Hitting movie theaters this weekend:
New Year's Eve - Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Biel, Ashton Kutcher The Sitter - Jonah Hill, Ari Graynor, Sam Rockwell Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (limited) - Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy
Movie of the Week
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
The Stars: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy The Plot: In the bleak days of the Cold War, espionage veteran George Smiley (Oldman) is forced from semi-retirement to uncover a Soviet agent within MI6's echelons. The Buzz: Great title, great cast, great premise. Sold, sold and sold. Gary Oldman is too cool for school. I can't wait to see this one. On top of the awesomeness that is Oldman, the film also boasts a bevy of heavy hitters in Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, and Mark Strong. I enjoy all of these actors a great deal, so regarding the cast, this film looks super solid. I understand that some of the film takes place in Budapest, Hungary, which is one of my favorite film locations -- just another feather in the old cap. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy seems to have been under-advertised, which given the genre, I suppose is typical. Still, this film looks super awesome, and I'm surprised I haven't heard/seen more hype about it. Directed by Tomas Alfredson, whose last offering was the critically acclaimed Let the Right One In.
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:
Cowboys and Aliens (BD/DVD) - Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde The Debt (BD/DVD) - Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, Tom Wilkinson Design for Living [Criterion] (BD) - Fredric March, Gary Cooper, Miriam Hopkins Dragon Tattoo Trilogy: Extended Edition (BD/DVD) - Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace The Hangover Part II (BD/DVD) -Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms The Help (BD/DVD) - Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer The Lady Vanishes [Criterion] (BD) - Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas Life, Above All (BD/DVD) - Khomotso Manyaka, Keaobaka Makanyane, Lerato Mvelase Mission Impossible Collection (BD/DVD) - Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart Mr.Popper's Penguins (BD/DVD) - Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino, Angela Lansbury Tora! Tora! Tora! (BD) - Martin Balsam, Sô Yamamura, Jason Robards
Blu-ray/DVD of the Week
Cowboys and Aliens
The Stars: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde The Plot: A spaceship arrives in Arizona, 1873, to take over the Earth, starting with the Wild West region. A posse of cowboys and natives are all that stand in their way. The Buzz: The latest offering from director Jon Favreau (Iron Man). When I first saw the original Iron Man trailer, I’ll be honest, my gut reaction was, “wow, that looks horrible.” However, upon the film’s release I was pleasantly surprised, and found Iron Man to be extremely entertaining. I found it to be excellent on all fronts really, and the general populace certainly agreed. When I first saw the Cowboys & Aliens trailer, my gut reaction was “wow, that looks really horrible.” I was hoping here that the “really” in that reaction wouldn't matter too much – I was hoping for the same horrible-trailer/great-movie phenomenon. I saw this one in the theater, and ultimately, it was just OK, not amazing, not horrible. It had its moments for sure. I enjoyed the general premise, and Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde were both great as per usual. Daniel Craig was his typical bland self here, however, and it's a shame that he was cast as the lead. My only other general thoughts: Harrison Ford still rules, though I must admit, I’m a little sad to see him so aged.