Hitting movie theaters this weekend:
Bad Teacher - Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake A Better Life - Demián Bichir, José Julián, Eddie 'Piolin' Sotelo Cars 2 - Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine
Movie of the Week
Bad Teacher
The Stars: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake The Plot: A comedy centered around a foul-mouthed, junior high teacher (Diaz) who, after being dumped by her sugar daddy, begins to woo a colleague -- a move that pits her against a well-loved teacher. The Buzz: Nope, no buzz. No competition here. Bad Teacher could (or should) be Diaz' swan song as a sex symbol, she's just not looking the part these days. Director Jake Kasdan does have some reputable directorial chops, most notably five episodes of Freaks and Geeks, but this looks to be just another lukewarm comedy. A weak cast and a weak premise will probably doom this film at the box office. Cars 2 will be the real movie of the week, but much to my chagrin. I adore Pixar, but Cars (and its lousy premise) doesn't deserve a sequel -- what a sad waste of time and resources. Not a good week for new releases, IMHO. Go see Super 8 again.
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New Blu-ray and DVDs released this week:
The Adjustment Bureau (BD/DVD) - Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Kastriner Bending All the Rules (DVD) - Colleen Porch, David Gail, Bradley Cooper Cedar Rapids (BD/DVD) - Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, Anne Heche Ceremony (BD/DVD) - Michael Angarano, Uma Thurman, Reece Thompson Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (BD/DVD) - Zachary Gordon, Devon Bostick, Robert Capron The Eagle (BD/DVD) - Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland Elektra Luxx (DVD) - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Carla Gugino, Ermahn Ospina Happythankyoumoreplease (BD/DVD) - Josh Radnor, Malin Akerman, Zoe Kazan The Island (BD) - Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Djimon Hounsou Kiss Me Deadly [Criterion] (BD) - Ralph Meeker, Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart Living in Emergency (DVD) - Chris Brasher, Davinder Gill, Tom Krueger Priest of Love (BD) - Ian McKellen, Janet Suzman, Ava Gardner The Romantic Englishwoman (BD) - Glenda Jackson, Michael Caine, Helmut Berger Unknown (BD/DVD) - Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones Visioneers (BD) - Zach Galifianakis, Judy Greer, Mía Maestro
Blu-ray/DVD of the Week
The Island
The Stars: Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Djimon Hounsou The Plot: A man (McGregor) goes on the run when he discovers that he is someone else's clone, and is being kept as a source of replacement parts. The Buzz: Easily Michael Bay's best film to date. I'd give this film a 10/10. Ewan McGregor is perfect as the wide-eyed innocent clone whose world comes crashing down around him, and Scarlett Johansson is great at McGregor's side. The entire cast is excellent, Djimon Hounsou and Sean Bean bring a good depth to the side of the antagonist. Steve Jablonsky's score is a slam-dunk career maker (from here he went on to score the Transformers films and many others major motion pictures). The theme from The Island has cropped up in more trailers than any song I'm aware of (Avatar and Flyboys to name just two of the top of my head).
The Island balances existential angst and CGI-laden survival (higher thought meets popcorn munching) better than any film I've ever seen. The look, feel, sound, pacing -- everything about this film is spot on. This is certainly existential sci-fi at it's best.
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