This Week in Film: We Need More Malkovich

In Theaters

Warner Bros. owns the weekend, releasing both of the major titles. First up we have The Mechanic, a remake of a '70s-era Charles Bronson hitman tale. In the updated version we have Jason Statham taking the starring role as a mentor to a young man (Ben Foster) who just happens to be the son of a former victim. I think Foster is one of the best actors working today, but I'm not sure even he can do much when saddled with a director like Simon West (Con Air).

Next up we have the exorcism thriller The Rite, starring Anthony Hopkins. The marketing department at New Line deserves a raise for the way that they have handled this title. WB was clearly willing to consider this just a January dump, but its ad campaign has actually made it a contender for the top spot at the box office this weekend.
 

Finally, Blue Valentine is set to open in the Triangle this weekend. It's a story of two people that fall in love, only for one of them to realize years later that she can do better. The film has been hailed for lead performances by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. I like to think of it as an unintentional comedy, like Revolutionary Road.

Special Showings

 

 
The Colony will host another night of Bond with a screening of the 1971 Connery classic Diamonds Are Forever. The show starts at 8 p.m. on Jan. 27th, and tickets are $5.50. Presented in real 35mm format, for that real film feel.

The Carolina Theatre in Durham will host another installment of the Retrofantasma Film Series on Jan. 28th. A double bill features the 1980 twin tortures Terror Train and John Carpenter's The Fog. $8 buys your admission for both films and the show starts at 7 p.m.

Finally, we give you the biggest news of the week: As part of their Winter Film Series, the NC Museum of Art wanted to showcase films that offered a darker side of the happy homelife that the paintings of Norman Rockwell usually highlighted. And what film better shows off the dark side of suburbia than Blue Velvet? The screening is on January 28th at 8 p.m. Admission is $5 for the general public, $3.50 for members and students.

On DVD

Last week, I mentioned that Takers was probably my Guilty Pleasure of 2010. If Secretariat had been just a little bit better, it would have been in the running. People give Disney live action a lot of flack (and for good reason), but one thing it does well is true-story sports films. Secretariat is good flick. Sure it's a tad long, and the "family in strife during the '60s" scenes made me want to rub popcorn salt in my eyes, but this was the beginning of John Malkovich's comeback in 2011, and we need more Malkovich in our lives.

Red is a tricky film to discuss. While it was a better film than I thought it would be, and a hell of a lot more fun than most of its kin, that doesn't necessarily mean you should run out and watch it. Most of the cast is on cruise control for the running time of the flick, and a couple of them are in the film just long enough to appear on the poster and collect a paycheck. It truly is one of those films where you don't need someone to recommend it to you, you basically know whether or not you're going to watch it by how many explosions are in the trailer.

The final two DVDs out this week are The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and Saw 3D. What do these two films have in common? Both are based on international bestsellers, they each feature a member of Linkin Park being tortured, and I haven't watched either of them. I think it's pretty safe to say if you are a fan of either franchise you're not going to stop watching the films now.

Notable Films on TV

New Jack City 9 p.m. Thur. Jan. 27th, BET
A couple of weeks ago I was flipping through channels when I ran across Wesley Snipes giving an interview on Larry King the night before he was due to begin serving time in prison. That gave me reason to reflect back to a time when Snipes freakin' RULED the box office. From 1991 to 1998, Snipes was one of the finest actors working. The best illustration I can think of to describe his talents is to picture Steven Seagal with a sense of humor that could actually act, and act WELL. New Jack City is where most of America started to hear Snipes name. The story of a drug dealer that becomes the kingpin of New York City, this film was a lightning rod of controversy for its time.

Bad Day at Black Rock 8 p.m. Sat. Jan. 29th, TCM
Alright, let's go back a few decades and introduce you to a film you may have missed. For once, a one-armed man actually plays the hero in a film, with Spencer Tracy starring as John Macreedy, a veteran who steps off a train in a small town to look up a Japanese-American farmer named Kamako. What he finds instead is a town that's willing to kill to keep it's secrets hid. Little do they know the one-armed man is a master at judo! At only 81 minutes in running time, set your DVR and watch it Sunday.

Big Night 8 p.m. Sat. Jan. 30th, WRDC (Channel 12 on Time Warner)
Big Night is the great unseen food movie of our time. It stars Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub as the quarrelsome brothers/owners of an Italian restaurant who are financially sinking fast. They decide to risk everything they have on holding one lavish dinner for a special guest and hoping that the word of mouth saves them. You will gain 15 pounds just watching this movie, and will do so happily.

On Netflix Instant

Let's take another look at what's burning up the charts locally here in Raleigh. Looks like we have Blood Done Sign My Name, the film adaptation of Tim Tyson's memoir. I know many people had high hopes for this film when the book was optioned, but it's never a good sign when Rick Schroder is your highest profile actor. Next up, we have the 1936 Alfred Hitchcock classic Sabotage. I can't make rhyme or reason of this one. Was this the first week it was available for instant viewing, or was everyone on a Sylvia Sidney kick at the same time? Finally, and a little easier to understand, we have Sherman's March, from the same acclaimed director as last week's Bright Leaves. I have always wanted to watch Sherman's March, as I have only heard good things about it, but that two-and-a-half-hour running time has always scared me off. Just a little too much navel gaving for me, y'know? If you are watching it this week, comment below and give your thoughts. Maybe you'll talk me into finally biting the bullet.

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Entertainment , Other posts by Isaac Weeks.

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