This Weekend at the Movies: November 6, 2009

By Brad Brevet
ON

It’s hard to figure Hollywood out sometimes. Last week we had nothing outside of the last minute addition, Wednesday release of the Michael Jackson doc This is It and then this week is packed, albeit with a lot of smaller stuff and a pair of thrillers, but any weekend where I am posting five reviews is a pretty big week for movie releases. Let’s check ’em out shall we?

The Fourth Kind
Is it real? No. Is it any good? It’s not bad and will likely be better for people going in knowing wholeheartedly it is fake, but then again, the filmmaker’s attempts to convince you it’s real may grate on you even more under those circumstances. It’s hard to figure which side the general public will come down on this one and user comments should prove entertaining reads.

This film is rated PG-13 for violent/disturbing images, some terror, thematic elements and brief sexuality.
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A Christmas Carol
I’m not sure if I will ever truly come around to Robert Zemeckis’s vision when it comes to motion capture CGI animation. Perhaps that’s my loss, but this one did very little for me even though it does paint some very pretty pictures.

This film is rated PG for scary sequences and images.
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The Box
Warner Bros. did themselves and writer/director Richard Kelly a major disservice by screening this film so late in the game. I have posted my review of this film already, but it comes only hours after seeing the film at a 7:30 PM screening on Thursday night. It isn’t fair to post a review for a high concept film such as this only four hours after seeing it, but sometimes that’s the way things go.

As far as this film goes, I would say an open mind and an excitement for puzzles could make you the perfect audience for this film. Each scene holds a clue and I have a feeling truly dedicated viewers will study this thing once it is on DVD in an attempt to extract every last bit of information it holds. It’s a much better film than I expected considering the ill-treatment it’s received from the studio, but it’s a bit too muddled to call it anything more than a potential cult classic a few years down the line.

This film is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some violence and disturbing images.
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Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
My absolute favorite drama of the year so far and you’re going to be hard-pressed to find it this weekend as it is only opening in 18 theaters in Georgia, Illinois, California and New York this weekend. But definitely keep an eye out for it over the next few weeks or check the official site and see when it’s hitting your town. This one is not to be missed despite how bleak and unrelenting the trailer looks.

This film is rated R for child abuse including sexual assault, and pervasive language.
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The Men Who Stare at Goats
My suggestion is to wait for this one on DVD, it’s not an awful film, but I am convinced it will play much, much better in the comfort of your own home rather than if you spend money at the theater.

This film is rated R for language, some drug content and brief nudity.
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Endgame
William Hurt, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Mark Strong in a Pete Travis (Vantage Point) directed action-thriller and Monterey Media is shuffling it into only few Carmike theaters this week. Must not be any good, but certainly sounds like a film I wouldn’t mind watching one day on DVD.

This film is rated PG-13 for violence/disturbing images and some strong language.
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That Evening Sun
This one was tipped early to be a potential Oscar vehicle for 84-year-old lead Hal Holbrook whom many thought may be able to snag an Oscar when he was nominated for Into the Wild in 2008, but Javier Bardem and No Country were just too tough. I don’t see much hope for this one unless Freestyle decides to go with more than one theater over the next few weeks and try to generate some actual buzz. Nevertheless, Oscar or not, it could be good.

This film is rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some violence, sexual content and thematic elements.
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