Weekend movie time has rolled around again and we’re aflutter with excitement. It’s a slower weekend but a few of the smaller releases look like they might be worth a shot. Anyway, anything to knock the Nicolas Cage thriller that won the top spot last week off probably can’t be all bad, right? So check your local listings for any of the following non-numerological films set to drop today!
In Wide Release
First up is the extremely dumb-looking “12 Rounds” from action film maven and professional bozo Renny Harlin (“Die Hard 2,” “Deep Blue Sea”). According to the trailer, it’s some sort of loose revenge plot where a master thief played by Aiden Gillen (“The Wire”) kidnaps the wife of master cop (and former WWE Superstar!) John Cena (“The Marine”). Ratings are at a middling 50%, so buyer beware.
If that doesn’t sound uninteresting enough, there’s also the limp-wristed whitebread horror pic “The Haunting in Connecticut” that proudly carries forward the out-of-season horror banner this weekend. Based on “true events,” the movie is the story of blah blah ghost in a blah blah house and snooze. Virginia Madsen (“Sideways”) and Elias Koteas (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) star. Take the 19% on RT as a fair warning.
The brightest star of the wide-releases this weekend is the family-oriented “Monsters vs. Aliens” from Dreamworks. The story revolves around the government deploying a team of monsters to combat an evil alien invading force. With an all-star vocal cast–including Reese Witherspoon (“Walk the Line”), Seth Rogen (“Knocked Up”), Will Arnett (“Arrested Development”), Hugh Laurie (“House”), Rainn Wilson (“The Office”) and Stephen Colbert (“The Colbert Report”)–it might have enough wattage to keep you entertained. The just-ok 69% on the Tomatometer seems to concur. This one should probably win the weekend come Sunday.
In Limited Release
The most promising of the weekend’s limited releases is probably “Goodbye Solo” which currently holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Helmed by the acclaimed director Ramin Bahrani (“Man Push Cart”), the movie tells the story of an immigrant taxi driver and his gruff passenger. Played by newcomer Souleymane Sy Savane and Memphis Mafia vet Red West respectively, the pair share some moving screen chemistry as their relationship explores the immigrant experience. Set in Winston-Salem, this looks like the movie to beat this weekend.
This weekend also sees the long-delayed release of the directorial debut of *shudder* Limp Bizkit front-idiot Fred Durst, The Education of Charlie Banks. The movie has a 55% rating, stars Jessie Eisenberg (“Adventureland”) and Jason Ritter (“W”) and the less said about it the better.
Documentaries
If you’re in the mood for a documentary, this weekend has a pair of limited release non-fiction films. First, there’s “Guest of Cindy Sherman” which details the relationship between NYC artist Sherman and Paul H-O, the film’s co-director. It looks like a safe-ish bet with a 70% RT score right now. Slightly less successful–with a 40%–is “American Swing,” which focuses on the 1970’s New York sex club Plato’s Retreat. Probably leaves something to be desired.
There’s also the mildly interesting-looking “Shall We Kiss?” Starring Emmanuel Mouret (who also directed) and Virginie Ledoyen (“The Beach”) the movie is an examination of the tangles and problems that a single kiss can engender. Fairly well received, the picture currently has a 72% rating on the Tomatometer. Plus, it will be good to see Ledoyen again, since she’s been under the radar of late. If a French film doesn’t tickle your fancy but you’re still in the mood for a belletristic little picture, you could also check out “The Country Teacher,” which has a slightly less inspiring 50% score as of press date. From the Czech director Bohdan Slama (“Something Like Happiness”), the movie chronicles the relationship between a new teacher in a rural area and a disturbed 17 year old student. This takes a turn for the worse upon the revelation that the teacher is secretly gay and attracted to the boy. Sounds provocative?
Finally, there’s “Spinning Into Butter,” the film adaptation of the not-very-good Rebecca Gilman play. Gilman helped adapt the screenplay, along with Doug Atchison (“Akeelah and the Bee”). Directed by first-timer Mark Brokaw, the film stars Sarah Jessica Parker (“Sex and the City”) as the dean of a small, New England college that is beset by a series of racist attacks against one of its few students of color. If the name Rebecca Gilman wasn’t enough to warn you away, then perhaps the 29% rating will.
So that’s the score for this weekend. Maybe you’d be better off waiting a week…