It's obvious that Tyler Perry is extremely proud of his new film, an adaptation of Ntozake Shange's stage play exploring the extreme hardships heaped upon African-American women, mostly by men. Not only is this his first adaptation, but it's also I believe the first film he's bothered to screen for press. So either he's got a lot of confidence in it, as well he should considering the powerhouse cast, or he wants it to get ripped apart so he can prove that he can do nothing right in the media's eyes. Well, I'm happy to oblige him on the latter. My review can be found
here.
Dreamworks is in a desperate search for a new franchise to take Shrek's place, and it's possible that 2010 has given them two. How to Train Your Dragon is their critical and box office darling right now, but the prospects for Megamind are a little more in doubt.While an A-list voice cast featuring Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, and Brad Pitt are sure to bring in a few folks off name value alone, there could be some boredom with the concept as a whole since we just saw this same storyline played out just a couple of months ago in Despicable Me. You can read my review of Megamind
here.
I've come to accept that Fair Game probably won't make a lot of money. People don't want to see another story about the devious, corrupt Bush administration no matter how compelling and well acted it might be. Director Doug Liman goes back to his political roots, dredging up that dirty ol' Valerie Plame affair and throwing it back into the spotlight where it belongs. Naomi Watts and Sean Penn, so good together in 2003's 21 Grams, should be forced to make one movie together every single year for the rest of their careers. She stars as the ex-CIA agent, outed as a spy by an administration eager for payback against her husband, former ambassador Joe Wilson for not going along with the drumbeat to war. Expect at least one acting nomination to come from this suspenseful political thriller. My review of Fair Game can be read
here.
Well, there was bound to be some dropoff. Todd Phillips set the comedy world on fire last year with The Hangover, going on to become the highest grossing R-rated comedy ever. Stealing liberally from Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Due Date pairs up Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis as a mismatched duo making a cross country trek from Atlanta to LA. Expect the typical road trip problems to flare up: drugs, car chases, possible infidelity. Not between Downey and Galifianakis! Although I must admit that would've made this a far more interesting ride. My review of Due Date can be found and hopefully enjoyed
here.
I've heard so much good about Gareth Edwards' low budget sci-fi thriller that I'm fearful of a letdown. Described by many as "this year's District 9", Monsters certainly looks the part with photo realistic creatures, a heavy and moody atmosphere, and an air of mystery surrounding it. Shot on a micro budget of around $500,000, Monsters has already more than doubled that amount and likely has established Edwards as a filmmaker to keep a close eye on. For me, I'm most interested in checking out the starring turn of sexy cover model, Whitney Able. I think her cred is about to jump up big time, especially if the long shelved teen slasher
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane 
ever hits our shores. You can still get it on DVD, though.
Drafthouse Films was quick to snap up British political satirist Chris Morris's directorial debut, described as the "Spinal Tap for terrorism" flicks. Four Lions is the story of four bumbling Muslims who attempt a jihad somewhere in England. Despite a ton of rave reviews, movies like this tend to rub me the wrong way, but it's one I feel sorta obligated to check out.
Pet lovers will no doubt fall in love with Paul Fierlinger's feature length debut, based on J.R. Ackerley's novel of the same name. It tells the story of how his rescuing of a German shepherd changed his life, as the two became best friends for more than 14 years. You're probably gonna want to leave the kids at home for this one, as the bittersweet story is geared more towards adults.
