Weekly Roundup - Opening 12/12

This week wasn't too bad in terms of movies coming out, but there are definitely better weeks coming up. If anything, at least this week's new movies are easy to figure out. There's the below-average holiday family film (Nothing Like The Holidays), the should-have-never-been-remade remake (The Day The Earth Stood Still), the doomed-from-the-onset animated movie (Delgo), and two films generating tons of Oscar buzz, one for the filmmaker's stellar track record (Gran Torino) and one for the outstanding acting it promises (Doubt).

Weekend Suggestion:

While there are two great films opening this week, only one can win this coveted prize. And I'm going to have to go with Doubt. I'm a huge fan of superb acting, as it can elevate a film to a whole new level. Go check it out and watch two masters (Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman) do what they do best.

Gran Torino

Movie Info

Directed by: Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby, Unforgiven)
Written by: Nick Schenk & Dave Johannson (screenplay)
Starring: Clint Eastwood (Dirty Harry series, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly), Bee Vang (feature film debut)
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: R - for language throughout, and some violence
Runtime: 116 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 81% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 79/100
IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
My Response: This is hard film for me to pin down. I love Eastwood, and his work as a director is always phenomenal, but this film just doesn't seem to look all that great to me. But there is still plenty of buzz out there, mainly focusing on Gran Torino's Oscar run (due to Eastwood's pedigree). But I will tell you this: Clint, despite his age, is still the man. I'd be afraid to run into any of his characters on the street, including this one.

Trailer



Official Website