Opening in Dallas, 07/28
by Brian
Miami Vice (trailer): Even if this wasn’t a Michael Mann movie, it would probably be at the top of this list, because it’s really a crap week. That said, it is a Mann picture, so high expectations naturally follow. On the other hand, it’s also a Colin Farrell movie, so low expectations naturally follow. I’m looking to this movie to see who has the greater life force; Farrell’s already defeated Oliver Stone and Terrence Malick, so the stakes are high.
Once in a Lifetime (trailer): Documentary about the New York Cosmos soccer team with a super-annoying trailer. I’ve read good things but I’m skeptical; rise-and-fall stories are rarely very interesting when you think about it. And stories about pop-culture fads are even more rarely interesting.
Scoop (trailer): …and just like that, after Match Point, Woody Allen is back to doing the broadly farcical stuff that I almost never like, even when it’s made by somebody else.
The Ant Bully (trailer): I saw Monster House last weekend, and it was really good. It was funny and intense, but what really set it apart is that it didn’t look down on its audience like so many kids movies do. Judging by the trailer and the pointlessly star-driven cast, I doubt The Ant Bully sets itself apart in such a manner.
John Tucker Must Die (trailer): I expect this to open relatively big this weekend, because Fox has really put on the hard sell to the teenage demographic. And I’m sure all those teens will have a proper good time.
The Celestine Prophecy (trailer): As far as I can tell, this movie’s being targeted at only a very narrow group of people: those who have read and enjoyed the book, of which I’ve never heard.
Once in a Lifetime (trailer): Documentary about the New York Cosmos soccer team with a super-annoying trailer. I’ve read good things but I’m skeptical; rise-and-fall stories are rarely very interesting when you think about it. And stories about pop-culture fads are even more rarely interesting.
Scoop (trailer): …and just like that, after Match Point, Woody Allen is back to doing the broadly farcical stuff that I almost never like, even when it’s made by somebody else.
The Ant Bully (trailer): I saw Monster House last weekend, and it was really good. It was funny and intense, but what really set it apart is that it didn’t look down on its audience like so many kids movies do. Judging by the trailer and the pointlessly star-driven cast, I doubt The Ant Bully sets itself apart in such a manner.
John Tucker Must Die (trailer): I expect this to open relatively big this weekend, because Fox has really put on the hard sell to the teenage demographic. And I’m sure all those teens will have a proper good time.
The Celestine Prophecy (trailer): As far as I can tell, this movie’s being targeted at only a very narrow group of people: those who have read and enjoyed the book, of which I’ve never heard.
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6 Comments:
I will see Scoop, as I see everything by Allen, and I have gotten a mild kick out of his run of weak comedies (Small Time Crooks, Curse of the Jade Scorpion, Hollywood Ending, Anything Else). Even watered down Allen is better than most comedies.
I am psyched for Miami Vice.
I actually enjoy the John Tucker Must Die TV ads that end with the four girls saying each word of the title. I will definitely not be seeing it, but I enjoy slo-mo'ing that bit of the ad. Call me a connoisseur of editing.
The Celestine Prophecy: that was the minor bestseller, from, what?, fifteen years ago? It's the book I heard about and was intrigued enough by to start reading it, only to abandon it after a couple of chapters because it was so poorly written. My memory of it is that it's sort of a proto-Da Vinci Code thriller, though instead of instilling suspicion in the Catholic Church it's supposed to turn you on to some kind of New Age thinking. I didn't get very far in it, so pardon me if my assessment is far off base. Let me summarize it more succinctly: it's the book that I never finished reading and made me not want to bother with Dan Brown's mega-bestseller.
Wikipedia to the rescue. Sounds like your assessment is about right, jaydro.
Sounds a bit ... what's the word? ... ponderous. Actually, what it sounds like is James Redfield trying to pull an L. Ron Hubbard.
Oh, yeah, I should have just looked it up. Now I'm remembering what intrigued me--his ideas about synchronicity. I've been bombarded with enough weird coincidences in my life to give pause at times.
Hey, wait a minute, weren't we just talking about Huckabees? ;-)
I will see Scoop. Even mediocre Woody Allen usually delivers. I will eventually see Miami Vice, just out of curiosity, but I won't contribute to the opening weekend box office. As for John Tucker Must Die, I had not heard one word about it until my sister-in-law told my nieces that it would be a girl's night out-which will probably be the only way I see it. I guess I don't watch the shows they saturated with ads...I've only seen one or two in the last week. I fear that the fact I'm not a target demographic is keeping me out of the loop!
Jeff Wells has labeled Scoop as Woody Allen's worst film ever. It has only a 38% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which doesn't bode well. As an Allen aficianado, I have to go with September as his worst film ever, a highly pretentious drama about a group of characters that you want the roof to cave in on. We'll see if Scoop is worse.
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