So what’s out there this week. Well today we’ll take a look at the films scheduled to be released this Friday including yet another horror flick, a kid’s film about owls, oh yeah and that Tom Cruise guy has a new film out too. All that and more; read on…
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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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Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) returns on another impossible mission. This one involves and his girlfriend (Michelle Monaghan) and an international arms dealer (recent Oscar winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman). It’s J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias, Felicity) turn behind the camera. Ving Rhames returns as computer mastermind Luther and the cast includes quite a few recognizable new faces including Laurence Fishburne, Billy Crudup, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and Keri Russell. Despite Cruise’s midlife-crisis, near-complete mental breakdown and his bizarre behavior War of the Worlds still did great business and there’s no reason to think M:i:III will be any different.
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Adapted from the children’s novel by Carl Hiassen the story involves a new kid in town (Logan Lerman) who discovers new friends (Brie Larson, Cody Linley) and feels compelled to help protect the local wildlife from a money-crazy pancake house building industrialist (Clark Gregg). The story was adapted by Wil Shriner who also directs and was produced by Jimmy Buffet who lends some music to the film and has a small recurring role in the film. You’ll have to wait until Friday for my review of this one, but to give you a clue on my reaction to the film I’m thinking of titling it “Who Gives a Hoot?”
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Wow, another horror flick. What does that make it, 12 so far this year? This one involves a family’s haunting by a spirit determined to kill off one the clan in 1820 Red River, Tennessee. Early comparisons to last years The Exorcism of Emily Rose raised my interest (like Emily Rose, this film is “based on true events”) as well as casting a pair who know their way around a horror flick – Donald Sutherland and Sissy Spacek. However the film is directed by Courtney Solomon who’s only directing credit is the laughably bad 2000 flick Dungeons & Dragons so odds are this would could suck pretty damn hard.
Art School Confidential (limited release)
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Director Terry Zwigoff’s (Ghost World, Bad Santa) latest like Ghost World is an adaption of a Dan Clowe’s comic (the two co-wrote the screenplay). The story involves a young man (Max Minghella) with dreams of getting into art school despite his limited talent, but his world is complicated how the art world works, the girl he likes (Sophia Myles) falling for another guy, and his arrest for murder and learns how even bad publicity can help an aspiring artist. With Zwigoff at the helm, a quirky tale, and a supporting cast that includes John Malkovich and Angelica Huston this one might just turn out to be a gem.
The Promise (limited release)
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The Chinese film (original title Wu ji) weaves a tale of love and loss with the martial arts fantasy genre. A princess (Cecilia Cheung) made a promise with an enchantress as a child for her wealth, beauty and fortune giving up only the opportunity of love as each meets with tragedy. Nonetheless, three men vie for her affection including a general (Kiroyuki Sanada), his slave (Dong-Kun Jang) and a rival warrior. Known primarily as the most expensive Chinese movie ever made it does boast some Hollywood experience with director Kaige Chen (Killing Me Softly) and cinematographer Peter Pau (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).
Crazy Like a Fox (limited release)
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A local farmer (Roger Rees) loses his land to a duplicitous couple of land speculators from Washington D.C. Unwilling to accept his fate he hides out in the local caves and tries to sabotage the destruction of his family home and fight the expansionist plans with the help of his neighbors and family. Yeah… It’s the first film by writer/director Richard Squires; the cast includes Mary McDonnell (Battlestar Gallactica), Chritina Rouner, Paul Fitzerald, and Robert Wisdom.