Hot Tub Time Machine might have the worst, yet most intriguing title of any film in recent memory. Clearly, MGM is trying to push this as 2010's The Hangover, and on paper it has the cast to possibly surpass that surprise hit. Yet the premise looks maybe a little too silly, and the 80s throwback stuff has been worn out lately. The main thing that keeps me hyped for it is the presence of Clark Duke(Sex Drive, Kick-Ass) who is a scene stealing star waiting to happen.
Director Bong Joon-Ho turned a lot of heads with his nod to classic Japanese monster films, The Host, back in 2007. Mother is a totally different film, a murder mystery involving a simple minded young man railroaded by an inept police force. The only person willing to stand up for him is his mother(Kim Hye-Ja) who thrusts herself into the thick of the investigation to prove her son's innocence.
Here's hoping this makes up for the dreadful Margot at the Wedding, director Noah Baumbach's last live-action film(he co-wrote Fantastic Mr. Fox last year) about terrible people too smart for their own good. This one looks more like his brilliantly insightful The Squid and the Whale, the film that really kicked off his indie cred. It helps that the film features Ben Stiller, who I find much more enjoyable when he's not running around in a frantic attempt to make somone laugh. This role is somewhat more restrained, starring as an unemployed brainiac who moves to LA to figure out his life. Co-Stars Jennifer Jason Leigh, a personal favorite of mine that I'll pay to see in pretty much anything.
I'll credit Tim Gordon for pushing me into seeing this, because I've been a pretty harsh critic of most Dreamworks animated films over the last few years since they seem to be more about which big name stars they can land than the actual story(blame Shrek!). Dragon has received almost universal praise thus far for it's story about a young Viking teen(voiced by Jay Baruchel) who bucks the dragon killing culture of his people by befriending one of the creatures, whom he names "Toothless".
It's about friggin' time! I've been wanting to see just how well Amanda Seyfried(Dear John, Veronica Mars) would hold up in a role that didn't require her to play the innocent, and now I'm going to find out. Clearly taking it's cues from Fatal Attraction and other such genre films, Seyfried takes on the role of a sexy vixen who is hired to seduce the husband(Liam Neeson) of a wealthy doctor(Julianne Moore). Director Atom Egoyan has been mostly hit or miss with me over his career, but his recent choices(Adoration
, Where the Truth Lies
) have been thought provoking at the very least.
, Where the Truth Lies) have been thought provoking at the very least. 
Admittedly I'm only checking this out due to the presence of the uniquely talented Zoe Kazan, who won Best Actress at the Tribeca Film Festival for her portrayal here. The playwright/actress/screenwriter stars as a young epileptic girl dealing with a budding relationship with a new boyfriend as well as the feelings being stirred up by the arrival of her best friend to live with her for the summer. Sounds like one of those small indie films I generally end up falling in love with, although the buzz I've heard has mostly surrounded only her performance and not the movie itself.
The Barnes Foundation is said to hold the greatest collection of art pieces in the world, over 2500 classic pieces worth approximately $25 billion dollars! Guh! When it's founder, Albert C. Barnes died, his will specified that his collection was to remain in it's current location forever, in Lower Merion, PA. Well, that wasn't good enough for some people, who wanted it moved to a more profitable, accessible area in Philadelphia. The Art of the Steal chronicles the nasty legal battle, involving politicians and corporate raiders looking to break Albert's will(literally) for their own benefit.
