By Chris Kavan - 04/15/11 at 11:17 AM CT
Well, here we are again - Hollywood is hoping that this weekend is finally the turning point and leaves up to a colorful bird and a rebooted franchise to make things right.
1) Even though I have a feeling it won't outlast more family-friendly fare, Scream 4 is still my top pick. I loved the first, thought the second outing was okay and just kind of shrugged at the third. Still, this 4th outing looks to be more like the original - a fresh set of "rules" and plays as much for laughs as it does for scares. It's a good mix of the original cast mixed with new blood (many of whom will probably wind up dead before the credits roll) and I'm at least interested to see what they can pull off this time around.
2) The movie that will probably win the weekend, given recent trends, is Rio. With the backing of Angry Birds and the recent good luck of most animated films this year, (sorry, Mars Needs Moms) I have a feeling it will have the best opening. Whether it will be able to beat the openings of Rango or Hop remains to be seen.
3) If you want a deeper film, The Conspirator will be more your taste. Based on the trail of Mary Surratt - the lone woman charged in the assassination of President Lincoln - and the young lawyer assigned to defend her. I have a feeling this will be a period piece with a lot of conversations about truth and justice and all that and will somehow hearken back to our current state of affairs. And it's Robert Redford, so you know it's just as much about his political point of view than it is about history. As long as you don't mind the message, it'll probably be at least serviceable.
Come Sunday we'll find out if Hollywood can finally put a second win up for 2011 - maybe a bird and a mask can make a difference.
