Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Finally...A Decent Weekend Ahead! Oh Yeah...I Saw The Sitter

I think that the Holiday release season sits only second to the Summer Blockbuster Season.  It has something to do with extreme weather, I think  Granted, here in KC, we hit the low 60's this Wednesday with a Spring like wind, but the snow and the cold are certainly on the way.  

First, old business.  

THE SITTER: 3 of 5 Horns
Yes, you are correct...wrong movie, but this film was kinda a horror show, so I figured I wouldn't pass up such a pun-y opportunity.

Through the first half of this flick, I was thinking 1.5 to 2ish, at best, but somehow this flick pulled it together and rounded home towards a decent finish.

David Gordon Green's last effort was an absolute atrocity...Your Highness...a stoner comedy that left even the stoners running for the popcorn stand.

I stand by his directorial portfolio as a man with great promise, but efforts like this are tipping the teeter the other way.

The Sitter has a number of decent laughs...most of them directly tied to the antics of the youngsters said Babysitter is looking after.  The rest of the decent laughs come directly from Jonah Hill, who has a masterful comedic delivery, regardless of the material.

If you haven't seen the sitter yet, wait for the DVD or catch it On-Demand.  There's a bunch of popcorn-eating goodness headed for the big screen this weekend...

Yep, that's all I have for you on The Sitter.

This weekend shows some promise for the Big Picture Houses...

I will not mention that Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked is being released this weekend...whoops, I guess I mentioned it.  But that aside, there is plenty of decent fare hitting the screen to keep that trainwreck from taking home the weekend title.

This weekend is the warm up week...some big flicks hitting, some in limited release, some flooding the market.


Take for example, Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows.  Admittedly, I was not blown away by the first in this series.  Everyone involved with the film, made it wholly entertaining, but I thought the plot was a little lacking.  I am worried that Guy Ritchie's early indie appeal is ever-tainted by Madonna's stink of commercialism.  Here's hoping he can overcome.  God knows I would watch Robert Downey Jr. read a phone book...he is damn charismatic!

This weekend also brings us a studio first...a release of a tent-pole release, in limited form, coming out on IMAX screens only.  Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is coming to an IMAX near you, but that is it.  If you want to catch MI:4 on what some call a reasonably sized screen, you will have to wait a week.  In my opinion, it's a brilliant release plan.  This will most definitely siphon a few extra bucks out of those eager Tom Cruise fans who want to catch a glimpse of their hero ASAP.  Yes, that Tom Cruise fan base is dwindling, but throw in a dash of Jeremy Renner, and game-on man....game-on.  Have you heard of his flick coming out this March?  Hansel and Gretel?  In concept, it looks re-donk-u-lous.  MI:4 is sitting at a strong 91% fresh and at an early but promising 8.1 on IMDB.  Even Ebert lent a hand, offering 3 and 1/2 stars to this late series entry. I think it is going to be a very dangerous holiday movie season, dangerous indeed.  

You know what else might hook up MI:4 for the big win....3 words: Dark. Knight. Rises.  Yep, the DKR prologue, those six glorious minutes of film, will be playing before Tommy Cruise and Co. take the screen.  Another means for packing the house, as IMAX screens have felt the impact of such ridiculously high prices.

And finally, Young Adult.  The re teaming of the oh-so-successful team of Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody.  Maybe this is what Cody needed to jump back into the realm of respectable.  Perhaps, Ms. Cody, we can forgive you for the mess that was Jennifer's Body.  That catastrophe could have been half horror, half Megan Fox sex tape, and I would have the same level of interest.  That was crapola.  That said, Young Adult has received some rave reviews and RT has it at 80% fresh.  Although Young Adult is not being cut as a new release.  It played in 8 theaters last week, so this counts as an expansion, and a meager one at best, playing in 1000 theaters as of Friday.

These past few weeks have been exceptionally weak at the cinema, and it has shown on the overall box office numbers.  I think this weekend will see people flooding theaters, but as to who will take the weekend, your guess is as good as mine.  

Will the IMAX upcharge be enough to push Tom Cruise back into the top spot.  

Will the commercial Holmes be the ticket with the return of Noomi Rapace, the girl with Downey Jr. and Jude Law?  I doubt that 1000 screens for Young Adult will be enough as it is also an R-rated flick, but it sure will help muddy the waters.  

And lest I forget Alvin, Simon, and Theodore, members of the Chipmonk trio that continue to plague my existence.  

The answers to all this and more...in just 5 days.


A good weekend to all, and to all a good night.
Reel Rhino  

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