Hitting movie theaters this weekend:
The Green Lantern - Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard Mr. Popper's Penguins - Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino, Angela Lansbury
Movie of the Week
The Green Lantern
The Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard The Plot: A test pilot (Reynolds) is granted a mystical green ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers, as well as membership into an intergalactic squadron tasked with keeping peace within the universe. The Buzz: Just slightly to the right of the "kill me now" column (see Mr. Popper's Penguins) lies DC's feeble attempt to answer Marvel's mighty Thor. I am stupefied at how nerdy Reynolds looks throughout all of The Green Lantern's marketing efforts. I can't get over it really, and I've never really enjoyed Reynolds at all. Blake Lively is lovely and Peter Sarsgaard is a solid heavyweight, but I just don't see that this film will be up to the task at hand. Granted, it looks one hundred times better than The Green Hornet.
Director Martin Campbell has put in some super efforts in days past (Goldeneye, Edge of Darkness), but he's also had his embarrassments (Vertical Limit, Beyond Borders) -- I predict The Green Lantern will fall closer to the latter.
As a side, I can't believe how old Jim Carrey is looking these days, and I can't believe Mr. Popper's Penguins exists.
All things considered, it looks to be a pretty quiet week in the world of new releases -- I imagine there's a chance that Super 8 will be the number one film at the box office again this weekend.
Every Friday we'll have new reviews of the latest films. TSR's complete Film Review Database
New Blu-ray and DVDs released this week:
Adrift (DVD) - Camilla Belle, Vincent Cassel, Laura Neiva Battle: Los Angeles (BD/DVD) - Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Bridget Moynahan Big Mommas: Like Father Like Son (BD/DVD) - Martin Lawrence, Brandon T. Jackson, Jessica Lucas The Cincinnati Kid (BD) - Steve McQueen, Ann-Margret, Edward G. Robinson Fall Down Dead (DVD) - Dominique Swain, Mehmet Günsür, Udo Kier Hall Pass (BD/DVD) - Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Christina Applegate Heavy Metal (BD)- Richard Romanus, John Candy, Joe Flaherty Insignificance [Criterion] (BD/DVD) - Gary Busey, Tony Curtis, Theresa Russell Jackass 3.5 (DVD) - Jason 'Wee Man' Acuña, Ryan Dunn, Dave England Johnny Mnemonic (BD) - Keanu Reeves, Dolph Lundgren, Dina Meyer Kill the Irishman (BD/DVD) - Ray Stevenson, Christopher Walken, Vincent D'Onofrio Legend of the Fist: Return of Chen Zhen (BD/DVD) - Donnie Yen, Alex Ahlstrom, Qi Shu The Makioka Sisters [Criterion] (BD/DVD) - Keiko Kishi, Yoshiko Sakuma, Sayuri Yoshinaga Point Break (BD) - Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey Red Riding Hood (BD/DVD) - Amanda Seyfried, Lukas Haas, Gary Oldman Rubber (BD/DVD) - Stephen Spinella, Roxane Mesquida, Wings Hauser
Blu-ray/DVD of the Week
Point Break
The Stars: Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey The Plot: An FBI agent (Reeves) goes undercover to catch a gang of bank robbers who may be surfers. The Buzz: "You're sayin' the FBI's gonna pay me to learn to surf?"
I don't think a day goes by wherein my little brother doesn't quote this film, and though I may not have taken to it quite as rabidly as he, I have always enjoyed it a great deal. Roughly two decades before director Kathryn Bigelow won a Best Picture Oscar with The Hurt Locker, she was toiling away in the sand & surf with Swayze and Reeves, and her efforts there were hugely successful. OK, perhaps not at the box office (Point Break brought in a modest $43 million domestically) but in the resulting film itself (please consult the film's massive cult following).
Point Break is just a really fun film -- rife with over-the-top machismo bravado, and cheesy early 90's "adrenaline is the answer" motifs -- it's also well-crafted and full of heart. The depth of character development and the acting/writing through which it's established are measures above your typical action film. Swayze, Reeves and Busey are all in top form here. Ultimately, I love everything about Point Break -- the cast, story, dialogue, cinematography, shooting locations, score -- all of it really trips my trigger.
So...
Am I'm looking forward to checking out Point Break on Blu-ray? "Yeah. Defintely."
"Vaya con Dios, Brah."
Check out our reviews of these movies and more ... TSR's complete Film Review Database