With just a couple of modest releases going wide this weekend, Scorsese’s “Shutter Island” should probably still reign supreme. Though Warner Bros. is marketing the shit out of “Cop Out” and middle America does love Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan.
In Wide Release: Frequent Flyer Kevin Smith marks his first time directing a script he did not write with this week’s “Cop Out.” The genuinely insane Tracy Morgan stars alongside genuinely bored Bruce Willis as two, you guessed it, cops on the trail of a baseball-card obsessed gangster. Smith and co are clearly trying to recapture some of the flavor of 80’s odd-couple police comedies like “48 Hours” or “Lethal Weapon” and the casting is spot-on–although you get the feeling that these two would sign on to just about anything for a paycheck. We reviewed the formerly titled “A Couple of Dicks” yesterday, finding that it lives up to its inspiration as a poorly written and shot ’80s timewaster. Rotten Tomatoes tracks the film with a 17% rating, while Metacritic gives it a score of 32.
Generating surprisingly positive buzz this weekend is “The Crazies” a remake of the George Romero film from director Breck Eisner. After a small Iowa town’s water is contaminated with a unknown toxin, insanity sets in among the locals. Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell star as the town’s Sheriff and his wife set with defending the town from its unruly inhabitants. Pretty standard stuff nowadays, but maybe he concept was more exciting when the original was released in the 70’s. We posted our review earlier today, finding the movie to be more dull than scary. The low budget film should find a decent audience though, after thrill seekers had their appetite whetted with “Shutter Island.” RT gives the film a 73% rating, with a 59 from Metacritic.
In Limited Release:
Our Pick of the week: This week finally sees the stateside debut of “A Prophet,” the latest picture “The Beat That My Heart Skipped” director Jacques Audiard. Considered a front runner along with “The White Ribbon” in the Best Foreign Film races at this year’s Oscars, the film stars Tahar Rahim as an illiterate 18-year old beginning a six year prison term. He quickly is cornered by the Corsican gang ruling the prison, carrying out various “missions” and learning the intricate politics involved with the rival gangs. Critics have been buzzing for months, so it is no surprise Rotten Tomatoes has the film at 95%, with Metacritic close behind with a score of 89. Our review will hit shortly, but it’s certainly one of the best films of the year so far and our editor-in-chief thinks it should have won the palme d’Or over Michael Haneke’s “The White Ribbon” which is some pretty big praise (though Cannes 2009 was a bit mediocre in the scope of things).
In very limited release, the low budget superhero film “Defendor” comes out today. Woody Harrelson stars as possibly mentally-impaired regular Joe who, despite his lack of superpowers, decides to slip on some black tights and defend the streets from crime. The always adorable Kat Dennings co-stars. Depending on the reception on one screen in LA this weekend, the film should roll out to other markets in the coming weeks, but for those of you anticipating it, the DVD release is not far off. With Harrelson in the lead, it could be a shoe-string charmer and we’re looking forward to a chance to check it out. RT has it at 64%, while Metacritic a score of 59.
Also out this week, the fantastic documentary “The Art of the Steal” from director Don Argott. It focuses on the story of outsider art collector Dr. Albert C. Barnes, who in 1922 created a foundation for his collection outside of elitist circles in Lower Merion Pennsylvania. Upon his death, the collection was entrusted to a small local college who find themselves in a war with the establishment to retain control. Check out our review from yesterday, it really is worth a look if you have the chance. RT: 80%, Metacritic: 76.
Also in theaters is the Kristen Stewart indie,”Yellow Handkerchief” co-starring William Hurt and Maria Bello. It has a 76% on RT. Lastly there’s the indie film, “Easier With Practice” starring Brian Geraghty from “The Hurt Locker,” which boasts a soundtrack that features Grizzly Bear, Deer Tick, Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene and many more. It has a very strong 91% RT score.
