Thursday, April 29, 2010

Popcorn Pick 4-30-10

Popcorn Pick
4-30-10

A Nightmare on Elm Street is not a typical horror remake: Freddy Krueger is one of the most famous- and at one point in time, one of the most terrifying- screen villains in the world. The knifed glove, the striped shirt, that hat, and the third-degree burns are all iconic. Horror fans everywhere are looking closely to see if this will impress or disappoint. This version seems to be pretty faithful to the 1984 original: a dead serial killer haunts teenagers in their dreams and somehow manages to kill them off in real life. They attempt to stay awake for as long as possible, which naturally fails, until one brave girl attempts to confront him. The casting of Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen) as Freddy is inspired and is sure to thrill. The young cast also includes Thomas Dekker (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles).

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Popcorn Pick 4-23-10

Popcorn Pick
4-23-10

No movies of any real quality opening this week (with the possible exception of the nature documentary Oceans, if you're into that kind of thing), so I'll choose a film you might have missed that came out a couple of weeks ago. How to Train Your Dragon is the latest 3-D animated film to come out of DreamWorks (the makers of the Shrek films), clearly aimed at kids and young adults who are looking for escapist entertainment. The story of a young boy who befriends a not-so-ferocious dragon and changes the way his Viking-esque people looks at their scaly enemies is sure to satisfy the cute factor many times over. The film looked pretty average, but its consistent box office performance suggests otherwise. Features the voices of rising star Jay Baruchel and Gerard Butler.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Popcorn Pick 4-16-10

Popcorn Pick
4-16-10

Watchmen meets Superbad. If that sounds intriguing to you, then Kick-Ass is probably right up your alley. This movie takes a popular movie concept- the comic book superhero film- and turns it on its head. The action comedy explores what happens in the real world when ordinary people don superhero costumes and start fighting for justice. It's raunchy, crude, and gory- R-rated territory where superheroes rarely tread. Nicolas Cage and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (forever McLovin) are second bananas to unknowns in the lead roles. But it's not the actors or the story that matter here (although the story, based on a real comic book, is very unique), it's the colorful costumes, the fight scenes, and the comedy. Here's hoping that it lives up to its hype.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Popcorn Pick 4-9-10

Popcorn Pick
4-9-10

Thanks for reading Popcorn Pick, a new feature I've decided to add to my blog! Hundreds of movies are released into American theatres every year. Keeping up with all of them is not only difficult, but very annoying. I can help on that front, because I don't think it's annoying. I keep track of all the major movies that come out every week, and I'll let you know which ones are worth the price of a ticket.
The basic question surrounding this feature is, if you are going to see one movie this weekend, which one should you see? Popcorn Pick will give you my opinion on which movie to see. For this feature, I will try to take my opinion out of it as much as possible and recommend the film that is driving the most buzz or that looks the best. Ninety percent of the time, I'll choose a new release, but if nothing good is coming out that week, I'll pick a film that's been out for a while that you might have missed. But I'll always choose a new film every week- no going back for seconds here. Look for a new Popcorn Pick every Thursday or Friday. Since I'm updating weekly, these should be very brief posts.

For my first Pick, I choose a film I've been excitedly waiting for: Date Night. For the first time ever, The Office's Steve Carell and 30 Rock's Tina Fey- in my mind, basically the king and queen of current comedy- are finally doing a movie together. The action comedy stars Carell and Fey as a married couple who decide to have a date night that doesn't go quite as planned. They are mistaken for another couple who has stolen from the mob and have to go on the run. The film also stars Mark Wahlberg, James Franco, and Mila Kunis, and is sure to be if not a great movie, then at least a great night out at the movies.