What New Movies Come Out on Friday, April 13th?
This week, we have six movies opening wide on Friday. If you are looking for action and suspense, then this is the week for you, especially for the suspense thriller. You just need to pick your favorite leading man from Shia LeBeouf, Bruce Willis or Ray Liotta or your favorite leading woman from Sarah Roemer, Halle Berry or Jolene Blalock. Ok, maybe Shia and Sarah don’t exactly fit the bill, but you get the point. Which thrill ride looks like the winner to you?
Movies Opening Nationwide on Friday, April 13th:
Movie: Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters (R)
Starring: Carey Means, Dana Snyder and Dave Willis
Genre: Animated Comedy
Synopsis: The Aqua Teen Hunger Force is made up of Frylock, Master Shake and Meatwad. Together they take action against a piece of immortal exercise equipment when it threatens piece in the galaxy. It doesn’t look good when the Plutonians join with the Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past to get control of the evil device.
First Thoughts: If you like the TV version, then you will probably like this as well.
Movie: Disturbia (PG-13)
Starring: Shia LeBeouf, David Morse, Sarah Roemer and Carrie-Anne Moss
Genre: Suspense Thriller
Synopsis: A young man gets himself put under house arrest for three months. When boredom sets in he starts watching his neighbors. He starts to see weird things at the house across the street and believes that the guy living there might be a serial killer. With the help of a couple of friends he tries to find out what is going on.
First Thoughts: David Morse can play a good creepy character, which he definitely is in this film. Ultimately, it looks like your standard thriller.
Movie: Pathfinder (R)
Starring: Karl Urban, Moon Bloodgood and Russell Means
Genre: Action Adventure
Synopsis: A Viking boy is left behind by his people after an attack. The natives raise the child as their own. As the boy grows up he becomes known as Ghost. The Vikings again return to once again attack Ghost’s tribe. With guidance from a powerful shaman known as the Pathfinder he sets out to fulfill his destiny and wage a one-man war to push back and defeat the Viking invaders.
First Thoughts: Sounds like they should of called this 1, as the odds sound quite similar to 300.
Movie: Perfect Stranger (R)
Starring: Halle Berry, Bruce Willis and Giovanni Ribisi
Genre: Suspense Thriller
Synopsis: When the friend is found dead, a reporter sets out to solve the case. During her investigation she comes across information that a big time advertising mogul may have something to do with it. Assuming a new identity, she gets a job at his firm. She also pursues him online via chat.
First Thoughts: No, this is not about Balki, after loosing his cousin, becoming a serial killer stalker. It is supposed to have a bunch of twists and turns and Halle Berry is there to look at along the way.
Movie: Redline (PG-13)
Starring: Nathan Phillips, Nadia Bjorn, Angus Mac Fadyen and Eddie Griffin
Genre: Action Adventure
Synopsis: A good looking car fanatic and singer gets herself mixed up in the world of illegal racing competitions that are put on for the enjoyment of the rich.
First Thoughts: The producer, Daniel Sadek, lent his exotic car collection for use in the movie. You may have heard about Eddie Griffin crashing one of them recently. Looks like another movie for The Fast and the Furious
Movie: Slow Burn (R)
Starring: Ray Liotta, LL Cool J, Mekhi Phifer, Taye Diggs and Jolene Blalock
Genre: Suspense Drama
Synopsis: A District Attorney on the fast-track wants to be mayor. He gets mixed up in a case with conflicting stories of what happened. An assistant DA that he is also sleeping with tells him that the man tried to rape her. Another witness tells a different story. He says that she was actually trying to seduce the man in an attempt to get info on a mob boss.
First Thoughts: This has a really solid cast and looks to have many a twist and turn along the way.
Movies in Limited Release This Friday:
- Dreaming Lhasa – A drama about a filmmaker making a documentary about former political prisoners in Tibet.
- Everything’s Gone Green – A comedy about a slacker that participates in a money-laundering scheme.
- The Glamorous Life of Sachiko Hanai – A foreign sci-fi dramedy about an escort who gets shot and then has quite a wacked out time on the run from those who are chasing her.
- Lonely Hearts – A dramatic suspense thriller starring John Travolta, James Gandolfini and Salma Hayek about the real life murder spree of Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez.
- Private Fears in Public Places – A foreign language drama about six people and their search for love.
- Unconscious – A foreign language comedy about a pregnant woman searching for her psychiatrist husband by contacting his female patients.
- Year of the Dog – Romantic dramedy starring Molly Shannon, Laura Dern and Regina King about a woman who lives alone with her dog and must deal with the loss when he dies.
Between the nationwide openings and the limited releases there are 13 movies hitting theaters around the country. What looks good to you this week?
Movie Review: Grindhouse – Starring Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez and Kurt Russell
Released: April 6th, 2007
Runtime: 3 hr. 11 min.
Ticket Price: $5.00 Early Matinee
Refreshments: Swedish Fish
Starring: Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Kurt Russell & Many More
Directors: Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino
Rating: Worth a Full Price Ticket
Synopsis: Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez decided to get a little exploitive. They teamed together to pay homage to a style of movies from the 1970s. They each directed a feature and others directed fake trailers that appear between the two films. The first is a zombie movie called “Planet Terror.” The second, a slasher type film called “Death Proof.” It is about a man that stalks women with his car. It is supposed to be like going to a double feature at an independent theater in the 1970s, which were known as grind houses.
Review: Grindhouse is a movie made up of two features and a few mock trailers for fake coming attractions. Robert Rodriquez (Sin City, Once Upon a Time in Mexico) directs the first part, “Planet Terror,” and the “Machete” preview that kicked the film off, which is now in production and will be an actual movie. Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & 2, Pulp Fiction) directs the second part, “Death Proof.” Eli Roth (Hostel), Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead) and Rob Zombie (The Devils Rejects) were the directors on the three fake trailers that are shown between the two features. They are “Thanksgiving,” “Don’t” and “Werewolf Women of the S.S.” respectively.
Except for the high back chairs, cup holders and stadium seating, you will feel like you are watching an old 1970s grind house film, complete with missing reels, bad editing, scratchy look, funky dialogue, opening title sequences and a soundtrack, although of better quality, that sounds right out of that era of film. My local theater had a notice posted at the ticket window to warn moviegoers that the movie is supposed to look and sound that way, which gave me a chuckle on the way in. Grindhouse is a movie that should be seen at a theater, as it won’t feel quite the same when watching it at home, no matter how good of home theater you have. If you could find a rundown old theater in your neighborhood that is playing the movie that would be even better.
The movie is in true grind house style, from what I have read and seen of the exploitation films of the 1970s, as settings and actors pop up in both features and the fake trailers. Tarantino himself is just one of the many who pop up in both features. These types of films were made on very low budgets and outside of the regular Hollywood fare of the day. To make every dollar count, they would take a bunch of unknown actors and actresses and film multiple movies all at once. Only a few prints could be afforded and distribution was done by hand delivery in many cases. One print would go from theater to theater, at each stop showing more wear than the one before. By the time it reached a theater near you, it might be missing a part of the film, be all scratched up or in a completely different order than when it was shown last. Thus the term grind house, as that is what the print reels were put through. It is said that there are a few different cuts of Grindhouse out there to mimic this. So, the version you see near you might have a few scenes in a different order than at other theaters it is playing at this weekend
“Planet Terror” is a zombie movie, with Rose McGowan (TV’s Charmed) as a go-go dancer named Cherry Darling that has lots of “useless talents” and one leg after being attacked by the zombies. With the help of an old boyfriend and a gun for a leg, she finally finds a use for all those talents and together they try to save the day. As a movie, in and of itself, I liked “Planet Terror” more than “Death Proof.” It held your attention all the way through, while Death Proof” really gets good in the second half.
“Death Proof” is a movie about a psychotic stalker who kills women with his car. Kurt Russell (Poseidon, Dark Blue) plays Stuntman Mike, the stalker in question. If you’ve ever seen Gone in 60 Seconds
The worry that it was just going to be a bunch of over hyped carnage put on the big screen by two over hyped directors, turned out not to be the case. It is very well done and worth checking out. Grab yourself a full price ticket and go see this movie. Just be prepared to last the over three hours it runs. That way, you won’t have to get up and leave between features like a guy did during the screening I went to. He missed most of the fake trailers and commercial, which are really good and part of what makes Grindhouse worth seeing.
For those of you who like such, there is also a lot of Easter eggs and inside jokes and such in the film. Like, keep an eye out for Dr. Dakota Block’s to do list and what she has on it in regards to her husband Dr. William Block in “Planet Terror.” Or, the cup that Arlene is drinking from in the car in “Death Proof” and the faux restaurant commercial that plays between features. Did you catch those? What other fun extras did you notice in the film? How would you rate Grindhouse?
House of the Grind to be Visited This Friday
Five movies came out that are at a theater near me, but only two start on Friday. The Hoax and Grindhouse were really the only choices. Going to see Ice Cube get whacked and smacked and fall through things or a stunt dog save the day, is not my idea of big screen entertainment.
For the family audience out there, with older children, Are We Done Yet? might be the best choice. For those with smaller ones, a smart and heartwarming dog story, Firehouse Dog, will always hit the spot.
I guess I could have chosen The Reaping to go see, but it seems like a movie I have already seen many times, just without as good a cast.
So, that leaves The Hoax, which is an interesting story or Grindhouse. Neither strike me as, “wow I want to see that” kind of movies. Well, Grindhouse almost does for the curiosity factor of what directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez have done with their halves of this two hour and 45 minute movie.
I mean, a girl with a gun for a leg, a stalker with a death proof car, a guy with a jacket full of machetes, zombies, terror, explosions and that is just what they have shown you in the trailer. What have these two come up with that couldn’t be shown on TV in the ads or has been left out of the trailers.
The curiosity grows as I write this. Hopefully, it will be as good as the hype has portrayed it to be. What do you think of Grindhouse? Will you be catching it this weekend?
What New Movies Start the Week Before Easter?
There are 10 movies opening this week, three on Wednesday, one on Thursday and six on Friday. Four of the films open wide and six are in limited release. So, what movies are opening this week?
Opening Nationwide on Wednesday, April 4th:
Movie: Are We Done Yet? (PG-13)
Starring: Ice Cube and Nia Long
Genre: Family Comedy
Synopsis: This is a sequel to Are We There Yet? This time Nick and Suzanne have moved the children to a big house away from the hustle and bustle of the city. They end up with a wacky contractor to fix up the house, which complicates the move. Things go downhill from there.
First Thoughts: It looks like The Money Pit
Movie: Firehouse Dog (PG)
Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Bruce Greenwood and Steven Culp
Genre: Family Adventure Comedy
Synopsis: The story of a dog named Rex, who is a famous Hollywood stunt dog. One day he gets separated from his owner and ends up being taken in by a 12 year old boy and his father the fire-chief of one of the worst stations in San Francisco. With the help of this special dog, they turn things around and stop an evil arsonist that is terrorizing the city.
First Thoughts: If you liked the Air Bud
Opening Nationwide on Thursday, April 5th:
Movie: The Reaping (R)
Starring: Hilary Swank, David Morrissey and AnnaSophia Robb
Genre: Horror Suspense Thriller
Synopsis: A former missionary who has lost her faith after the loss of her family in tragic circumstances is now all about disproving religious phenomena. When a small town starts to suffer from biblical type plagues, she is called in to investigate. Once there she finds that science doesn’t have an explanation for the occurrences and must once again renew her faith to defeat the evil that is plaguing the town.
First Thoughts: Looks creepy.
Opening Nationwide on Friday, April 6th:
Movie: Grindhouse (R) (Read Review)
Starring: Kurt Russell, Rose McGowan, Rosario Dawson, Freddy Rodriguez and Many More
Genre: Horror Suspense Thriller
Synopsis: Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez decide to get a little exploitive. They have team together to pay homage to a style of movies in the 1970s. They each directed a feature and others directed mock trailers that appear between the two films. The first one is by Rodriguez and is a zombie movie called “Planet Terror.” Tarantino directed the second, a slasher type film called “Death Proof.” It is about a man and his car that stalks women.
First Thoughts: It is by Tarantino and Rodriquez so it is getting a lot of pub. It has a girl with a gun for a leg and a car that crashes but the driver never dies, but the passengers are not so lucky. It could be a lot of fun or it could be a lot of over-hyped carnage.
Movies Opening in Limited Release:
Movie: The Hoax (R)
Starring: Richard Gere, Alfred Molina and Hope Davis
Genre: Drama
Synopsis: Based on a true story
First Thoughts: This sounds like it could be a good ride. Opens Friday.
Other Movies in Limited Releases This Week:
- Black Book – A foreign thriller set in WWII about a Dutch Jewish girl who just barely survives the war in Holland. Opens Wednesday in Los Angeles and New York.
- Fakers – A comedy about a guy trying to use a fake painting to get out of debt with a crime boss. Opens Friday.
- The Night of White Pants – A comedy drama about a rich guy who has to hit the town with his daughter’s lowlife boyfriend. Opens Friday.
- The Pleasures of Your Company – Jason Biggs and Isla Fisher star in this romantic comedy. Opens Friday.
- The TV Set – A comedy starring David Duchovny and Sigourney Weaver about a guy trying to get his TV script produced and the show on the air. Being that I am also a TVaholic, I would really like to see this one. Opens Friday in Los Angeles and New York.
That leaves New Movie Friday with five movies opening in a theater in my area, but only two that actually open on Friday, April 6th, those being Grindhouse and The Hoax. What looks good to you this week? Will any of these offerings top the box office this weekend?
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