Hitting movie theaters this weekend:
Dylan Dog: Dead of Night - Brandon Routh, Anita Briem, Sam Huntington Fast Five - Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson Hoodwinked Too: Hood Vs. Evil - Hayden Panettiere, Glenn Close, Patrick Warburton Prom - Aimee Teegarden, Thomas McDonell, DeVaughn Nixon
Movie of the Week
Fast Five
The Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson The Plot: Dominic (Diesel) and his crew find themselves on the wrong side of the law once again. The Buzz: In theory, this film should be awful -- how many franchises can boast a good fifth installment? (Harry Potter and Star Wars notwithstanding.) But in practice, based on its entirely amped-up (kick ass!) trailer, I've got a good feeling that Fast Five will clean up at the box office this weekend.
The franchise has consistently provided its fans with heroic leads, amazing autos, sexy party girls, great music and loads of adrenaline-soaked action sequences, and this recent installment looks to have elevated it's game, in all ways. The shooting locations, action sequences, and even the story, look to be a step up for the franchise.
The fourth installment was the biggest money-maker to date at $155M domestically. It's rare for a fourth installment to be the biggest, and even rarer for a fifth -- but I think Fast Five has a real good shot at it (especially with such ultra-lame competition in Dylan Dog & Prom).
It should prove to be a big draw, having all the major characters back together in one film, sans Letty (as played by Michelle Rodriguez), who died in the previous adventure. I feel bad for Dom's loss, I suppose, but I'm really glad she'll be absent from this and any other subsequent films (Faster and Furiouser is on the horizon perhaps?). Casting Dwayne Johnson was a wise move too, as action-film aficionados everywhere will be lining up to see Vin versus The Rock.
Oh, and Paul Walker is the man, let us not forget such. Totally stoked for this, bro.
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New Blu-ray and DVDs released this week:
Blow Out (BD) - John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow Deep Red (BD) - David Hemmings, Daria Nicolodi, Gabriele Lavia Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (BD) - Johnny Depp, Benicio Del Toro
Blu-ray/DVD of the Week
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
The Stars: Johnny Depp, Benicio Del Toro The Plot: An oddball journalist (Depp) and his psychopathic lawyer (Del Toro) travel to Las Vegas for a series of psychedelic escapades. The Buzz: Not a lot of competition this week, with a grand total of 3 releases, but this film may have won out regardless. I first saw Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas back in the late 90's, and found it to be borderline unbearable. Years later, after learning more about Hunter S. Thompson and the whole Gonzo side of things (after experimenting with many a mind-altering substance myself), I returned to the film, and found it to be genuinely entertaining, though I still find it to be a bit unsettling. Depp's performance is awesome, and Del Toro's intensity comes right off the screen. I really enjoyed this film, and look forward to checking it out again on BD.
Just kidding about my drug use, btw. :)
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