This Week in Film: The House That Shops at Whole Foods

In Theaters

This week we have two probable bombs, a sequel to Taken (in spirit if not name), and, thankfully, at least one good title in the art house theaters. Let's knock them out.

First up we have Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son. FBI undercover agent Malcolm Turner (Martin Lawrence) brings his stepson (Brandon T. Jackson) into the family business of cross-dressing in order to fight crime after the kid witnesses a murder at an all-girls school. Baby Jesus finally answered your prayers with another Big Momma sequel, America. The true travesty isn't that this was made, but that this is the highest profile role Jackson has had since his star-making turn in Tropic Thunder three summers ago.

Next up we have I Am Number Four. I have actually seen this already, but can't “officially” review it yet. What I can tell you is that it is the story of an alien race, survived by only nine teenagers on Earth. They are being hunted down by these dudes that look like The Borg with gills. Three of the nine have been killed, and we get to know the fourth in the film. Timothy Olyphant is the only name actor in the flick.

Unknown brings Liam Neeson back to the big screen to punish wrongdoers and play husband of January Jones. Neeson stars a doctor involved in a car accident who awakens from a coma to find that someone has taken over his life, and no one believes that he is who he says he is. While I admit I haven't seen the film, there are a couple of red flags going on here, not least of which is that Aidan Quinn stars as the villain. Quinn should be filming TV pilots that aren't picked up, not playing the antagonist in major motion pictures. Next thing you know Jake Busey will be the bad guy in Iron Man 3.

Finally, we have Barney's Version. Paul Giamatti has been receiving rave reviews for his portrayal of a man looking back on the mistakes and triumphs of his life. This is supposed to open at the Colony Theater in Raleigh, the Galaxy in Cary, and the Chelsea in Chapel Hill. If Friday rolls around and it hasn't appeared at those theaters, there was a change in plans.

 

Special Showing

Cool Classics at the Colony in Raleigh cranks back up on Wednesday, Feb. 16th with a screening of the cult classic The Professional. Jean Reno stars as a hitman that takes an orphan (Natalie Portman) under his wing after her family is wiped out by a crooked DEA agent (Gary Oldman). This one isn't a hard sell, folks. Sometimes you just want to enjoy a flick on the big screen instead of on DVD. The show starts at 8 pm with tickets going for $5.50.

The NC Museum of Art continues its Winter Film Series with a screening of Criss Cross. This 1949 film noir stars Burt Lancaster as a man so obsessed with his ex-wife he gets drawn into the underworld of 1940s Los Angeles. The screening will be held on Friday the 18th at 8 pm, with tickets going for $5 ($3.50 for members).

The big news this week is that the Carolina Theater in Durham will hold their annual Nevermore Film Festival this weekend, February 18-20. They have a packed lineup of films, with some of the highlights being Sam Raimi's Darkman, Rubber, and Silence of the Lambs. Single tickets are $8 ($6.25 for members), and 10-ticket passes go for $65 in advance, $70 at the door ($60 for members). Nevermore is a highlight of the local film scene each year, so if you’ve never been, make it a priority.

On DVD

Unstoppable? More like unwatchable! Ha ha ha! Sorry, just trying out my Statler and Waldorf impersonation. Looking back on it, I was probably too hard on this when it was first released, but I had some serious problems with it. Seriously, the train was going 35 MPH for half the film, and the plan to catch it was for two fat guys to run it down on foot—if I remember correctly. Denzel was phoning it in hard and Chris Pine should thank the deity of his choice every night for Star Trek.

The other two kinda-sorta major releases this Tuesday are Waiting For "Superman" and You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. I have not watched either of these. Waiting slipped past me when it was out at theaters, and then a couple of people whose opinions I trusted told me that it basically used faulty logic to knock teachers’ unions. I still want to watch it, but it's a documentary, so I figure it will be on Netflix Instant within two months. You Will Meet got slammed from the second it wrapped production. That's just Woody's way; make one or two really good movies every decade, and ride the goodwill ever how long it will take you. He will know when to step up his game when the best actor he can cast is Jason Biggs again.

On Netflix Instant

Let's be peeping toms again this week and check in on our neighbors’ viewing habits on Netflix Instant. The first thing to pop up this week is The Kids In the Hall: Season One, which I applaud you for, Raleigh. Man, do you remember when Comedy Central actually bothered showing good stuff? Anyway, coming up next is Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. For those who don't know, this was Aaron Sorkin's NBC show from a couple-three years ago, starring Matthew Perry and a cast of thousands as the team behind a SNL-ish show. I hope this was only brought on by Sorkin's recent The Social Network success and not a sense of nostalgia, because this show was iffy at best. We'll wrap it up this week with Whale Wars: Season 1. I bet the house that downloads this shops at Whole Foods a lot. Call me crazy; I just get that feeling.

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Entertainment , Other posts by Isaac Weeks.

Tagged

NCMA Colony Theater Galaxy Cinema Carolina Theatre Winter Film Series Chelsea Theater

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