Friday, August 6, 2010

MOVIES FOR THE WEEKEND

I am definitely looking forward to catching The Other Guys. Not sure if I have time to get to the theater this weekend but I will check it out ASAP. I whole-heartedly love Will Ferrell and his brand of idiocy. I do wish the film was a hard-R spoof of the action-movie genre but it looks playful and silly and amusing. Director Adam McKay hasn't made a bad comedy yet so that helps (his impressive track record includes Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and Step Brothers).

I'd still like to see Dinner for Schmucks, but something tells me I might wait for the Blu Ray. I'm a fan of everyone involved (Carrell and Rudd are terrific), it looks pretty funny (though something tells me it should've been rated R considering the darkly comedic French movie that inspires it), but for some reason, there's nothing pulling me to the theater.

From Netflix is Nicolas Winding Refn's American debut (from a few years ago) Fear X. It's very interesting how Refn started his career in Europe with the Pusher trilogy, then made an American feature, and then bounced back to Europe for a few more films. After the deliriously amazing one-two punch of Bronson and Valhalla Rising, Refn is about to tackle his biggest budget yet with Drive, an extremely cool-sounding neo-noir with Ryan Gosling starring as a Hollywood stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver for bank robbers. How can that NOT be amazing?!

7 comments:

Joel said...

"Dinner for Schmucks" is awful. Saw it Wednesday night and hated it. Pure shit. D-grade drivel. The Coens should've directed it, as they would have had a better and actually good handle on it.

I REALLY need to seek out Refn's work, but as I've been let go from my job, I should watch my funds. Maybe I'll make an exception for a "Bronson" rental and then catch "Valhalla Rising" OnDemand.

In a couple hours, I'm seeing "Inception" for the fourth time and CANNOT.WAIT. I simply can't fucking get enough of the movie. There are so many layers to the thing, it's like the onion that Shrek went on about in the first movie. I'll be seeing it a fifth time on Tuesday.

"The Other Guys" looks REALLY funny and I've been hearing very good things. But it's next week that has me psyched: "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" and "The Expendables." Others I'm looking forward to this month: "Tales from Earthsea," which is directed by Hayao Miyazaki's son, Goro; "Animal Kingdom," which I'll probably have to wait and see on DVD; "Piranha"; "Centurion," which looks to be a return to form for Neil Marshall of "The Descent"; "The Switch," which looks very "Juno"-ish, which is a good thing; and "The Last Exorcism," which looks freaking terrifying.

Oh and if you haven't, watch this trailer: http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/movie/trailers_clips/7572
Unnerving, to say the least. I have September 17 marked down on my calendar.

Actionman said...

Wow -- awful, eh? Have heard love-it-or-hate-it stuff so we'll have to see what side of the fence I land on...

Refn's work will grab you by your throat (and balls). Amazing stuff.

5x for Inception...! I haven't done a movie 5x since my L.A. days (Miami Vice, Collateral, Gladiator, Domino, The New World were all 5 timers).

Expendables looks fun...Pilgrim looks spastic but entertaining...The Switch MIGHT be funny...

I'll check the trailer link out soon...what's it for?

Also, the new trailer for Tony Scott's upcoming fall thriller Unstoppable is now on-line and it looks fucking amazing.

Joel said...

Yep! The movie completely falls flat on its face by about the 15 minute mark and can't save itself.

I'll check Refn's stuff and let you know.

And yes, five times by Tuesday! The fourth time was just as fruitful as the other three. Absolute masterpiece of a movie and the best I've seen this year.

The trailer is for a Sundance favorite called "Catfish." It's a Hitchcockian-looking documentary. NOT a mockumentary or a "Cloverfield"-type thing. A genuine documentary. I will let you find out the rest.

I'll have to check out that "Unstoppable" trailer. Have to say that he's not venturing far outside the area of "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," but that's not necessarily a bad thing, since that film was one of last year's most underrated actioners. Pure adrenaline, but dadgummit, it was also dramatically arresting. Like an episode of 24 on crack.

Actionman said...

Oh, and Joel -- sorry that you lost your job. Was it something you were going to need to ditch as a result of you joining the air force?

Joel said...

Yeah, I was gonna be quitting in late August anyway, before a trip I'm going on. I have a bank account set up for the military, just a little stepping stone, before I get the real paychecks and such. I just got let go a bit earlier than expected. I'm really not too broken up about it, as it was a job I wasn't really enjoying and was barely getting any shifts as is. So it'll be okay for me, I think. You know...do nothing for a couple of months before heading off to Basic and such.

Joel said...

"The Other Guys" was fantastic, Nick. Extremely funny, the action is well-shot. I liked it a lot. Not quite as good as "Killers," but I'd say on par with "Date Night."

Actionman said...

Joel -- I also loved The Other Guys. A total pisser.

Didn't see Killers but it's in the queue...same with Date Night...