3:10 to Yuma
Westerns haven't exactly been money-making machines in Hollywood, but throw Christian Bale and Russell Crowe into the mix and you just might have a showdown. The story follows the imminent execution of a ruthless outlaw (Crowe) and a farmer (Bale) who volunteers to transport him to Yuma. A few obstacles get in his way--from Crowe's maniacal right hand man, Ben Foster (X-Men: The Last Stand), nipping at his heels to his own teenage son ("Jack and Bobby"s Logan Lerman) showing up uninvited. When Crowe's gang surrounds the town, all the other transporters run away, leaving Bale to decide if he'll be a coward or a hero. Meanwhile, Lerman'll test Crowe's true soul. Will he do the right thing or go out shooting? In the end, we'll learn who's the fastest hand in town.
Shoot Em Up
Clive Owen has never truly impressed me in anything I've seen him in. He seems like a British caricature of Clint Eastwood with a side of sleaze bag. In this action-comedy he plays a selfless gunslinger trying to protect a baby from...Paul Giamatti (The Illusionist). Playing the mother, a voluptuous vixen, is Italian actress Monica Belluci (The Passion of the Christ). The plot is ridiculous, the action very slapstick-induced (yet pleasing to the eye), and the director/writer, Michael Davis, is an amateur. Let's just say, if you like Smokin' Aces or Domino, you just might be able to stomach this.
Brothers Solomon
We've been hit with a lot of dimwitted comedies in the last couple of years. Several of them follow someone with a career goal, like Talladega and Hot Rod. Some of them chronicled the devirginization of a dork, like Superbad and 40 Year Old Virgin. And even a few have centered on the sole purpose of bagging some chicks, like Wedding Crashers and Employee of the Month. So, it's hard to believe that there are any more surprises up these comics' sleeves. Unless of course you consider two brothers posting a Craigslist ad to find a surrogate and give their dad something to live for a bit overdone. SNL alum Will Arnett ("Arrested Development") wrote it and is starring alongside his fellow SNLers Will Forte and Kristen Wiig. You'll find some familiar elements plucked from other comedies. Like for example, these guys aren't too successful with the ladies (40 Year Old Virgin) or well-versed in pre-natal care (Knocked Up). But there are funny twists, like their attempt to learn how to care for a child by "borrowing" one from the playground. It's like they're the mentally retarded version of Seth Rogen with McLovin's naivety and enthusiasm. So, if that appeals to you, go for it.
Hatchet
Ahh, the horror film formula: old legend, creepy child narrator, jutting images, and a whole lot of screaming. This flick is about a boy who's father locked him in a shack in the woods to protect him from judgement. One day, the idiotic children of the town accidentally set his shack on fire. His father came to the rescue with an ax to knock the door down, but unfortunately he killed his son in the process. So, the ghost of that poor defenseless child wanders the woods wondering where his daddy is...and, of course, he kills many, many people while he looks for him. It's practically a bed time story.
The Good Night
I think it was last year that Michael Gondry's (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) romantic illusion The Science of Sleep hit indie theaters with a tale of a man who is comically entangled by his dreams and his affection for his neighbor. Jake Paltrow (Gwen's brother) sort of takes a page out of Gondry's book. In this dramedy, Martin Freeman (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) lives a sickeningly boring life with his unbearable wife (Gwen) and his inexplicably successful best friend (Hot Fuzz's Simon Pegg). One night he goes to sleep and seemingly dreams up his ideal woman (Penelope Cruz). But as luck would have it, she's real. Once he meets her, he tries to recreate the chemistry they have in his dream in real life, but soon learns that perhaps the illusion is better than the reality. It makes for an interesting story about a guy who has to find himself before he's completely lost.
I want someone to eat cheese with
Normally I would never suggest that a movie with Jeff Garlin (Daddy Day Care) as the writer/director AND the romantic lead is any good. But with dry-humored Sarah Silverman as his love interest and the idea that all anyone wants is someone to hang out/eat cheese with, there's a small chance that it could be relatively amusing.
In the shadow of the moon
When I read the plot behind this documentary, I thought it was genius. It's 100 minutes of interviews with the surviving crew members of the Apollo mission to the moon. I, personally, think NASA should record before and after videos of every single person who's ever been in outer space. I mean, it's not like it happens every day.
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