Tense thriller, fright film to bring horror to silver screen
A tense thriller (“Inside Man”), a foreign favorite (“Joyeux Noel”), a broad comedy (“Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector”), a fright film (“Stay Alive”) and a hilarious satire (“Thank You For Smoking”) are the top titles arriving on this first weekend of spring. The new films (with all dates subject to change) opening at a theater near you include:
– “Duck Season,” director Fernando Eimbeke’s insightful R-rated Spanish import about a couple of boys filling in empty hours. The two best buddies play video games, deal with a pesky 16-year-old neighbor, battle with a pizza delivery guy, discuss divorce and contemplate a painting during a single day together in an apartment.
– “Inside Man,” with Denzel Washington (“Training Day”), Jodie Foster (“Flightplan”) and Clive Owen (“Derailed”) in director Spike Lee’s R-rated thriller about a bank robber with more on his mind than breaking into a vault.
– “Joyeux Noel,” with Diane Kruger (“National Treasure”) in an uplifting French import based on a factual incident on Christmas Eve in 1914 when French, Scottish and German soldiers fighting in World War I trench warfare took one night to declare peace, share food, spread goodwill and listen to a soprano and her singing partner perform. The PG-13 picture received an Oscar nomination as best foreign film.
– “Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector,” with Dan Whitney, aka Larry the Cable Guy, in a PG-13 comedy. In the story, the redneck humorist plays a health inspector who’s assigned to locate the cause of food poisoning cases in the city’s ritziest restaurants, a task that puts him in contact and conflict with snobbish chefs and falls for a sweet waitress.
– “Stay Alive,” with Frankie Muniz (“Agent Cody Banks”) and Samaire Armstrong (HBO’s “Entourage”) in a cyber-world fright film about some teens who assume the identities of video-game characters. Soon after in the PG-13 chiller, they start dying when their on-screen personas bite the dust. The distributor declined to screen it for advance reviews.
– “Thank You For Smoking,” with Aaron Eckhart (“Your Friends & Neighbors”), Katie Holmes (“Batman Begins”), Maria Bello (“A History of Violence”), William H. Macy (“The Cooler”) and Robert Duvall (“Tender Mercies”) in an equally funny and cynical R-rated comedy about a tobacco lobbyist/spin doctor willing to use any dirty trick to promote smoking. Jason Reitman, the son of filmmaker Ivan Reitman (“Ghostbusters”), makes a very impressive directing debut.
At the buck$ office
“V” enjoyed a victory at the box office last weekend.
The stylish fantasy “V for Vendetta” easily took the top spot in theaters, grossing more than $26 million.
The R-rated picture was followed by “Failure to Launch,” a popular romantic comedy with Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew McConaughey. The PG-13 title grossed more than $15 million.
According to the Associated Press, the top-10 movies last weekend were:
1. “V for Vendetta” ($26.1 million)
2. “Failure to Launch” ($15.8 million)
3. “The Shaggy Dog” ($13.6 million)
4. “She’s the Man” ($11 million)
5. “The Hills Have Eyes” ($8.1 million)
6. “16 Blocks” ($4.7 million)
7. “Eight Below” ($4.2 million)
8. “Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion” ($3 million)
9. “The Pink Panther” ($2.5 million)
10. “Aquamarine” ($2 million)
Coming soon!
The films scheduled to open March 31 include: “Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction” (with Sharon Stone returning as cool-as-ice killer Catherine Tramell) and “Ice Age 2: The Meltdown” (with Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary returning to provide the voices of the main characters).
Gaul on the radio
Calkins Media film critic Lou Gaul’s At the Movies radio segment will air live at 11:30 p.m. on Friday as part of “The Dom Giordano Show” (WPHT-AM/1210).
The segment, which airs every Friday night, will include discussions of newly released films and DVDs, as well as motion picture news and trends.