April 1, 2010
REEL WEEK: Miley and Zeus Come for Easter, Jennifer and Iron Man Arrive Later in Spring
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Entertainment Editor
Huntington, WV (HNN) – It’s time to catch up. I’ve been on low speed due to an abscessed root. Not pleasant.
(Skip Intro and go to mini-reviews, CLICK HERE)
Although this is Easter weekend, megaplexes await the first weekend in May when Iron Man II smelts out of the factory.
As for this weekend, Miley’s “The Last Song” has generated 28% of the top-5 ticket sellers at Movie Tickets.com. “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Clash of the Titans” have a virtual tie with 20% and 18% respectively. “Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too” and “Alice in Wonderland” wrap up the bottom ties of the top five with 9% and 6%.
Before leaving the ticket demand, many of the major chains have raised prices for 3D films. It’s the law of supply and demand. Movie goers want to see them, there are not yet enough screens.
The current weekend appears to be one of the first in which owners have to make some hard economic choices. “Clash of the Titans,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” and “Alice in Wonderland” are all 3D, along with the still bright blue “Avatar.” The latter has been bumped from 3D screens and other cinemas are bumping “Alice” down to 2D.
The 3D log jam will accelerate in the summer, but many studios are wisely trying to pick and choose sliding in their 3D features, allowing a two to four week gap between them. For instance, Kenny Chesney’s concert 3D debuts April 21, followed by “Shrek Forever After” May 21, “Toy Story 3” June 18, Despicable Me, July 9, Cats & Dogs the Revenge of Kitty Galore , July 6.
(Movie Tickets polls gave “Toy Story 3” as awaited by 33% of 28,000 responding ticket buyers with “Shrek Forever After” by 15% for 3D movies. In a separate poll, “Iron Man II” received 51% of 25,231 votes, followed by “Shrek Forever After” (14%), “Sex and the City II” (13%), “Prince of Persia Sands of Time” and “Robin Hood” (each 11%)
Come Christmas, the jam will intensify as “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” comes out November 19 followed by “Tangled” (Nov. 24), “Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader” (Dec 10), “Smurfs 3D” ((Dec. 17), “Yogi Bear” and “Tron” on December 17, and “Gulliver’s Travels” (Dec. 22).
The highly buzzing “Iron Man II,” will not be in 3D, but will have an IMAX release. The same has been stated for the June 30 opening of “Twilight Saga: Eclipse.” But, in 2011, the screen shortage will be magnified (or theatres will have upgraded to meet demand). Both the “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings” sagas are apparently bound for 3-D re-releases. The fourth “Twilight” also goes 3-D. What’s apparent to me, the three dimensional art form will finally be taking solid hold as it projects beyond the guaranteed family friendly Disney styled successes and more adventure odysseys (in the “Avatar” vein) join the movement. Horror genre 3D was however one of the first to go 3D, for obvious reasons.
APRIL 2 RELEASES
All Pictures © Warner Brothers
CLASH OF TITANS 3D: Here’s the mythical Roman god scoop --- Perseus, born of a god raised as a man (hum… that sounds like a real religious figure), he leads a mission to defeat Hades before seizing power from Zeus and unleashing hell on earth. Roman god figures of not, this seems like a mythical inspired version of the Bible’s End of Time / Armageddon prophesies about the Tribulation period, Rapture, and Second Coming.
TYLER PERRY’S WHY DID I GET MARRIED TOO: Filmed in Atlanta, this sound like a guarantee for Perry fanatics. Four close couples head for the Bahamas for an annual one-week reunion , but an “ex” shows up determined to win back his former lady. Watching all the friction brew in one relationship injects doubts and stresses into all the others. Will this be a Break Up Island Retreat?
All Pictures © Disney
LAST SONG: Billy Ray’s little girl leaves Hannah Montana behind as she plays a rebellious teen stuck living with her estranged father in a small beach town. She’s rather spend the summer in NYC.
UPCOMING in APRIL AND MAY
DATE NIGHT: You know how The Obama’s have their occasional date nights? Steve Carrell and Tina Fey play the Foster’s who attempt to rekindle some coupling fireworks from a weekly visit to the local Teaneck Tavern. However, they see couples like them splitting apart, so it’s off to the Big Apply for a fancy wine and dine play-date for parents which turns into a run in with mobsters.
RUNAWAYS: Based on lead-singer Cherie Currie’s “Neon Angel,” the film chronicles a teen all girls band formed in Hollywood in 1975. The flick concentrates on the band’s formation and their first single “Cherry Bomb.” The film contains a strong anti drug message.
KICK ASS: Although fictional, you’ve read about the development of non-superheroes donning costumes and assisting law enforcement in cities. Well, Dave, a comic fanboy, calls himself Kick Ass , finds a suit, and does looking to fight crime. Soon, others are joining him.
LETTERS TO GOD: Sounding a little like the Kris Kringle classic (“Miracle on 34th Street), a postman must decide what to do with daily letters from an eight year old child addressed to the big man upstairs in Heaven. Adding to the conflict, the boy has cancer. What will the postman do with these prayerful pen pal styled displays of grace and courage?
BACK UP PLAN: Jennifer Lopez (Zoe) meets Stan ( Alex O’Loughlin ), after having given up on the male species and opted for artificial insemination. At first, he’s committed and cool with the blessed event, but as the ninth month rolls around, both have cold feet.
IRON MAN II: Robert Downey Jr, (Tony Stark) returns to face governmental pressures to divulge secrets of his armor. Gwyneth Paltrow returns too. Stan Lee is one of the producers. (Opens May 7)
NOW SHOWING REVIEWS
HOT TUB TIME MACHINE
Filmmakers have imagined a variety of mechanisms for breaking the time barrier from a souped up DeLorean , to concentrated lightning bolts, a complex “tunnel” and now a hot tub.
Hoping to grab some smirks from the zany “Hangover,” the “Hot Tub Time Machine” comes along after a suicide attempt in which the victim’s friends take him back to a lodge where happier and more hopeful times filled their brains and veins.
Muddied with ‘butterfly effect’ (changing the past changes the future) anxieties, the dudes catch time warp party fever, but the film “sets up” situations of which the “execution” lags. For instance, the men’s dalliances are always a splattering of attention deficit disorders, lacking punch lines and fulfillment.
Chevy Chase has cameo appearances as a grey headed repairman who keeps reminding the dudes that the device will only work for a few more hours.
Obviously, some quick glimpses of sexual anatomy, but these sketches don’t have cohesiveness. Ultimately, the “Hot Tub Time Machine” is too short and lacking in belly laughs or just plain chuckles.
Without playing spoiler, I grant praise for the disruption of the space time continuum which is too little too late.
1/2 out of
SHE’S OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE
Nerds and Nice guys, pay attention. Attractive women are considered too intimidating for many men. They often go dateless. Do yourself a favor ask one out, just don’t be a confident , arrogant jerk. Be yourself.
“She’s Out of Your League” may not be too different from the insane number of feel good boy meets girl and girl meet boy flicks that have inundated theatres. The airport and TSA characters, though, provide ample hoots for poking a little levity at those traveling inconveniences.
However, the best advice comes from listening --- don’t listen to friends or family when it comes to romance, particularly if a so-called ‘hottie’ happens to grab you by the arm. Do anything you can to avoid your normal single groupies until you’ve either said , “I do” or broken up. Otherwise, the actions of everyone else in your social circle will rob you of confidence and , perhaps, the love gift of a life time.
As for the scenario, the meet the parents gags are winners, the watch out for her faults fizzles, and the airport track meets would likely have lots of FBI agents making arrests, thus preventing any pleasurable climax.
Add an extra ½ star if you have ever had a “hottie” and blew it. This flick explains how to conduct yourself if lightning strikes twice in a lifetime.
1/2 out of