This is a good week for movies. I don’t know if it is a week for good movies or for movies that are weak, but we will find out this Friday. This week we have six major releases and nine limited releases. That is the possibility of up to 15 new movies hitting screens around the country for your viewing pleasure. So, what new movies will be starting this Friday? Well, read on and see what may be playing at a theater near you.
Nationwide Movie Releases for March 23rd:
Movie: The Hills Have Eyes 2 (R)
Starring: Michael McMillian, Jacob Vargas and Flex Alexander
Genre: Horror
Synopsis: A National Guard unit that is supposed to be on a routine patrol in the desert of New Mexico respond to a distress signal. They respond and come in contact with a tribe of mutant cannibals and all hell breaks loose.
First Thoughts: I haven’t seen the first one and don’t understand why they made a second one. It looks like a movie full of violence for violence’s sake and nothing more.
Movie: The Last Mimzy (PG)
Starring: Chris O’Neil, Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, Joely Richardson, Timothy Hutton and Rainn Wilson
Genre: Family Sci-Fi Adventure
Synopsis: When a brother and sister find a box of toys from the future, they start to take on some pretty amazing abilities. This starts to terrify and amaze their parents and teacher. Based on the sci-fi short story by Lewis Padgett.
First Thoughts: I am sure that once you have seen the movie that the title will make sense, but it just sounds dumb. Probably a lot of fun for the family set, which is who this movie is geared.
Movie: Pride (PG)
Starring: Terrence Howard, Bernie Mac, Kimberly Elise and Tom Arnold
Genre: Sports Drama
Synopsis: The story of a Jim Ellis who was an educated African American that couldn’t find work in 1973. He developed a love of swimming and with a little help turned an old pool in the slums of Philadelphia into a working competition swim facility. The pool gets put on the list for demolition by the city and he has to fight to keep it open. He does so by starting a swim team. He sets about recruiting local teens from the area and begins to turn them into real swimmers. The state championships are coming up and Jim and his team must battle racism and violence to keep moving forward and not be torn apart. He wants them to know that victory is within their grasp; they just need to reach out and take it. Based on true events.
First Thoughts: It looks like Hoosiers in a pool, but with a different set of circumstances. It could be good. It has a really solid cast.
Movie: Reign Over Me (R)
Starring: Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith and Liv Tyler
Genre: Comedy Drama
Synopsis: A man that lost his whole family in the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks is still in grief over their loss. When he runs into his old college roommate a friendship starts to reemerge. The old friend decides that he needs to do whatever he can to help the man get back from the devastation that plagues his life.
First Thoughts: Adam Sandler can do a pretty good dramatic turn and Don Cheadle is always worth watching.
Movie: Shooter (R) (Read Review)
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Michael Pena, Kate Mara and Danny Glover
Genre: Action Adventure Suspense
Synopsis: Bob Lee Swagger is a superior marksmen and former sniper. After a mission goes badly he gets out of the military. He gets called back into duty to help stave off a potential assassination attempt on the president. While doing so, he is setup and betrayed. He is made to look like the culprit when the assassination takes place. On the run from a nationwide manhunt, he must find who set him up and figure out how to stay alive in the process.
First Thoughts: Mark Wahlberg takes his first shot at a full on action flick and while the premise is not new, it looks like it could be a lot of fun.
Movie: TMNT – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (PG)
Starring: Chris Evans, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mako, Kevin Smith and Patrick Stewart
Genre: Animated Family Adventure
Synopsis: The Turtles have gone their separate ways after they finally defeated The Shredder. Master Splinter has struggled to keep them together and is starting to notice weird and bad things on the horizon. It turns out that a big Tech guy has been amassing an army of ancient monsters and plotting world domination. Can the Turtles band together once again and save the day?
First Thoughts: This is another possibility for the family clan, but be on the lookout for the mysterious Foot Clan on your way to the theater.
New Movies in Limited Release:
Movie: Color Me Kubrick (NR)
Starring: John Malkovich
Genre: Art House Comedy
Synopsis: Based on the true story of a con man who once impersonated filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, who is known to be very reclusive. The man was able to convince people that he was Kubrick even though he looks nothing like him and practically new nothing about his films.
First Thoughts: I have never heard of that story before, but it sounds like a good premise for a movie and Malkovich is always pretty good on screen.
Movie: What is Love (R)
Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr. and Sean Astin
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis: A guy is thinking about asking his live-in girlfriend to marry him. He invites a bunch of his buddies to come by later to celebrate his upcoming engagement. When he gets home he finds her gone and a note left behind. When his pals begin to show up later, an alcohol-laden conversation about love ensues.
First Thoughts: Could be interesting, but mostly it makes you wonder, not what love is, but what criteria does Gooding uses to select his movies of late?
Other limited releases coming out this week:
Air Guitar Nation – A documentary about the people competing to represent America in the World Air Guitar Championships.
Boy Culture – Drama about a male escort.
First Snow – A drama suspense thriller starring Guy Pearce and Piper Perabo about a fast talking salesmen who comes with a big idea to make him rich in no time flat.
Journey from the Fall – The story of a Vietnamese family who is forced to migrate to America 13 years after the Vietnam War ended.
Memory – Dennis Hopper and Billy Zane in this suspense thriller of a horror film.
Offside – Comedic tale set in Iran where women are not allowed to go to public soccer matches, but some try to dress as men to get in.
The Prisoner Or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair – Documentary about a man captured in Iraq who was thought to have been planning an assassination of British prime minister Tony Blair. Only opening in New York according to First Showing.
The movies in limited release may or may not be at a theater near you. You can use Fandango, like I do, to find out which ones will be playing in your neck of the woods. Up here in Seattle, the only two are Color Me Kubrick and What is Love. That gives me here at New Movie Friday eight choices for the coming Friday.
So, what new movie looks good to you? Is there anything here that will get you out to the theater this weekend?
