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Big Openings: June 27,
2008
By Myles
Hughes
WALL-E blew the box
office away this weekend!
So, according to our friends at the Hollywood Reporter, this week marks
the unofficial start of this year’s Oscar race what with the release of
the obvious Best Animated Feature nominee to beat. With that kind of
prestigious hype, how does it fare? Also out this week, the Hottie and
the Scottie.
WALL-E
Starring: Jeff Garlin, Sigourney Weaver, Fred Willard, and John
Ratzenberger
Synopsis: Hundreds of years in the future, after mankind has
abandoned the Earth, the cleanup job is left to a sprightly, curious
little robot called WALL-E. When a female robot called EVE arrives to
explore the planet, WALL-E falls in love and chases after her.
Critics: Have the Pixar group ever failed to top themselves with
each new release? It should surprise no one that WALL-E is
already being hailed as one of their best: a delightful, imaginative
space romp with heart, wit, and pleasure to be had for all ages. All the
elements that have become Pixar staples (new and increasingly impressive
visual effects, inventive storytelling, lighthearted humor) are on full
display and at their perkiest. The film succeeds as a romance, as a
sci-fi, as a kid’s movie, and even as a cautionary tale about the
dangers of taking our planet for granted.
Oscar Potential: Best Animated Feature is a given, I’d say. The
real question that keeps coming up is whether this film could compete
with live-action entries for Best Picture. Time will tell if they want
to go that route, and it’s far too early in the year to suggest what
kind of chance it would have.
Verdict: It’s incredibly easy to recommend a Pixar film, but this
one is definitely a keeper. Take the kids to it, see it with friends,
see it on your own, have a good time.
WANTED
Starring: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, Common,
and Thomas Kretschmann
Synopsis: A neurotic young accountant is unexpectedly recruited
into a fraternity of assassins who task themselves with maintaining
world order by killing designated targets.
Critics: There’s no hiding the fact that the shadow of The
Matrix hangs over this movie like a threatening storm cloud. In
fact, you would be hard pressed to find a whole lot of original elements
in this graphic novel-based action-thriller. But an inventive execution
can go a long way to forgiving a been-there-done-that premise, and in
this Wanted succeeds beautifully. Critics concede that while it’s
a wild, dumb, noisy thrill ride, it’s an incredibly entertaining one,
featuring some truly epic special effects and set pieces. The
performances of Jolie, Freeman, and particularly McAvoy are all aces,
and Russian director Timur Bekmambetov seems to have found his calling
among American audiences.
Oscar Potential: Possibly some Artistic/Techs.
Verdict: If you like your action pulpy and violent, and if you’re
comfortable with turning off your brain for two hours and appreciating
the spectacle, you’ll find a lot to like here.
Also worth checking out
if you haven’t already:
KUNG FU PANDA – I got roped into seeing this recently, and it’s
actually every bit as awesome as it should be. If you have an
opportunity, it’s worth a look.
REPRISE – A poignant literary-themed drama that is enlightening,
starkly realistic, and engagingly directed. Definitely worth your time
if you can find it.
MONGOL – Last year’s Best Foreign Language nominee from
Kazakhstan, this war epic has been touted as the Asian variant of
Braveheart. Should be worth checking out.
Coming
soon:
THE DARK KNIGHT – The recent Rolling Stone review was very
inspiring. Perhaps Heath Ledger has a better shot at a posthumous nod
that I’d expected…
CHOKE – From the author of Fight Club, starring Sam
Rockwell and Angelica Huston (both always watch-able), this satirical
romance should have some zest to it.
EAGLE EYE – The new trailer suggests a more summertime action
experience, which makes the September release something of a question
mark. In any case, the trailer looks perfectly entertaining.
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