Friday Movies Releases

Once again, there is not much to recommend at the theater. Mel Gibson has a new film out but it is a remake of a British miniseries from the 80’s. (I can attest that remaking a classic does not always work – Example: The confusing remake of Patrick McGoohan’s The Prisoner. Even with a cast led by Ian McKellan, and Jim Caveziel, the new mini sucked!)

However, as usual I digress…

Here is this weeks disappointing list of releases:

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NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK

Edge of Darkness

Mel Gibson stars as a lone widower cop whose daughter is killed in what everybody assumes was a hit meant for him. Further investigation suggests otherwise in this thriller based on the 1980s British miniseries.

When in Rome

Kristen Bell plays a woman looking for love who falls for the wrong man. After a drunken dip in a fountain where she steals some coins, the men who tossed them are instantly smitten with her.

La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet

Director Frederick Wiseman takes his camera into the Palais Garnier in Paris for a film that’s a feast for ballet lovers, as well as one of the finest dance movies ever made.

Preacher’s Kids
Tired of being a preacher’s daughter and longing to experience more of life, 20-something Angie King strikes out on her own and joins a traveling gospel show. This film did not screen in advance for critics.

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The Screening Room: Blogging views, news and nuggets on all things movies

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OPENING FRIDAY, FEB. 5 From Guidelive.com

Dear John: Channing Tatum is a young soldier who falls in love with a college girl (Amanda Seyfried).

From Paris With Love: John Travolta puts on his U.S. intelligence agent face and tries to stop a terrorist attack in Paris. Jonathan Rhys Meyers also stars.

Killing Kasztner: This documentary examines assassinated Hungarian Jew Rezso Kasztner, who negotiated to save more than 1,600 Jews on a rescue train but was later accused of being involved in the deaths of thousands more.

Friday Movies 1/22/10

Slim pickings this week on the movie front. We have a movie that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson must have lost a bet to star in, an apocalyptic story with Paul Bettany as the Archangel Michael. Remember him as the sinister hit man  Silas in DaVinci Code? He was working for a secret order connected to the Catholic Church, and now he’s playing an Angel?

The only film that even looks remotel interesting is Extraordinary Measures with Harrison Ford, Brendon Fraser, and Kerri Russell. It’s bound to be a tearjerker with Fraser and Russel as parents of two children with a rare medical condition who get Ford as a research doctor to help. Based on a true story, it probably would have been better as a TV disease of the week movie.

Yes, folks, I know I am a little late on this one. Here you go.

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NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK

Tooth Fairy

Dwayne Johnson plays a cynical bruiser on a minor-league hockey team who is infamous for knocking out bicuspids. He is summoned to Fairyland, where he’s sentenced to two weeks of Tooth Fairy duty.

Extraordinary Measures

A sometimes moving, solid if unsurprising account of a father’s tireless efforts to use his business acumen to develop a cure for his children’s fatal genetic disorder.

35 Shots of Rum

A beguiling and keenly observational domestic drama from director Claire Denis in which a family on the outskirts of Paris copes with an unidentified tragedy. In French with English subtitles.

Legion
Paul Bettany plays the archangel Michael, who helps strangers turned compatriots in a battle to save humanity from God.
This film did not screen in advance for critics.

More movie reviews

FILM FEATURES

New video, DVD and Blu-ray releases: Gamer, The Invention of Lying, Pandorum and more

The Screening Room: Blogging views, news and nuggets on all things movies

More features: Find a theater | Festivals/screenings

OPENING FRIDAY, JAN. 29 From Guidelive.com

Edge of Darkness: Mel Gibson stars in director Martin Campbells film version of his BBC miniseries.

La Danse: Using footage from the rehearsals and performances of seven productions, director Frederick Wiseman explores all aspects of the Paris Opera Ballet Company.

When in Rome: Kristen Bell takes a trip to Rome and finds many men fighting for her heart.

The White Ribbon: Germanys Michael Haneke delivers a World War I mystery.

Friday Movies

NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK

The Lovely Bones

Director Peter Jackson’s adaptation of Alice Sebold’s acclaimed novel stars Saoirse Ronan as the adolescent girl who narrates from a perch just shy of heaven after she is murdered by a creepy neighbor.

The Book of Eli

Don’t let the post-apocalyptic setting fool you. What co-directors Albert and Allen Hughes have made is a 21st-century samurai film in which warrior hero Eli is on a quest to complete an urgent but elusive task.

The Spy Next Door

A mild-mannered pen salesman (Jackie Chan) is actually a superspy. He is courting a woman whose bratty kids look down on him for not being cool.

Black Dynamite

This is the story of 1970s African-American action legend Black Dynamite (Micheal Jai White), who is fighting “The Man.”

The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond

Bryce Dallas Howard plays a rich heiress in Tennessee whose father has done something criminal and scandalous. A party turns into an agonizing series of humiliations for her.

More movie reviews

OPENING FRIDAY, JAN. 22 From Guidelive.com

35 Shots of Rum: A drama surrounding a suburban French family.

Extraordinary Measures: Harrison Ford stars in this story ripped from the headlines about a couple trying to cure their children of a rare fatal disease.

Legion: Paul Bettany plays the archangel Michael, who helps strangers turned compatriots in a battle to save humanity – from God.

The Tooth Fairy: Ex-wrestler Dwayne Johnson is an ex-hockey player who is now a tooth fairy.

Friday Movies…Yes it’s the weekend again!

Here are a list of movies opening today. Ho hum. I can’t wait for the spring blockbuster season.

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NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

The leader of a traveling show traded the soul of his daughter to the devil. Now the devil has come to collect his prize and a wager is made to save her. Terry Gilliam directs Heath Ledger‘s final film.

Daybreakers

Edward Dalton, a bloodsucker who doesn’t want to feed on humans, falls in with humans who have found a way to change vampires back to friendly mortals in 2019, when most of the world has already turned.

Leap Year

Amy Adams plays a woman with an elaborate plan to propose marriage to her noncommittal boyfriend in this romantic comedy. Matthew Goode shows up to throw a hitch in her plans.

Youth in Revolt

To win his true love, Nick Twisp (Michael Cera) dreams up an evil twin, Francois Dillinger, who dares to say and do everything Nick can’t.

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OPENING FRIDAY, JAN. 15 From Guidelive.com

35 Shots of Rum: A drama surrounding a suburban French family.

Black Dynamite: Michael Jai White (Spawn!, Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married) stars as Black Dynamite, who fights “The Man” as only a blaxploitation hero can.

The Book of Eli: Denzel Washington (with kung fu action) is a man on a mission in this apocalyptic tale.

The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond: Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Evans flame on! star in a film based on a screenplay by Tennessee Williams.

The Lovely Bones: Peter Jackson tackles Alice Sebold‘s best-seller, narrated by a young girl who has been raped and murdered. Saoirse Ronan stars.

The Spy Next Door: Jackie Chan defends neighborhood children from spies.

BOX OFFICE (Jan. 1-3)

1. Avatar
2. Sherlock Holmes
3. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
4. It’s Complicated
5. The Blind Side