BIG OPENINGS: July 3, 2009
By: Myles Hughes
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It's Big Enemies vs. Big Dinosaura this weekend...
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Happy Independence Day to all! Having officially hit the halfway mark of the year’s releases, we can look forward to a second half of the
year that’ll hopefully be somewhat more fulfilling (as they often are). In the meantime, what will you be enjoying over 4th of July
weekend: Jack Sparrow robbing banks with Batman in hot pursuit, or a group of prehistoric animals discovering dinosaurs, despite
the fact that they’re already extinct by this point in history? Or you could just see the one about robot cars punching each other for 3
hours again. The choice is yours.
PUBLIC ENEMIES
Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Billy Crudup, Stephen Graham, and Marion Cotillard
Synopsis: A Depression-era crime saga following the exploits of bank robber John Dillinger, who was declared Public Enemy No. 1 by
the newly founded FBI.
Critics: Critical consensus appears to be split clean down the middle on this one. Some have declared that it fails to be dramatically
engaging, with precious little context given for all the action, and misguidedly internalized performances from the leads. Others have
called it highly entertaining and a new step in creating the visual look of cinema, featuring exhilarating action set pieces, and excellent
work from the ensemble. Some have gone as far as to call it the first legitimate Oscar contender of the year. So go figure.
Oscar Potential: Well, if the latter group is the be believed, the film could well be in contention for Best Picture, Director, Actor (Depp),
Supporting Actor (Crudup), Screenplay, Cinematography, Sound Design, Editing, etc. We’ll have to see how it fares as the year goes
on.
Verdict: One of those films where it seems like you really have to make your own opinion about it, as the critics seem to have all seen a
different movie.
ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS
Starring: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Dennis Leary, Simon Pegg, and Queen Latifah
Synopsis: The mammoths, the sloth, the saber-toothed tiger, and that fucking rat thing from the first two movies return. The lady
mammoth is pregnant, the sloth discovers dinosaurs, and the rat thing finds a lady friend on his quest to claim what is apparently the
only acorn left on the planet, a task he is astonishingly bad at.
Critics: More of the same, but to diminishing returns, this latest chapter in the series is passably entertaining for the target audience
while failing to stand out on any level. The gags are safe, the animation is fine but doesn’t excel, and the voice cast continues to do
what they do for a paycheck.
Oscar Potential: There are enough truly interesting contenders for Best Animated Feature this year that I think we can safely rule this
one out.
Verdict: If you don’t care about teaching your kids the meaning of quality, and need something to babysit them for 2 hours, this’ll do the
job in a pinch.
COMING NEXT WEEK:
Can Sacha Baron Cohen parlay the success of Borat into successful returns for his latest gotcha comedy, Bruno? How will Hayden
Panettiere react to a graduation speaker who shouts I Love You, Beth Cooper? We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?
TOP FILMS I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO:
1. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS – I know that repeat performances on my list have so far proven to be the kiss of death (see
Transformers), but with the two latest trailers, I can’t be anything but supremely enthusiastic.
2. MOON – I know this one has already been released in some cities, and some of you may have seen it already
(*cough*Joey*cough*), but it keeps getting delayed in my area, so I think that entitles me to complain somewhat.
3. IN THE LOOP – Because my British side of the family has all unanimously told me they loved it. So there’s that.
Oh by the way, just for kicks and giggles, I’m premiering a new feature: Myles’s Mini-Review of the Week. Similar to Joey’s vintage
picks on the DVD feature, we’ll start of with the movie everybody’s talking about.
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