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.

Not Easily Broken

Movie Info

Directed by: Bill Duke (Hoodlum, Sister Act 2)
Written by: T.D. Jakes (novel) & Brian Bird (screenplay, The Last Sin Eater)
Starring: Morris Chestnut (Boyz N The Hood, Ladder 49), Taraji P. Henson (Four Brothers, Hustle & Flow)
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: PG-13 - for sexual references and thematic elements
Runtime: 99 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 37% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 42/100
IMDB Rating: N/A
My Response: What? No Tyler Perry? That's weird. This must be the first Africa-American focused film in years without the pretense "Tyler Perry Presents". I think that's a good thing (diversity is always good), but this one still looks like a bomb. Skip it.

Trailer



Official Website

Bride Wars

Movie Info

Directed by: Gary Winick (13 Going On 30, Charlotte's Web)
Written by: Greg DePaul (Saving Silverman), Casey Wilson (film writing debut), and June Diane Raphael (film writing debut)
Starring: Kate Hudson (How to Lose a Guy in 10 days, Almost Famous), Anne Hathaway (The Princess Diaries, Rachel Getting Married), Candice Bergen (Murphy Brown, Miss Congeniality)
Genre: Romantic Comedy
MPAA Rating: PG - for suggestive content, language and some rude behavior
Runtime: # minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 12% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 25/100
IMDB Rating: N/A
My Response: Some movies are made to win awards and some are made to have a good time. This one definitely falls into the latter category, and while I don't have many hopes for this one, I do hope that Anne Hathaway wins the war. Skip it.

Trailer



Official Website

The Unborn

Movie Info

Directed by: David S. Goyer (The Invisible, Blade: Trinity)
Written by: David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight, Jumper)
Starring: Odette Yustman (Cloverfield, October Road), Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight, The Fifth Element), Cam Gigandet (Twilight, The O.C)
Genre: Horror
MPAA Rating: PG-13 - for intense sequences of violence and terror, disturbing images, thematic material and language including some sexual references
Runtime: 87 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 14% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 33/100
IMDB Rating: N/A
My Response: I'm not surprised that all the promotional material for this one focuses on two things: David S. Goyer's ties to The Dark Knight (he helped write it) and Odette Yustman's greatest asset (and it ain't her acting skills). Althought Goyer helped pen TDK, don't give him too much credit, as he had the help of two great film writers in the Nolan brothers. And don't expect much from this one either, so skip it.

Trailer



Official Website

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