Bandslam:
Disney is making bank off their little sing song movies, and this looks to be no different. I’m sure it will be safe to take the kids to, and a fine fun guilty pleasure for adults, just like the High School Musical movies. Personally, I’ll wait for it to stream on Netflix, if I ever see it at all.
Ponyo:
An animated film by Hayao Miyazaki. As a kid I saw Warriors of the Wind and loved it, and I own a copy of Spirited Away on DVD but have never watched it. I’m not itching to see it, and might never, but if your kids aren’t in to singing teenagers, this could be your weekend alternative to Bandslam.
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard:
I loved Used Cars! And hey, I’m a Jeremy Piven fan from way back, so what’s not to like? I might not make it to the theater for this one (see District 9) but I absolutely will see it at some point.
Spread:
Its a limited release, but from what I’ve seen it look to be a decent film. I want to see it, but likely won’t since it is sure to vanish from theaters too quick.
District 9:
I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while now. It just looks awesome, so I will find a way to see it this weekend. I have to before people spoil it. This is going to be great!
The Time Traveler’s Wife:
I got to see a screening of this film, and I can’t say if its just because I had fairly low expectations or if it was a good film, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. I suspect it is a little of both. To be honest, I went in expecting The Notebook, in part because of Rachel McAdams but also because it was a sort of “star crossed lovers” kind of tale, only with the thing keeping them apart being his random uncontrollable time travel instead of more typical problems. And maybe that’s the element that drew me in. Henry (played by Eric Bana) keeps bouncing around through time, sometimes for minutes and sometimes for weeks, but always, it seems, around the people and events that are important to him. I think the movie does very well at conveying the changes in time as the story moves around, but a number of people at the same screening mentioned not being able to follow it. To each their own I suppose. Overall, it was a sweet movie with just a touch of science fiction that kept me watching. Good stuff.