Delayed Reaction: Backdraft

The Pitch: Cops get all the attention. Where's the great Firefighter action movie? Someone get me a Baldwin!

What Took Me So Long: I tend to forget that Ron Howard has a long list of movies he's directed.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) For being such a ubiquitous service, firefighting is such a specific thing and not covered anywhere near as much as its cousins, medical care and policing. In fact, the last movie I saw about firefighters was Quarantine and fires weren't exactly the stars of that. The firefighting scenes are shot in an exciting way and Robert De Niro's fire investigator makes that job look as interesting as it ever will.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: I'm not a fan of any time that the antagonist's motivations are related to budget cuts in his department. There's something so bureaucratic about it that sucks the fun out of the movie. It stars my third favorite Baldwin, so that's a bummer. Howard goes for every melodramatic beat he can find in the firefighting scenes, which gets a little tedious. There's a reason this movie did well but didn't set the box office ablaze. (I'm sorry, I had to say it)

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

Delayed Reaction: Over the Hedge

The Pitch: You know, I bet animals don't like the suburbs. I wonder how they'd get revenge.

What Took Me So Long: I think it's really as simple as I don't go out of my way for Dreamworks Movies.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) Ben Folds did do the sound track. Listening to the lyric changes in "Rockin' the Suburbs" almost make the whole thing worth it. Dreamworks Animation, the constant starfuckers that they are actually put together a wonderfully eclectic voice cast. Gary Shandling is an underused voice in animation. A hungry Steve Carrell (still basking in the success of 40 Year Old Virgin) brings a lot of energy. Alison Janney livens up an otherwise generic antagonist role.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: Dreamworks handles the extremes better. Either go for a joke a minute like Shrek or a ton of heart like How to Train Your Dragon. When it aims for the middle like this, it falls short on both ends. This is a nice movie, but there also a reason why I've never heard someone say "you really need to see Over the Hedge",

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend

Delayed Reaction: Escape from Tomorrow

The Pitch: It was made in Disney World, without Disney's permission and it is somehow seeing the light of day. Does it even matter what it's about?

What Took Me So Long: I've been curious since I first heard about it, but I was afraid it would change my view of Disney World too much.

Why I Saw It: This easily tops the list of movies that I was more curious to see the "Making of" segment than the movie itself, in this case, because I don't know how they pulled it off. It sounds like at some point Disney had to not care, which is awesome in its own right. I'm not all that sure what the movie was about. To be fair, I'm not sure how much I'm meant to understand. It does a great job on a few levels of depicting a parent's feelings about being in Disney World with kids, and, given the restrictions in the staging, it looks surprisingly good and the acting far better than it had any right to be. For fans of The Americans, I'll save you the trouble and confirm that one of the french girls is in fact Annet Mahendru (Nina).

Why I Wish I Hadn't: At some point, the gimmick IS the movie. It's not that movie about a dad going through a mental breakdown during a family vacation. It's the movie that they filmed in secret at Disney World. If it was the same movie but they used sets (or probably even if they got Disney's permission beforehand) instead, I'm pretty certain no one would be seeing it.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

DVR Purge: 9/29-10/1

I'm about to go on vacation for a while. I wanted to get completely caught up on shows before I left and am realizing that this is a super-busy time to be letting my DVR build up. C'est la vie. Hopefully I'll have another one of these ready soon after I get back.

Past Purges 

The Big Bang Theory "The First Pitch Insufficiency"
An entertaining enough episode. I enjoyed Leonard immediately knowing what it meant when they said that Sheldon ordered game hen ("That poor waiter"). This was an episode that was a little too happy to shit on the characters, from Howard not getting his moment of triumph (seriously, that joke went on too long to be funny by the end) or Penny and Leonard's relationship issues ("Well that's not good. You being blindly infatuated with me was the rock we built this relationship on."). I think it's been established that this isn't my favorite shade of the show but one that is going to happen on occasion. We'll leave it at that.

Gotham "Selina Kyle"
I'm not sure why the episode was named after her. Episode two still featured numerous Penguin references and, of course Selina prefers the nickname "Cat". They are kind of beating us over the head with James supposedly killing the Penguin and everyone knowing about it. Ben McKenzie and Donald Logue are still putting on solid performances and there's some effective world building. Those people with the pins probably have a comic book explanation, don't they? We'll see.

Scorpion "Single Point of Failure"
Walter's got the sick sister. Toby has a gambling problem. Sylvester is so uncomfortable with money that he'd rather give it to charity. Paige is there only to be the polite one in the group. We're still building the group's rapport and figuring out why we should care. Nothing yet to commit me for the season and nothing to make me quit it either.

Selfie "Pilot"
They need to calm the fuck down. Eliza Dooley (Clever masking of Eliza Doolittle, right?) is an insufferable pop culture pastiche (pretty sure I used that world wrong). Every episode can't be this buzz-word heavy, can it? The Pygmalion angle is a great pitch, but not a sustainable series. I have to see how the ensemble rounds out. Karen Gillan and John Cho are enough for me to give it a few episodes. Little else in the pilot is working for it.
-I kind of doubt that future episodes will put down as much money for music. Backstreet Boys, Lady Gaga, Goo Goo Dolls. That can't be cheap.

Manhattan Love Story "Pilot"
One question kept coming to mind when I was watching this: What year is this? Peter is introduced as being obsessed with breasts. Dana is introduced as being obsessed with purses. She assumes he's gay because he cries. They did everything they could to make these two incredibly unlikable, which is a shame for Analeigh Tipton in particular, because I want to like her in her first big lead role. Maybe I'll check back in on this later. It's hard to say. There's a glut of new sitcoms this season about people in new relationships, and this lacks anyone in front of or behind the camera to warrant me trusting that it will get any better.

New Girl "Julie Berkman's Older Sister"
Rob Reiner is back! This time he brings along Kaitlin Olson. I wonder if Fox Tuesday is aware of the It's Always Sunny Bingo they are playing this season. It's been a while since we had a story about Schmidt at work and I enjoy that they found a way to involve Coach, Winston, and Nick in it. Entertaining episode with a healthy infusion of guest stars. Most importantly, they didn't wedge in an unneeded plot about Nick and Jess's breakup. Much more in line with the New Girl I like.

The Mindy Project "Crimes & Misdemeanors & ExBFs"
Yeah, this was definitely farce heavy. The awkward elevator ride was a great reminder of all of Mindy's relationships. In fact, I now want to see how many of her exes they can put in a single scene. Glen Howerton. Bill Hader. BJ Novak. Anders Holm. There's a long list. Something I could happily do without ever seeing again is this love triangle with Jeremy, Peter, and the lady doctor. I only have room for one dating storyline on this show. As always, plenty of good one liners. My favorite this week: "Clutter? This place is tidy like a serial killer's layer."

Agents of SHIELD "Heavy is the Heart"
I'm loving the new configuration of the team. Pretty much every character is improved upon from last season. The new characters like Lance and Mac are working out nicely. Best of all, they didn't force Ward into the episode if he isn't needed. Once Simmons comes back, I hope it doesn't all get too crowded. I'm curious to see if they keep building on the serial story or if it's going to settle back in to procedural stuff soon.

The Middle "The Loneliest Locker"
This had all the chaos we expect from the Hecks. There's call backs like the comforter in the oven. Running gags, like Frankie's alternatives to spoons and other furniture missing because of Axl. Sue's play is a mess but oddly, it's kind of a success. They sneak in an amusing explanation for how Brick got into reading. It even ends with a great little scene with Sue telling Mike and Frankie how much she appreciates what they do for her, which was a little heartbreaking. In short, it had all the elements of The Middle that I love, even if it wasn't an A+ episode.

Modern Family "Do Not Push"
Cam, Mitchell, and Lily: A very simple plot. Cam and Mitchell weren't fighting, so you know I loved that. Their pride over how melodramatic Lily is getting was adorable. The resolution was great too.

Claire and Alex: I love that we got the heartbreaking moment when Alex tells Claire that she wants to be further from home, then resolved the story without ruining that scene retroactively. It short sells Alex a bit that she would consider Cal. Tech for a boy, but they fit in enough reasoning beyond that to maintain the dignity in her decision.

Phil, Luke, and Haley: Did I know it wasn't all a big experiment? Yes. Did it matter? Not at all. Luke admitting that the "You're not mad a me. You're disappointed in yourself" accusation was a shot in the dark was hilarious, as was his attempt to use it again on Haley. Haley's fears of being a failure were handled seriously and the underwhelming result of hitting the button was great. That was a pitch-perfect B-story.

Jay, Gloria, and Manny: They're 0 for 2 for this third of the show so far. They try to make it a more touching story by having each other exchange the meaningful gifts, then regress back to still wanting the nice gifts. It's the only way the story could play out though, so I can't be too mad about it.

In short, this is the version of Modern Family that I like the most: the one where they all seem like loving family members and nice people. After five seasons, I don't expect this to last, but I'll make sure to think of this episode the next time they all start sniping at one another.

Black-ish "The Talk"
A solid second episode. Even though it's not required, it is nice to see the show tackling some topics that warrant the 9:30 time slot versus an earlier time. This early in a comedy series, it's hard to appreciate a lot of what is going on since we are still learning who the characters are. That said, the show has a very clear voice. There were numerous good jokes, like Dre and Junior taking of their shirts before having any sex talks or Pops revealing the trick to not listening but still giving good advice. The twins could easily be a liability, although they were funny this week in their attempts to also get "The Talk". Honestly, the best thing about this episode was that is didn't lean on "white vs. black" jokes to be good. Race is an aspect of the show, not the entire show. This is still easily the strongest new network show of the fall. Wednesdays are looking great right now.

The Bridge "Jubilex"
I know I said I was done talking about this show. I just wanted to say one thing:
Yay! Linder's not dead!

Delayed Reaction: Populaire

The Pitch: A secretary from a small town tries to become the world's greatest typer and finds love along the way.

What Took Me So Long: I hadn't even heard of it until recently and the description I got of it sounded like it would either be charming as hell or a complete train-wreck. I was bored enough to find out.

Why I Saw It: I always forget that foreign movies get away with a lot of beats that Hollywood doesn't allow. There's more plot jammed into less than two hours than I expected, which kept it moving at a brisk pace. The story of Rose Pamphyle going from a small town girl, aspiring only as high as being a secretary in 1950s France, to becoming the regional, no,  national, no, world champion typer is hard to fault. It's a feel good story about a competitive world I never even considered. Throw in the romance between her and her boss/coach, Louis Echard, and it's a real crowd-pleaser. Deborah Fracois and Romain Duris have fantastic chemistry and Berenice Bejo is repeatedly a scene stealer. With the exception of Bejo, everyone was new to me and they all make a great first impression.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: The exact thing that makes a crowd-pleaser like this work is that there is a formula, and you can't break the formula too much or it won't work. So, the movie doesn't do much to surprise me. Then again, I'm a huge fan of crowd-pleasers. I like movies that leave me feeling good. This is such a winning movie that's I'd rather not find fault in it.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

Delayed Reaction: The Pacifier

The Pitch: This generation doesn't have a Kindergarten Cop. Let's fix that.

What Took Me So Long: It's taken me a very long time to come around on Vin Diesel.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) One of the most interesting things to track in Hollywood is how the action stars mellow out. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the master of it, be it straight comedy (Twins), stealth action (Kindergarten Cop), or action comedy (True Lies). The Rock either does something fun (The Rundown) or finds a movie to hook fans young (The Game Plan, Tooth Fairy). Sylvester Stallone does Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. Enough said about that. Vin Diesel has only taken one foray into family fair (character voices aside) and he smartly choose to show off his action star moves without getting too intensive on delivering the funny lines (i.e. he accepts his limitations as a performer). I'm also never going to complain about Brittany Snow showing up in a movie either.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: What? Was I supposed to have high expectations for this? It was cute, not clever. Simple, not efficient. Accessible, not crowd-pleasing. There's nothing about it that was specific to Diesel. The Rock could've been in this and it would be exactly the same.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

October Movie Preview

September was pretty dire straits. Thankfully, October is coming back in a big way. There aren't any guaranteed blockbusters in the group, but it a month full of thrillers, horror movies, and Oscar players expanding. I've got several locks, multiple two-movie weekend opportunities, and a few that won't make it to my area but I wish they would.

January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September  

2013

March |  April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December

10/3

The Lock: Gone Girl
Working For It: Directed by David Fincher (Fight Club, The Social Network). Screenplay from the writer of the acclaimed book of the same name. Reportedly, powerful lead performances from Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike. Supporting cast including Neil Patrick Harris, Carrie Coon (The Leftovers), and Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous).
Working Against It: I'm having trouble finding anything. Even Tyler Perry is said to be good in this.
Odds I'll See It: 95%

Other Options:

Men, Women & Children [Limited]
Working For It: Apparently, it's about parents and teenagers trying to navigate relationships in the internet age. That sounds hokey, but director Jason Reitman (Up in the Air, Young Adult, Thank You For Smoking) has earned the benefit of the doubt. It looks like a rare dramatic turn for Adam Sandler (anything to get him out of the Happy Madison bubble I meet with open arms) to go along with a large and talented cast, including Jennifer Garner, Dean Norris, Judy Greer, and JK Simmons.
Working Against It: Reitman's most recent movie was the critically ignored Labor Day. I haven't seen it, so I can't make a judgment, but he is in need of a critical or commercial hit.
Odds I'll See It: 30%

Annabelle
Working For It: October means it's time for scary movies. Here's one about a creepy doll. Do you need much more than that?
Working Against It: I don't know the cast very well. The writer hasn't worked on much else. The director is known for sequels to The Butterfly Effect and Mortal Combat. That paints the picture of a very forgettable scary movie.
Odds I'll See It: 20%

The Good Lie
Working For It: I like seeing Reese Witherspoon showing up again. In this movie, she's helping out Sudanese refuges in Kansas.
Working Against It: I'm not familiar with the director, writer, or half the cast. More importantly, this is not the Reese Witherspoon movie that I'm excited to see this fall. That comes in December.
Odds I'll See It: 5%

Left Behind
Working For It: Uhhhhhhh, it's probably going to be more subtle than the Atlas Shrugged movies.
Working Against It: The poster looks like an internet meme that someone made on Reddit. I have enough issues with the internal logic of the books. Nic Cage is hell-bent on making sure no one ever accidentally takes him seriously. So many good reasons not to see this.
Odds I'll See It: .666%

The Hero of Color City [Limited]
Working For It: It's colorful.
Working Against It: Look at that poster. Do I need to explain why I won't be seeing this?
Odds I'll See It: -12%

10/10

The Lock: Despite being an incredibly busy weekend, nothing is required viewing.

Other Options:

Whiplash [Limited]
Working For It: It won people's choice at Sundance this year. Miles Teller stars as an aspiring drummer training at a competitive music conservatory, driven especially hard by JK Simmons. I won't pretend that the story is anything special, but the performances are what sell it. I've been looking forward to finally seeing it for most of the year.
Working Against It: As I said, the story isn't particularly special. It's hard to think that will matter in the end though.
Odds I'll See It: 58%

St. Vincent [Limited]
Working For It: A potential Oscar-worthy lead performance from Bill Murray. Melissa McCarthy in a supporting role (where I think she works better). A bunch of other actors that you like too. The story looks pretty simple: a young boy and a misanthropic older man become friends. I assume the performances make or break it.
Working Against It: When was the last time you really enjoyed a movie with Bill Murray in a lead role? Hyde Park on Hudson? Broken Flowers? Lost in Translation was over a decade ago. I'm not too worried, but Murray isn't without blemishes.
Odds I'll See It: 42%

The Judge
Working For It: Robert Downey Jr. not playing Iron Man. Instead, he's a lawyer trying to defend his father in a murder case, or something like that. They've been advertising the movie hard and I like a good courtroom drama.
Working Against It: The reviews have already been mixed and it has the look of something that is all polish and no substance. It doesn't even look like it will be the awards season player that it hoped to be, so I'm fine with taking my time to catch this one.
Odds I'll See It: 33%

Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day
Working For It: Based on a book that I sort of remember from my childhood, it's a family comedy from Disney starring Steve Carrell, Jennifer Garner, and a bunch of kids who probably are in shows like "Dog with a Blog". The X-factor is going to be in the bit parts that feature people like Dick Van Dyke, Jennifer Coolidge, Megan Mullaly, and Donald Glover. If this movie is a success, it will be in the small jokes in between the zaniness.
Working Against It: Honestly, the biggest thing hurting this for me is that it's awkward being the lonely guy in his 20s in a theater full of families. Oh, and that it probably won't be very good.
Odds I'll See It: 25%

Dracula Untold
Working For It: It's October and, thanks to Underworld and Resident Evil, another staple of the season is the action horror movie. I'm sure it will be loud and fun and action-packed.
Working Against It: There's rarely more to these movies than the face value. It's not a genre that I'm attracted to. If I wasn't considering I, Frankenstein, which at least had Aaron Eckhart and Yvonne Strahovski, what hope does this have?
Odds I'll See It: 6%

Addicted
Working For It: It's a Thriller. It looks a lot like No Good Deed, as far as I can tell.
Working Against It: I don't recognize the cast. I don't trust the director. Most importantly, I don't care for the genre very much. I'll admit, I know almost nothing about the movie, so my opinion could change. That's unlikely though.
Odds I'll See It: 4%

Kill the Messenger [Limited]
Working For It: A crime drama about some sort of whistle-blower with the CIA or something. Jeremy Renner, Robert Patrick, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Michael Sheen, Michael K. Williams, Ray Liotta, Andy Garcia. I like a lot of these people.
Working Against It: A paycheck movie is one that no one remembers and is filled with a lot of familiar actors who appear to be filling time in between other projects.
Odds I'll See It: 3%

I Am Ali [Limited]
Working For It: Muhammad Ali is an icon and it could never hurt to learn a little more about him in a documentary.
Working Against It: I live in Louisville. I think I get enough of the guy.
Odds I'll See It: 2%

One Chance [Limited]
Working For It: This again. Haven't I talked about this enough?
Working Against It: Look. One big delay in release (The Great Gatsby, Jupiter Ascending) isn't such a big deal. Repeatedly moving a finished project a month or two at a time for nearly a year is damning. Short of this becoming a Big Fat Greek Wedding sleeper hit, I'm not sure what could get me to see this in theaters.
Odds I'll See It: 1%

Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead [Limited]
Working For It: Horror comedies can be pretty good in the right circumstances. I like Martin Starr (Freaks and Geeks, Knocked Up).
Working Against It: Was there a Dead Snow 1? Is this a foreign movie? Is there even a chance it will expand anywhere close to me? These questions lead me to believe that I won't be seeing this.
Odds I'll See It: null%

10/17

The Lock: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) [Limited]
Working For It: I am excited about this one. Michael Keaton is reportedly putting on a career-defining performance. The previews for it, a story about a washed up movie star trying to make a comeback, look positively strange. The cast, including Emma Stone, Edward Norton, and Naomi Watts look game for whatever. Even if all it is is one great performance and a middling movie around it, I'm completely interested.
Working Against It: Occasionally, a movie will come out that's about the movie industry and all the critic love it because they understand the movie industry. The problem is that it's a little too inside and is completely inaccessible for normal audiences. I don't think that's what's going on here, but I recognize the possibility.
Odds I'll See It: 80% (although I'll be stuck waiting for expansion)

Other Options:

Fury
Working For It: As far as I can tell, this is Behind Enemy Lines with a tank. Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeeouf, and Logan Lerman (Perks of Being a Wallflower) along with several others make for an interesting cast. I love what Writer/Director David Ayer did with End of Watch.
Working Against It: He also did Sabotage, so...make of it what you will. This is looking more like another Lone Survivor: A solid war movie but not the awards contender they hoped it would be. I'm curious to see if Brad Pitt's name alone can propel this to a strong box office performance.
Odds I'll See It: 49%

The Book of Life
Working For It: It looks like a Latin American Nightmare Before Christmas. A voice cast including Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Danny Trejo, and Ron Perlman sounds like a great action movie. I'm sure they'll be good here too.
Working Against It: Fox Animation isn't at the level of Pixar or Dreamworks, or even of Blue Sky (Ice Age) or Illumination (Despicable Me). It's hard to see this making much of an impact in the box office. Of course, the x-factor is the Latino audience which has made modest hits of much smaller productions.
Odds I'll See It: 29%

The Best of Me
Working For It: It's a Nicholas Sparks adaptation and it sounds like it could be onto something by following two timelines. You have James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan, established Hollywood vets to play the older editions of the lead, star-crossed lovers. Then Liana Liberato and Luke Bracey, relative unknowns, get to play the younger, sexier versions of them. I don't know. It could work.
Working Against It: Of course, it's all about if you've tired of the Nicholas Sparks model yet. Unsurprisingly, I've never been much of a fan and I don't see anything about this that is new or different from what's been done before.
Odds I'll See It: 16%

Dear White People [Limited]
Working For It: The only actor I recognize is the kid from Everybody Hates Chris. It's a satire about racial politics in today's society. It's the feature debut by writer/director Justin Simien, so it's a real wild card.
Working Against It: I'm not sure if that title is meant to scare me or attract me.
Odds I'll See It: 7%

Camp X-Ray [Limited]
Working For It: Kristen Steward plays a Guantanamo Bay soldier who befriends one of the prisoners. I don't hate Stewart as much as a lot of people do, so I want to believe she could pull a good performance out of this.
Working Against It: Maybe this is a gender bias that I'm having trouble suppressing, but it seems odd to cast Stewart as a soldier at a place as associated with harden terrorists as Guantanamo Bay. Right now, it looks like dress up. With any luck, once I see it, I'll be able to look past that.
Odds I'll See It: 2%

10/24

The Lock: Waiting only movie expansions.

Other Options:

Ouija
Working For It: A movie based on Ouija boards. Somehow, I don't think it will play like Jumanji though. The premise is not very limiting so this could really be about anything.
Working Against It: First time director. A horror movie with a PG-13 rating. A cast full of CW and ABC Family types. Take your pick. A lot of things could go wrong.
Odds I'll See It: 40%

Laggies
Working For It: Kiera Knightley, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Sam Rockwell is a great set of names at the top of a cast list. Knightley plays a woman in arrested development who befriends a high school girl (Moretz) and falls for her dad (Rockwell). The release date keeps getting pushed around, but the previews I've seen look good.
Working Against It: The change of the release date is a bad sign. It looks like a fun indie movie and not much more than that.
Odds I'll See It: 39%

White Bird in a Blizzard [Limited]
Working For It: Shailene Woodley. I can stop there...oh, you need more? Ok. Eva Green. Chris Meloni. Gabourey Sidibe. The directory of Mysterious Skin.
Working Against It: Most of you aren't familiar with Mysterious Skin and there's a reason for that. It's not an easy film. If this is anything like that, it may be a little too intense to see in theaters.
Odds I'll See It: 38%

John Wick
Working For It: Keanu Reeves is a hit man who comes out of retirement after mobsters kill his dog.
Working Against It: No, really. That's the story. And, to my knowledge, it's not a comedy.
Odds I'll See It: 1%

10/31

The Lock: Nightcrawler
Working For It: Jake Gyllenhaal plays a creepy guy in L.A. working as a freelance crime photographer. It's a crime thriller, not a horror movie, but I can understand your confusion.
Working Against It: This time of year is generally all about the blockbusters or Oscar hopefuls. I doubt this will be either, but reviews from the festival circuit have been so favorable that I don't care.
Odds I'll See It: 79%

Other Options:

ABCs of Death 2 [Limited]
Working For It: A horror anthology sequel. I enjoy horror anthologies and V/H/S 2 has me high on their sequels. I hope to see the first ABC sometime this month, so that wouldn't be in the way of me seeing this.
Working Against It: There's no way this is coming to Louisville. Also, after my Evil Dead experience, I'm cautious about what I see in theaters.
Odds I'll See It: 50%

Horns [Limited]
Working For It: Daniel Radcliffe wakes up one morning and has horns on his head. That's about all I know and that's enough for consideration.
Working Against It: It just may not be enough for theaters.
Odds I'll See It: 38%

Before I Go to Sleep
Working For It: Nicole Kidman plays the Drew Barrymore character from 50 First Dates, only in a thriller in which she starts remembering things. It looks like a fringe enough Halloween release to benefit from coming out on Halloween but won't disappear after opening night.
Working Against It: I'll have to see more previews and hear more about it before I can start making guesses about it.
Odds I'll See It: 3%

Delayed Reaction: Red Dragon

The Pitch: Hannibal just made over $100 million and was a mess. Let's have another go at Manhunter and see how much more we can milk out of Thomas Harris' books.

What Took Me So Long: I wasn't in any hurry until the Hannibal TV series renewed my interest in the material.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) I know all about Hannibal Lector by now and Hugh Dancy now has me curious about Will Graham. Ed Norton is good here, in a much saner version of the character. Ralph Fiennes does the creepy, tortured murderer thing with the best of them. Emily Watson is pretty heartbreaking as the blind love interest of Fiennes. No surprise here that Philip Seymour Hoffman knocks a small part out of the park. That was his specialty.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: This went for 'thriller' more than 'psychological' (i.e. it was more Hannibal and less Silence of the Lambs). There wasn't much internal conflict with the Will Graham character, which I've come to expect from him. In the end, it's a solid movie, not a scary one.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend

Delayed Reaction: Freddy vs. Jason

The Pitch: Well, we have these two dead franchises. How can we bring them back in a way people would care about? Mashup? Yeah, I think a mashup.

What Took Me So Long: Don't laugh, but I thought I'd need to have seen more of the original movies first. I caught bits and pieces before, but I'd never seen the Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th movies. I thought that would help me appreciate what is bad about this.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) While I've always thought that true camp should almost be an accident, this is pretty close to synthesizing it. The actors play it all seriously but the direction isn't serious at all. It's a fun tone and satiates a certain slasher need that I have from time to time.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: It's not a "good movie". It's meant to not be good. That's doesn't mean I give it a pass for being bad. I'm also not going to bother shitting on it either, because that would be a waste of breath. It's bad in all the ways you'd expect or even hope. Special thanks go to Kelly Rowland for making me appreciate that she's much better at singing.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend

Delayed Reaction: Can't Buy Me Love

The Pitch: A handsome nerd pays the hottest girl in school to go out with him to be cool.

What Took Me So Long: I saw Love Don't Cost a Thing. I had the gist of this already.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) I actually really enjoyed this movie and I can't put my finger on why. Patrick Dempsey is very winning in this and Amanda Peterson is in the upper tier of girls playing this role in comparable high school movies. There's a lot of fun with the "geek to chic" transformation, regardless of how many times I've seen it since. For a movie that is so short, it effectively covers the entire school year, where most movies of it's ilk would try to fit this into the shortest amount of time possible. It didn't try to be something it's not by giving an ending other than the predictable one.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: Still, it is a high school comedy. Maybe it's because it didn't exist in my all-boy high school, but I've never bought the strict caste system in a high school setup, where drastic measure like this are needed to go from nerd to cool. Dempsy is too hansome to ever buy as a nerd. A lot of the beats are contrived. All these things are what make a high school movie though. Can I really condemn it simply because it wasn't a John Hughes high school?

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend