Weekend Movies: Finally, Some Stellar Options

Call a babysitter. Clear the calendar. This weekend’s two wide releases are not to be missed and not to be spoiled.

Disney continues its string of better-than-Pixar animated movies with ‘Big Hero 6‘, an obvious byproduct of the studio’s acquisition of comic book giant Marvel. This superhero origins tale follows a genius kid whose world-changing invention is stolen by a mysterious villain who turns it into a massive weapon. With the help of his brother’s robotic balloon-like creation and a few other inventors, a superhero team is formed and must crack the case to save the city. Get ready for lot of heartfelt fun.

Also tugging at the heartstrings is Christopher Nolan’s latest mind-blowing epic, ‘Interstellar‘. The intense science fiction adventure tale functions on a grand scale. Matthew McConaughey leads the cast as a former astronaut-turned-farmer when a plague claims the world’s crops and all non-essential jobs have disappeared. When he learns that a wormhole to another habitable universe has appeared, he leaves his son and daughter to pilot a team of explorers in search of a replacement for Earth. Nearly three hours in length, while the heart of ‘Interstellar’ lies in the father-daughter relationship, there’s more than enough thrilling action and tension keeping you gripped the entire time. Imagine ‘Sunshine’, ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and ‘Contact’ all wrapped into one gorgeous package.

For two weeks only, ‘Interstellar’ will be available in theaters that still show celluloid, including 70mm IMAX.

Focus Features is releasing one of its Oscar hopefuls on five screens this weekend to kick off a platform release. Eddie Redmayne portrays Stephen Hawking in ‘The Theory of Everything‘, a bio-pic that focuses more on the renowned physicist’s personal life than his esteemed career or discoveries. Felicity Jones co-stars as the romantic lead.

Meanwhile, Lionsgate is putting out a horror title one week too late. From the folks behind ‘Saw’, ‘ Paranormal Activity’ and ‘Insidious’, ‘Jessabelle‘ returns to their micro-budget roots. After a terrible accident, a young woman returns home to recuperate, only to be welcomed back by a nasty evil spirit that has been waiting for her.

3 comments

  1. EM

    I look forward to Interstellar (even if I’m not raising expectations high), but I won’t be seeing it until Tuesday or Wednesday.

    This weekend I’m seeing the Buster Keaton comedy classic The General, accompanied by a live orchestra performing a newly composed score. Yee-haw!

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