Proof that stupidity is recession-proof: the “Friday the 13th” reboot ran away with last weekend’s box office, bringing down over 40 million clams in its first weekend. There’s nothing this weekend that looks aggressive enough to knock this turgid load off its perch, though perhaps the total media blitzkrieg that is the “Fired Up” ad campaign will pay some dividends and one should never underestimate the core Tyler Perry audience that always come out opening weekend in the fullest of force. Anyway, to the films!
This weekend’s highest profile release is, of course, the aforementioned teen comedy “Fired Up.” Directed by first timer Will Gluck, the film stars Eric Christian Olsen (“Not Another Teen Movie,” “Dumb and Dumberer“) and Nicholas D’Agosto as two jocks who ditch their pads to attend cheer camp in hopes of getting more girls. Reviews have been unkind as the picture sits at a 29% at Rotten Tomatoes right now. Probably best to avoid…
The weekend’s other wide release is another installment in Tyler Perry‘s seemingly endless Madea series, this time entitled “Madea Goes to Jail.” Right now there’s no info to be had at RT, but the increasing Ernest-ification of these movies cannot possibly be a good sign.
Moving to limited releases, this weekend offers “Chain Link” from first time writer/director Dylan Reynolds. Though there are only scant reviews thus far, the film looks like a fairly by-the-numbers cautionary tale about a recently released ex-con who finds himself back in a life of crime in order to live the life he longs for, et cetera. Hardly revolutionary.
There’s also Dehli-6, an Indian film about a young man’s journey from America back to India with his grandmother. The trip becomes an exploration of the boy’s heritage and past. Details are pretty slim, but the film may cash in on some of the ‘Slumdog’ goodwill that is bound to be swelling up this Oscar weekend.
Fans of “Project Runway” should check out “Eleven Minutes,” the new documentary that follows the fortunes of Jay McCarroll, first-season winner of the Bravo reality show as he tries to put together a fashion show. The film has a just-better-than-average 57% right now which means it might be worth a look. Fans of documentaries looking for something headier will enjoy “Must Read After My Death,” a doc put together by filmmaker Morgan Dews about the dissolution of his grandparents’ marriage and the time that the family spent in counseling. Assembled from the exhaustive films, tapes and notes kept by his grandmother, the film has gone over quite well so far. Looks like a keeper!
Finally, there’s “In the Electric Mist,” a long-delayed, low-profile detective story with a monster of a cast. Tommy Lee Jones stars as a detective investigating a murder in the seedy underworld of New Orleans. Also starring John Goodman, Peter Sarsgaard and Kelly McDonald (“No Country for Old Men“) the film looks mildly promising. At least better than most of this weekend’s offerings.
In closing, New Yorkers should check out “Katyn” at Film Forum this weekend. Directed by the semi-legendary eighty-two year old Andrzej Wajda, the film is a powerful story about the Soviets’ brutal killing of over fifteen thousand Poles in one weekend in 1940. Guaranteed to be better than anything else opening this weekend.
Good luck and or rent if you’re not in New York. Your choices suck, frankly. Or dial-up “Che” on-demand already.
