Weekly Roundup - Opening 12/19

I don't think there has been an week of Opening Movies that has been easier to pin down than this one. Let's see what we have: a sure-fire Oscar contender in The Wrestler, a generic and done-way-too-many-times-already animated feature (it feels like there is one of these every week) with The Tale of Despereaux, and two movies that simply rehash films that their respective stars have already made, with Yes Man and Seven Pounds. Pretty hard to figure out, eh?

Weekend Suggestion:

The pick of the week this week may just be the pick of the year, as The Wrestler is the must film of 2008. While it's only in limited release this week, it goes wide on Christmas day, so make sure to see it.

Seven Pounds

Movie Info

Directed by: Gabriele Muccino (The Pursuit of Happyness)
Written by: Grant Nieporte (film writing debut)
Starring: Will Smith (The Legend of Bagger Vance, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), Rosario Dawson (Sin City, Kids), Woody Harrelson (No County for Old Men, Cheers)
Genre: Drama
MPAA Rating: PG-13 - for thematic material, some disturbing content and a scene of sensuality
Runtime: 118 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 25% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 36/100
IMDB Rating: N/A
My Response: This one's pretty easy to breakdown. If you liked The Pursuit of Happyness, you'll like Seven Pounds. Same director, same actor, same sad-yet-triumphant drama. Since I'm a fan of originality, I'm going to skip it.

Trailer



Official Website

Yes Man

Movie Info

Directed by: Peyton Reed (The Break-Up, Bring It On)
Written by: Danny Wallace (novel), Nicholas Stoller (film writing debut), Jarrad Paul (film writing debut), Andrew Mogel (Fun with Dick and Jane)
Starring: Jim Carrey (Bruce Almighty, Earth Girls Are Easy), Zooey Deschanel (Elf, Almost Famous), Bradley Cooper (Wedding Crashers, Alias)
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: PG-13 - for crude sexual humor, language and brief nudity
Runtime: 104 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 42% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 45/100
IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
My Response: I liked it better the first time when it was called Liar, Liar. Jim Carey simply looks old trying to do his old schtick and it's somewhat sad to watch him now. I think his best films are behind him, and this one is easily skipable.

Trailer



Official Website

The Tale Of Despereaux

Movie Info

Directed by: Sam Fell (Flushed Away) & Robert Stevenhagen (directorial debut)
Written by: Kate DiCamillo (book), Will McRobb, Gary Ross, Chris Viscardi (screenplay)
Starring: Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Godzilla), Emma Watson (Harry Potter series), Dustin Hoffman (The Graduate, Hero)
Genre: Family/Animation
MPAA Rating: G
Runtime: 100 minutes

Reviews

RottenTomatoes Score: 51% Fresh
MetaCritic Score: 53/100
IMDB Rating: N/A
My Response: The first time I saw the trailer for this movie in theaters, someone shouted out "Hey, Ratatouille 2! Yea!" Thankfully, this film is in no way affiliated with Remy and Emile. And on a slightly related note, this movie reminds me a lot of star Matthew Broderick. The first time you saw him as Ferris Beuller, you got excited. "What an awesome dude!" you shouted. Then, his career continued on...and on...and on...and you realized he's not really anything like the greatness he once appeared to be. Skip it.

Trailer



Official Website