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Saturday, August 7, 2010

New Releases - Week of August 13th



EAT PRAY LOVE
Starring: Julia Roberts, James Franco, Javier Bardem,
Viola Davis, Billy Crudup, Richard Jenkins
Directed by Ryan Murphy for distribution by Columbia Pictures (Sony)

 

The Plot: A woman (Roberts) abandons her  “safe” life to go on a journey of self discovery which takes her all across the world. Over her adventures she learns the pleasure of eating in Italy, the power of prayer in India and the meaning of true love in Bali.

The Final Word: As if Roberts name above the marquee wasn’t enough to sell the movie, “Glee” creator Ryan Murphy  directed the film and adapted the screenplay from Elizabeth Gilbert’s bestselling memoir.  With its only real competition being the heavily male-skewing “The Expendables,” the movie could have a solid opening weekend.


THE EXPENDABLES
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, Charisma Carpenter, Mickey Rourke
Directed by Sylvester Stallone for distribution by Lionsgate


The Plot: A team of mercenaries embark on a suicide mission to South America in a attempt to overthrow a dictator.

The Final Word: Is anybody really going to see this for the plot? No, they are going to see this because Sylvester Stallone has assembled the most kick-ass group of action stars around to end the summer season with a bang.  Aside from the laundry list of talent listed above, Sly’s also talked his old friends Bruce and Arnold into dropping by for a quick cameo.


SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD
Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin,
Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick
Directed by Edgar Wright for distribution by Universal Pictures


The Plot: A musician (Cera’s) attempt to woo his dream girl (Winstead) is held in check when he finds out the only way to date her is to kill her seven evil ex-boyfriends.

The Final Word: Two things to keep in mind with this movie. The first is that is from director Edgar Wright who directed “Hot Fuzz” and “Shaun of the Dead.” The second is that this is a comic book adaptation, so please check your sense of reality in the lobby.  Although if you want to talk reality, Cera hasn’t been able to carry a movie since he teamed with Jonah Hill in “Superbad” during the summer of Apatow back in 2007. While this is typical Cera, which for the record is funny, audiences generally only catch these movies during their multiple runs on cable.

Previewed next week: Nanny McPhee Returns, Piranha 3-D, Lottery Ticket, The Switch