New at Theaters (Friday): “Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience”, “Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li”, “I’ve Loved You So Long” (Grand Rapids: new at Celebration! Rivertown)

Watch the trailer for “Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience”

Watch the trailer for ”Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li”

Watch the trailer for “I’ve Loved You So Long”

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BEST BET: See the drama with early oscar buzz “I’ve Loved You So Long” (Kristin Scott Thomas)… or get caught up on any movies you may have missed in theaters or coming out on DVD.

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New on DVD (Tuesday): “Extreme Movie”, “Sex Drive”, “The Haunting of Molly Hartley”, “What Just Happened”

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BEST BET(s): Not a great crop of movies coming out this week, but if you’ve seen everything else I’m recommending below, go ahead and rent “What Just Happened?”…. Robert DeNiro leads a great cast in a movie making fun… of the movie making process.

YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN: “Extreme Movie” is an “R” rated spoof-movie, “Sex Drive” is an “R” rated teen comedy about driving a long distance to hook-up, and ”The Haunting of Molly Hartley” is a horror movie that had a shaky showing at the box office and got mixed reviews.

MY REVIEWS OF OTHER MOVIES CURRENTLY PLAYING IN THEATERS OR AVAILABLE TO RENT: 

(more…)

New on DVD (Tuesday): “Extreme Movie”, “Sex Drive”, “The Haunting of Molly Hartley”, “What Just Happened”

.

. 

.

.

.

BEST BET(s): Not a great crop of movies coming out this week, but if you’ve seen everything else I’m recommending below, go ahead and rent “What Just Happened?”…. Robert DeNiro leads a great cast in a movie making fun… of the movie making process.

YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN: “Extreme Movie” is an “R” rated spoof-movie, “Sex Drive” is an “R” rated teen comedy about driving a long distance to hook-up, and ”The Haunting of Molly Hartley” is a horror movie that had a shaky showing at the box office and got mixed reviews.

- -

New at Theaters (Friday): “Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience”, “Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li”, “I’ve Loved You So Long” (Grand Rapids: new at Celebration! Rivertown)

Watch the trailer for “Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience”

Watch the trailer for ”Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li”

Watch the trailer for “I’ve Loved You So Long”

.

.

BEST BET: See the drama with early oscar buzz “I’ve Loved You So Long” (Kristin Scott Thomas)… or get caught up on any movies you may have missed in theaters or coming out on DVD.

MY REVIEWS OF OTHER MOVIES CURRENTLY PLAYING IN THEATERS OR AVAILABLE TO RENT: 

(more…)

What Just Happened is an awkward look at making movies through the life of a producer losing his foothold in the industry.

This was a different way to tell to tell a story… as a credit to the moviemakers, it felt more like a reality show or documentary than a movie… but I’m still not sure whether I like it or not.

 “What Just Happened”

(2008) (rated: R for language, some violent images, sexual content and some drug material) (1 hr, 44 min)

Starring: Robert De Niro, Bruce Willis, Stanley Tucci, John Turturro, Kristen Stewart, Catherine Keener, Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn, Michael Wincott, Moon Bloodgood

Director: Barry Levinson – “Man of the Year” (2006), “Sphere” (1998), “Wag the Dog” (1997), “Rain Man” (1988), “Good Morning, Vietnam” (1987), “The Natural” (1984)

Genre: Comedy/Drama

The Plot: Two weeks in the life of a fading Hollywood producer who’s having a rough time trying to get his new picture made.

MY TAKE:

Robert DeNiro’s character has serious problems.  So does this movie.

In some ways, the movie was very good… the pacing, the acting, the awkward tension and living the life of a man who’s career is spiraling out of control.

But the movie focuses so much on the inner workings of Hollywood, that it doesn’t have mainstream appeal… there are a lot of inside references as the movie pokes fun at Hollywood that is lost on wider audiences.

(more…)

UPDATED September 24, 2008 at 1:00pm:

“Release Dates Are Subject to Change” … glad I added that to this list… because one date change pushed a movie completely out of the Fall/Winter season… “Taken” moves from September 19th to January 23rd !!!  Also moving: “Crossing Over” moves from October 24th to December 3rd and “Blindness” moves from September 26th to October 3rd.

That means “Blindness” moves into to my “15 to See”:

“Blindness” (October 3rd) – everyone is going blind.. except for Julianne Moore… sounds crazy!

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And that means “The Lucky Ones” (September 26-limited release) moves on to my “Honorable Mentions” list…

Rachel McAdams, Tim Robbins, and Michael Peña star as three soldiers that meet one another as they have all returned from Iraq, and circumstance unites them for a road trip across the country.

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Originally Published: September 5, 2008 at 10:48am:

The first week of September… its a signal of back to school and the end of the summer movie season… and I’ve got 15 movies for you to look forward to during the Fall/Holiday Movie Season…

Laff’s Fall/Holiday Movie Preview – 15 to see

15 is a bonus… some people give you a Top 10… but I’m giving you 15…  15 movies over the next 4 months that are likely to be big at the box office and/or fill out the ballots for Academy Award consideration !!!!

(release dates are subject to change)

“Burn After Reading” (September 12th)

New comedy-drama from Ethan and Joel Cohen… with a great cast and cool trailer!!!

Watch the “Burn After Reading” trailer at trailerspy.com

Starring: Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, George Clooney, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, J.K. Simmons

Plot: A disk containing the memoirs of a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous gym employees who attempt to sell it.

Early look at “Burn After Reading”

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“Righteous Kill” (September 12th)

I was ready for this one as soon as they announced Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino would be in the movie together … and they are both police officers.. and the trailer solidified it for me!

“Righteous Kill” trailer at trailerpsy.com

Starring: Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, 50 Cent, Carla Gugino, John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg, Brian Dennehy

Plot: Two veteran New York City detectives (De Niro and Pacino) work to identify the possible connection between a recent murder and a case they believe they solved years ago; is there a serial killer on the loose, and did they perhaps put the wrong person behind bars?

—-

“Taken” (now January 23rd )

I can’t wait to see Liam Neeson back in a leading role kicking some butt !!

Watch the ”Taken” trailer at trailerspy.com

Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, (more…)

The first week of September… its a signal of back to school and the end of the summer movie season… and I’ve got 15 movies for you to look forward to during the Fall/Holiday Movie Season…

Laff’s Fall/Holiday Movie Preview – 15 to see

15 is a bonus… some people give you a Top 10… but I’m giving you 15…  15 movies over the next 4 months that are likely to be big at the box office and/or fill out the ballots for Academy Award consideration !!!!

(release dates are subject to change)

“Burn After Reading” (September 12th)

New comedy-drama from Ethan and Joel Cohen… with a great cast and cool trailer!!!

Watch the “Burn After Reading” trailer at trailerspy.com

Starring: Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, George Clooney, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, J.K. Simmons

Plot: A disk containing the memoirs of a CIA agent ends up in the hands of two unscrupulous gym employees who attempt to sell it.

Early look at “Burn After Reading”

—-

“Righteous Kill” (September 12th)

I was ready for this one as soon as they announced Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino would be in the movie together … and they are both police officers.. and the trailer solidified it for me!

“Righteous Kill” trailer at trailerpsy.com

Starring: Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, 50 Cent, Carla Gugino, John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg, Brian Dennehy

Plot: Two veteran New York City detectives (De Niro and Pacino) work to identify the possible connection between a recent murder and a case they believe they solved years ago; is there a serial killer on the loose, and did they perhaps put the wrong person behind bars?

—-

“Taken” (September 19th)

I can’t wait to see Liam Neeson back in a leading role kicking some butt !!

Watch the ”Taken” trailer at trailerspy.com

Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen, (more…)