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Tuesday, June 23, 2009
What’s opening/on DVD/What are you watching?
Welcome to the deluxe edition of What Are You Watching! Since one new movie comes out on a Wednesday this week, and because today is DVD day, you get three of my regular blog posts rolled into one!
On DVD
Confessions of a Shopaholic: This movie seemed to have everything going for it. It was adapted from the popular Sophie Kinsella books, had a good director in PJ Hogan (My Best Friend’s Wedding) and a very talented lead in Isla Fisher - and yet the movie fizzled at the box office. It would seem something got lost in translation.
Inkheart: This fantasy about a man who can make fictional characters come to life by merely reading their books got rather lost in the shuffle early this year, which is too bad, Adapted from the well-loved Cornelia Funke novel, the movie sometimes feels messy and cluttered. I sensed it was a real struggle to adapt the novel to the screen. Still, a strong cast, including Brendan Fraser, Jim Broadbent and Paul Bettany liven things up, as do some imaginative visuals. GRADE: B
The Pink Panther 2: I don’t like to wish misfortune on anyone, but I couldn’t help but smile when audiences said “No, thanks” to this unnecessary sequel to the ineffectual remake.
Waltz With Bashir: I was very sorry to miss this animated documentary about the 1982 Lebanon war in theaters, so I am very eager to see it on DVD.
What’s opening this week?
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: I like to give Michael Bay grief on this blog, but I’m hoping this movie will be good. Really, I am. What I hope and what I expect, however, are two entirely different things. But I am wondering about something. Audiences have by and large rejected Terminator Salvation because it’s all mechanics and no heart. So why is the intent to see on Transformers so high, when it’s also all mechanics and no heart? Just asking.
My Sister’s Keeper: Add the director of The Notebook to an adaptation of a novel about a girl who seeks medical emancipation from her parents, and what do you get? Instant tearjerker. The initial buzz on this one is pretty quiet so far, but it’s hard to bet against a cast that includes Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin and Cameron Diaz. It opens Friday.
The Neon might open Sam Mendes’ Away We Go Friday; that movie with John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph has been called director Sam Mendes antidote to his wrenching Revolutionary Road. The Little Art hangs on to Up and adds Star Trek to the mix this week.
What Are You Watching?
I reintroduced this column last week, so check here to find out more of what it’s all about.
The Conversation: I almost forgot how haunting Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 film, made in between the two Godfathers, was. Almost. The story of a surveillance man (Gene Hackman) who gets in way over his head remains chilling.
The Fortune Cookie: Puzzlingly, Billy Wilder told Cameron Crowe he didn’t care for this film much, saying “it was the beginning of my downfall.” I can’t agree with him. It’s not among Wilder’s very best movies, but the first screen teaming of Lemmon and Matthau (the latter won an Oscar) makes it more than a little funny. GRADE: A-
The Front Page: More Wilder and Lemmon/Matthau. I can better understand why this one isn’t that well regarded. Wilder was coasting here, and the whole endeavor seems kind of pointless, considering the 1931 movie The Front Page had already been successfully remade as His Girl Friday. Again, however, the comic team of Lemmon and Matthau makes it worthwhile. GRADE: B
So what are you watching/anticipating?
