It's a packed new release weekend with four wide release vying for your attention and dozens of fresh limiteds. Last week's number one only made a meager $9 million, so capturing the top spot should be easy, it's just a question of who will do it. The Black Dahlia seems to have the most buzz, but Gridiron Gang has the most star power. Which movie will end up as the weekend's winner? It's anyone's guess.
Forget about the money though, let’s look at which new releases are worth watching this weekend:
Sneak Previews
The Guardian won't be out for two more weeks, but it's getting 797 single showing sneaks this Saturday. It's the story of a group of Coast Guard rescue swimmers. Ashton Kutcher stars as the raw trainee and Kevin Costner is his grizzled life-saving instructor. I saw it last week and was surprised that I didn't hate it, but that doesn't mean you should go out of your way to see it.
Limited Releases(Opening in fewer than 500 theaters.)
Of the dozens of films opening in a handful of theaters, the most noteworthy are a campaign propaganda documentary Al Franken: God Spoke, a war documentary called The Ground Truth, Orlando Bloom's forbidden love in a foreign land movie Haven, and the scary as hell documentary about right-wing Christian kid-brainwashing Jesus Camp. Any one of them might be worth a look this weekend, but it's Artie Lange's Beer League that'll be opening on 164 screens and thus is the most likely new limited release playing near you. The film features Howard Stern's rum-soaked side kick in a movie about blue collar guys playing baseball with Ralph Maccio. Will it be funny? Are you drunk? Then yes.
Everyone's Hero (Opens in 2,896 theaters.)
This is deceased Superman Christopher Reeve's dream project, the film he was working on right before he died. Everyone's Hero is a computer animated movie about a boy embarking on a perilous cross-country quest accompanied by obligatory off-the-wall sidekicks. Because this was Chris's passion, I'd like to be able to tell you it's getting raves, but so far the film's getting trashed critically, it's not really being advertised, and the trailers look really really bad. If you want to honor Chris Reeve, you might be better off waiting for the DVD to do so.
Gridiron Gang (Opens in 3,504 theaters.)
Those who can't do, teach. But Dwayne Johnson can do so what's he doing teaching? Gridiron Gang casts The Rock as a correctional officer at a juvenile detention center who decides that the best path to rehabilitation for his charges is to make them play football. It's based on a true story, a story which Dwayne is clearly very passionate about, since his teenage years weren't exactly free from trouble with the law. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean it works as a movie. Critics hate it, and audiences would probably prefer to see the Rock hitting things himself, rather than teaching others to do it.
The Black Dahlia (Opens in 2,228 theaters.)
It doesn't look like Black Dahlia is going to break director Brian De Palma's decades long streak of irrelevancy. It explores the mystery around the real life killing of a Hollywood starlet in 1947 with a fictionalized noir mystery. The reviews are bad and it's coming out on the heels of the critically acclaimed movie Hollywoodland, another film on the subject of real life celebrity homicide mysteries.
The Last Kiss (Opens in 1,357 theaters.)
Zach Braff stars in a romantic comedy about a guy with commitment issues. Like every movie being released this week, the critical consensus hovers somewhere between really bad and mediocre. The trailers make it seem similar to Garden State, but where GS explores the problems with going home again Last Kiss tells the story of a guy coming to grips with turning 30. Braff's natural charm is always a good bet, even when paired with the worst script. Until he gets around to making his own movies again, this is your only way to get your fill of his strangely acerbic wit. Give The Last Kiss a smooch this weekend.
STILL IN THEATERS AND WORTH YOUR TIME: Invincible, Talladega Nights, Hollywoodland, Little Miss Sunshine
