07 August 2009

Coming Up, Friday August 7


There is actually something of a competition this week.

URBAN:
While I included GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra in the list of films I was looking forward to, I have to say that I have been let down by most of my picks. So far, the big budget action films this summer have all focused on explosions at the expense of even the slightest amount of story.

I fear that GI Joe will be no different.

FRANCL:
I'm not sure I'm really excited for either of these options this week. I fear that GI Joe is going to more closely resemble the recent onslaught of second-rate superhero movies, plus I wasn't a big G.I. Joe fan growing up (I tended towards the Ninja Turtles). When I see the previews, the guy in the camo parachute pants and 90's beret makes it hard for me to want to watch that fashion statement for two hours. However, I am a sucker for hi-tech weaponry, and I don't doubt this would be full of it. This is a movie I'll rent, but don't think I'd want to see in theaters.

URBAN:
With this in mind, Julie and Julia has been holding its own. It looks like something another blogger might be able to watch and enjoy.

FRANCL:
I actually think Julie & Julia is going to be a better movie top-to-bottom, mostly because I expect it'll have a story that a lot of people can relate to. I can't exactly relate to chasing down a corrupt arms dealer (GI Joe: Rise of Cobra), but I think we've all asked ourselves what we're going to do with our lives (Julie & Julia). That said, if I'm going to the theater, I want to see a movie that's going to be enhanced by the big screen, and that's definitely G.I. Joe. Also, if it's able to hit in the same vein as the first Transformers (another Hasbro collaboration) and less The Mummy Returns (also directed by Stephen Sommers), then it definitely has the upside potential.

What it comes down to is that I'm much more excited for the trifecta coming out next weekend: District 9, The Goods, and The Time Traveler's Wife, all of which I think have sleeper potential.

URBAN:
I will agree wholeheartedly with the first two for next week,,,,, but THE TIME TRAVELLER'S WIFE!!!!! No Way!!! When I saw the preview for that, the only thought that entered my mind was CREEPY! You could prominently hear people whispering the word "pedophile" to each other after seeing the opening part where adult Eric Bana tells that little girl that she would fall in love with him... That was just weird.

As for tomorrow, still undecided, so look for the review tomorrow morning.

2 comments:

  1. FRANCL: As I've made quite clear, I'm a sucker for a good story, so a movie based on a book already has a leg up. I did enjoy the Lakehouse (I am a closet Keaneu Reeves fan and I can't explain why), and I expect this will have the same sort of twist.

    Plus, after seeing Eric Bana in "Funny People," I've got a new respect for him, and Rachel McAdams is one of the best of the new wave of actreses. This could be good as far as chick flicks go, which, granted, isn't often very far (with a few notable exceptions, perhaps a list for another week).

    Any women or married guys out there with me?? If you've got to endure a chick flick, you might as well get a twist in there. Yes? No?

    As a side note, my wife rented "New in Town" and we're watching it as I type this. I've got hope there's better out there and suspect "The Time Traveller's Wife" is one such effort. I think my IQ has dropped a solid 10-20 points since the start of the movie... How do I post this?

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  2. Lakehouse,,to me is just another in a long line of films, a sub-category of the drama, that is called a tear-jerker. Lately Nicholas Sparks has taken the reigns with these, but there is a long tradition that goes back at least as far as 1979's Ice Castles of films like this.

    I don't care for them, but I can understand how they could be well done. Usually, in order to draw more support (and audience) the characters get written into a larger conflict. Probably the best example that I have seen lately is Atonement.

    I like Eric Bana best in Munich, but I am glad to see that he is comfortable enough with himself to play a character that pokes fun at the roles that he usually takes.

    I read somewhere that New In Town, was Sweet Home Alabama,,,, but in Alaska... I will probably pass.

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