The latest Disney release looks more interesting than any other Disney movie recently, but I know I’ll ignore it like other Disney movies since I haven’t seen any in years. I don’t count Pixar as Disney. I love those and watch all of them as soon as possible. Even though I can’t really tell what A Single Man is about, it still looks interesting to me. I will want to see The Lovely Bones at some point. It makes me sad that the reviews are poor.
Nationwide Releases
The Princess and the Frog
Invictus
The Princess and the Frog
Directed: Ron Clements, John Musker
Starring: Anika Noni Rose, Terrence Howard, John Goodman, Keith David, Jim Cummings, Oprah Winfrey, Jenifer Lewis
Trailer
Synopsis: The old fairytale where the princess must kiss the frog to make him into a prince, but it has a twist.
My Take: It has the old classic look of Disney animation.
RT Score: 83%
RT Consensus: The warmth of traditional Disney animation makes this occasionally lightweight fairy-tale update a lively and captivating confection for the holidays.
Invictus
Directed: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon
Trailer
Synopsis: When Nelson Mandela was a newly-elected President of South Africa, his country was still very much racially divided. He thought he could bring them together through the South African rugby team winning the World Cup.
My Take: It seems really serious and pretty darn boring.
RT Score: 77%
RT Consensus: Delivered with typically stately precision from director Clint Eastwood, Invictus may not be rousing enough for some viewers, but Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman inhabit their real-life characters with admirable conviction.
Limited Releases
A Single Man
The Lovely Bones
The Slammin’ Salmon
A Single Man
Directed: Tom Ford
Starring: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, Nicholas Hoult
Trailer
Synopsis: It is set in the 60s and I’m getting bit of a gay vibe going on from the trailer.
My Take: It didn’t really go into the plot, but just showed flashes of the movie so I’m guessing on what it’s about. Apparently everyone in it is awesome though, according to the reviewer quotes.
RT Score: 85%
RT Consensus: Though the costumes are beautiful and the art direction impeccable, what stands out most from this debut by fashion designer Tom Ford is the leading performance by Colin Firth.
The Lovely Bones
Directed: Peter Jackson
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli, Saoirse Ronan
Trailer
Synopsis: A girl is murdered, but watches over his family while trying to help them solve her murder from beyond.
My Take: It looks really good, even if the reviews aren’t that great.
RT Score: 40%
RT Consensus: It’s stuffed full of Peter Jackson’s typically dazzling imagery, but The Lovely Bones suffers from abrupt shifts between horrific violence and cloying sentimentality.
The Slammin’ Salmon
Directed: Kevin Heffernan
Starring: Michael Clarke Duncan, Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, Cobie Smulders
Trailer
Synopsis: The latest from the Broken Lizard group about a group of wait staff at a restaurant.
My Take: All their pratfalls and jokes in the trailer are pretty stale and not funny.
RT Score: 33%
RT Consensus: Potty humor and juvenile antics keep this workplace comedy from being particularly funny or memorable.
