Love him or hate him, Keanu Reeves as a rigid extraterrestrial helped make "The Day the Earth Stood Still" last weekend's box office king despite some rather unsavory reviews. With Christmas right around the corner (even though it feels like retail stores started "decking there halls" before selling off the last of their 1/2 priced Halloween costumes), a fun and eclectic array of movies are poised for release in theaters.
This weekend some big names with serious box office clout headline the latest releases. Jim Carrey stars in the comedy "Yes Man," the story of a man who changes his closed perspective on life by saying "yes" to everything. Will Smith stars in the drama "Seven Pounds," a story about a man looking to redeem his life by helping seven complete strangers. Finally, there's "The Tale of Despereaux," the animated tale of a courageous mouse with especially large ears who turns out to be the only creature capable of saving the kidnapped human princess, and features the voice talents of Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman and "Harry Potter's" Emma Watson.
Yes Man
It's been a while (2003's "Bruce Almighty") since we've seen the real Jim Carrey, the Jim Carrey who soared to stardom and giant paychecks by mugging with his rubber jaw and flapping his limbs. Scott von Doviak of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram breaks it down: "It's no comedy classic, but it packs enough laughs into 104 minutes to justify the price of admission." And though Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly says, "It has more chuckles than guffaws," not all critics are excited about the movie's comedic results. "Jim Carrey works the premise for all it's worth, but it doesn't allow him to bust loose and fly," writes Roger Ebert. Basically, if you're a fan and you've always wanted to see the irrepressible Jim Carrey do his schtick on Red Bull, here's your chance.
Seven Pounds
Currently on a streak of 8 films in row making a $100 million or more at the box office, including this summer's "Hancock", the reigning King of Cha-Ching, Will Smith, stars in this heavy drama about a man who looks to help seven random people in hopes of finding his own salvation. The movie is made by the same filmmakers who cast Will in "Pursuit of Happyness," which earned a pile of money and earned Smith his 2nd Oscar nomination. According to most critics, however, Will's super-watt appeal will really have to shine if he hopes to maintain his flawless, flopless box office veneer. While some critics were lukewarm about the film, a bleary-eyed Josh Bell of the Las Vegas Weekly panned it: "The only person you'll want to cry for is yourself, for having been fooled into sitting through the whole thing." Associated Press critic Christy Lemire states, "'Seven Pounds' is a clever one, all right, but it might actually be too clever for its own good." The big question here is if Will's dedicated fans will turn out in their usual numbers to see his latest dramatic effort.
The Tale of Despereaux
Who doesn't like to root for the underdog? In this case, though, the underdog is, well, a brave little mouse. When the Princess of Dor goes missing, only tiny Despereaux -- recently rejected from the Mousedom for his differences from other mice - comes to the rescue. The voice talent for this animated tale has received kudos from critics like Pete Hammond of Box Office Magazine who says, "The all-star voice cast, led by Broderick's sweet and noble reading of the title mouse, is superb." And "while the story does not quite come to magical life, the themes of courage, hope and decency are sweetly inspiring," according to Claudia Puig of USA Today. Many critics like Roger Ebert hailed the movie's craftmanship: "The Tale of Despereaux is one of the most beautifully drawn animated films I've seen." Overall, perhaps this movie is not quite as good as last year's "Ratatouille" according to most who have seen the film, but it's still an excellent entertainment for your kids and family.
Also in select theaters this weekend are a couple quality films featuring lead actors destined for Academy Awards consideration. First, there's "The Wrestler" featuring Mickey Rourke in an incredibly determined and powerful performance as a washed-up former professional wrestler trying to manage life long after the height of his success. Also there's "Nothing But the Truth" starring Kate Beckinsale, most often recognized for her roles in skin-tight black leather, who plays a political reporter under fire for exposing a female CIA agent's cover.
This weekend some big names with serious box office clout headline the latest releases. Jim Carrey stars in the comedy "Yes Man," the story of a man who changes his closed perspective on life by saying "yes" to everything. Will Smith stars in the drama "Seven Pounds," a story about a man looking to redeem his life by helping seven complete strangers. Finally, there's "The Tale of Despereaux," the animated tale of a courageous mouse with especially large ears who turns out to be the only creature capable of saving the kidnapped human princess, and features the voice talents of Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman and "Harry Potter's" Emma Watson.
Yes ManIt's been a while (2003's "Bruce Almighty") since we've seen the real Jim Carrey, the Jim Carrey who soared to stardom and giant paychecks by mugging with his rubber jaw and flapping his limbs. Scott von Doviak of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram breaks it down: "It's no comedy classic, but it packs enough laughs into 104 minutes to justify the price of admission." And though Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly says, "It has more chuckles than guffaws," not all critics are excited about the movie's comedic results. "Jim Carrey works the premise for all it's worth, but it doesn't allow him to bust loose and fly," writes Roger Ebert. Basically, if you're a fan and you've always wanted to see the irrepressible Jim Carrey do his schtick on Red Bull, here's your chance.
Seven PoundsCurrently on a streak of 8 films in row making a $100 million or more at the box office, including this summer's "Hancock", the reigning King of Cha-Ching, Will Smith, stars in this heavy drama about a man who looks to help seven random people in hopes of finding his own salvation. The movie is made by the same filmmakers who cast Will in "Pursuit of Happyness," which earned a pile of money and earned Smith his 2nd Oscar nomination. According to most critics, however, Will's super-watt appeal will really have to shine if he hopes to maintain his flawless, flopless box office veneer. While some critics were lukewarm about the film, a bleary-eyed Josh Bell of the Las Vegas Weekly panned it: "The only person you'll want to cry for is yourself, for having been fooled into sitting through the whole thing." Associated Press critic Christy Lemire states, "'Seven Pounds' is a clever one, all right, but it might actually be too clever for its own good." The big question here is if Will's dedicated fans will turn out in their usual numbers to see his latest dramatic effort.
The Tale of DespereauxWho doesn't like to root for the underdog? In this case, though, the underdog is, well, a brave little mouse. When the Princess of Dor goes missing, only tiny Despereaux -- recently rejected from the Mousedom for his differences from other mice - comes to the rescue. The voice talent for this animated tale has received kudos from critics like Pete Hammond of Box Office Magazine who says, "The all-star voice cast, led by Broderick's sweet and noble reading of the title mouse, is superb." And "while the story does not quite come to magical life, the themes of courage, hope and decency are sweetly inspiring," according to Claudia Puig of USA Today. Many critics like Roger Ebert hailed the movie's craftmanship: "The Tale of Despereaux is one of the most beautifully drawn animated films I've seen." Overall, perhaps this movie is not quite as good as last year's "Ratatouille" according to most who have seen the film, but it's still an excellent entertainment for your kids and family.
Also in select theaters this weekend are a couple quality films featuring lead actors destined for Academy Awards consideration. First, there's "The Wrestler" featuring Mickey Rourke in an incredibly determined and powerful performance as a washed-up former professional wrestler trying to manage life long after the height of his success. Also there's "Nothing But the Truth" starring Kate Beckinsale, most often recognized for her roles in skin-tight black leather, who plays a political reporter under fire for exposing a female CIA agent's cover.
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