Let’s face it, so far this year has been an absolute bust. Granted we’re only six weeks in, but by my count Cedar Rapids is the only film I’d recommend to anyone and a lot of you can’t even see it yet because it hasn’t come to your town.
By this time last year I at least would have told people looking for a little bit of fun at the theater to check out Youth in Revolt, The Book of Eli and even From Paris With Love if you were interested in checking your brain in at the door. Following that, audiences were treated to The Ghost Writer, Shutter Island and Sony Classics finally released A Prophet all in February. Does anything this year equal those options?
Tonight I see Liam Neeson in his latest paycheck feature, Unknown and tomorrow I will be seeing the DreamWorks question mark, I Am Number Four. I know the headline says I have “high hopes” for both of these, but I should probably just change that to “hopes”.
Unknown obviously conjures up memories of Neeson’s surprise 2009 breakout, Taken. Both are occupying early year release dates and both are rocking what looks like the harder edge of a PG-13 rating. Unlike Taken, though, Unknown has a solid supporting cast in January Jones (“Mad Men”), Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds) and everyone’s favorite Adolf Hitler, Bruno Ganz (Downfall). I’ve heard the story has more twists than Return of the King has endings, but as long as the action is fast and furious I have a feeling this is just the movie I need right now.
Then there’s I Am Number Four, a film that looks like X-Men met Twilight met “The O.C.” Luckily enough I like two out of those three comparisons. I’m also hearing things such as “Alex Pettyfer is going to be a major star” and Bill tells me Teresa Palmer was someone everyone was talking about at the junket.
The curious thing about I Am Number Four is director D.J. Caruso. People seem to like this guy, but I’m not sure what they like him for. Disturbia seems to be the one everyone falls back on, but I didn’t like it. Two for the Money was terrible. I’ve never seen Taking Lives, but I haven’t heard anything good about it either, that is, outside of the obvious excitement people seem to get out of the Jolie-Hawke sex scene. Even 2008’s Eagle Eye wasn’t any good.
Yet, somehow I am interested in seeing this movie, if not for just a bit of absurdist fun.
As for the rest of the month I’ve already heard Drive Angry is an all out nutcase of a film, which actually has me interested in seeing it even though the press screening is being held at 9:30 PM the night before it releases (never a good sign). And I can tell you Sony Classics’s Of Gods and Men, releasing at the end of the month, is another good flick, but as far as anything resembling a blockbuster goes it looks like this weekend may be our last chance for February, because I hold out little hope for Hall Pass.
