I'll be surprised if half of America hasn't already seen this at one of the numerous screenings that were held in order to build up hype. As if it needed any. Mark Millar and Matthew Vaughn's vulgar, bloodthirsty satire of comic book superheroes has been the most popular kid in town ever since last year's San Diego Comic-Con, and for good reason. Kick-Ass keeps up the reckless intensity throughout, and features a performance by Chloe Moretz as Hit-Girl that will make her the clear breakout of 2009. You can read my review of Kick-Ass here.
I tend to get pissy over cheap remakes that look to be slapped together with spit and bailing wire. So I wasn't happy when I heard that Chris Rock was remaking the often hilarious 2007 Brit-comedy, Death at a Funeral. Then I saw the cast and my ears perked up. Martin Lawrence is always hit or miss, but he's actually good in supporting roles. Zoe Saldana, Columbus Short, James Marsden, Tracy Morgan, and Peter Dinklage reprising his role from the original film as a close "friend" to the deceased. Funeral comedies are always tricky to pull off, but this one's looking like a winner.
Don't be fooled by the happy looking family on the poster. They're just trying to sell you and everybody you know something you probably can't afford. The Joneses is a smart, timely comedy about stealth marketing taken to the furthest extent. Demi Moore and David Duchovny are the big highlight, she looking more ravishing than ever as a hard nosed career woman and he with his laid back charm. You can read my review of The Joneses right here.
The surprise win by The Secret in Their Eyes at this year's Oscars for Best Foreign Language film no doubt will catapult it to some financial success here in the States. A suspense thriller about a cop's obsession to solve the case of a raped and brutally murdered girl in 1970s Argentina, the film has the distinction of being directed by Juan Jose Campanella, who divides his time between crafting award winning dramas and helming episodes of such American TV shows as House and 30 Rock.
After being shelved for what seems like forever, The Perfect Game makes it's way back to the majors with a heartwarming, spiritual story about the first non-American little league team to win the World Series. As with any film of this sort, expect plenty of schmaltz and sappy moments, but that's kinda the fun of it, right? Think of it as The Bad News Bears meets The Sandlot meets Touched by an Angel. You can read my review of The Perfect Game here.
