Not really; there don’t seem to be any new genre films hitting the big screen this week, although Shutter Island could be interesting. So you might want to take this weekend and see one of the films that recently came out that you haven’t caught yet. I was planning to see Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, as I hadn’t dug out from the snow last weekend, and based on the trailer it looks like something you really want to see on the big screen.
With one of the longest titles of any film this month, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief looks to be very entertaining. The cast includes Pierce Brosnan and Uma Thurman, and the style looks very Harry Potterish. No real surprise there, as the movie is based on the first book in a series for YA Demi-Gods by Rick Riordan; I am sure they are hoping to tap the same youth market as the Potter films.
Also out this Friday, The Wolfman is a powerful remake of the original Universal movie, staring Anthony Hopkins and Benicio Del Toro. While it doesn’t look as Steampunk as either of the recent Sherlock Holmes releases, it does seem to lean in that direction.
I have been waiting for the sequel and it is finally out: Banlieue 13 – Ultimatum follows up on the original Luc Besson film District 13. Besides being a thrilling story involving corrupt government officials trying to nuke part of their capitol to get rid of the gangs and violence, the original film had the first example I had ever seen of parkour, or free running, now an internationally recognized sport. This allowed them to shoot many of the action scenes without wires or special effects, and still have them turn out amazing.
This time around, Legion appears to be the action/adventure film of choice for the weekend. The Archangel Michael teams up with human misfits in an out-of-the-way diner to battle God’s Legions for the survival of mankind. The attack by the demonic grandmother alone is worth the price of admission.
On the MUCH lighter side, Dwayne Johnson stars in Tooth Fairy, along with Ashley Judd, Billy Crystal, and Julie Andrews. I am going to have to hit this one first, just because it looks like so much fun.
James Cameron had a quality interview at The Wrap in which he answered political critics comments about Avatar, and spoke about the technology and the future of movie making. Word is also going around that Daniel Craig is talking with the makers of Cowboys and Aliens, and might be taking over the lead in that film. The part opened up last week when Robert Downey dropped out of the project due to scheduling conflicts with Sherlock II and Iron Man III. The premise is similar to one of my favorite Harry Turtledove series, only this time the aliens land in the 1880s old west, instead of WWII. And word came out today that an Iron Man II IMAX release will be happening simultaneously with the regular theatrical release on May 7th.
This week is the release of The Book of Eli, a post-apocalyptic film starring Denzel Washington. I haven’t heard enough about this movie to make it stand out, so I am just as happy there is an alternative selection for the week: Jackie Chan’s The Spy Next Door. The latter looks to be a variant on his Robin B Hood story format, except I don’t think Jackie sings the theme song in the new film. If you missed him singing it for the other, here you go…