Not much new around this weekend, and the only interesting looking ones are in limited release. Legend of the Fist: the Return of Chen Zhen has Donnie Yen as a masked vigilante, Batman style, in 1920s Shanghai. At that point in history the city was torn in half, with segments controlled by the Japanese and the British, with neither power block caring about the fate of the Chinese who lived there. Playboy by day, masked warrior by night, Zhen works to undermine the Japanese invasion.
Here is the latest Cowboys and Aliens trailer, this time with enough actual dialog to start giving you a feel for the characters as the film will present them. Release date for this one is July 29th, and each new goodie like this just makes me that much more ready to take the ride.
If you missed Super when it hit the big screen Friday before last, don’t feel alone. It got a very limited run, much less than it deserved. Which is why the IFC VOD project was started. With Video On Demand, Independent films that formerly were only heard of can now be seen by a much wider audience almost as soon as they are released. Go to the IFC web page and select your provider to find out if you can see it now. They started Super today, and they launch 1 to 2 new independent titles per week. It is a great way to keep up with new quality films that break the Hollywood mold and tell a different kind of story.
Who is John Galt? If you have been asking this question since the mid 1950’s, the wait is over. The Ayn Rand sci-fi classic Atlas Shrugged is finally seeing widespread release on the big screen this week. It is flagged as Part 1, hopefully that means there is a Part 2 on the horizon as well. Before the ’70s the number of genre books recognized as actual Literature across the decades could be counted without having to take your shoes off, and this masterwork was one of them. Since the 70’s a tendency to claim one’s work was a normal drama about the human condition that just happened to have a setting on another planet with a protagonist from another dimension became the PR ploy du jour for serious literature authors. Just in case you haven’t read this, take a peek at the trailer. As usual, it gives you a set of scenes and dialog meant to encourage you to buy a ticket, but this one also gives you momentary images of a huge number of world-class actors who all wanted to be in on the production. You don’t see that without a world class story and incredible characters to drive actors to excel at their craft, so I have high hopes for this one.
The feel-good family friendly choice for this week is Rio, about a non-flying Macaw (raised in a cage in a small town in Minnesota) who travels to Brazil to meet a girl, and gets a LOT more than he bargained for. The animation is from the same team who did the Ice Age series, so get ready for non-stop visuals and action of the highest caliber. I’m thinking, one film Friday, one Saturday.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Screen Gems has picked up the rights to distribute Attack the Block in the US. This fun little teen space invasion film has already been picking up awards around the festival circuit, and includes Nick Frost in the lineup.
It looks like the silliest fun this weekend at the movie theaters is going to be Your Highness, a comic fantasy involving a quest and at least one person who shouldn’t be on it. I am guessing Natalie Portman has to be loving her role on this one, and it looks like Zooey Deschanel had fun as well as the Damsel in Dis Dress. While not primarily genre (if this was a graphic novel, I missed it, but it should have been), Hanna looks like the other movie worth checking out this time around. Very definitely an edge of your seat experience, this one appears to be targeting the adrenalin junky audience.
And one trailer to get you ready for the next episode in the Shrek universe; Puss In Boots.