By Chris Kavan - 11/11/11 at 04:08 PM CT
Another diverse lineup coming this weekend: a potential Oscar contender vs. an action spectacle vs. Adam Sandler pulling double duty. How will tastes run this weekend?
1) I give the edge to J. Edgar only because Clint Eastwood has good (though not flawless) track record as a director. However, his films don't often pull in huge amounts of money, even when the critical praise runs fairly high. A biopic (unless it features the British monarchy) also is usually a tougher sell to audiences. I still think this is easily the best movie being released this weekend, but whether audiences will flock to this is another matter.
2) Immortals doesn't have to worry about things like historical accuracy or characters. In the vein of 300, this is an action-centric film loosely based on Greek mythology (though I'm sure classics professor's world-wide will be gnashing their teeth in agony). This is the kind of film you watch when you want to shut off the brain for awhile and simply be entertained. Usually this is reserved for the summer months, but it's either be a shrewd marketing move or lack of confidence in the film as to why it's playing in the fall. I, for one, might just have to watch it because it's about time for some mindless action again.
3) If Bucky Larson was an indication, Happy Madison Productions is on shaky ground. Adam Sandler isn't doing anyone any favors with Jack and Jill - which has earned some of the worst reviews of the year. Sandler plays both a brother and sister in this "comedy" though a look at the reviews might beg to differ on that statement. I, for one, haven't seen a decent Sandler flick since, I guess Bedtime Stories was passable and Click was okay, but in my mind, he'll always be Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore to me - and that's how I want to remember him.
4) Finally, the aptly-titled 11-11-11 makes numbers scaaaary by mixing in horror to coincide with this mysterious date. If I've learned anything, it's that movies based on numbers don't turn out well: The Number 23 and Knowing being the two most recent examples of less-then-stellar movies revolving around mysterious number patterns. This looks to be more of the same. Might rank a rental on a dull night, nothing more.
After two weeks at the top, will it be time for Puss in Boots to hang up its walking shoes? We'll see if a biopic and studly Greek warriors can make it to the top come Sunday.
