Friday Movies

Hello all. Here are the Friday movies. Nothing spectacular this week. Enjoy.

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NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK

Cop Out

Tracy Morgan and Bruce Willis are wisecracking New York cops on the trail of Mexican toughs in this Kevin Smith-directed comedy.

The Crazies

Bad drinking water turns residents of a rural Iowa town into zombies, ones who manage to hang on to their human capabilities while turning nine shades of evil.

The Ghost Writer

Roman Polanski’s terrific new thriller burns with style and sophisticated technique. The story centers on a ghost writer whos hired to pen the autobiography of a prime minister with lots of skeletons in his closet.

Saint John of Las Vegas

Steve Buscemi plays a down-on-his-luck guy who faces his demons on a road trip through Oddsville, U.S.A. Also starring Romany Malco, Sarah Silverman and Peter Dinklage.

Fish Tank

Writer-director Andrea Arnold’s frank and powerful glimpse of a dead-end British teenage life follows Katie Jarvis as a girl on her way to a serious date with trouble.

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COUNTDOWN TO THE ACADEMY AWARDS

Chat With the Experts: Join the movies staff’s weekly discussion on the Oscar nominees at noon today. This week’s category: best animated feature film.

Previous chats: Read the critics’ thoughts on the nominees for best supporting actor and actress and best leading actor and actress

AMC Best Picture Showcase: Catch all 10 best picture nominees at your local theater.

Full list of nominees: Study up on who’s up for which awards.

Oscars night on The Screening Room: Watch the show with the movies staff beginning at 7 p.m. March 7.

OPENING FRIDAY, MARCH 5 From Guidelive.com

44 Inch Chest: Ray Winstone’s wife cheated on him, and his friends put revenge into his hands.

Alice in Wonderland: Director Tim Burton takes on Lewis Carroll’s tale. Johnny Depp stars as the Mad Hatter.

Brooklyn’s Finest: Wesley Snipes (playing a drug dealer), Ethan Hawke, Richard Gere and Don Cheadle star in this crime drama from Antoine Fuqua (Training Day).

District 13: Ultimatum: Two partners reunite to save a volatile ghetto in this action sequel written by Luc Besson (Taken).

Friday Movies 2-19-10

It looks likes this week, the only good possibility is with a new collaboration between veteran director Martin Scorsese, and Leonardo DiCaprio, whom Scorsese refers to as his “muse” .  “Shutter Island” has DiCaprio portraying a Federal Marshal investigating the mysterious disappearance of a patient from a mental hospital.  DiCaprio has previously worked with Scorsese in “The Aviator” (2004) and “The Departed” (2006)  quite sussessfully. Time and the box office will tell if  this film continues the trend.

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NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK

Shutter Island

A slow burning freak-out from director Martin Scorsese about two federal marshals (Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo) investigating a disappearance at a mental hospital for the criminally insane.

The White Ribbon

Sinister things are happening, always with children around, in a quiet hamlet in pre-World War I Germany. Beautifully shot in black and white, this chilling film raises questions about the nature of evil.

Happy Tears

Directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein, this film follows two sisters (Parker Posey and Demi Moore) who come together to care for their demented father.

Blood Done Sign My Name

Nate Parker stars in this drama about a relatively unknown murder in 1970 that helped galvanize the civil rights struggle in North Carolina.

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Friday Movies

There is finally something worth seeing at the theater! “The Wolfman”. This is the remake of the 1941 “The Wolf Man” which starred Lon Chaney as Larry Talbot the unfortunate victim of a werewolf bit from Bela Lugosi. That version also starred Claude Raines as Talbot’s father.

In this updated version, Benecio Del Toro stars as Lawrence Talbot, who gets bitten by a werewolf and changes into one every full moon. Anthony Hopkins play his father, and Emily Blunt portrays the love interest. Rick Baker, who created the terrifying effects for “An American Werewolf in London”  (1981) contacted the producers when her heard that the film had bee greenlighted…insisting he had to do the makeup. He discovered that he was their fist choice all along. The film is rated R.

Other films include “Valentines Day”,  and Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

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NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

A boy on the cusp of manhood discovers hes the son of Poseidon, and so begins a fantastical adventure full of Furies, satyrs and centaurs.

Valentine’s Day

Falling somewhere between the elegant goofiness of Love Actually and the grating calculation of He’s Just Not That Into You, this is the latest romantic comedy to feature more than a dozen well-known actors.

The Wolfman

This gory remake of the 1941 horror movie, starring Benicio del Toro, is gloomy, a little bit campy and respectful of its precedents without being slavish to them.

The Last Station

This lively period piece about the turbulent relationship between Leo and Sofya Tolstoy is dramatic, romantic and full of bawdy humor.

Creation

It’s difficult to make drama out of a life spent in solitary study, and this film, which deals with the life of Charles Darwin, shows the strain of that effort.

Beeswax

Austin-made indie film about two 20-something sisters with different personalities doesn’t follow traditional storytelling structures, which some will find charming and others infuriating.

My Name is Khan
Rizvan Khan, who suffers Asberger’s Syndrome, is an honorable Muslim man from India and falls unconditionally for the beautiful Mandira, a Hindu single mother. This film did not screen in advance.

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OPENING WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17 From Guidelive.com

Celine: Through the Eyes of the World: Celine Dion performs from five continents and 25 countries, with her family in tow.

OPENING FRIDAY, FEB. 19 From Guidelive.com

Happy Tears: Two sisters, Jayne (Parker Posey) and Laura (Demi Moore), return home to deal with their 70-something ailing father.

Police, Adjective: A Romanian cop (Dragos Bucur) is reluctant to arrest a teen suspected of possessing and possibly selling marijuana.

Saint John of Las Vegas: A compulsive gambler (Steve Buscemi) faces temptation and meets an assortment of odd characters when he travels to Las Vegas to investigate an insurance claim.

Shutter Island: Two U.S. Marshals (Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo) travel to a remote island to investigate the disappearance of a hospitalized murderer.

The White Ribbon: Germany’s Michael Haneke delivers a World War I mystery.

Friday Movies

Sorry folks, not much to say about this weeks movies. I am looking forward to The Wolfman with Benicio Deltoro, and Anthony Hopkins next week though!

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NEW RELEASES THIS WEEK

From Paris With Love

A mousey diplomatic assistant (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is paired with a real-life super spy (John Travolta) for a hazily defined mission involving drug dealers and terrorists.

Dear John

Young lovers are separated by war but keep their romance alive through letters. Lasse Hallström blandly directs his low-heat stars in this romantic drama based on the Nicholas Sparks novel.

Frozen

The fears in this low-budget and intermittently suspenseful film, in which a trio of friends are stranded in a ski lift, are rooted in the seemingly mundane reality of nature inexorably taking its course.

Killing Kasztner: The Jew Who Dealt With Nazis

This documentary pores over the life and legacy of Rudolf Kasztner, a leader of a Hungarian organization in World War II that helped Jewish refugees escape from Nazi-occupied Europe.

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OPENING FRIDAY, FEB. 12 From Guidelive.com

Beeswax: Jeannie and her estranged business partner Amanda have a falling out leading Jeannie to bond more with her non-paralyzed twin Lauren.

Creation: Paul Bettany plays Charles Darwin as he wrestles with The Origin of Species. Real-life spouse Jennifer Connelly plays wife, Emma Darwin.

The Last Station: Christopher Plummer received an Oscar nomination for his role as Leo Tolstoy.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief: Greek god Poseidon’s half-human son Percy and his friends are caught between Mount Olympus’ warring factions in this film based on the popular young-adult novels.

Saint John of Las Vegas: A compulsive gambler (Steve Buscemi) faces temptation and meets an assortment of odd characters when he travels to Las Vegas to investigate an insurance claim.

Valentine’s Day: Julia Roberts and Jamie Foxx are just two of the actors in this star-studded movie about intersecting LA love stories on the titular day.

The Wolfman: Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins star in the much-anticipated (read: delayed) remake.

BOX OFFICE (Jan. 29-31)

1. Avatar
2. Edge of Darkness
3. When in Rome
4. Tooth Fairy
5. The Book of Eli