Jul 14 2008
What to see this Weekend? (07/18)
Ah, another big week at the cinema. This week’s obvious pick is The Dark Knight which is already sold out for midnight here in Minneapolis. They have even started offering a 3am screening Thursday night/Friday morning, which subsequently sold out, and now some theaters are offering a 6am screening. Unbelievable, theaters are going to be playing this film non-stop day and night. This really has the potential to be one of the biggest openings ever. I have been told, from an unreliable source online, that The Dark Knight has already sold more tickets for opening weekend than Spiderman 3 did. Anyhow, on with the show: What to see this Weekend? Let me indulge…
PICK OF THE WEEK:
The Dark Knight
dir. Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart, Heath Ledger, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman
The long awaited second installment of the Batman revamp from director Christopher Nolan is here. Anyone want to bet that this won’t be number one at the box office this week? I’ll give you whatever odds you’re looking for.
The first five minutes of the film have leaked online, and if you haven’t seen it yet we’ll just say that it’s promising. That’s all that needs to be said about this, it will be huge, early reviews are saying it’s the best film of the year, it’s poised to make over 130 million opening weekend (do you realize how much that is?).
Mamma Mia!
dir. Phyllida Lloyd
Starring: Merryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan
If this summer has proven anything (besides that comic book adaptations are a sure fire win) it’s that the studio’s often underestimate the pulling power of the female demographic. Sex & the City and Kit Kittredge have been a huge success, and Mamma Mia! is sure to be a big film this weekend. With a built in audience of fans of the theatrical version, and a host of people who aren’t interested in The Dark Knight (though it seems as though that might be a small demographic) are sure to turn out for this. Sure, it won’t beat Batman, but it’s going to be a top four film this weekend.
Transsiberian (NYC)
dir. Brad Anderson
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer
Ben Kingsley is everywhere this summer. Harrelson and Mortimer play a seemingly innocent American couple on a trip in Russia when they get caught in a drug scheme that involves a detective and a train headed to China. The film looks interesting and has had some positive reviews online. I’m interested, and will likely be out to see it. No word on a further release beyond New York City.
Space Chimps
Well this film exists, that’s for sure. I don’t know what to say about this. It looks bad, and probably won’t be able to compete with the continued popularity of Pixar’s brilliant WALL-E.
Also out this week are limited releases, and expanding releases of Lou Reed’s Berlin, Very British Gangster, The Legend of God’s Gun, and Doorman.
Last Week’s Top Ten
1. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
2. Hancock
3. Journey to the Center of the Earth
4. WALL-E
5. Wanted
6. Get Smart
7. Meet Dave
8. Kung-Fu Panda
9. The Incredible Hulk
10. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
