Comedy, animated sequel to light up big screen this weekend
A comic adaptation (“Daredevil”), a sex comedy (“The Guru”) and an animated sequel (“The Jungle Book 2”) are the major titles arriving in theaters on this extended weekend that begins with Valentine’s Day and ends with Presidents’ Day. For critical evaluations of previewed films and explanations of the MPAA ratings in terms of violence, language and sexual content, please refer to the Movie Capsules. The new motion pictures (with release dates subject to change) scheduled to open today at a theater near you include:
– “Daredevil”: Ben Affleck (“Changing Lanes”), Jennifer Garner (TV’s “Alias”), Michael Clarke Duncan (“The Green Mile”) and Colin Farrell (“The Recruit”) star in this PG-13 picture about one of the greatest and most underrated superheroes from Marvel Comics. His story will be brought to life in this big-budget tale about Matt Murdock (Affleck), a blind man whose other senses are enhanced by a radioactive substance. Murdock works as a criminal attorney by day and a crime-fighting hero named Daredevil at night. This marks a second franchise character for Affleck, who last year took over the role of CIA analyst Jack Ryan (previously played by Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford) in “The Sum of All Fears.” Mark Steven Johnson (“Simon Birch”) directed.
– “The Guru”: Ramu Gupta (Jimi Minstry of “The Mystic Masseur”), an affable dance teacher in India, moves to New York in hopes of fame and fortune and ends up in the adult-film industry, where he meets a beautiful woman (Heather Graham of “Boogie Nights”) leading a double life. Through some strange twists of fate in this mildly diverting R-rated comedy, which includes elements of India’s colorful “Bollywood musicals, Gupta ends up using sex as a healing device for wealthy folks just seeking an excuse to let their hair down. Marisa Tomei (“In the Bedroom”), Michael McKean (“This Is Spinal Tap”) and Christine Baranski (“Chicago”) co-star. Daisy von Scherler Mayer (“Party Girl”) directed.
– “He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not”: An delusional French student (Audrey Tautou of “Amelie”) becomes obsessed with a married doctor (Samuel Le Bihan of “Brotherhood of the Wolf”), convinces herself that he has similar feelings and begins a campaign to destroy his relationship with his pregnant wife. Isabelle Carre (“Les Sentiments”) co-stars in the unrated import thriller. Laetitia Colombani directed.
– “His Secret Life”: A widow (Margherita Buy of “The Best Day of My Life”) mourning the death of her doctor-husband, who specialized in AIDS cases, is shocked after discovering that her late spouse had been cheating on her with a man (Stefano Accorsi of “Journey Called Love”). She then embarks on a quest to find her husband’s lover and learn about his life. Ferzan Ozpetek (“Hamam”) directed the R-rated Italian import.
– “Jungle Book 2”: During this fun-to-watch animated sequel, which begins shortly after the end of the 1967 original, the man-cub Mowgli (voice by Haley Joel Osment of “The Sixth Sense”) finds himself torn between living with a human family that loves him or returning to the jungle to dance and sing with his old bear friend Baloo (voice by John Goodman of “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”). One creature waiting for Mowgli to return to the wild is the man-eating tiger Shere Khan (voice by Tony Jay of “Twins”), who has vowed to get revenge for the way the jungle boy had humiliated him. The G-rated follow-up features a number of songs, including the favorite “Bare Necessities.” Animator-turned-filmmaker Steve Trenbirth, who contributed art to pen-and-ink favorites such as “Aladdin” and “An Extremely Goofy Movie,” made his directing debut.
At the buck$ office
Moviegoers were in the mood for love last weekend as the romantic comedy, “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” took the No. 1 spot at the box office. It was followed by the action comedy “Shanghai Knights,” which again teams Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson in a sequel “Shanghai Noon” (2000).
The top 10 films last weekend were:
1. “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” ($24.1 million) 2. “Shanghai Knights” ($19.8 million)
3. “Chicago” ($10.7 million)
4. “The Recruit” ($9.5 million)
5. “Final Destination 2” ($8.7 million) 6. “Deliver Us From Eva” ($7.1 million) 7. “Kangaroo Jack” ($5.9 million)
8. “Biker Boyz” ($4 million)
9. “Darkness Falls” ($3.8 million)
10. “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” ($3.4 million) Coming Soon!
Major titles scheduled to open Feb. 21 include: Kurt Russell and Ving Rhames in “Dark Blue,” a drama about police violence in Los Angeles; Robert Duvall and Jeff Daniels in “Gods and Generals,” a prequel to “Gettysburg;” Kevin Spacey and Laura Linney in “The Life of David Gale,” a melodrama revolving around capital punishment; and Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson in “Old School,” a comedy about a trio of 30-year-old guys returning to college to form a fraternity.
(Lou Gaul is film critic for Calkins Media. He can be reached at lgaul@phillyBurbs.com.)