this be more Diary of a Wimpy Kid territory? We will see.

Super 8: J.J. Abrams makes his Spielberg movie, with Spielberg himself producing. Probably the summer movie I am most anxious to see.

JUNE 17

Green Lantern: I have increasingly liked Ryan Reynolds as a leading man over the years, and the director is the underrated Martin Campbell, who made the best Bond movie in many years (Casino Royale). High hopes.

Mr. Popper's Penguins: Jim Carrey steps into another literary classic. Let's hope this one turns out a little better than the underwhelming animated Christmas Carol.

JUNE 24

Bad Teacher: Call me crazy, but Cameron Diaz is not who comes to mind when I hear the words "bad teacher." Maybe that's why this is supposed to work?

Cars 2: Cars was the Pixar film that I loved the least, so this is the first Pixar film in awhile I'm not aching to see. That said, I'm definitely there. Never underestimate this studio's capacity to surprise. I didn't expect this to be a spy caper.

JULY 1

Larry Crowne: Tom Hanks directs and stars for the second time (after That Thing You Do), with Julia Roberts along for the ride. Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) writes. Good enough for me.

Monte Carlo: The trailer for this Selena Gomez Prince and the Pauper-style vehicle doesn't look very good, but the co-writer and director is Thomas Bezucha, whose previous feature was The Family Stone, which I really liked. Wait n' see.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Wow. Here I was ready to dismiss this out of hand, and the trailers, especially the second, actually look kinda cool. Could it be that shooting in 3D has forced Michael Bay to craft action scenes so that they actually make sense? Again, wait n' see.

JULY 8

Horrible Bosses: The film has quite a good cast (Jason Bateman, Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston) but the director is Seth Gordon, who last made the barely tolerable Four Christmases. The jury is out.


Zookeeper: I really like Kevin James, but must he waste his time on crummy-looking Adam Sandler-produced vehicles that waste his talent?

JULY 15

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II: As one of maybe four people left on Earth who doesn't know for sure if Snape is a good guy or a bad guy, I'm psyched, along with several other million people on Earth.,

Winnie the Pooh: Call me crazy, but I may be a little more excited to see this than Harry's final chapter. A Pooh feature made by the classic Disney animators, with songs by Zooey Deschanel? Cue ear to ear grin.

JULY 22

Captain America: The First Avcnger: Of all the comic book movies, coming out this summer, this one is the one I am most eager to see. I'm actually least familiar with the Captain America lore, so most of it is new to me. This one is novel in that it's a period piece. And the director is Joe Johnston, an underrated helmer of solid popcorn fare (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Jurassic Park III). Sold. And given the news events of this week, this one might be an even bigger hit than anyone thought.

Friends with Benefits: The premise seems exactly the same as this year's No Strings Attached - only this one stars Natalie Portman's wilder half, Mila Kunis. That, and the fact that the director is Will Gluck, who made the terrific Easy A, sells me. Better yet, Emma Stone is in this one too.

JULY 29

Cowboys and Aliens: With Indiana Jones and James Bond? By the guy who directed the Iron Man movies? Are you kidding?

Crazy, Stupid Love: Look, it's Emma Stone again! And Ryan Gosling And Steve Carrell! And Julianne Moore? Are you kidding?

The Smurfs: Oh well. Two outta three ain't bad. Call me Gargamel, but I am really and truly tired of CGI charcaters cashing in on nostalgia, be it for the Chipmunks, Yogi Bear or the first Blue Man Group. Feh.

AUGUST 5

The Change Up: At first I yawned when I saw this was a body-switch comedy with Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman. Then I realized it was written by the guys who wrote The Hangover, and directed by the guy who made Wedding Crashers. There's hope yet.


Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Again, I yawned at the idea of a sequel to a reboot no one much liked, but the trailer actually looks fairly decent.

AUGUST 12

The Help: Must be the summer of Emma Stone, which is more than fine by me. This time she stars in an adaptation of the Kathryn Stocker novel. Can Stone hack it dramatically? I have every confidence she can.

30 Minutes or Less: Sounds like a bit of a comedic spin on Dog Day Afternoon, with Jesse Eisenberg forced to rob a bank with a bomb strapped to his chest. Eisenberg reunites with his Zombieland director, Ruben Fleischer. No word yet on a Bill Murray cameo.


Final Destination 5: Ladies and Gentlemen, the film with the most redundant and contradictory title of 2011!

AUGUST 19

Conan the Barbarian: Released in: 3D. Depth of characters: 2D. Probable grade: 1 D.

Fright Night: Two things about this movie blow my mind. One, the distributor is Walt Disney Pictures. Two, the director previously made Lars and the Real Girl. Wow. Just ... wow.

One Day: Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess as a will they or won't they couple, from the director of the excellent An Education? Yes, please.

Spy Kids 4: Used to be that a new Robert Rodriguez film would pique my interest. Then he casts Jessica Alba in the lead. Whoops.

AUGUST 26

Apollo 18: Looks like The Blair Witch Project crossed with Apollo 13. And this has been delayed for months.Not sure what to make of it.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark: Even if Guilliermo Del Toro is only producing and not directing, I'm still intrigued. 

Previews Before Reviews March 19, 2010

The Bounty Hunter - Even before critics put out a hit on this film, I had already decided to avoid it because the ads made it look utterly devoid of humor, intelligence and appeal. Who would have guessed it would make one long for the high water marks of Along Came Polly and The Break Up? And is Gerard Butler made it his goal to appear in one lame Hollywood rom-com a year? Maybe THIS film should have been called The Ugly Truth.



Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Ordinarily I would pass on this one, but since I'm dating a teacher, I just might have to check it out. And as an added bonus, critics are grading this movie as better than decent.



The Ghost Writer - Goes a little wider this weekend, reaching Dayton. I'm always up for Polanski.



Repo Men: Sounds like a lame sci-fi version of Dirty Pretty Things. Pass.

Previews Before Reviews March 12, 2010

(Reminder: Title hyperlinks go to metacritic entries.)

Green Zone: Only four words matter when it comes to this film: Directed by Paul Greengrass. That is ALL I need to know. Even Matt Damon's name matter less to me. On the strength of Bloody Sunday, United 93 and the Bournes Supremacy and Ultimatum, Greengrass has become one of those directors whose name alone means I'm in.  I don't care if it's about the processing of cottage cheese. If Greengrass directed, the movie goes on my must-see list. And I will see it Saturday night. For the record, the so-called "shaky-cam" doesn't bother me, because Greengrass is one of the few directors who uses it artfully.



Our Family Wedding. RSVP: Not with those reviews



Remember Me: I've heard what the supposedly ludicrous ending was. I won't spoil it here, but suffice it to say I'm Team Don't Bother.



She's Out of My League: I'd say this kind of junior take on Knocked Up (minus the knocking up) is out of my league as well.

Previews before reviews - in theaters 2/12/10

I'm afraid calling this post "Previews Before Reviews" is a bit of a misnomer. Even though we have three high-profile movies coming out Friday, I can't confess to an interest in any of them. So I may nor review any of them.

(Remember: Titles link to Metacritic pages if you want to see what other critics besides me are saying.)


Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief: This is a pretty blatant attempt to create a new fantasy franchise now that Mr. Potter and friends (said in best Alan Rickman voice) are winding down. I wouldn't mind that so much if the movie looked appealing, but it really doesn't. Director Chris Columbus deserves more credit than he gets for shaping the Potter franchise, but his track record since then has been uneven, to put it kindly. (I Love You Beth Cooper, anyone?)  I don't see this as any kind of salvation for him. The corners of my mouth didn't turn down while watching the trailer, but they didn't turn up either. Total flatline.



Valentine's Day: Yes, I like many of the cast members. Heck, this movie probably could have used the tagline "More stars than there are in the heavens had MGM not used it eons ago. But if we critics are to be believed, this movie is all-star, but little quality. Ebert offers this lovely closer: "Valentine's Day is being marketed as a Date Movie. I think it's more of a First-Date Movie. If your date likes it, do NOT date that person again. And if you like it, there may not be a second date."


The Wolfman: I wish I could be more interested in this. I really do. I think Joe Johnston is underrated as a director (he outdid Spielberg's The Lost World when Johnston made Jurassic Park III), and casting Benicio Del Toro as the Wolfman seems like a great idea. Even so, the advance buzz bears all the stink of "Troubled Produciton." Sadly, the reviews bear that out.




Oh well. I'm make up for it next week by seeing Shutter Island more than once.

Previews before reviews - in theaters 2/5/10

Theatrical movies turn tepid this week and that's no surprise. That's typically the case when some kinda big football game is on Sunday.

Dear John: The latest Nicholas Sparks soaper has a good director in Lasse Hallestrom (The Cider House Rules, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, etc) and an appealing pair of leads in Amanda Seyfried and Channing Tatum.  But most critics are shrugging their shoulders. Roger Ebert writes:  "Dear John" tells the heartbreaking story of two lovely young people who fail to find happiness together because they're trapped in an adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel." Burn!


From Paris with Love: This is quite obviously a blatant attempt to recapture the lightning-in-a-bottle success of Taken by the same filmmakers. However, all indications are this movie is nothing more than a goofy action romp. I think Taken was a hit not so much because of the action, but because it had Liam Neeson giving a real performance  that gave the movie emotional pull.  I so no evidence of anything like that here.


Locally, the Neon Movies opens A Single Man, but I'm not enduring that again unless I want to sleep somewhere besides my bed. 

Previews before reviews - in theaters 1/29/10

After a moribund showing last week, theatrical films bounce back a bit this week.

Crazy Heart: The film that will finally win Jeff Bridges his Oscar (and I say that with the utmost confidence) opens locally this week and is at the top of my to-see list. Now I'll finally be able to determine if this movie's appeal is all Bridges, or if there's something to the film as a whole.



Edge of Darkness: Mel Gibson steps out from behind the camera for the first time in a good long while, but me being more of a technical geek, I'm more interested in the director credit: Martin Campbell, who did a magnificent job rebooting Bond in Casino Royale. (He also directed the best of Brosnan's outings, Goldeneye.) Campbell, who with this film remakes a British miniseries he shot years ago,  is one of the more underrated action helmers out there, maybe because his style is more muscular than it is flashy. It also helps that one of the writers is William Monahan, who won an Oscar for The Departed. Mild concern: the reviews are soft.




When in Rome: I really like Kristen Bell, who absolutely radiates appeal, but I'm getting the funny feeling that this isn't the best vehicle for her talents. For one thing, the director is Mark Steven Johnson, who was last seen stinking up theaters with Ghost Rider. And for another, one review called it  "... a weak rehash of Love Potion No. 9, with Love Potion No. 9 replaced by crack." Where's my pipe?





Two outta three ain't bad.

Previews Before Reviews - In theaters 1/22/10

January is usually a dumping ground for Hollywood's bottom of the barrel, but this month hadn't been so bad ...

... until this week, when we start to head over the falls. As is so often the case, one must turn to the arthouses to find appealing fare.

Broken Embraces: This opens in Dayton this week. I'm always up for Almodovar, even though acclaim for this hasn't been that high, because even his lesser films are always interesting.



Extraordinary Measures: It's appropriate that this is the first venture by CBS Films, because for all the world this looks like a TV disease-of-the-week movie that somehow escaped to theaters. And Harrison Ford - what in the world are YOU doing in this? Aren't there better projects floating around? I know people pick on Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull a lot, but even people who (unjustly) hate that movie admit you weren't the problem. C'mon, man!



Legion: This action flick with Biblical overtones sports a good cast including  Paul Bettany and  Dennis Quaid. But when I see the trailer, the only word that comes out of my mouth is "Meh."



The Tooth Fairy: As far as kid comedies go, this looks a heck of a lot more entertaining than last week's The Spy Next Door - not that that's saying much. Dwayne Johnson has proven himself with this kind of material, and it's always fun to see Julie Andrews, but it seems to be just this side of too sweet - maybe not to the point of a root canal, but a cavity is distinctly possible.



To Save a Life - TV movie that got a theatrical release take 2 AKA "Let's see if we can be a below-the-radar Christian hit like Fireproof."



If I see anything this weekend it will be the Almodovar. What say you?

Previews before reviews - in theaters 1/15/10

New wrinkle this week: Hyperlinks of the titles go their entries on Metacritic, which I find a much more accurate barometer of critical taste than Rotten Tomatoes.

The Book of Eli: The Hughes Brothers return to theaters after a long absence (their last film was the strange if underrated thriller From Hell, nine years ago) and buzz is decidedly mixed. Even the best reviews are only B-range. I'll probably catch it at some point,  but I still need to see Leap Year. Amy comes first.



The Lovely Bones: I know critical word on this has been unenthusiastic - so much so the film has all but disappeared from Oscar contention, Stanley Tucci's performance aside. But I have to say I'm suspicious of the the reviews - too many of them read, "Waaaah - it's not the book!" The movie may be great, it may not, but I wish some critics would review the movie that's up there on the screen rather than the one they have filmed in their heads. It's Peter Jackson - even if it's a miss, it's bound to be an interesting one.



The Spy Next Door: Jackie Chan is a gifted physical comedian, but I doubt even he can make a movie work when the director is Brian Levant, the maestro behind such classic family fare as both Flintstones movies, Jingle All the Way and Are We There Yet? My answer to that last question? No.

Previews before reviews - In theaters 1/8/10

It's a ways till Easter yet, but nevertheless, today I resurrect a feature from my newspaper blog: A look at what's opening in theaters each week. Despite the rhyming post title, I cannot review every movie out there, and now that this blog is entirely my own domain, I am no longer obliged to critique certain titles. (Mr. Bay, that means you.)

Even so, I will preview as many of them as I can. My selections will always be based on the Dayton market, your selections may vary.

Daybreakers: I was going to say I'm so over the vampire thing, but then again, I was never that much into the vampire thing at all, unless it was Kate Beckinsale in tight leather. I'm also over films directed by brothers I'll probably never hear from again.




The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus: I plan to see this Saturday and am very much looking forward to tt. Terry Gilliam had been one of my favorite directors, but has been on a cold streak post-Twelve Monkeys. I have a feeling this represents a return to form. 



Leap Year: Um, I kinda hafta. It's Amy.




Youth in Revolt: The trailer looks amusing enough, but not gotta-see-it now enough - even though I have liked Michael Cera and director Miguel Arteta (The Good Girl) in the past.



Anything catch your interest?