50/50
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna
Kendrick,
Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston & Philip
Baker Hall
Directed by Jonathan Levine for distribution by
Summit Entertainment
The Plot: Two friends
depend on humor and each other, when one is diagnosed with cancer.
The Final Word: When your main
bread and butter franchise is “Twilight,” it gives you creative ability to
finance award-bait like “The Beaver” and “50/50.” Granted, while “Beaver”
underperformed, that had more to do with Mel Gibson backlash than anything
else…still don’t be surprised if his name pops up again during award. Regarding
“50/50,” this is dangerously close to “Funny People” territory which the public
wasn’t quick to embrace. Either way Levitt has some serious indie credibility
following the successful “500 Days of Summer” and he will draw.
DREAM HOUSE
Starring: Daniel Craig, Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz,
Marton Csokas, Elias Koteas & Jane Alexander
Directed by Jim Sheridan for distribution by Universal
Pictures
The Plot: An author moves
him family to small New England town only to find their new dream house was the
site of a brutal murder and the killer is still at large.
The Final Word: Watts broke
through with the horror classic “The Ring” and she returns to that genre here
alongside some of the same behind the scenes folks. Although horror films are a
tricky genre, they either light the box office on fire or fair to scare up
profits, which is incidentally also the way Craig films have tend to be as of
late (minus of course his Bond films). It’s also worth noting that Craig has
since married co-star Rachael Weisz which help enhance the movie’s buzz.
WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER
Starring: Anna Faris, Chris Evans, Zachary Quinto,
Joel McHale,
Andy Samberg, Dave Annable, Ed Begley Jr. &
Thomas Lennon
Directed by Mark Mylod for distribution by 20th
Century Fox
The Plot: A woman dives
through her dating history believing she’s already met the man of her dreams
and broke up with him.
The Final Word: Anna Faris has
tried for years to breakthrough as something other than the “satire” girl, but
keeps being pulled back into that genre. “Number” on paper doesn’t look much
different than most of the films on her resumes and probably won’t do that much
box office damage, despite an impressive array of supporting comedic talent.
Previewed next week: The Ides of March, Real Steel
