By Chris Kavan - 11/01/12 at 05:38 PM CT
After last week's disappointing return following a stream of above-average weekends, Hollywood looks to redeem itself. There are plenty of films to choose from: a drama, an animated family film, an over-the-top action piece and a horror film, but despite the interesting mix, it may another rough weekend. With the after-effects of superstorm Sandy still being felt, it could once again affect the box office. Still, there are some big names making their case known, so don't count this weekend out.
FLIGHT Denzel Washington makes a return to drama in Robert Zemeckis' Flight. He plays a pilot who performs a miraculous crash landing, saving many lives, only to face scrutiny following an investigation that reveals he was drinking before the crash. This film has "Oscar bait" written all over it, but I can't help but feel after watching the many trailers that it just feels like something is missing from this one. I'm not saying it's going to be a bad film, just that a piece of the puzzle seems to be missing here. I could be wrong, but it feels like this is going to be more of a solid rental than one I want to rush out and watch in theaters.
WRECK-IT RALPH Now, onto a film I've been looking forward to since I saw the first trailer. I consider myself a pretty big video game fan - and, let's face it, there haven't been that many good movies based on video games. While Wreck-It Ralph is about a fake game, it includes some very real
video game cameos, and for that, I'm totally behind this 100%. Plus, the voice talent, from the likes of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch and Alan Tudyk have me feeling very good. The fact it's animated doesn't bother me one bit - heck, playing a game these days is a lot like watching an animated movie, so it actually makes a lot of sense. Here's hoping that Hollywood can finally get a video game movie right.
THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS I admit, I usually don't go for these martial arts films - no matter if they're a product of the US, China or any other nation. I did enjoy the brief wire-fu movies like Crouching Tiger, HIdden Dragon and the like, but that's as far as I got. The Man with the Iron Fists is really a passion project from RZA and Eli Roth - whether that's a good or bad thing, well, it's hard to say. What I can say is they have attracted an interesting cast: Lucy Liu, Jamie Chung, Rick Yune, Russell Crowe, Dave Bautista - it's all over the place but I have a feeling the fight scenes will be amazing. In the end, I have a feeling that this is going to appeal to a limited audience. I would probably consider watching this, but only at home.
THE BAY Even though we're passed Halloween, we still get a horror movie this weekend. Barry Levinson is known more for offbeat comedy (Good Morning, Vietnam, Toys, Wag the Dog) than horror, but, hey, let him run wild and see what happens. Apparently Maryland isn't always a safe bet - not when ecological disaster strikes anyway. Following in the vein of Piranha, some mutated things attack, people die and I'm sure we're treated to a bloody mess of a film. The fact this is being released after Halloween tells me it's not going to have much traction. Even for horror it looks mindlessly generic - if it breaks into the top 10, it will be a good showing in my mind.
I think this weekend looks better than last weekend - at least for interesting films in my mind. It will all depend on whether people have recovered - both from Halloween and a monster storm - otherwise, we could be facing another down weekend. See you Sunday with the final results.
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