Weekend Movies: Girl Power, Horror and a Heartfelt Comedy

Oddly, none of the three nationwide openers this week will appear on more than 2,500 screens. We could very well end up seeing ‘The Help’ or ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ come in first at the box office again. Personally, I believe that Luc Besson’s new chick action flick will take first, but after the way that ‘Fright Night’ tanked so badly last week, you probably shouldn’t put any stock into my predictions.

Besson’s latest action flick stars Zoe Saldana as a revenge-driven young woman hunting the people responsible for killing her parents when she was a child. For those anticipating the third volume of Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Kill Bill’ movies, ‘Colombiana‘ may be the closest we get to receiving it for a long time. As usual with Luc Besson’s films, ‘Colombiana’ isn’t being screening until the last minute in my region – Thursday night. Since I’m writing this post prior to that, you’ll just have to check back to read my review later today.

Surprisingly not screened at all for press in my region is ‘Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark‘. Since I enjoy a good horror movie, and the screenplay was co-written by Guillermo del Toro, this is one film that I’ll be going out of my way to see. For films like ‘Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark’, I avoid watching trailers. I already know that it’s something that I’d like to see, so why ruin it with a trailer that could potentially spoil the best parts? With an appealing cast of actors (yes, I’m one of those rare people who actually likes Katie Holmes), I’ll happily pay the money to catch this film on the big screen.

The final nationwide opener of the week is ‘Our Idiot Brother‘, which was titled ‘My Idiot Brother’ when I saw it at Sundance this January. Director Jesse Peretz put together a dream team cast for this film, which revolves primarily around Paul Rudd as the idiot brother and Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer as his three sisters. Rudd plays happy-go-lucky Ned. After giving marijuana to a down-and-out cop, Ned is sent to jail. When released early for good behavior, he comes home to find his simple life in shambles. His girlfriend (Kathryn Hahn) has replaced him with another dufus (T.J. Miller), she won’t give him back his dog, and he’s got nowhere to live. Mistakenly believing that his family will help him out, Ned forces himself upon his self-centered sisters. Heartfelt wackiness ensues.

Peretz’s last feature comedy ‘The Ex’ quietly passed under the radar. For those who saw the Jason Bateman/Zach Braff vehicle, you know that Peretz has the ability to execute great comedy on screen. ‘Our Idiot Brother’ is no different. With Adam Scott, Rashida Jones and Steve Coogan also in the cast, you know you’re in for a good time.

2 comments

  1. Jane Morgan

    ‘Don’t Be Afraid Of Katie Holmes’s Acting’ could take #1, if the box office drop for ‘The Help’ is huge as it deserves.

    1. The Help – $15.5 million
    2. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark – $15 million
    3. Rise of the Planet of the Apes – $10 million
    4. Colombiana – $8 million
    5. Spy Kids: All the Time in the World – $7 million
    6. Our Idiot Brother – $6 million

    Luc Besson’s filmography is one of the saddest lists I’ve ever read. 22 movies. He had one commercial success in 2009, and one critical success in 1994. The man has been pissing away his scruffy French talent for decades. 52 years old, and what does he have to show for it?

    The Professional.

  2. i will never understand why studios still put out movies at this time of year.like last week and this week and next , no one goes at this time of year. last chance vacations , school shopping , school let the leftover’s make a little more coin and cut the fat on some of these titles.

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