Written by Mitch Cyrus

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What to watch this weekend?  Not much at the theaters, so stick with the Browns, Indians, and the PGA Championship.  Mitch is here to give us the gory details, along with some good news regarding some great new DVD releases, and tidbits about the next movie projects for Daniel Craig, Viggo Mortensen, and Drew Barrymore.  It's Friday Night Crystal Ball time.  The Crystal Ball - August 10^th Releases

 

If you read my column last week, you already know that I don't think that there are really any movies coming out in the next few weeks worth plopping down $10 for at the multiplex.  Certainly not this week...unless you still haven't gotten out to see "The Bourne Ultimatum".

But if you need something to watch other than the Browns/Chiefs exhibition game, the Indians/Yankees series and the PGA Championship, check out renting either "Hot Fuzz" or "Disturbia".  Both are great movies.  "Disturbia" is as tension filled as anything you'll see this year as a teenaged version of Hitchcock's "Rear Window", while "Hot Fuzz" is simply one of the funniest movies I've seen this year (although with a few really gross bloody moments).  It's a British send-up of all those cop/buddy movies we've seen over the years, and the last 30 minutes of mayhem simply cannot be described, only enjoyed.

 

News & Rumors:

 

~ Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Connelly, Justin Long ("Live Free or Die Hard"), Kevin Connoly (Eric Murphy in "Entourage") and Ginnifer Goodwin (Margene in "Big Love") are set to star in the ensemble comedy "He's Just Not That Into You".  Barrymore will also produce the movie, described as a social commentary about modern relationships and will have several intertwining stories.

~ Viggo Mortensen and Renee Zellweger will join Ed Harris' western drama "Appaloosa", with the talented Harris serving as actor, producer, writer, and director.  Harris and Mortensen will play two friends hired to protect a lawless town from a renegade rancher.  Zellweger plays a widow who shows up in the town and disrupts their plans.

~ Daniel Craig, Live Schreiber, and Jamie Bell ("Flags of Our Fathers") are cast in "Defiance", a World War II drama being directed by Ed Zwick ("Blood Diamond").  The story is about three Jewish brothers who escape Nazi-occupied Poland and join Russia's resistance fighters, building a village deep in the forest to conceal over 1,200 Jews.

~ 25 years after the original, Ridley Scott is contemplating a sequel to the cult hit "Blade Runner".  Scott seems to want to pick up on what happened to Deckard and Rachael at the end of the film, so it's highly unlikely we'd be seeing a 60 something Harrison Ford or a nearly 50 year old Sean Young reprising their roles.  Oh, by the way, "Blade Runner: Final Cut" is set for release in December, featuring FIVE different versions of the movie as the re-edits have evolved over the years.

~ In our very own Message Boards, I took HBO and David Milch to task earlier this week regarding the piece of crap series called "John From Cincinnati", mercifully ending this week (hopefully not to be renewed).  Hopefully this announcement will help patch things back up.  HBO is online to start shooting "True Blood", a new drama series from Alan Ball, the man behind HBO's fantastic "Six Feet Under".  The show will star Anna Paquin, and is based on the "Southern Vampire" book series about a world in which vampires can buy Japanese-made synthetic blood, and a group of them move to a small Louisiana town, no longer having to feast upon mortals...like Paquin, who does have the power to read minds.  Air date to be determined.

~ The latest news on comic books, cartoons, and/or television series coming to the big screen include the Marvel comic "Thor", and the 1980s Japanese animation "Voltron: Defender of the Universe".  Yawn.  By the way...when watching "The Simpsons Movie", I saw a trailer for "Alvin and the Chipmunks", with Jason Lee as David Seville playing opposite CGI rodents.  Absolutely hideous.

~ Andy Garcia, John Cleese, and Alfred Molina will join Steve Martin in a sequel to the stinkfest 2006 film "The Pink Panther".  Why?

This week's new releases:

Rush Hour 3

Starring: Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker

Plot:  Motor mouthed cop and Hong Kong's greatest detective fight the Chinese mafia in Paris

View Trailer

The BeerBuzz:  Chan, Tucker, and director Brett Ratner must desperately need a paycheck (especially Tucker, who only gets more than five minutes screen time in these films).  As amusing as the first two "Rush Hour" films were, this one just seems to be content with re-hashing everything that you've already seen.  Think "Airplane 2" level retreading.

Stardust

Starring: Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Robert DeNiro

Plot: A young man in a town bordering a fantasy world promises his beloved that he will retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the mystical land.

View Trailer

The BeerBuzz:  Might be an OK date movie, as this can best be described as a "romantic fantasy".  Lots of "oohs and ahhs" with Pfeiffer as an evil witch and DeNiro doing some serious swashbuckling, but it is very lightweight and whimsical when compared to the types of fantasy films we've seen lately.   Got to love all the star-power they have, including Peter O'Toole, Rupert Everett, Ricky Gervais, Sienna Miller, and Ian McKellen as the narrator.

Daddy Day Camp

Starring: Cuba Gooding, Jr...the world's most undeserving Oscar winner ever, continuing his descent into oblivion.  Look for him to next appear at a dinner theater in a small town near you.

Plot: Idiots open a campground for loser kids.  Toilet jokes ensue.

View Trailer (at your own risk)

The BeerBuzz:  They couldn't even get Eddie Murphy back to reprise his role from the also-sucky "Daddy Day Care"?  As of this morning, the movie is running at a deserved 2% favorable rating at Rottentomatoes.com.  I'm assuming both positive reviews came from someone one the production team using fake credentials.

Skinwalkers

Starring: Jason Behr, Elias Koteas, Rhona Mitra

Plot: Werewolves are involved in a civil war, and a 13 year old boy is stuck in the middle of it all.

View Trailer

The BeerBuzz:  Are R rated horror films taking a hit this summer or what?  Due to the complete tanking of the torture-porn "Captivity", After Dark Films, the studio responsible for this dreck, has pulled this near disaster back as far as possible, only releasing it to around 700 theaters.  It will be completely gone next weekend.

New DVD Releases on Tuesday, August 14^th

 

Great week for DVDs.  A little something for everyone.

Wild Hogs- Box office smash with the unlikely quartet of John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence, and William H. Macy as middle aged men dealing with their mid-life crisis by taking the ultimate road trip via motorcycles.

Fracture- Lost somewhat in the shuffle due to the hit status of "Disturbia", this film was also quite well received with Anthony Hopkins once again playing a diabolical criminal screwing with the heads of other people.  Ryan Gosling plays the assistant district attorney attempting to bring Hopkins down.

 

The Lookout- Above average film with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the kid from "Third Rock From the Sun" as a once promising athlete working as a janitor at a bank after a brain injury sustained in an accident.  He is pulled into a heist attempt by some former classmates, putting him and his family in danger.

Vacancy - Better than normal horror flick with Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson trapped in a hotel, where they may be the next victims in a snuff film.  High on jump scares and suspense, and lower on gore.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters for DVD - A hundred times more people saw the news about the publicity stunt The Cartoon Network stupidly pulled in Boston than saw the movie.  Skip this, unless you are a rabid fan of the show (God help you if you are).

Calendar Watch

 

Next week:, Superbad, The Invasion, The Last Legion

Upcoming Biggies (click on the hyperlink to view the available trailers).

Shoot ‘em Up - September 7^th - Clive Owen and Monica Bellucci protecting a baby from sinister Paul Giamatti.  I was so there anyway, and then I found out that in one scene Owen and Bullucci are having sex while in a shoot out.  Check out the trailer, as it is one of the best I have seen.

3:10 to Yuma - September 7^th - Russell Crowe and Christian Bale in a remake of a classic Western with Bale as a farmer volunteering to escort a criminal (Crowe) to Yuma by train, with a battle of wits ensuing.

 

The Brave One - September 14^th - Jodie Foster going all Charles Bronson-DeathWish on some thugs.

 

Eastern Promises - September 14^th (limited) - Naomi Watts as a London midwife drawn into the Russian Mob, headed by Viggo Mortensen.

The Kingdom - September 28^th - Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, and Jennifer Garner in a story about an American team sent into the Middle East to investigate a terrorist attack on Americans in Riyadh.

Michael Clayton - October 12^th - George Clooney as a top law firm's "fixer" (the type of person played by Jodie Foster in "Inside Man"...IOW, a shady power broker/dirty tricks expert).

Hitman - October 12^th - Deadwood's Timothy Oliphant follows up his portrayal as the chief villain in "Live Free or Die Hard" in this action/adventure film where he play...what else...a hitman.  Look for it to be in the same vein as "The Transporter", and a hit (heh...I kill me).

The Golden Age - October 12^th - Cate Blanchett and Clive Owen in a follow up of the award winning "Elizabeth"...this one looks to be better than the first, with much more action as it focuses on England's defeat of the Spanish Armada.

We Own the Night - October 12^th - Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, and Eva Mendes in a story of a nightclub owner (Phoenix), his police officer brother (Wahlberg), and the conflict with the mobsters who run Phoenix's nightclub.  And yes, if you are counting, that's FOUR movies I deem "interesting" debuting on the same day.  I get the feeling that will change, and some of them will move their release date.

Rendition - October 19^th - Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Meryl Streep and Alan Arkin in a political thriller with Gyllenhaal as a CIA agent troubled by witnessing questionable interrogations.

American Gangster - November 2^nd - Denzel Washington as a heroin kingpin from the Vietnam War era (he smuggled it back in the body bags of dead soldiers) and Russell Crowe as the investigator on his trail.

Bee Movie - November 2^nd - Animated flick with Jerry Seinfeld as a bee who files a lawsuit against mankind for eating honey.

Lions for Lambs - November 9^th - Robert Redford directs himself, Tom Cruise (yeck) and Meryl Streep in this political thriller.

Fred Claus - November 9^th - Vince Vaughn as Santa's embittered little brother.  With Paul Giamatti.  Another slightly naughty Christmas fairy tale that will make a bundle of cash.

Beowulf - November 16^th - Robert Zemeckis gets all medieval on us with a motion capture (like "Polar Express") adaptation of the epic poem.  Crispen Glover as the monster Grendel and Angelina Jolie as Grendel's mother?  I'm there.

The Golden Compass - December 7^th - Major, major push from the studios for this big budget fantasy...designed to be the first of a franchise.  Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig star (their second collaboration this year), along with Sam Elliot and Eva Green.

Leatherheads - December 7^th - George Clooney in an old fashioned screwball comedy set in 1925.  George is an aging football legend who now owns a pro team, and is competing for the affections of Renee Zellweger with his star player.

I Am Legend - December 14^th - Will Smith in what is basically a remake of the Chuck Heston apocalyptic film "The Omega Man".

National Treasure: Book of Secrets - December 21^st - Follow-up to the hugely popular guilty pleasure "National Treasure" with Nick Cage back at his wacky best.

P.S., I Love You - December 21^st - Hillary Swank, Gerard Butler, and Harry Connick Jr. in an award contender about a widow who discovers love letters written by her recently deceased husband (Butler) that are meant to help her begin the next chapter of her life.

The Other Boleyn Girl - December 21^st - Natalie Portman as Anne Boleyn, Scarlett Johansson as her sister Mary, and Eric Bana as King Henry VIII.  I expect this to blow the tepid Showtime series "The Tudors" out of the English Channel.

Charlie Wilson's War - December 25^th - Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Philip Seymour Hoffman in an Oscar contender about the charismatic and eccentric Texas Congressman who orchestrated the funding of the Afghans against the Soviet Union in the early 80s.

Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Limited release in December - Tim Burton's adaptation of the macabre Steven Sondheim musical about a deranged barber bent on revenge (Johnny Depp) and the meat pie baker that assists him (Helena Bonham Carter), who uses the bodies to make delicious snacks.

Untitled J.J. Abrams Project - January 18^th - You've seen the buzz generating hand held camera trailer during "Transformers", and wondered what it's all about.  We don't know yet, but we're thinking it should be fun.