Man, I totally forgot it was Friday and that I hadn’t did this yet. Good thing someone posted a TGIF meme on Facebook or I would have totally spaced this whole day.
This BSR! Weekend Movie Preview is for the weekend of November, 14, 2014. A quick boilerplate disclaimer first. All of the film information presented here, including the plot summary, has been pulled from the Opening This Week page of IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/nowplaying/). I have not seen any of these movies at the time of this writing (except for one this week).
Join us this week as we preview “Foxcatcher”, “Beyond the Lights”, “Dumb and Dumber To”, and more.
Foxcatcher (2014) – [Limited]
R 134 min – Biography | Drama | Sport | Thriller
Director: Bennett Miller
Stars: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Vanessa Redgrave
Summary: Wrestler Mark Schultz forms a relationship with his new sponsor, millionaire John du Pont, as they train for the 1988 games in Seoul – a union that leads to unlikely circumstances as both men feel inferior to Mark’s revered brother, Dave.
Thoughts: I am torn on this, on one hand it looks great. On the other hand it looks like it could be really silly. But, unintentionally so. Like it takes itself super serious, but then casts Steve Carrey and Channing Tatum.
The Theory of Everything (2014) – [Limited]
PG-13 123 min – Biography | Drama | Romance
Director: James Marsh
Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Tom Prior, Sophie Perry
Summary: A look at the relationship between the famous physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife.
Thoughts: I am really interested in this. Eddie Redmayne looks fantastic, and when is Felicity Jones not adorable. Check out BSR!’s own CitizenBot’s review here: https://bigshinyrobot.com/58245/theory-everything-will-blow-your-science-loving-mind/
Beyond the Lights (2014)
PG-13 116 min – Drama
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Stars: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Nate Parker, Minnie Driver, Richard Colson Baker
Summary: The pressures of fame have superstar singer Noni on the edge, until she meets Kaz, a young cop who works to help her find the courage to develop her own voice and break free to become the artist she was meant to be.
Thoughts: This looks really by the numbers, but even then it stills looks pretty good. Plus the filmmakers also made “Love and Basketball” which was surprisingly good. That took a clichéd story and gave it enough of a new feeling to be surprising.
Dumb and Dumber To (2014)
PG-13 110 min – Comedy
Directors: Bobby Farrelly | Peter Farrelly
Stars: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Rob Riggle, Laurie Holden
Summary: 20 years since their first adventure, Harry finds out he has a daughter who was adopted. Lloyd and Harry try to find Harry’s adopted daughter.
Thoughts: I think the audience pretty much has its minds made up on whether they will like this or not. I completely ignored the first one when it originally came out, but it grew on me over repeated viewings on cable. To switch it up a bit, I embedded the Italian language trailer above and it is hilariouser now.
The Homesman (2014)
R 122 min – Drama | Western
Director: Tommy Lee Jones
Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Hilary Swank, Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto
Summary: Three women who have been driven mad by pioneer life are to be transported across the country by covered wagon by the pious, independent-minded Mary Bee Cuddy, who in turn employs low-life drifter George Briggs to assist her.
Thoughts: I have actually seen this and I really loved it a lot. Stark and sad, but with a touch of hope at the end.
Rosewater (2014)
R 103 min – Drama
Director: Jon Stewart
Stars: Gael García Bernal, Kim Bodnia, Dimitri Leonidas, Haluk Bilginer
Summary: A journalist is detained in Iran for more than 100 days and brutally interrogated in prison.
Thoughts: I am super not into based on true story movies. I get easily caught up in getting angry over the smallest changes from reality to film. The word on this is kinda mixed as well.
The Toy Soldiers (2014)
Not Rated 143 min – Drama
Director: Erik Peter Carlson
Stars: Najarra Townsend, Constance Brenneman, Chandler Rylko, Jeanette May Steiner
Summary: On one evening in a decade of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, the innocence of youth and family unravels. Five lives will change forever on this final evening before their hangout, The Toy Soldiers Roller Rink, closes its doors.
Thoughts: This movie title is totally misleading. I was thinking it was about South African Child Soldiers or something like that. And after watching the trailer, I kinda wish it was. It would’ve been a lot less torturous.
Saving Christmas (2014)
PG 80 min – Comedy | Family
Director: Darren Doane
Stars: Kirk Cameron, Darren Doane, Bridgette Cameron, Raphi Henly
Summary: Kirk is enjoying the annual Christmas party extravaganza thrown by his sister until he realizes he needs to help out Christian, his brother-in-law who has a bad case of the bah-humbugs. Kirk’s fresh look at Christmas provides Christian the chance to see Christ is where He has always been: at the center of our Christmas celebrations and traditions.
Thoughts: I would rather be subjected to 24 hours straight of The Toy Soldiers on repeat than to sit through this trailer again, which I didn’t sit all the way through just now.
Ok, that’s it for this week. Let us know your thoughts in the comments.