2011 is apparently the anointed year of the Badass Chick, and this week we are double loaded with mini warrior assassin fairy Saorise Ronan in “Hanna” and bow-wielding Natalie Portman in “Your Highness” to erase that icky “Sucker Punch” feeling we’ve all been trying to scrub off. Oh and yeah, it just wouldn’t be a weekend at the theater in 2011 without some kind of ill-advised remake, this week in the shape of “Arthur” with creeptastic Russell Brand.
Joe Wright‘s highly anticipated child assassin flick “Hanna” hits theaters starring teen wunderkind Saorise Ronan, Eric Bana as her father and Cate Blanchett as the villain in pursuit. Our review says, Ronan “gives depth not normally found in this type of cynical killing-machine film,” and that it “may be the most conventionally entertaining guns-and-fisticuffs actioner of the last few years.” Rotten Tomatoes: 70% Metacritic: 67
It’s time for the 13 year olds of the 21st century to have their “Robin Hood: Men in Tights.” I can’t possibly imagine what they have been watching at sleepovers until now. Thankfully David Gordon Green does God’s work and teams up with Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel, and Justin Theroux to provide all the low-brow stoner humor in an anachronistic setting our nation’s tweens have been sadly missing out on, what with their Hannah Montanas and such. Our review says, “it’s goofy, for sure, and profane, and utterly, batshit insane,” but that audiences should be “impressed by a studio comedy as boldly strange and gorgeously photographed as this. ” RT: 27% MC: 33
Oh brother. Russell Brand stars as the iconic Dudley Moore character, rich kid bad boy Arthur in the film of the same name. Helen Mirren stars as his keeper, Jennifer Garner as his business arrangement fiance, and Greta Gerwig as his quirky, non-family sanctioned love interest (no Greta, noooo). We can’t condone this type of behavior, especially when it comes to the increasingly tiresome Brand. RT: 22% MC: 39
Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt star in the family vehicle “Soul Surfer,” inspired by the story of Bethany Hamilton, a teenage girl who lost her arm in a shark attack while surfing. RT: 44% MC: 54
In Limited Release:
The adorable Michael Angarano continues to build an interesting career for himself with this week’s “Ceremony” costarring Uma Thurman and Lee Pace. Angarano stars as a ballsy young kid who crashes his older former girlfriend’s wedding in the feature debut of Max Winkler (aka the Fonz Jr.) Our review says, while the film feels a bit Wes Anderson-lite, it’s still “entertaining and engaging” and that Winkler “is talented, both from a writer and director perspective and once he’s found his own voice, he will likely become quite the double threat.” RT: 43% MC: 41
Kelly Reichardt‘s latest film, the Western survival tale “Meek’s Cutoff” also opens in limited release this week, starring Michelle Williams, Zoe Kazan and Paul Dano. Our review says “Reichardt stands out as a filmmaker with a keen eye for storytelling, thematic structure and performance.” RT: 85% MC: 88
Keanu Reeves, Vera Farmiga, James Caan, Judy Greer, and Peter Stormare stars in “Henry’s Crime” Our review from TIFF says the film “is a bland and mild offense that should be lumped in with other forgettable misdemeanors not worth doing filmgoing jail time over.” RT: 48% MC: 45
Morgan Freeman lends his ineffable documentary voice over talents to the wild life documentary “Born To Be Wild 3D” about cute organutans and baby elephants! CUTE OVERLOAD IN 3D! RT: 94% MC: 66
There’s also the doc “American: The Bill Hicks Story” about legendary late comedian Bill Hicks RT: 75% ; “Blank City,” a documentary about the underground indie cinema scene in New York City in the 70s and 80s RT: 75%; French bodice ripper “The Princess Of Montpensier” RT: 100% ; Portuguese drag drama “To Die Like A Man” RT: 64% ; Kim Cattrall in the porn comedy “Meet Monica Velour” RT: 40%