Weekend Movies: Go Indie or Stay Home

With literally only one new movie opening wide this week (and a crappy one at that), it’s time to play catch-up by taking in some of the soon-to-be awards contenders, or maybe watching a Blu-ray at home.

I haven’t seen either of last week’s flop debuts, but I’m certain that both are better than this week’s ‘Playing for Keeps‘. Gerard Butler stars in yet another brutally stupid chick flick. This time, he’s a washed-up soccer great fighting for a job and for a relationship with his ex-wife and estranged son. Wacky shenanigans and forced manipulative emotional moments ensue. Jessica Biel, Dennis Quaid, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Uma Thurman fill the secondary roles in this little gem. Please note my sarcasm.

The next widest opening of the weekend isn’t even a new movie. It’s the 1,249-screen re-release of ‘End of Watch‘. I didn’t see it on the first go, but the film’s getting a little awards buzz, so I have to consider it.

The biggest indie title this weekend is ‘Lay the Favorite‘, which took at beating at Sundance 2012. Who trashed it? Everyone, including me. I even overheard one well-known film critic in line call it the worst movie he had seen in the history of festival. Rebecca Hall, Bruce Willis, Vince Vaughn and Catherine-Zeta Jones star in this unnecessarily quirky and goofball gambling flick.

I’m actually looking forward to two indie flicks. Bill Murray keeps his run of dramatic roles moving along with ‘Hyde Park on Hudson‘, a period piece dramedy about Franklin D. Roosevelt’s affair with his distant cousin (Laura Linney).

If you’re in the mood for something a little more exciting than that, consider ‘Deadfall‘. Eric Bana and Olivia Wilde star as a brother-sister duo who are on the run after a casino heist. When their cash-filled car wrecks on a snowy plain, they’re forced to camouflage themselves amidst the small town locals (including Charlie Hunnam, Sissy Spacek and Kris Kristofferson) while plotting a way out.

2 comments

  1. JM

    Have you guys seen ‘Zero Dark Thirty’?

    ‘Django Unchained’ killed the DGA.

    ‘The Hobbit’ has a sad little metacritic.

    But if time travel existed, I would go watch ‘Jack Reacher.’

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