THE CHANGE-UP
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jason Bateman, Leslie Mann,
Olivia Wilde & Alan Arkin
Directed by David Dobkin for distribution by
Universal
The Plot: During a
drunken night of partying a married father of two (Bateman) and his single
playboy best friend (Reynolds) make a wish to trade lives only to wake up the
next morning and realize the wish was granted.
The Final Word: We’ve of course
seen this scenario before where friends/family switch lives, but this is
updated take on the classic device. Reynolds and Bateman clearly aren’t going
for anything sophisticated here and that’s why it may work. In a summer where
raunchy comedies rule the box office, “Change-Up” should find itself right at
home.
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
Starring: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow,
Brian Cox,
Tom Felton, David Oyelowo & Andy Serkis
Directed by Rupert Wyatt for distribution by 20th
Century Fox
The Plot: A scientist’s
(Franco) breakthrough and his company’s greed leads to Earth being overrun by
smarter than human apes in this prequel to the iconic “Planet of the Apes.”
The Final Word: After a failed
reboot in 2001, the “Apes” franchise has languished for nearly a decade. Now
FOX is trying to give the once profitable movie series another shot in the arm
by creating a prequel. It’s actually a clever concept as everyone is familiar
with the man waking up on a planet run by apes story, but how the planet was
overrun by the creatures was never explained in this much detail. Although
following Tim Burton’s widely panned version of the movie, the question is will
audiences be willing to give it another chance?
Previewed next week: 30 Minutes of Less, Final Destination 5, Glee 3-D, The Help
