New Movie Friday

I didn't even bother with New Movie Friday last week. Why? Because pretty much the only film that debuted was "Saw #WhoGivesaCrap" and I didn't feel that was important enough to make note of. Seriously, whether this is the last "Saw" or not, STOP WATCHING THESE MOVIES, America. Absolute rubbish, all of them. I digress. This week brings a much stronger field and thank the good Lord for that.

"Megamind" - Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Brad Pitt
A twist on the classic "Superman" story, "Megamind" pits a would-be super villain from another planet (Ferrell) against an alien superhero (Pitt) until the hero loses focus and retires from the crime fighting game. I expect this to be a bit more juvenile than the average Pixar film but I'm still genuinely excited to see this. Looks like it could be very funny.

"Due Date" - Robert Downey, Jr., Zach Galifianakis
When a businessman (RDJ) can't get home to his pregnant wife he hitches a ride with a lovable loser (Galifianakis). Basically "Planes Trains and Automobiles" from the perspective of director Todd Phillips ("The Hangover"). I've been quite interested in this for some time now but I'm starting to get nervous as it feels like all the funny parts might be in the trailers and I'm not sure how RDJ and Galifianakis will mesh. We'll see.

"127 Hours" - James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn

The true life story of Aron Rolston (Franco), a rock climber/outdoor enthusiast who got himself trapped in the desert and had to resort to desperate measures to save his life. This is getting GREAT buzz and more than one report I've seen has it pegged as a Best Picture contender (or maybe even front runner). "127" has a great pedigree, having been directed by the outstanding Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire") and has truly incredible source material. If you've never heard Rolston's story, I recommend checking it out. I'm not overly excited about this, though, perhaps because I know Rolston's tale of survival. Still, this will definitely warrant a viewing at some point.

"For Colored Girls" - Janet Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg
From writer/director Tyler Perry comes the story of a group of women who meet at a 12 step program. I probably could have stopped at "Tyler Perry" because, like me, you probably tune out anytime you hear that guy's name. 'Nuff said.

"Fair Game" - Naomi Watts, Sean Penn
The story of Valerie Plame (Watts), a CIA agent/spy whose identity was released (allegedly) after her husband (Penn) published a government-bashing article. This is getting the reviews you expect to see for a movie that aspires to win awards but misses the mark. Regardless, I'm just not interested.