So what’s out there this week? Well today we’ll take a look at the films scheduled to be released which include a tap dancing penguin extravaganza, a bit of raunchy humor and a little shaken, not stirred accompanied by a few serious, and not so serious, limited releases. This week’s films include Happy Feet, Casino Royale, Let’s Go to Prison, For Your Consideration, Fast Food Nation, Candy, Shut Up and Sing and Bobby.
C’mon in and let us get you ready for the week!
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Here’s what’s scheduled to hit theaters this week. Want to know more? Just click on the title for film info including a full cast list. Want a closer look? Just click on the poster to watch the trailer.
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Based on the first Bond book, “Casino Royale” written by Ian Fleming, the film gives us the creation of the top sexiest and lethal agent ever, 007 James Bond. Filling a pretty big pair of shoes left behind by Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig (Munich and Layer Cake) is sure to fit in and hit the ground running. I have a small confession to make, I’ve never been much of a Bond film fan; but I could see where Casino Royale might change things around a bit. Promising your typical Bond moves, gadgets and plenty of danger and let us not forget your typical Bond girls, one good and one bad and always one in his bed. Bond fans won’t be disappointed, 007 is out to bring down the terrorists network through their banker, Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) and to accomplish this he must beat Le Chiffre in a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale (wonder where the name of the film came from).
He falls for the sexy Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), British Treasury official, and finds the two of them in danger (what a shocker) and has to save her life as well as his own. Good times, glad to see that no matter how good or how bad the Bond films get, they will never die; our grandchildren will see the 50th Bond film, I have no doubt. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violent action, a scene of torture, sexual content and nudity, maybe not the best family film, but certainly great for a night out between mom and dad or the buddies. Projected 3.5 out of 5 razors.
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Happy Feet boasts voice talents Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving and the list goes on; plus plenty of dancing animated penguins with a lot of singing. Oh, how sweet, it’s Rudolph, but with Penguins, in a far off way. Mumble can’t sing and what’s a penguin that can’t sing, but tap dances? He’s nothing and the leader of the penguins kicks him out to figure things out on his own. Mumble runs across some other outcasts and hunts down an all knowing Guru.
Between the Amigos and the Guru, Mumble figures out the most important thing there is, you must be true to yourself to really shine. He goes back to his family and the nation of Emperor Penguins to prove that he is as worthy as they. Good times for the whole family, plenty of humor and awe shucks moments. Rated PG for some rude humor. Great Casino Royale has torture and violence and it gets a mere PG13, but a little rude humor in a family animated film and it gets PG, what’s this world coming to? Projected 3 out of 5 razors.
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Starring Dax from Without A Paddle, one of the accidental funniest guys on film, Let’s Go to Prison promises to be an empty raunchy attempt at prison sex humor. Richy snob gets into a little trouble and finds himself in the clink and roomies with a career thug. He gets a few lessons, sold to the prisons big guy and enjoys (not) a little prison snuggles. Before the career thug knows it, richy boy turns the tables on him and starts controlling the game. Rated R for language, sexual content and some violence and drug material, Let’s Go to Prison is a guaranteed wrong time. A projected bomb all around.
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Rock on Dixie Chicks. Spend a day in their shoes, see what it was like to be the country music’s lead female group to speak their minds against our noble president. Shut Up and Sing is a documentary that follows the Dixie Chicks lives through out the past 3 years of tours, marriage, death threats, family, political attacks and making music after the comment about Bush. I’m glad we are in another country fighting for their rights and freedom of speech (keeping women from being hidden and abused), but all along we are suppose to oppress our true believes and stay under an invisible veil in our own country.
What makes all of this wrong is not only the opposition the government took against these 3 young ladies, but what we as a nation did. What ever happened to freedom of speech and having our own beliefs? I must question, would the same exact interrogation had happened to a male who would have spoke the same way? Is it time for us to burn our bras again? Projected 4 out of 5 razors.
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Christopher Guest brings to the big screen another laugh out loud story about human’s infatuation about self-gratification. For Your Consideration has a few repeat players and a couple of new, a cast list that boasts Carrie Aizley, Bob Balaban, Ed Begley, Jr., Jennifer Coolidge, Paul Dooley, Ricky Gervais, Christopher Guest, Rachael Harris and on and on and on, how does Guest get so much talent in one film? The show is all about making an independent film and the award buzz that taunts the actors afterwards. Once again, Guest throws the obvious in our face and makes us look at the ugly beast in the eye.
Yes we are a greedy society that needs constant rewards and pats on the back for simply doing our job. Luckily he makes quite a farce of it and a completely enjoyable viewing experience. Projected 5 out of 5 razors.
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Here’s an insult to the best selling novel with the same name. The only saving grace for Fast Food Nation are the small parts that Greg Kinnear, Ashley Johnson and Catalina Sandino Moreno plays in the film. There are tasteless graphic scenes of animals being slaughtered and way too much content trying to be covered in a serious form. Too much is too much, why try to cover so many topics in a short 2 hours. Focus on one point of view and keep it simple, simplicity would have saved this film. Rated R for really disturbing images, strong sexuality, language and drug content.
Limited release only, just wait for it on DVD. Projected 1 out of 5 razors.
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Wow, the films out this week have some serious talent. Bobby, written and directed by Emilio Estevez (yeah, I wondered where he went too) has quite the list with Anthony Hopkins, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone, Lindsay Lohan, Elijah Wood, William H. Macy, Helen Hunt, Christian Slater (he disappeared too), Heather Graham, Laurence Fishburne, Freddy Rodriguez…I’ll stop now. I’ve got to give it to Emilio; he has created a culturally and politically powerful film set around the night Robert F. Kennedy was shot. It focuses on 22 people who are all waiting for the arrival of Kennedy’s primary election night and the events that were set in history.
Many issues are covered from racism to women’s rights and each actor plays their part to bring the characters to life, most doing a brilliant job and a few a little rusty. It’s a well-written story and, for the most part, a well acted and directed one at that. Projected 4 out of 5 razors.
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Heath Ledgerand Abbie Cornish star in this love story of two selfish and self-absorbed heroin addicts. Alan hated it, well hated might not be a strong enough word, despised might be more apt; you can check out his full review on Friday. The film was adapted from Luke Davies bes-selling novel and also stars Geoffrey Rush as an enabler and father figure for the lovers whose lives get slowly eaten up on drugs and madness. Boy, doesn’t that sound like the family film you’ve been waiting to take your kids to? Doesn’t that sound like a beautiful love story? Oh wait, it doesn’t. A projected bomb all around.