Out Now and Coming Soon

Quick takes on the multiplex and my to-see list

True Grit – This looks fabulous.  I am usually against remakes, but 3:10 to Yuma certainly earned me a pass with classic Westerns, and the Cohens are certainly the people to do it. Jeff Bridges looks perfectly cast to make the role his own, and this is near the top of my to-see list when it comes out.

The Tempest – Julie Taymor’s take on the Shakespeare play has me cautiously optimistic. Good source material, Helen Miren, and I generally like Taymor’s visuals. I had mixed feelings on Titus, so we’ll see where she goes with this one. Mirren should be worth watching though, even if the rest of the movie doesn’t work.

The Next Three Days – It seems like Russell Crowe keeps coming out with thrillers that I mean to see, then don’t. This is out now, and I probably won’t see it in theaters, but it looks like it could be a fun couple of hours in the vein of running around and things exploding.  Going on my Netflix queue.

Cowboys and Aliens – Daniel Craig. Harrison Ford. A sci-fi/Western mashup. I am ALL OVER this.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader – None of my friends are very psyched, but I am so glad they made the third movie. I don’t think they necessarily need to make the other four – I love The Silver Chair, but don’t know how well it would translate into film – but I feel like the first three are sort of a set, with the Pevensies, and I think they’ll do a good job. Plus, Dawn Treader is just a lot of fun, and I think it looks like they’ll do it justice.

Source Code – From Duncan Jones, who premiered with the excellent Moon, comes more smart-looking scifi. Jake Gyllenhall looks to be well-cast as a man who relives the scene of an accident/crime over and over, looking for a clue to who is responsible. I can’t wait for this one.

Burke & Hare – A fun looking black comedy about grave robbers, staring Andy Serkis and Simon Pegg. This looks completely charming. (Also, it has Tim Curry. Seriously.)

DVD New release: The Book of Eli – Though this dystopian action flick got mixed reviews, I was interested enough that I’d still like to give it a look. Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman star, and it might be entertaining or it might be terrible. I’m curious.

Classic, new on DVD: Nightfall – A 1957 film noir about the dangers of offering help to stranded motorists.  You could end up dead or framed for murder, apparently. Great reviews, looks fun, and Anne Bancroft is it.

Out Now and Coming Soon

Quick takes on the multiplex and my to-see list.

• I have almost nothing to say about Inception that someone else hasn’t already said. But I loved it, and will probably go see it again while it’s in theaters. Perhaps I will have a proper post about it then. In the meantime, a nice roundup from the Guardian of many reactions, including the graphical representation of the dreams.

• Salt looks silly but fun. I like Angeline Jolie best in action roles, I must confess, and as a popcorn movie, it looks thoroughly entertaining. Unfortunately, I’ve heard it’s crossed the line from “silly” to “stupid,” so I probably won’t see it in theaters.

• The Disappearance of Alice Creed looks really, really interesting. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it’s not another Inside Man (a fascinating trailer for a subpar film). Though the article I linked suggests the film is good, but that the trailer rather spoils it, so… whoops.

• Despite the fact that being excited for Tron Legacy is not exactly edgy, I kind of am. I have such nostalgia for the original, and the effects look razor sharp. Here’s hoping that they screenplay is solid enough to make them palatable. This is probably not going to happen. But I would like it to!

• Red looks so awesome I can’t stand it. Mainly for Helen Mirren. It’s like The Expendables, except I’m actually interested.

• It could be epically brilliant or awful, but I’m willing to give Buried a chance. It’s unusual, and I feel like it could work well.

• True story: When I saw Inception, everyone was clearly very into the trailer for Devil until the words “M. Night Shamaylan” appeared, at which point there was an audible groan. That is the sound of lost trust. Right there.

• Recently on DVD: I really, really wanted The Box to be good. But from what I heard it really, really wasn’t. Still… if it goes to instant streaming on Netflix, I may give it a try.

• And the classic noir new release that caught my eye: City of Fear. A convict thinks he’s stolen heroin, but has actually stolen radioactive cobalt. My attention is grabbed.