Horror picture, romantic comedy arrive in theaters this weekend
A horror picture (“Dead Silence”), a romantic comedy (“I Think I Love My Wife”), an acclaimed import (“The Namesake”), a suspense thriller (“Premonition”) and a British tale (“Starter For Ten”) are the top titles arriving in theaters on this St. Patrick’s Day weekend. The new films (with all dates subject to change) opening at a theater near you include:
– “Dead Silence,” with Amber Valletta (“Transporter 2”) and Donnie Wahlberg (“The Sixth Sense”) in an R-rated fright film about a crazed ventriloquist who begins a reign of terror in a small town. Leigh Whannell and James Wan, co-creators of the “Saw” trilogy, created the story and screenplay, and Wan directed.
– “I Think I Love My Wife,” with Chris Rock (“Head of State”), Kerry Washington (“Little Man”), Gina Torres (“Serenity”) and Steve Buscemi (“Con Air”) in a dark romantic comedy about a married guy bored with his wife. He starts having fantasies about other women after an old girlfriend enters his life and reminds him of his carefree, sex-filled days as a bachelor. Rock also wrote and directed the R-rated picture, which is a loose remake of director Eric Rohmer’s French favorite “Chloe in the Afternoon” (1972). ?n “The Namesake,” with Kal Penn (“National Lampoon’s Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj”) in a PG-13 melodrama about the members of an Indian-American family who moved from Calcutta to New York and are trying to come to terms with living in a foreign land while maintaining their traditions. Mira Nair (“Monsoon Wedding”) directed the import, which is based on the novel of the same name by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri.
– “Nomad,” with Jay Hernandez (“Hostel”) in a historical tale. The R-rated import, which is set in the 18th century, chronicles the life of a man destined to unite the three warring tribes of Kazakhstan.
– “Premonition,” with Sandra Bullock (“Miss Congeniality”), Julian McMahon (TV’s “Nip/Tuck”) and Nia Long (“Are We There Yet?”) in a romantic thriller about a woman who is told by police that her husband died in a car crash. Upon awakening the next morning, she finds him still alive, realizes she has had a premonition and then struggles to change the future by keeping him safe.
German filmmaker Mennan Yapo makes his directing debut with the PG-13 suspense tale.
– “Starter for Ten,” with James McAvoy (“The Last King of Scotland”) in a PG-13 picture about a working-class British student running into various problems and having different relationships during his first year at the upper-crust Bristol University in 1985. David Nicholls wrote the screenplay based on his novel.
At the buck$ office
Spartans ruled at the box office last weekend as “300” cut down the competition by opening with a whopping $70 million.
The gory R-rated epic is based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel about the 300 Spartan warriors who fought thousands of Persians during the battle of Thermopylae.
Also holding up well was “Wild Hogs.” The PG-13 comedy with Tim Allen, John Travolta and Martin Lawrence grossed an impressive $28 million in its second week of release.
According to the Associated Press, the top-10 movies last weekend were:
1. “300” ($70 million)
2. “Wild Hogs” ($28 million)
3. “Bridge to Terabithia” ($6.9 million)
4. “Ghost Rider” ($6.8 million)
5. “Zodiac” ($6.77 million)
6. “The Number 23” ($4.33 million)
7. “Norbit” ($4.3 million)
8. “Music and Lyrics” ($3.8 million)
9. “Breach” ($2.6 million)
10. “Amazing Grace” ($2.5 million)
Gaul on the Web
Lou Gaul’s film reviews, features and columns can be read on our Web site at lougaul.phillyburbs.com.