The Weekend Blend

By Joshua Tyler: 2005-03-17 00:00:00

3/11 – 3/13 New movies come out each weekend; come here to find out which Woody Allen hates you and loves New York. Two new wide releases this weekend, with a single, much desired limited worth mentioning. Keep reading to find out how you should spend your movie going weekend:

Misc. Limited Releases
(Opening on fewer than 500 screens.)

There will be lucky people watching Woody Allen’s latest (and perhaps to me even more importantly Will Ferrell’s latest) this weekend. You and I will not be among them. The new, much anticipated Woody Allen comedy Melinda & Melinda debuts on a single screen in New York Friday. The movie will no doubt expand wider in the next few weeks, so I’m selfishly reserving it to review by me, even though we have New York writers who could cover it tomorrow. I know, my ego is out of control. But despite Allen’s recent lackluster track record, the combination of Will and Woody is irresistible. It’s a movie that’s worth the wait. Keep checking The Weekend Blend in coming weeks. I’ll let you all know when it goes wider.

Ice Princess
(Opens on 2501 screens.)

Michelle Trachtenberg has grown up, but her movie roles haven’t. After flirting with adult, raunch comedy in Eurotrip, she’s gone right back to the little kid well with Ice Princess. Worse, she’s dragged Joan Cusack in with her. It’s an ice skating movie for little girls, though the poster is reminiscent of the sort of softcore delight you might find lurking comfortably on the bottom shelf at blockbuster. Sadly, Trachtenberg isn’t Shannon Tweed and isn’t likely to be any time soon. You know what to expect from a Disney movie like this, and probably don’t need me telling you to avoid it. If your daughter’s dying to see it, send her with mother. It’s an insignificant release, perhaps nearly as insignificant as the wanna-be Hillary Duff Trachtenberg’s barely-there career.

The Ring Two
(Opens on 3332 screens.)

The crazy, long-haired, metal-head chick from the first movie is back and demanding Naomi Watts give her a cut of the money she’s made since the first Ring made her a star. Naturally this scared the hell out of Watts and her creepy kid, but it gave DreamWorks a good excuse for a sequel. The most interesting thing here is that The Ring Two is directed by the same guy who made the original Japanese films on which all of this is based, Hideo Nakata. While that lends the film a lot of credibility, early word is that heavy studio interference may have screwed up Nakata’s usually impeccable vision, turning in to an inferior American copy. But, Nakata shares his name with my cat, so with Ice Princess the only other major release this weekend, that’s enough to propel The Ring Two into the winner’s circle as this week’s CB Pick. Horror fans will watch anything, so we might as well watch it right along with them.

Still In Theaters and Worth Your Time: The Aviator, Million Dollar Baby, Be Cool

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