Weekly Roundup - Opening 1/9

Lets hope this week doesn't embody what 2009 will be like, because there are some real stinkers coming out today. There's the not-so-scary The Unborn, the unintentionally scary Bride Wars, the wheres-Tyler-Perry-when-you-need-him Not Easily Broken, but at least The Reader was released to save this opening week from being complete crap.

Weekend Suggestion:

The Reader is obviously the pick of the week, as it looks to be an emotionally charged (and award winning) movie. Don't forget that there are a ton of other good movies out now, so don't limit yourself to what came on this week. Gran Torino goes wide this weekend, so you may want to check that one out as well. Good luck out there.

The Reader

Movie Info

Directed by: Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot, The Hours)
Written by: Bernhard Schlink (book "Der Vorleser"), David Hare (screenplay, The Hours)
Starring: Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List, Quiz Show)
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: R - for some scenes of sexuality and nudity
Runtime: 123 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 60% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 58/100
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
My Response: This film was actually released to a few theaters about a month ago to start getting buzz around it before it's wide release on Friday (a trend that is getting too popular in my opinion). But, it's obviously worked, as The Reader is up for four Golden Globes and just about every review mentions the word "Oscar". With the director, writer, and both stars already being nominated for the gold statue in the past, this one definitely has the pedigree to go the distance. See it.

Trailer



Official Website