Maybe you’re looking to save a few bucks or the current theater choices just aren’t cutting it. Whatever the case may be, sometimes it’s just as nice to sit at home and watch a good flick. Take a look at this week’s picks for some At-Home Alternatives to the weekly cinema options.
Instead of Broken City: The Other Guys
Broken City stars Mark Wahlberg as a former cop who begins tailing New York City’s mayor’s wife and ends up getting wrapped in a larger scandal that is bigger than he expected. In The Other Guys, Wahlberg’s character is still a cop, but he’s been relegated to desk work. In this obviously more comedic movie, he decides to go after a guy who seems fishy even though the higher-ups are getting him to stay away. He also unravels a scandal with this case that is bigger than he initially thought, but expected all along. As long as you aren’t in the mood for a serious cop drama, The Other Guys should deliver. If you want something serious, check out End of Watch on DVD and Blu-ray.
Instead of Mama: Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
Both of these films have Guillermo Del Toro’s name in the production credits, with Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark‘s screenplay also being co-written by Del Toro. Both films tell a suspenseful tale of children who can see things that their parents can not, but aside from the style, they seem different enough to warrant seeing both. If you can’t make it out to see Mama, check out this earlier film. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark has similar elements to the films that Del Toro directs himself, so if you like his own works, you should find something to enjoy in this movie.
Instead of The Last Stand: Twins
The Last Stand stars Arnold Schwarzenegger in his first leading role since 2003. He plays the sheriff of a small border town that ends up being the last stop of a gang of criminals attempting to cross the border into Mexico. Despite the fact that government officials are on the trail, Schwarzenegger ends up being the last line of defense before these criminals cross the border. He is aided by Johnny Knoxville in his task. So, if you want to watch a movie where Arnold Schwarzenegger is paired up with an unlikely comedic actor, check out Twins, starring Schwarzenegger and Danny Devito. While it doesn’t have the action elements that The Last Stand has, Twins does have the kind of ridiculous plot that would be hard for other actors to pull off.
End of Watch (2012)
End of Watch is a gritty movie shot in a pseudo-documentary style that shows Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña as policemen on a human trafficking case. The film gets its single camera treatment because one of the officers is recording themselves for aproject he is working on. So, the movie as a “found footage” look to it. The film gets pretty dark and should fit the bill for anyone looking for a cop drama with a deep story.
Coma (2012)
Coma is a two part mini-series based off the novel of the same name, written by Robin Cook in 1977. It stars Lauren Ambrose as Susan Wheeler, a medical student who begins to notice that a large number of patients emitted to the hospital are slipping into comas. When she starts to investigate these patients, strange things begin happening to the people she has gotten close to in the hospital. Susan soon makes a correlation that these coma patients are all being transferred to the Jefferson Institute, a mysterious facility that houses coma patients in a more economical manner than a hospital. However, the Jefferson Institute gives Susan a very bad feeling and she trys to find out exactly why so many of her hospital’s patients are ending up there. The story is very interesting and, because this is a mini-series, there is plenty of time to tell the story. The series also stars Geena Davis, James Woods, and Richard Dreyfuss, so overall this series has a high caliber cast.
Coma Netflix Synopsis: In this made-for-cable miniseries based on Robin Cook’s bestselling novel, a doctor begins to suspect that something is amiss when several seemingly healthy patients begin lapsing into comas after routine operations.
What do you plan on watching this week, at home or otherwise? What do you think of my choices?