Man, it’s a slow one this weekend.
Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s latest mashup “Alice In Wonderland” explodes onto 3D screens across the country in what should be a huge opening weekend. Perhaps no one wanted to compete against the 3D (sorry 2D-upped to 3D) craze. “Avatar” certainly proved that audiences at-large love nothing more than a spectacle and “Alice” is tracking almost as strong as James Cameron’s film just prior to it’s release. It should easily top “Valentine’s Day” for the biggest opening of 2010 so far. With “Shutter Island” inching closer to the $100 million mark, “Brooklyn’s Finest” will try to corner the adult drama crowd, but weak reviews could stop it from really taking off. Not much happening in the art-house world this weekend, but there is plenty out there to check out from previous weeks, so please patronize your local cinemas.
In Wide Release: Tim Burton once was once known as one of the most original voices working in Hollywood. But ever since his “Planet of the Apes” remake, he has seemed content to make films out of already established properties instead of bringing something fresh to the table. Yet, fans who grew up on his best work in the 90’s keep returning, film after film, hoping for a return to form for a director who increasingly acts like he’s working on autopilot. The trend continues this weekend with “Alice In Wonderland,” a big-budget adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham-Carter, Anne Hathaway and Mia Wasikowska as Alice. We reviewed the movie earlier this week, finding it to be, as expected, another wasted opportunity for the Burton/Depp twosome. Rotten Tomatoes tracks the movie with a 53% rating, while Metacritic is close with a 55 score.
“Training Day” director Antoine Fuqua returns to territory with the cop drama “Brooklyn’s Finest.” The film marks Wesley Snipes’ return to movies that actually get a theatrical release as he stars alongside Richard Gere, Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawke. The story follows three unconnected officers on vastly different career paths in Brooklyn who are brought together by a massive drug operation. After a string of misses like “Shooter” and “Tears of the Sun,” we were beginning to wonder if the strength of “Training Day” can be credited more to the performances and screenplay, which had memorable dialogue to spare. We got a chance to see “Finest” and we’re pleasantly surprised to find it somewhat of a return to form for the director, even if the script is cliched and lacking in places. RT has the movie at 31%, with a 40 score from Metacritic.
In Limited Release: Damon Wayans adds some star power to the indie drama “Harlem Aria,” the story of of a mentally challenged boy from Harlem who dreams of becoming a great opera singer. Considering the film premiered at Toronto almost 10 years ago, we wouldn’t expect too much from this one. The critics agree with a 0% rating from Rotten Tomatoes. Stay home and catch “Major Payne” on cable. The documentary, “Harlan: In the Shadow of Jew Suss” is getting good buzz with an 89% RT score. It’s a pretty fascinating subject and focuses on the children and grandchildren of Veit Harlan — the director of the infamous Nazi propaganda film, “Jew Suss” made under Jospeh Goebbels — who are still around to consider his notorious legacy.
The animated film, “The Secret of Kells” doesn’t hit in limited release until next weekend, but we reviewed it early as it is an animated Oscar nominee this weekend. We gave it high marks and called it a “feast” for fans of serious animation. It sits right now on RT with a very high 93% score.