The marketing campaign for “Inception” may be the most brilliant thing we see all summer. After weeks of franchises and reboots moviegoers seem ready for a something with a little more class as the buzz level for the Christopher Nolan‘s latest has been rising like this summer’s heat. An original cinematic idea that is going to MAKE MONEY can only be a good thing for an industry that seems a little desperate in this era of 3D conversions. The main competition this week comes in the form of Nicolas Cage‘s perm in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” The family-oriented film faces strong holdovers from the much better “Despicable Me” and “Toy Story 3,” so Cage should probably lay off more real estate investment for the time being. On the indie side this weekend “Valhalla Rising” is certainly your best bet. Nicolas Winding Refn is a filmmaker on the rise and his latest is no disappointment.
In Theaters: ‘Inception,’ ‘The Sorcerers’s Apprentice,’ ‘Valhalla Rising’
In Wide Release: By far the most anticipated film of the summer for most cinephiles, “Inception” opens this weekend. Two years since “The Dark Knight” made him a serious brand, Christopher Nolan cashes in the blank check from Warner Bros with a big-budget, high-concept sci-fi picture starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine , Cillian Murphy and Ken Watanabe. We’re thrilled to see Nolan making an original blockbuster mind-melter and not be tied to any pre-existing property. He’ll be back to Batman for at least one more film, but he really knocked it out of the park on this one as you can read in our mostly spoiler-free review. RT: 85% Metacritic 75.
Fresh off his fantastic performance in last year’s “Bad Lieutenant” Port of Call New Orleans,” Nicolas Cage is back under Disney’s wing in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.” The film re-teams the actor with his director on the surprisingly lucrative “National Treasure” franchise Jon Turtletaub in the hopes that these wizards can once again strike magic at the box-office. Jay Baruchel plays the apprentice who joins his the fight against the evil Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina) to save Manhattan. In effort to help fill up theater seats Disney is literally giving away tickets for this one so it might be a good choice for families to entertain the kids while saving a few bucks. We reviewed the Bruckheimer-produced film and found it to be workmanlike and entertaining enough for a summer matinee with the kids. RT: 41% Metacritic 48.
In Limited Release: One of our favorite young filmmakers Nicolas Winding Refn got a big boost from 2009’s “Bronson” (as did actor Tom Hardy who appears in this week’s “Inception) and his future certainly looks even brighter. His latest film “Valhalla Rising” arrives stateside this week, but has been making festival rounds for a while now. We loved it when we saw it at TIFF last year and updated our review yesterday. A slow moving, meditative Viking film, “Valhalla Rising” would make a great comedown from your “Inception” high this weekend. RT: 78%
Also out in limited release, The Irish coming-of-age tale “Kisses,” which follows two children who run away from home at Christmas spending a magical night on the mean streets of Dublin. We reviewed the film yesterday, finding it a fun film to watch, but ultimately not very memorable. RT: 87% Metacritic 70. “Standing Ovation” tells the story of two competing singing/dancing girl groups. The Junior High girls must face off with the older, more seasoned High School group for ultimate domination. Opening on 623 screens, the film faces a crowded box office and the looming threat of “Step Up 3D” in a few weeks. RT: 14%.
Finally, “Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno” is a must see documentary for any arthouse fan. This brilliant documentary chronicles the Clouzot’s failed attempt to bring one of his most ambitious projects to the screen. Utilizing actual footage, audition clips and numerous screen tests the mind boggles at what the director was conjuring. Check out our review here. No scores on RT or Metacritic.
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