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.
- Let’s Be Cops – As a New Girl fan, specifically a huge Jake Johnson cheerleader, I want to see this simply because it looks like a raucous extra long episode minus Jess, Schmidt, and Winston. It’s earned a lot of comparisons with 21 Jump Street, what with goofball male characters pretending to be cops versus cops going undercover. I’m not quite expecting 21JS levels of success, but if it’s at least a fun time at the theater I will be pleased.
- The Expendables 3 – Having not seen either of the first two in this never-ending series, this certainly is not for me. On paper the idea of getting all the action stars ever on one screen seems like a hell of a good time, but the trailers never hook me. It seems like they try too hard instead of just being campy fun. The first one landed a 41% on Rotten Tomatoes, the second a 65%, so you’d think this one might even score higher if they’re getting better. Nope – this new one has a 34% currently. I think I will continue to pass.
- The Giver – I always remember The Giver being that one book you read for school that everyone actually likes. If you asked a classmate what their favorite book was they’d throw this one out because it’s the only one they actually read on the syllabus and they damn sure didn’t read anything that wasn’t assigned. I’m not in that group, although I did really like this book all the same. It had a unique perspective and was a young adult dystopian novel before they had their own section at Barnes & Noble. For the uninitiated, it’s about a boy living in a regimented society without real emotion and no color. He is assigned the role of Receiver of Memory, where he will gain all the knowledge of everything society used to be before it was all regulated and standardized. I’m glad the studio decided to stay true to the book and have the film in black and white only to use color purposefully (think Pleasantville). The film itself looks like it could be decent, but it also doesn’t specifically strike you at the same time. There’s Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep which is wonderful, but besides those two and my curiosity into seeing how it’s adapted, this looks like it will blend in with all the other dystopian films. Let’s just hope they don’t somehow find a way to force this into a series.
- Frank – While it should be criminal to cover Michael Fassbender’s face for a whole movie, I’m very interested in seeing him take on this totally weird, uncharacteristic role. He plays a lead singer of a band, who wears a large papier-mâché mask at all times. Domhnall Gleeson plays an aspiring musician that joins this odd band who starts to gain attention. I had no knowledge of the real person this movie is based on, Frank Sidebottom who was the singer for an English band and became a well known comedian but such a unique person seems like a great basis for a film.Playing in select theaters.
