Here to take a look at the films coming out in wide and limited release this coming weekend. I’ll give you my thoughts to help you decide what’s worth checking out.
- For those in the mood to watch attractive 20-something year old guys have relationship problems:
That Awkward Moment – This could go either way. The trailer has a few laughs and the threesome of Zac Efron, Miles Teller, and Michael B. Jordon (who I have a huge crush on) is pretty solid for this type of movie. Hopefully it’s a funny movie that doesn’t struggle too much with cliches. It was on Hollywood Black List for comedy screenplays which is usually a good sign. I’m keeping my reservations until I get some solid opinions though. - If you’re freezing right now and want to warm up with some sweaty folks in the 80’s forming a dysfunctional family unit:
Labor Day – I’ll have a review up for this on Friday, but I’ll give you a long story short here. This isn’t as bad as I thought it would be based on the very Nicholas Sparks-esque ad campaign it’s had. It’s still not great either. It’s more of a family drama than a romance, and some of it can be corny. But you still have beautiful direction by Jason Reitman (although this is not close to as good as his other films) and a great performance by Kate Winslet. I wouldn’t worry about seeing it in theaters but if you caught it on cable one day I doubt you’d regret it.
- If you want to check out Elijah Wood in his latest horror role:
Grand Piano – Elijah Wood has been getting really into the horror genre in the past couple of years. He took on the villain role in the remake of Maniac,his horror comedy Cooties just premiered at Sundance, and another thriller is due this year called Open Windows. This movie has him in the victim role as a pianist making his re-debut after having a breakdown in his last performance. Riddled with self doubt his performance has even higher than career stakes when he sees a note in his music sheet that says “Play one wrong note and you die.” John Cusack plays the culprit, and this looks like it could be a fun little thriller. It’s had some good feedback so far too. I would definitely like to check this out soon.
Available on Video On Demand now before its limited theatrical release in March. - If you are going through The Wire withdrawal and need to revisit Baltimore:
12 O’Clock Boys – As someone from Baltimore, anytime something comes out that has to do with the city I am immediately interested. Since this debuted at SXSW to stellar reviews and I missed the sold out premiere at the Maryland Film Festival I have been waiting to check this documentary out. It’s about a pack of dirt bike riders who ride en masse through the city to the point of shutting down streets without the police being able to reign them in. It’s something that I have witnessed on a few occasions without knowing the back story of it besides their name. I’ve heard mostly great things and am excited to finally see it.
Available on Video On Demand and see where it’s playing in select theaters here.
