Here to take a look at the films coming out in wide and limited release this coming weekend. I’ll give you my thoughts to help you decide what’s worth checking out.
- Hercules – The second Hercules movie of the year. Thank god. Well, at least this one actually seems a little more like the Hercules that you’d expect versus the Kellan Lutz version which looked more like Gladiator. I really dig Dwayne Johnson, but more so when he can be a bit more comedic, or at least when the role is not so serious. Hercules looks super serious. Not even kind of fun, actually. I’ll have to pass on this one, even if I do believe Johnson could murder a lion with his bare hands.
- Lucy – I caught a screener of Lucy so a full review will be up tomorrow. It’s not a great movie, but it is kind of fun if you can absolutely shut down your brain and just try to experience whatever weirdness is happening on screen. It’s gets far out preposterous but is at least unique (if you forget any similarities to Limitless). Besson has lots of ideas going on, but not many make much sense.
- Magic in the Moonlight – This looks like this could be one of Woody Allen’s less impressive features. It’s about a famous magician attempting to defraud a young woman making a name for herself as a psychic. I love Colin Firth and Emma Stone but I’m not quite sure I see them together. Hopefully it’s still a fun little film with enough to set it apart from Allen’s other films even if it doesn’t particularly stand out.
Now playing in select theaters. - A Most Wanted Man – While I wasn’t a huge fan of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (I found it a bit too dry), I respected the hell out of writer John le Carré’s ability to craft a layered spy mystery. Because of my lukewarm response to the last adaptation of his work, I am hesitant to get too excited about A Most Wanted Man. The trailer looks like it could be quite interesting with lots of twists along the way. There’s plenty of names in the cast to look forward to like Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright, and Daniel Brühl. If you were already a fan of Tinker Tailor, this seems like a must see, and for those in my boat I’m hoping I’ll enjoy this one just a little more.
Now playing in select theaters.
