Written by Mitch Cyrus

---

Two weekends ago we had our first “bomb” of the season, as “Macgruber” not only failed according to the critics, but the audiences stayed away in droves as well.

But at least the studios didn’t sink that much money into that sink hole, and when it’s all said and done, the DVR and pay-per-view receipts might even make it so that this stinker might actually break even.

For the summer’s first big time money loser; that came last week with the video game adaptation “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”.  A $200 million project, it came in third at the box office last week, losing out not only to the second weekend of “Shrek Forever After”, but also raking in less money than the horrendous “Sex and the City 2”.

Lessons learned?  Video games turned into movies don’t sell.  The second lesson is that while Jake Gyllenhaal is a very good actor; he’s not a movie star.

Then again, neither is Ashton Kutcher…as another studio is about to find out in a very painful way this weekend.

BTW…lots of updates on 2010 upcoming releases on the “Calendar Watch”.

Mini Review  - Five Minutes of Heaven

I can safely bet that 90% of you reading this are saying “what the hell is this?”

It is another one of those movies that are definitely not for everyone, but if the description I am about to give you intrigues you, I’d highly advise renting it.

In 1975 Northern Ireland, seventeen year old UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) Alistair Little shot and killed Jimmy Griffin, a catholic, in his house outside of Belfast as part of the ongoing violence between Protestant and Catholic.  Little served twelve years in prison, and then was released.  Jimmy’s little brother Joe witnessed the shooting, and was emotionally scarred by it his entire life.

The last paragraph I wrote was true, and the basis of the Irish film “Five Minutes of Heaven”, a film where director Oliver Hirschbiegel and writer Guy Hibbert put together a fictional event where the two men actually meet.

It is supposed to be a reconciliation event to be taped for telecast to the entire UK and the Republic of Ireland.  Alistair, played by Liam Neeson as an adult, is now a prominent speaker and advisor for conflict resolution.  This level of acceptance back into society for a killer has gnawed at Joe Griffin, whose life has not allowed him to come to terms with the events of 25 years earlier.

The acting in this film is superb.  Neeson, as you would expect, is marvelous as the calm, humbled, and guilt ridden former terrorist.  But the real surprise to me was James Nesbitt as Joe Griffin.  He is not well known outside of the British Isles, but he should be soon after this amazing performance of a tightly wound man bouncing between bitterness, rage, despair, and humiliation.

The accents are very thick, especially Nesbitt’s, but the emotions portrayed can get an American viewer past all of that without missing much of the words.  To me, it was worth it to watch such an interesting film.  There is no real protagonist or antagonist here.  Little is guilty of murder, but he now does good to society, even going to Kosovo to help intermediate that civil war.  Joe Griffin is not a bad man, either, and he has every reason to want to extract his revenge upon Little…but you also know that Joe is a man who has chosen to allow the anger to dominate his life, where he should be focusing more on his wife and two daughters.

It is a film that makes you think, and allows you to enjoy watching some incredible actors at work.

My Rating – Frank Ryan (3 footballs)

News and Rumors

~ The huge story of the week was Guillermo del Toro’s decision to resign the director’s chair for the upcoming Peter Jackson produced adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”.  MGM, who holds the rights to the film along with New Line Cinema, is in the middle of being sold, and therefore they have not been able to commit yet to a start time.  Therefore, del Toro felt he had to move on with his other projects, although he has vowed to work with Peter Jackson to help with the transition.  I can’t say as I blame del Toro, but it is a loss.  The only two directors I feel that could step in for him would be Jackson himself (who currently denies that he will), or del Toro’s friend Alfonso Cuarón, who directed one of the best Harry Potter films: “The Prisoner of Azkaban” as well as the exquisite “Children of Men”.

~ “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” is both a hit novel and a hit Danish language film (releasing to dvd in July).  In 2012, it will be remade in English by star director David Fincher (“Fight Club”, “Se7en”).  Daniel Craig is in talks to star as disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist, who teams up with a punk hacker (the title role of the film) in solving a murder mystery.  Lots of rumors for this plum role, with Ellen Page, Mia Wasikowska, Natalie Portman, Olivia Thirlby, and Carey Mulligan being mentioned.  Since Bond 23 is on hold…this would give Craig something to do.

~ More “Avengers” nonsense.  If and when this one ever comes out, we have another one of the heroes cast.  Jeremy Renner, who hit the big time starring in “The Hurt Locker” is going to be playing the archer “Hawkeye” in the film.

Stupid Remakes and Sequels

~ “Three Men and a Bride”.  Just because Tom Selleck, Ted Danson, and (especially) Steve Guttenberg need a paycheck, and what other way of getting one than to have a film where that adorable little baby from “Three Men and a Baby” grows up and gets married.

This week's new movie releases: 

Get Him to the Greek

Starring: Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Elisabeth Moss, Sean Combs

Plot :  A record company intern is hired to accompany out-of-control British rock star Aldous Snow to a concert at L.A.'s Greek Theater.

View Trailer

The BeerBuzz: I really, really want to hate on this, just because my personal taste in movies commands me to be disgusted with this type of “comedy”.  HOWEVER…that’s just my personal prejudice, and not something that you as a reader deserve.  The truth seems to be that this is a very, very funny movie IF you are into the “Superbad”, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”, or “Old School” movies.  I somehow feel that it is still aimed at too small of a niche in the market, and won’t do great box office numbers, but for fans of those other movies I mentioned, it’s a good choice for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Splice

Starring: Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, Delphine Chanéac

Plot :  Two scientists fuse DNA samples to create a new organism: a human-chimera they name Dren. As the creature rapidly develops from a deformed female infant into winged creature, her initial bond with her creators turns deadly.

View Trailer

The BeerBuzz: This is the critics’ choice for the best movie coming out this week, and if I get a chance, I plan on seeing it.  Very interesting casting with Brody and indie favorite Sarah Polley, giving the project some serious gravity.  Said to be a ‘thinking man’s sci-fi horror film’, it definitely has me intrigued.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Killers

Starring: Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher

Plot :  Three years into their perfectly suburban marriage, Jen learns that her husband Spencer is not only an undercover assassin -- he's also a target worth millions of dollars to a clutch of fellow assassins who have been trailing the couple in secret since they met.

View Trailer

The BeerBuzz: Nice attempt to forge a movie out of the combined plot points of “True Lies” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”.  With originality like that, I’m sure they used the same writers that work on “24”.  This is one of those movies that looked terrible just from the previews, and now judging by the early reviews (it was released for pre-screening by critics), it’s just as bad as we thought it would be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marmaduke

Starring: Owen Wilson, Judy Greer, Lee Pace

Plot :  The Winslow family moves to a new neighborhood with their large yet lovable Great Dane, who has a tendency to wreak havoc in his own oblivious way.

The BeerBuzz: I love dogs.  I like well made movies about dogs.  I HATE talking dog movies.  This movie has a talking dog (voice of Owen Wilson)…so guess what I think about it?  By the way, it makes it even more irritable as Marmaduke didn’t even talk in the comic strip from which this film originated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

New DVD Releases for Tuesday, June 8:

Shutter Island  – This still ranks as the best film from 2010 that I have seen.  Leonardo DiCaprio scores again working with Martin Scorsese in this thriller shot in the style of film noir.  Leo is a federal marshal looking into the disappearance of an inmate on an Alcatraz type island for the criminally insane.

From Paris with Love  – This was one of those films that looked somewhat interesting to me when I first saw trailers showing it to be mostly an action-comedy with John Travolta playing a rift on his typical out-of-control, over-the-top persona.  And then the movie came out with all of the Persona, and not much of the comedy…making it just another “Swordfish” or “Taking of Pelham 1-2-3”.

Calendar Watch  

Next Week: The A-Team, The Karate Kid

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

Toy Story 3D – June 18 -  It looks like a big year for 3D films in 2010.  In this one, Buzz, Woody, and the rest of the toys are dumped into a day care after Andy grows up and goes to college.

Grown Ups – June 25 – Another Adam Sandler summer comedy, with him teaming up with Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Schneider.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse – July 2 – More Wussy Vampires!  I can’t wait! (sorry…sarcasmectomy isn’t scheduled for a few months yet).

The Last Airbender – July 2 – Can M. Knight Shyamalan continue his downward spiral of suck?  Or will this be the start of a redemption for him?

Predators – July 9 – Re-booting of the original Ah-nuld franchise.  Looks to be intriguing.

Inception – July 16 – Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page in a Christopher Nolan sci-fi mind bender that looks to be in the mode of “Momento”

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice – July 16 – Live action remake of the Disney classic short, starring Nicolas Cage.

Salt – July 23 – Angelina Jolie as a CIA operative accused of being a Russian spy.

Eat Pray Love – August 13 – Julia Roberts in this critically acclaimed ultimate chick-flick about a newly divorced woman’s journey of self-enlightenment.  Guys…get ready to get drug to this one.

The Expendables – August 13 – Sylvester Stallone, Jason Stratham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Randy Couture, and Steve Austin in a movie about mercenaries.  With appearances from Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.  What more could any guy ask for?   

The American – September 1 –George Clooney as an assassin hiding out in an Italian village awaiting what he hopes is his last job.

Machete – September 3 – Yes, they made a full length film from the “trailer” shown in “Grindhouse” with Danny Trejo as the revenge minded blade wielder.

The Adjustment Bureau – September 17 – Matt Damon in a mind bender about a politician falling for a ballerina (Emily Blunt), only to be stymied by mysterious forces keeping the would-be lovers apart.

Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps – September 24 – Oliver Stone brings Michael Douglass back as Gordon Gecko, teaming him with Shia LaBeouf in a film that looks to be quite different in tone than the last one.

Secretariat – October 8 – Diane Lane in the story of possibly the greatest race horse ever.  Could this be another “Seabiscuit”?

Red – October 15 – Another Bruce Willis action vehicle.  This time he is a former black ops agent reassembling his old team to thwart an attack from a high-tech assassin.

Hereafter – October 22 – Clint Eastwood directs a supernatural thriller with Matt Damon.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I – November 19 – Part One of the final book about Harry, Hermione, and Ron.  This one (and I’m sure the last one) will be in 3-D.

Red Dawn – November 25 – Yes, they actually remade this semi-classic.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – December 10 – Third tale of the series…some people (like my wife) are still looking forward to it.

Tron Legacy – December 17 – Might be the most anticipated Holiday release of this year.

Gulliver’s Travels – December 22 – Jack Black takes on the iconic role.

True Grit – December 25 – The Coen Brothers remake the iconic John Wayne movie with Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon.