The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | Saving Mr. Banks | American Hustle | Hours | Some Velvet Morning
An absolutely packed weekend, with very little light-hearted fare, but including a release that borders on exploitation.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
I will admit to not having seen the first chapter in this series. Given that the backlash to it actually makes it sound more interesting (it doesn't strictly follow the book, introducing darker themes and spelling out on-screen what's only alluded to in Tolkien's work), I probably need to rectify that. I expect the series isn't winning many new converts like me at this point, so you probably already know if you're seeing this one.
Saving Mr. Banks
I tend to recoil from these heartstring-tugging schmaltzfests, and Hanks' participation, plus the storyline involving Walt Disney isn't convincing me this will be anything but. Still, if you go in for that sort of thing, the level of talent involved and the early reviews say this one is pretty can't-miss.
American Hustle
This is the one I've been waiting for. Jeremy Renner feels like the kid getting to sit at the adult's table on the poster, but the trailer and its current 96% on Rotten Tomatoes make it look amazing. David O. Russell is coming off of Silver Linings Playbook, re-teaming with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, and adding Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and the aforementioned Renner for good measure. Short of being too young to purchase a ticket, I can't think of a single reason someone shouldn't see this.
Hours
This movie came out way back in March, but as it stars Paul Walker and never saw a wide release, it's getting thrown into theaters now. Was it always planned to come out this weekend? Possibly, but currently sitting at a 47% on Rotten Tomatoes, it's not like we were being deprived of some great unsung classic, so this feels more than a little distasteful to me. I'll probably still see it because these types of projects (Buried) have impressed me before, but in general, this is probably just for Walker fans.
Some Velvet Morning
The biggest wild card of them all, this strikes me as possibly a Blue Valentine-type with a few more light-hearted moments. I'm not sure Neil LaBute has done enough to earn an adjective before the word director, so the trailer already seems a little pretentious right out of the gate, but at least they didn't tack on the suddenly ubiquitous "visionary" to the title. If you like movies about relationship dysfunction like BV or Revolutionary Road, the trailer makes this one look worth a watch too.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
I will admit to not having seen the first chapter in this series. Given that the backlash to it actually makes it sound more interesting (it doesn't strictly follow the book, introducing darker themes and spelling out on-screen what's only alluded to in Tolkien's work), I probably need to rectify that. I expect the series isn't winning many new converts like me at this point, so you probably already know if you're seeing this one.
Saving Mr. Banks
I tend to recoil from these heartstring-tugging schmaltzfests, and Hanks' participation, plus the storyline involving Walt Disney isn't convincing me this will be anything but. Still, if you go in for that sort of thing, the level of talent involved and the early reviews say this one is pretty can't-miss.
American Hustle
This is the one I've been waiting for. Jeremy Renner feels like the kid getting to sit at the adult's table on the poster, but the trailer and its current 96% on Rotten Tomatoes make it look amazing. David O. Russell is coming off of Silver Linings Playbook, re-teaming with Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, and adding Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and the aforementioned Renner for good measure. Short of being too young to purchase a ticket, I can't think of a single reason someone shouldn't see this.
Hours
This movie came out way back in March, but as it stars Paul Walker and never saw a wide release, it's getting thrown into theaters now. Was it always planned to come out this weekend? Possibly, but currently sitting at a 47% on Rotten Tomatoes, it's not like we were being deprived of some great unsung classic, so this feels more than a little distasteful to me. I'll probably still see it because these types of projects (Buried) have impressed me before, but in general, this is probably just for Walker fans.
Some Velvet Morning
The biggest wild card of them all, this strikes me as possibly a Blue Valentine-type with a few more light-hearted moments. I'm not sure Neil LaBute has done enough to earn an adjective before the word director, so the trailer already seems a little pretentious right out of the gate, but at least they didn't tack on the suddenly ubiquitous "visionary" to the title. If you like movies about relationship dysfunction like BV or Revolutionary Road, the trailer makes this one look worth a watch too.