What New Movies Come Out Friday, November 2nd?
This week, at a theater near you, there are four new movies being released. Three open nationwide and another is in limited release.
Opening Nationwide on Friday, November 2nd:
Movie: American Gangster (R) (Read Review)
Starring: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cuba Gooding, Jr. & Josh Brolin
Genre: Crime Drama
Synopsis: The story of Frank Lucas, who started out as a chauffeur for Harlem’s top mobster and rose to power after his boss’ death. He used his own intelligence and a strict code to become the inner city’s biggest and most feared crime boss. A cop, Richie Roberts, tries to curtail the changes taking place in organized crime and bring Lucas to justice.
First Thoughts: Unless you are taking your kids to see Bee Movie, this looks to be the definite best choice at the theater this weekend. It is one of those movies I have been looking forward to since first seeing the trailer many weeks ago.
Movie: Bee Movie (PG)
Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick & John Goodman
Genre: Children’s Animated Comedy
Synopsis: A bee that isn’t all that enthused about being just like every other bee and becoming just another honey maker sets out to see what lies outside the hive. Once outside, he is saved by a florist and becomes friendly with her. He then finds that humans really like honey and consume a lot of it and decides that he should sue the human race for honey theft.
First Thoughts: The Bee Movie TV Juniors commercials on NBC have been pretty funny, but seemed to be aimed at a more adult aged market and not the children that you would assume would make up the bulk of the market. I guess they are trying to get the parents interested, so they will be more likely to want to take their kids to see it when asked.
Movie: Martian Child (PG)
Starring: John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Bobby Coleman & Joan Cusack
Genre: Family Comedy Drama
Synopsis: A man who recently lost his wife, who is also a writer of science fiction, forms an odd family with a close friend and a little boy that he adopts. The boy says he is from Mars, ignoring what would be considered good parenting advice from the widower’s sister, the man goes about raising the boy the way he thinks he should. After a few strange coincidences that happen around the boy, they start to think that the young boy may in fact be from another planet.
First Thoughts: John Cusack is always good and this looks to be an interesting story, but this film falls into the second choice category for this week.
Movie in Limited Release:
- Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten – Biography of the lead singer and songwriter of the Clash.
Expanding to more theaters this week is Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead.
For New Movie Friday there are three new movies at a theater near me this week to choose from. They are American Gangster, Bee Movie and Martian Child. What new movie will you be heading out to see this weekend?
Movie Review: Dan in Real Life - Starring Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche & Dane Cook
Released: October 26th, 2007
Runtime: 1 hr. 35 min.
Ticket Price: $7.50 Matinee
Refreshments: None
Starring: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche & Dane Cook
Director: Peter Hedges
Rating: Worth a Full Price Ticket
Synopsis: The author of an advice column and dedicated single dad meets the woman of his dreams, when his extended family has a reunion at a beach house. Unfortunately, for him, she turns out to be his brother’s girlfriend.
Review: In the landscape of what is deemed comedy these days, Dan in Real Life is sweet, poignant and very funny. Even though it stars Steve Carell, who made us laugh in The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Dan in Real Life has a similar pace and tone to The Family Stone
The best thing about Dan in Real Life is the real comic moments and genuine laughter that filled the theater. Many comedies seem to be trying to hard to make us laugh and end up failing miserably. Dan in Real Life didn’t seem to be exerting itself, but it sure got the audience laughing and a lot.
Like all romantic comedies, the story is completely contrived. Yet, it doesn’t feel like it is. It all seems completely natural and authentic. That is attributable to the outstanding cast. The brothers, sisters, wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons are all just perfect. That includes Cook, who seems to be better in the less comedic roles he has taken recently.
While Carell is fantastic as the male lead, Juliette Binoche (Chocolat) is really what makes the movie go. If you met her in that bookstore, you wouldn’t want her to leave either and you would be totally devastated to find out the guy she was newly seeing is your womanizing brother.
One thing that I don’t always notice is a films soundtrack, well unless it is completely terrible, or in this case, very good. Sondre Lerche has fashioned a truly impressive film score
Overall, Dan in Real Life is one of the most enjoyable movies to hit the big screen this year and is definitely worth a full price ticket.
What did you think about Dan in Real Life?
What New Movies Come Out on Friday, October 26th?
Have you ever done something, like say, post about new movies every Wednesday, for an extended period of time, like say, since the beginning of the year, and then one day you just totally forget, like yesterday, to do it. Well, that is what happened and now on with what’s playing this week.
This week, at a theater near you, there are nine new movies being released. Two open nationwide and another seven are in limited release.
Opening Nationwide on Friday, October 26th:
Movie: Dan in Real Life (PG-13) (Read Review)
Starring: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche & Dane Cook
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Synopsis: The author of a widely read advice column and dedicated single dad meets the woman of his dreams, when his extended family has a reunion at a beach house. Unfortunately, for him, she is his brother’s girlfriend.
First Thoughts: It looks like it might be funny. It’s got to be better than the alternative this weekend.
Movie: Saw IV (R)
Starring: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Scott Patterson, Betsy Russell & Lyriq Bent
Genre: Horror
Synopsis: Two FBI profilers arrive to help a depleted police department figure out Jigsaw’s next grizzly game. Then the SWAT commander is reported taken and put in the middle of the game. He only has 90 minutes to figure a way out through all the interconnected traps.
First Thoughts: Never have really gotten the whole scary movie thing. I look forward to not going to see Saw X in Fall 2013.
Movies in Limited Release:
- Before the Devil Knows Your Dead - Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei and Albert Finney star in this crime thriller about a broker deep in debt that gets his brother to rob their parents’ jewelry store with him, but things don’t go as planned and their fathers goes about hunting them down.
- How to Cook Your Life – A biographical documentary about chef and Zen priest Edward Espe that sounds like it could have been called Zen and the Art of Cooking Healthy.
- Jimmy Carter Man From Plains – Biographical documentary of former President Jimmy Carter on his book tour of his book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid
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- Mr. Untouchable – Biographical documentary about Leroy “Nicky” Barnes and him becoming a heroin kingpin in New York, in the 1970s, before he was caught.
- Music Within - Ron Livingston, Melissa George, Rebecca De Mornay and Hector Elizondo star in this biographical drama about a guy that has his dreams of being a public speaker dashed and then joins the army, where he loses most of his hearing and then upon his return ends up becoming a motivational speaker for the differently abled.
- Rails & Ties - Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden star in this family drama about a woman who kills herself by parking her car on the train tracks and how her family and the train engineer that couldn’t stop are affected by the tragedy.
- Slipstream - Anthony Hopkins, Stella Arroyave, Christian Slater, John Turturro and Michael Clarke Duncan star in this fantasy comedy about an aging screenwriter that finds the characters in his latest murder mystery invading his life.
Expanding to more theaters this week are The Darjeeling Limited, Lars and the Real Girl, Reservation Road and Wristcutters: A Love Story.
For New Movie Friday there are two new movies at a theater near me this week to choose from. They are Dan in Real Life and Saw IV. What new movie will you be heading out to see this weekend?
Movie Review: Gone Baby Gone - Starring Casey Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris & John Ashton
Movie: Gone Baby Gone (R)
Released: October 19th, 2007
Runtime: 1 hr. 54 min.
Ticket Price: $7.50 Matinee
Refreshments: None
Starring: Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris & John Ashton
Director: Ben Affleck
Rating: Worth a Full Price Ticket
Synopsis: A 4-year-old girl from Dorchester, a tough neighborhood in Boston, goes missing. The child’s aunt pleads with a local private investigator to take the case, because he has contacts the police don’t have. He ends up risking everything to bring the little girl back.
Review: Gone Baby Gone is based on Dennis Lahane’s Gone, Baby, Gone
Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Ocean’s Eleven), the younger brother of Ben, puts in a terrific performance as the private investigator in search of the missing girl. The ups and downs, twists and turns and decisions his character has to make along the way give you something to think about. Ultimately, I would’ve only done one thing different, but the questions and situations he faces do point out how people can justify just about anything.
Michelle Monaghan (The Heartbreak Kid, Mission: Impossible III) is very good as his investigative partner and girlfriend. Her character doesn’t even want to take the case, because she doesn’t want to find the little girl in a “dumpster” or after being abused for days. Who would, but after talking with the mother and aunt of the missing girl, she can’t say no. The range of emotions her character portrays is wide and you believe her at every point.
Morgan Freeman (Evan Almighty, Batman Begins) and Ed Harris (A History of Violence, Radio) are just what you would expect. They bring a gravitas and credibility to the proceedings.
The side characters are really good as well. Affleck seems to have a knack for this type of thing and has put together an interesting portrait of Boston neighborhood life. The bar patrons, reporters, friends and others all feel real.
Even though Gone Baby Gone moves along slowly, it maintains your interest all the way through. It is most definitely worth a full price ticket and a trip to your local theater.
What did you think about Gone Baby Gone?
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