This Week’s Releases: “The Butler,” “Kick-Ass 2,” “JOBS,” and “Paranoia”

Posted on August 11, 2013 at 3:59 pm

It’s another big week at the movies, with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars in two fact-based prestige movies with awards potential, a superhero sequel, and a twisty thriller based on a best-selling novel.

Formally called “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” following a petty title rights dispute, this is the “Precious” director’s epic based on the real-life story of a black man who served eight Presidents from the Jim Crow era through the era of the Civil Rights movement. Stars include Oscar winners Forest Whitaker, Robin Williams, Jane Fonda, and Cuba Gooding, Jr., as well as Oprah Winfrey, Mariah Carey, James Marsden, Alan Rickman and Terrence Howard.

“JOBS” has Ashton Kutcher as the late founder of Apple and Pixar. “Paranoia” stars Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Amber Heard, and Liam Hemsworth in a story of corporate espionage based on the best-selling thriller about corporate espionage by Joseph Finder.

And “Kick-Ass 2” is the sequel to the controversial, ultra-violent story based on the comics from Mark Millar and John Romita. Jim Carrey joined the cast — but has now distanced himself from the film because of its violent content.

Related Tags:

Opening This Week

Opening This Week: World War Z and Monsters University

Posted on June 17, 2013 at 3:59 pm

Monsters_University_poster_3 It’s one of the biggest weeks of the year at the movies with two huge openings. It’s the zombie apocalypse vs. monsters, Brad Pitt vs. Mike and Sully.

Pitt stars in a movie based on World War Z, a book by Max Brooks (son of Oscar-winners Anne Bancroft and Mel Brooks). It is directed by Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland, Stranger than Fiction, The Kite Runner, Quantum of Solace). Pitt plays a former UN executive who travels the world to try to stop the zombies. Two sequels are already in the works.

“Monsters University” is the prequel to one of my favorite Pixar films, Monsters, Inc. Mike (the ball-shaped guy with one big eye voiced by Billy Crystal) and Sully (the enormous furry guy voiced by John Goodman) are roommates in the frat house. They study scaring (remember, their world is fueled by the fears of children) and they participate in fraternity competitions. The cast includes Helen Mirren as the school’s dean, Alfred Molina as a professor, and Nathan Fillion as a big monster on campus.

Related Tags:

Opening This Week

Opening This Week: Three Big Movies for a Three-Day Weekend

Posted on May 20, 2013 at 8:00 am

Three big movies are opening up this week to make sure there’s something for everyone this holiday weekend.

“Hangover III” is the final chapter in the saga of the Wolf Pack, with Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper, and Zach Galifianakis making many more bad decisions. Heather Graham and Ken Jeong return. And a CGI giraffe loses his head.

“Fast and Furious 6” is a sensitive coming of age story based on an acclaimed novel. Oh, who am I kidding. It’s more cars, more fights, more chases. Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, and Michelle Rodriguez are back. Yes, Rodriguez’s character was killed in an earlier episode, but logic and consistency have always been a low priority in these films. Fortunately, the priority is the cars, fights, and chases, and they look great.

And we even have a film without a number in the title. The animation whiz kids behind the “Ice Age” series are presenting “epic” (small letter “e”), a big story about tiny creatures, and it looks adorable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xu3JLXfuwQ

Related Tags:

Opening This Week

Opening this Week: Valentine’s Day Romance With “Safe Haven,” “Beautiful Creatures,” and…”Die Hard 5″

Posted on February 11, 2013 at 3:59 pm

This week’s releases are opening a day early for your Valentine’s Day enjoyment. Those looking for a date night movie on February 14 have two choices, both based on popular books. Nicholas Sparks’ Safe Haven is the story of a woman running from her past (Julianne Hough) who meets a small-town widower with two children (Josh Duhamel). Also set in a small southern town, Beautiful Creatures is a supernatural teen romance about a mortal boy and a “caster” girl with magical powers. It stars Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert as the young couple and Viola Davis, Jeremy Irons, Emmy Rossum, and Emma Thompson as the adults in their lives who bring complications, help, and sometimes both.

Then there’s a bit of counter-programming with the fifth of the “Die Hard” series. Bruce Willis returns as John McClane in “A Good Day to Die Hard.” Twenty-three years after Christmas at the Nakatomi Plaza, McClane will be Yippy-Ki-Yaying in Russian as his adventures take him to Moscow.

Related Tags:

Opening This Week

Opening This Week: “The Guilt Trip,” “This is 40,” “Jack Reacher,” “Monsters Inc.,”

Posted on December 18, 2012 at 8:00 am

This is one of the biggest weeks of the year for movies, as families come together to celebrate the holidays and studios release some of their most highly anticipated films. Get ready for:
“Monsters, Inc. 3D” Preparing us for next year’s prequel, “Monster University,” is this 3D re-release of the Pixar classic about the monsters whose fuel is nightmares but who are afraid of a toddler.

“The Guilt Trip” Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogan play mother and son in this road trip story inspired by the writer’s own experience taking his mother on a business trip.

“Jack Reacher” Tom Cruise plays the character from the Lee Child series of books about an ex-military investigator and a former-sniper accused of murder who may be innocent.

“Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away” James Cameron (“Avatar”) co-produced this 3D film of the worldwide phenomenon of acrobatics, dance, and music.

“This is 40” Writer/director Judd Apatow has made a semi-sequel to “Knocked Up” that is very personal — it stars his wife and daughters along with Paul Rudd, Jason Segal, Albert Brooks, Megan Fox, John Lithgow, and classic rocker Graham Parsons in a story about coping — and not coping — with growing older.

“The Impossible” Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor star in this fact-based story about a family trying to find each other following the devastating tsunami of 2004.

And then more next week: Christmas day openings include “Les Misérables,” Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained,” and Billy Crystal and Bette Milder’s “Parental Guidance”

Related Tags:

Opening This Week